REVIEW: The Bad Batch – Season 3, Episode 9, “The Harbinger”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

In “The Harbinger,” the boys await the intel Fennec promised. Omega and Batcher are playing in Pabu’s local caves when they happen upon Asajj Ventress, sent by Fennec. She offers to test Omega’s Force aptitude, and while the guys are reluctant, Omega wants answers. Asajj administers a series of Force tests to determine if Omega’s M-count is really why the Empire is after her. As usual, she convinces her brothers to trust Asajj and give them space. However, tensions rise again when they discover her past as a Separatist assassin. Asajj gives Omega a task at the top of Pabu’s mountain to get her out of the way, and they all hash it out. When Omega gets back to discover a massive brawl, she again pleads with Hunter and the others to give Asajj’s training a chance. They once again comply, and Asajj ultimately tells Omega that she has no Force aptitude, but Hunter later says he knows she was lying.

I’ll start with the good. Light-side Asajj looks great! I like the hair (was never big on her bald look) and the yellow saber, although those are becoming overused in Disney Star Wars. Her yellow saber was established years ago in Dark Disciple, so it’s okay in this case. The music in this episode is just as amazing as usual, especially in the scene where Asajj summons the fish around her boat. Kevin Kiner never misses, and it seems like his scores get better with each successive Star Wars series he composes for. Finally, the animation is excellent and eye-catching, again, particularly when Asajj and Omega are out on the water.

However, this episode is way too dark again in the action sequences. This is particularly bad in the scene where Omega finds Asajj; I couldn’t see her or her ship at all, and I couldn’t figure out what was happening until I heard Nika Futterman’s voice over for the character. I’m so tired of this issue with action scenes and sequences see in the dark. Disney+ shows have been especially bad about this, and I don’t understand why they don’t fix it. I also found the fight scene between Asajj and the Batch unnecessary. I think they just wanted an action beat here and made any excuse to do it. She says she doesn’t want to kill them, so why fight at all? Why do they immediately jump into battle rather than ask questions? Haven’t they learned by now that not every person they encounter is what they initially appear to be? The Batch rescued a former Separatist senator back in season 1, and they should know by now that they were all pawns in the war. I don’t expect the boys to welcome Ventress with open arms right off the bat, but it’s jarring how little they’ve learned from their experience with former Separatists. They’re less the enemy than the Empire at this point. It feels like the writers just want Omega to be right all the time, and her brothers’ reluctance to trust anyone is just another opportunity to show how intuitive she is. Although trusting Cid backfired on Omega in a big way, so at least there’s that.

I wish I had more to say about Omega’s training/tests with Asajj, as I think that’s supposed to be the big takeaway in “The Harbinger.” I don’t have any particular interest in Omega being Force sensitive. At least it has been set up, unlike with Sabine Wren, who showed no signs of it in Rebels only to become a Jedi (at least in name?) in Ahsoka. There have been hints since season 1, like Omega’s supernatural sense of aim and uncanny ability to learn things right away. It reminds me of Luke bullseying wamp rats or Anakin’s piloting abilities. But I don’t think every character needs the Force or to become a Jedi, and I’m tired of that happening even in shows that aren’t about that. Andor remains the only Star Wars show that focuses on the ground level, on every day people. The Force doesn’t have much place in a show like The Bad Batch; these guys are mercenaries trying to survive and avoid the Empire. I feel like making Omega Force sensitive is just forced (haha) and doesn’t support the narrative of their struggles and familial bonds. Ventress even pulls the old “she will have to be trained” schtick, which I don’t want to see again. We just had this in The Mandalorian, only for Din and Grogu to be reunited right away in a different show. I really think they should have just left it at Omega being able to accept M-count transfers. Ventress plays coy at the end of “The Harbinger,” but we know what that really means. This isn’t a deal-breaker for the season, which has mostly been excellent so far. I just don’t see why this is necessary or serves Omega’s character. I don’t see the Batch letting her go with Ventress, and I can’t imagine the writers splitting Crosshair and Omega up. Time will tell, but seriously, what are they doing?? The show is usually more interesting than this.

This is the very definition of a random detail/thought, but when Asajj accidentally calls the big, scary fish, did anyone else think, “There’s always a bigger fish?” I never read the novel Dark Disciple by Katie Lucas, daughter of George, but it has a dedicated following that definitely contributes to Asajj’s fanbase. In that story, Asajj leaves the Dark Side, falling in love with Jedi Quinlan Vos. She dies saving him from Count Dooku, her own former master. In the wake of the Bad Batch season 3 trailer, there have been questions about Asajj being alive to appear in this timeline. Dark Disciple must happen before Revenge of the Sith, since Count Dooku is alive to kill Asajj. The bulk of The Bad Batch takes place after that film, as the pilot shows Order 66 going down. “The Harbinger” does nothing to explain this, although I suspect we will be seeing Ventress again this season. Maybe we’ll learn how she survived then. As of right now, resurrecting her wasn’t worth it for this episode. I think a sacrifice made for love is more meaningful than her showing up to test Omega, only to lie about the results anyway.

“The Harbinger” is quite possibly the worst episode of the season thus far. It’s not exactly bad, but it’s a very by-the-numbers Batch adventure that brings back a popular character for little to no reason. The title is perhaps the most interesting thing about the episode, leading one to ask what Asajj’s presence portends. Is she the harbinger of the Empire hunting Omega? Omega’s experience with the Force? Anyway, I assume this episode will factor in later in the season, so it’s not technically skippable. But I don’t think it serves Omega, Asajj, or any of the other characters very well.