Star Wars

‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ season 2 episode 16 ‘Plan 99’ recap/review

After a very uneven season, ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ closes things out with a wonderfully heartbreaking finale.

March 29, 2023

In part one of Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s season two finale, the team became stranded on a rail car while attempting to flee from Governor Tarkin‘s mountain compound. That situation was bad enough on its own, but it also puts them dangerously close to Dr. Hemlock, who hopes to capture Omega and force Nala Se to help him with his cloning research.

We now head into the actual season two finale, which was way more impactful and heartbreaking than most of us were prepared for.

As always, the recap portion of this review will contain plenty of spoilers along with some brief explorations of Star Wars lore. The order of events has also been streamlined a bit for the sake of clarity.

Disobeying Orders

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

The episode opens with the Bad Batch trying to figure out a way to escape. Echo says he can restart the rail car, but it will require the system to be rebooted by plugging into a terminal on the track. Hunter tells Wrecker and Omega to provide cover fire while he and Tech go up top.

Things become much more dire when Tarkin orders the rail car to be shot down despite the danger it would pose to his own soldiers. A trio of V-Wings flies through the cloud cover and manages to damage the supports connected to the rail line. Thankfully, the other clones provide enough cover fire that the ships are forced to circle around for another pass.

Tech reboots the rail system, providing power to the car and allowing Echo to get it started. As Tech runs back to the car, Hunter is also able to take out one of the V-Wings. Unfortunately, one of the pilots still scores a hit on the car’s rear carriage, causing the whole thing to nearly break apart. Tech falls, but manages to keep from plummeting to his death thanks to a grappling line.

As the car takes more damage from the nearby stormtroopers, it dislodges from the track. With more V-Wings on the way, Tech realizes that the only way to help the car move again is to cut his own support line.

Despite Wrecker’s pleas, Tech executes Plan 99 and sacrifices himself for his brothers.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

*Side Note: Plan 99 is likely a reference to 99, a malformed clone who died while selflessly aiding his fellow soldiers in the Battle of Kamino during the Clone Wars.

And yes, I know there’s a decent chance Tech will survive this, but there’s no way that doesn’t result in him going through some sort of awful torture like Echo did after the Citadel rescue. Either way, it was a tragic and heroic sacrifice.

Echo gets the car moving, but is unable to control its speed. The car flies down the track before ramming full speed through the next station and hurtling toward the forest below. After the crash, Omega awakens with a serious leg injury. She makes it a few steps before falling and passing out again. She then goes in and out of consciousness as Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo return enemy fire while evacuating her to the Marauder. As they take off, Hunter instructs Echo to fly to Ord Mantell so she can be medically attended to by AZI-3.

Inevitable Betrayal

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

Sometime later, Omega wakes up in one of the side rooms of Cid’s Parlor. AZ assures her that she and the rest of the team will make a full recovery from their injuries. Omega demands they go back for Tech, but Hunter tells her that their teammate and brother is gone. He then states his desire to make sure Tech’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain by giving Omega the life she deserves — and all of them giving up their lives as soldiers. When he asks if she’d like for them to all live on Pabu together, Omega nods her head in agreement.

Over at the bar, Cid pours the grieving Wrecker a drink before confessing that she turned him and his friends in to the Empire. Sure enough, the parlor is swarmed moments later by clone commandos followed by Dr. Hemlock. Hunter orders Omega to go through the sewers with AZ, find Echo, and leave the planet. He then steps into the bar and is forced to surrender along with Wrecker. Hemlock also taunts Hunter by expressing faux sympathy for Tech’s demise before tossing him his deceased teammate’s destroyed goggles.

When the commandos don’t find Omega, Hunter assures Hemlock that she’s long gone. The scientist responds with confidence that she’ll still be found.

Meanwhile, Omega completely disregards Hunter’s orders and doubles back through the sewers, allowing her to watch Hemlock’s devastating speech. She then heads back outside and instructs AZ to find Echo while she distracts the Imperials.

Unwelcome Reunion

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

As Hemlock & Co. walk through the streets of Ord Mantell City with Hunter and Wrecker, they’re surprised when a pink laser arrow nearly hits them. Hemlock orders his troops to hold their fire before offering to let Hunter and Wrecker go if Omega comes with him. He also tells her that Nala Se is still alive and needs her. Omega holds firm, but is ambushed and stunned into submission by Scorch.

*Side Note: YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART, SCORCH!

Elsewhere, AZ finds Echo, who is able to commandeer an AT-AC and start wreaking havoc. Hunter and Wrecker take advantage of the confusion and escape, as well. Unfortunately, the team is unable to stop Hemlock and his remaining troops from leaving the planet with Omega. They attempt to give chase in the Marauder, but are unable to track his ship (which must’ve lost that homing beacon at some point).

Hunter tells his team that they won’t stop looking for Omega until they find her.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

Later, Omega disembarks Hemlock’s shuttle at the Mount Tantiss facility, where she’s greeted by Scalder and Nala Se. Omega asks why she was brought there, but is sent away to get medical treatment before being provided with an answer.

After she’s gone, Hemlock once again asks Nala Se to assist with the Emperor’s special project. When she responds that what he asks is impossible, Hemlock tells her to make it possible or Omega will suffer the consequences.

Meanwhile, Omega walks into the medical facility and sees clones strapped to operating tables. She spots Crosshair and runs over to him, but can’t get the former Bad Batch member to awaken. Omega then demands that Emerie Kerr allow her to speak with Nala Se. Kerr responds by noting how strange it is that she’d trust the Kaminoan scientists over her.

Especially since she and Omega are sisters.

The Verdict

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To be honest, that final reveal didn’t do much for me. Telling us that a minor character who’s barely had any impact on the series is related to Omega feels more confusing than revelatory. This could end up being a great plot thread, but it currently feels like a cheap way to end on a big cliffhanger.

That said, the rest of this episode was great. There were some minor issues (like the missing homing beacon or Hunter’s bandages being on the outside of his armor), but that wasn’t enough to overshadow the great mix of drama and action that this season finale provided.

CORRECTION: Thank you to Cal in the comment section, who pointed out that in the previous episodes, there’s a brief shot of the tracking beacon getting fried after Saw detonates the explosives.

Some folks might take issue with the Bad Batch’s decision to go to Cid’s, but going to AZ really was their only option to get treatment for Omega. It’s not like they could just pop into an Imperial hospital and hope no one runs a check on their medical insurance.

And despite our collective (and very justified) cynicism about main character deaths in a major franchise, Tech’s sacrifice was still a glorious punch to the gut.

Meanwhile, Hemlock continues to be one of the first villains this show has had who manages to be truly menacing without absurd theatrics. If this was a live-action show, he’d be just as believable and effective. Considering how this season ended, it means we’re likely to see a lot more of him in season three, which is definitely a good thing.

I do wish we’d gotten to see Crosshair and Omega interact a little in the episode’s closing moments, but Omega’s heartfelt reaction to finally seeing him again was still great. As uneven as this season’s been, you’ve got to hand it to the writers for making us actually care about a murderous sociopath who doesn’t deserve our sympathy. A lot of that has to do with the way he’s seen by Omega, who continues to break the Star Wars Child Character curse and be awesome.

Let’s hope that continues next season as she and the audience uncover new secrets about her family.

Next Episode: ‘Confined”