Clone Force 99 signs off.
The final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is here! In Bad Batch Declassified, we’ll explore our favorite moments from each episode, available only on Disney+. Armor up and join us for the ride.
Spoiler warning: This article discusses details and plot points from the Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode, “The Cavalry Has Arrived.”
All missions come to an end.
“The Cavalry Has Arrived” brings Star Wars: The Bad Batch to a close in epic fashion, as the Batch and nefarious Imperial scientist Dr. Hemlock collide one last time. The series finale picks up with Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Echo, and Emerie all looking to save Omega from Hemlock and his experiments at Mount Tantiss, though the young clone takes the initiative to free herself — and in classic Omega style. A tense, emotional, and action-packed double-length episode, “The Cavalry Has Arrived” delivers satisfying answers, endings, and futures for these unique heroes and villains we’ve come to know the last few years. Here are five highlights.
1. Rise of the zillo beast.
The payoff of a thread started WAY back in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Omega frees this massive creature as she leads the M-count children in an escape from Mount Tantiss. As far as diversions go, it’s as good it gets. It’s also pure Omega — big, bold, and effective — and even Hunter recognizes his sister’s handiwork.
2. Rematch with the CX squad.
With the Bad Batch closing in, Hemlock unleashes his twisted Clone X trooper squad. Ruthless and efficient, they’re essentially dark versions of the Bad Batch — a glimpse into what they all might’ve become had they remained loyal to the Empire. While the CX squad defeats the Batch on first meeting, our heroes get another shot in a brutal rematch. With a little help from their own clone friends, the Batchers prove that no amount of programming can match heart and friendship.
3. Hemlock’s end.
His facility in shambles, his research destroyed, and utterly out of options, Hemlock makes for a pathetic figure as he’s cornered on a bridge. And in his final moments, Omega still gets the better of him before he falls in a blaze of blaster fire. It’s an end that seems inevitable, if only for his failure to see the humanity of those he chose to dehumanize.
4. Mission complete.
With Hemlock gone and Omega safe, the Bad Batch have earned their rest and retirement. “Now, we get to choose what we want to be,” Hunter tells Omega, sitting underneath a tree on Pabu before Crosshair, Wrecker, and Batcher join them. In this moment of peace, there’s a sense of fulfillment; through their journey, the Bad Batch have learned who they are, what they value, and what they’ll die for. It’s been amazing to watch.
5. The next generation.
In a touching epilogue, an older Omega is caught attempting to sneak off and join the rebellion. (Some things never change, we guess!) Hunter protests at first, but eventually commits what could be his most heroic act ever: he lets her go. As Omega flies off into the stars, one story ends and another begins, with a clone growing up to have her own adventures and make the galaxy a better place. What could be more Star Wars than that?
