All Things Omega

The Star Wars: The Bad Batch Celebration panel took place on May 29 and while that panel was not still available on YouTube at the time of writing, the creative team did share some thoughts on season one and the show’s upcoming second season with Celebration LIVE! host Anthony Carboni later that day.

Jennifer Corbett (co-creator and writer), Brad Rau (supervising director), and Matt Michnovetz (story editor) talked about the season two trailer, fans’ reactions to Clone Captain Howzer, and how Omega continues to challenge the Bad Batch and their sense of purpose.

You can watch the full Star Wars Celebration LIVE! interview below or over on the Star Wars YouTube channel. I’ve also transcribed relevant parts of the interview and have added some of my own thoughts on season one and the upcoming second season.

New Season, New Threads

By now you’ve probably seen the season two trailer and noticed that Omega and the Batch have updated their wardrobe since we last saw them. When asked how these characters were going to evolve from season one to season two, Rau and Corbett said a few words about Omega’s new uniform.

Rau: Yeah, that’s a great question. A little bit of time has passed from the end of season one to season two. You could see in the armour of the Bad Batch that they’re a little bit more beat-up. I think that’s also a mirror for their attitude. We finally gave Omega a helmet. I think she needed one. Come on, dads, give the kid a helmet.

Corbett: I think Michelle, who plays Omega, was just like “Do I have to keep wearing these pyjamas? Can I get some kind of armour?” We’re like, “We got you.”

Rau: “We got you.”

Omega’s new outfit and helmet look utilitarian but stylish. A helmet was one of the things on my season two wish list and the creative team has delivered.

Now, fingers crossed that Hasbro doesn’t take forever to release an action figure with this updated look.

Life as a Soldier

Thrilled to hear that the young clone has gotten some protective gear this season, Carboni expressed joy at how Omega has grown and how the rest of the Batch have accepted her as part of their team. Corbett explained that Omega has continued her training under her brothers’ watchful eyes since we last saw her.

Corbett: Yeah, we took a lot of time in season one and especially season two showing how the Bad Batch is training her. Even though Hunter is the most like a father figure, Echo is the one who is really spearheading her training. Because he’s the reg, he’s been through it all. And it’s been lovely to just see her grow as a character and also become a soldier like they are.

It’s too early to tell if a soldier’s life is the right path for the young clone but it’s clear from the trailer that Omega is now a much more skilled and confident archer and that she has perfected the art of the dramatic drop and roll, something Hunter is exceptionally good at.

And it’s great to hear that Echo is the one who has spearheaded her training. Echo was somewhat underused in season one and didn’t share many scenes with Omega, so hopefully we’ll get to see them interact a lot more in the upcoming season. It’s Echo’s time to shine.

Kids Being Kids

Children in the Star Wars universe rarely have the luxury of a normal childhood, so there’s a certain charm to seeing kids simply being kids, especially in the aftermath of a galaxy-spanning war. When asked about which characters they enjoyed bringing back for The Bad Batch, writer Jennifer Corbett clearly shared this sentiment.

Corbett: I think, for me, I loved bringing Hera, young Hera, back. I was a massive fan of Clone Wars/Rebels, so getting the chance to show Hera as a child and how she interacts with Omega… because Omega doesn’t really get to hang out with kids, ever. She’s stuck with a bunch of soldiers. So it was great to really see her be so proud of the Marauder and get to show Hera around and kind of make a connection with another child.

Hera and Omega’s friendship was one of the many highlights of the show’s first season and a big part of me wants to see them meet up again in the upcoming season. They may be young but they were a real force to be reckoned with, and they probably have a few new piloting anecdotes to swap since their escape from Ryloth.

Creating Omega

Before wrapping up the live stage interview, Carboni asked the creative team what is was like to create a new kind of clone and how they came up with Omega.

Corbett: It was really exciting because when we first developing this series and we knew it was going to take place immediately after Order 66, we were talking with Dave Filoni about how you challenge the Bad Batch, what you can throw at them. Because they are special ops commandos. They’ve seen everything in war. And we started talking about what if there was a kid in the mix and how would these soldiers react to having to be responsible for a child? And the more we talked about Omega and the fact that she has never left Kamino her whole life, whereas the Batch is hardly on Kamino ’cause they’re constantly on these missions… It was a great opportunity to really pair them with someone like Omega who is so empathetic and who has such a great heart but has no idea what the galaxy is. And then you pair her with the Batch who has seen and done it all except knowing how to be father figures.

Rau: Yeah, and Michelle Ang – the voice of Omega – is so incredible and what she brought to the character… We’ve had so much fun working with her. And Dee Bradley Baker, oh my god, our cast is so good. There’s times we have fun, we blow stuff up every once in a while. But when the emotion comes, especially with Dee and Michelle… there’s tears on our side of the booth sometimes because they’re so good.

You can watch the full Star Wars Celebration LIVE! interview over on the Star Wars YouTube channel. The Celebration panel has yet to be uploaded but watch out for a recap of that when/if it becomes available.

The second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be coming to Disney+ this autumn and you can read my thoughts on the season two trailer over here.

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