The Bad Batch S3E9: The Harbinger

A fan-favorite baddie returns in "The Harbinger."

It took nine episodes, but we finally got our first glimpse at the one character I’ve been waiting all season to see. How they are back isn’t explained, but I could care less because they are back, and I, for one, am completely on board.

“The Harbinger” begins much like every episode this season, with Clone Force 99 waiting around for something to happen. Crosshair (Dee Bradley Baker) is reluctantly settling into life on Pabu while they await word from Fennec Shand with additional info about the Empire’s M-Count program.

Omega (Michelle Ang) and her Lurca hound Batcher (Baker) are having a fun day exploring when they happen upon a cave where Batcher is hesitant to go inside. Omega bravely enters, finds a ship, and is caught off guard when its owner, who has a familiar visage, sneaks up on her from behind.

Of course, it’s Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) looking as badass as ever. The bounty hunter tracked Hunter and Wrecker back to Pabu with the information they sought. Omega lets the cat out of the bag that she’s the target, and Ventress reluctantly agrees to test her to find her Midi-chlorian. She doesn’t have a handy dandy blood sample reader like Qui-Gon had in “The Phantom Menace,” so she must rely on force-sensitive exercises to gauge her ability.

This felt off because if you’re a bounty hunter after high M-Count targets across the universe, I would think said bounty hunter would carry a device of some type to gauge their ability. I hope her running Omega through these exercises will culminate with her trying to lure her away from Clone Force 99 (and this is set up later in the episode).

Her identity is a mystery to The Bad Batch, but a quick dive into Tech’s datapad reveals Asajj’s true identity, giving this episode the tension it needs. During her series of trials, Omega fails or succeeds to varying degrees, but it’s what’s happening around her that’s genuinely revealing.

Despite their pasts with each fighting on opposing sides, Asajj won’t kill the clones when she has the chance. The allure of testing Omega helps keep her emotions in check. We also see Crosshair’s tremor not be there for the first time this season - or at least it appears that way.

One jarring sequence in this episode is during the battle between Asajj and Clone Force 99. It’s very cool but oddly fast. It was so fast that my son asked me to stop fast-forwarding during the battle. I don’t know if it was a stylistic choice, but it didn’t play well for me because it completely took me out of the moment.

But I digress.

“The Harbinger” reveals just how far Asajj has come,  as she informs the clones that the war failed them all and that she’s “Many things, but I’m not your enemy,” which perfectly sets up a possible rendezvous later this season. Asajj is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe because her story is so complex and interesting.

She’s worn many titles during her lifetime - Jedi padawan, Sith acolyte, and bounty hunter, just to name a few. She’s also experienced her fair share of loss, including her Jedi Master Ky Narec and her lover Quinlan Vos, and she’s even cheated death. How did she cheat death? At this point, we don’t know, and who the hell cares? A little mystery is a good thing.

After soothing a nautical beast she accidentally summons, putting Omega through her third and final test, Asajj is set to part ways with the group. Eagerly inquiring about her M-County ability, Omega is told that she doesn’t have that much ability - a lie that Crosshair quickly picks up on. She warns that regardless of the truth, the Empire is after her, and they won’t stop until they find her. And then leaves them with this ominous warning…

“You’re not as safe as you think you are.”

Asajj perfectly sets up what I’m hoping is a memorable final push for the series. Few answers, more questions, and a ticking clock that is sure to make these final episodes exciting and adventure-filled.

My biggest hope is that despite Omega’s apparent Force ability, I do not want her to become a Jedi in any way, shape or form. We’ve gone from a universe where Jedi were a limited resource, and now it seems that Disney is hellbent on a Jedi being everywhere. I love a lightsaber as much as the next fan, but it’s becoming too much.

Futterman is amazing in this episode, complementing Baker and Ang. The trio kills it in every scene with their voice talents, and I hope this isn’t the last we see of Ventress in this final season. She’s too good to keep sidelined for long.

“The Harbinger” is a powerful episode that brings back a fan-favorite baddie and perfectly sets up the final six episodes.