'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' S3 review: Glorious final mission for Clone Force 99

Clone Force 99 is back, and this time, their backs are against the wall as they come up against the might of Emperor Palpatine himself. — Photos: Disney Hotstar

Clone Force 99 is back, and this time, their backs are against the wall as they come up against the might of Emperor Palpatine himself.

Season Three of The Bad Batch picks up after events in the last season, in which the team of 'defective' clone troopers (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) lost one of their members, Tech, during a mission, leaving Hunter and Wrecker as the only members left of the original group.

To add insult to injury, Omega (Michelle Ang) was captured by the Empire's top secret Imperial Advanced Science Division, led by Doctor Royce Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson), who has nefarious plans for her, and also answers directly to the Emperor himself.

The first three episodes, which are now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, revolve around what happened to her after that, and what plans the Empire has for her, with an appearance by Palpatine himself raising stakes in the story immensely.

Uh oh, the Emperor's here. Time to turn up the volume on the 'Imperial March'.

Throughout its last two seasons, The Bad Batch has patched up holes in the stories of the Clone Troopers, and tied up loose ends between the Original and Sequel Trilogies, as well as those that were raised throughout the Clone Wars animated series.

We were given eight of this season’s 15 episodes to review, and based on that, this third and final season is shaping up to be arguably its most important season yet.

The clone troopers once again take centerstage, and not just Hunter and his team - there is a bigger, wider conspiracy involving them here, one that ties directly to the sequel trilogy, in fact.

Omega has definitely grown up since the first season.

While Baker continues his stellar performance as the voice of not only the members of the Bad Batch but also most of the other clone troopers, Ang has managed to develop Omega's voice and tone over the first two seasons, culminating in a more mature and battle-weary one in this final season.

She still sounds like a little child, mind you, but there is a harder edge to her voice and actions now, especially in her dealings with Crosshair.

Even though Omega is the 'Macguffin' that the plot revolves around, it is Crosshair's story that is the most fascinating here, as he tries to earn back the trust of Hunter, Wrecker, and the rest of the Clone Troopers he betrayed to the Empire.

Hunter was sad that his console couldn't run the latest PS5 games.

By now, Star Wars fans, the ones who are more interested in the current canon and world building rather than those still pining for a return to the Original Trilogy, at least, should be aware of Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni’s ongoing quest to tie up loose ends between the past and future of Star Wars.

It’s a fascinating journey that stretches all the way from the original Clone Wars animated series, to last year’s Ahsoka series, and through The Bad Batch as well.

Sure, there has been plenty of griping from some of the fanbase, but those who have chosen to invest in the Filoni-led projects have found a fulfilling and enriching story that connects the past and future of the franchise.

We may already know what happens in the future that lies ahead of this particular moment in Star Wars lore, but it is nevertheless fascinating to finally see the events that lead to that eventuality. Because after all, there must always be a Dark Side we need to go through before finding A New Hope.