REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch,’ Episode 9 – “Bounty Lost”

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 9 continues to peel back the mysteries surrounding the series, starting with the biggest one of all: the reason behind Omega’s creation. “Bounty Lost” picks up immediately after the events of “Reunion,” with Omega (Michelle Ang) being kidnapped by bounty hunter Cad Bane (Corey Burton). While the Batch  (Dee Bradley Baker) tries to track her down, Omega struggles to escape Bane’s clutches but also runs into Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), who reveals the reason she and Bane have been hunting Omega down.

“Bounty Lost” serves as a character piece for Omega first and foremost, as she not only has to outwit a pair of bounty hunters but also contact the Batch. The episode, penned by The Bad Batch‘s story editor Matt Michnovetz and co-directed by supervising director Brad Rau, shows her utilizing all manner of tricks to stay ahead of her would-be captors. She tricks Bane’s droid Todo 360 (Seth Green) into letting her loose, she takes advantage of Shand and Bane’s standoff to escape, and she even hijacks an escape pod on the facility she’s trapped on. Not only does this episode prove Omega can handle herself in a pinch, but it also showcases that the Batch’s rough-and-tumble tactics are rubbing off on her.

The confrontation between Shand and Bane is another highlight of the episode, as bounty hunters coming to blows have slowly become one of my favorite Star Wars tropes since watching The Mandalorian. Bane is a skilled gunslinger and utterly ruthless, but Shand is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and pulls off some cunning traps during their fight. Watching these two come to blows had me on the edge of my seat; I didn’t know who was going to win and that made the fight even more intense.

Burton’s performance as Bane is the highlight of the episode. Bane has always been a cold, detached character; he only cares about the job at hand and will carry it through no matter how many bodies litter his path in the process. He even tells Omega “You’re lucky they want you alive” when he corners her after her escape. Most of Star Wars’ villains such as Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are driven by emotion, so to have an enemy who’s the complete opposite is pretty scary. To top it off, when Bane DOES show flashes of emotion, it’s mostly anger.

The episode also finally reveals that the Kaminoans are behind the Batch’s recent woes, and what is so special about Omega. It was hinted that Omega wasn’t like the rest of the clones right from the premiere, even the genetically altered clones in the Batch as they were genetically altered to be better soldiers. The revelation about Omega not only ties her to a surprising figure in the Star Wars universe, but it also reveals that the Kaminoans and the clones share much more in common than they think. Why are the Kaminoans so interested in cloning? The answer may hint at a connection to another upcoming Star Wars project this year, as well as an abandoned storyline for Star Wars: The Clone Wars that would fit right at home in this series.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 9 kicks off the back half of the series with revelations galore, while also acting as a character spotlight for Omega. The revelations have only served to strengthen the bond between Omega and the Batch and paints certain characters in a new light. I’m genuinely looking forward to what the rest of the season brings.

New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be available to stream Fridays on Disney+.