Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for The Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 10.
The Big Picture
- The Empire's cruelty reaches new depths in The Bad Batch, with experimentation on children.
- The show highlights the Empire's mistreatment of innocent kids beyond previous evil acts.
- The Bad Batch showcases the darkest actions of the Empire, focusing on Palpatine's personal goals.
There's no denying that the ultimate evil in Star Warsis the Empire. Taking over the galaxy under the command of Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), it is clear from the beginning that the Empire is the villain. But originally, it was only a dark and powerful government that fought the Rebels. Sure, the Empire created the Death Star and blew up a planet, but that's what you expect from the bad guys. However, the Empire's actions have continued to get darker as Star Wars fills in the time gap by exploring the years the Empire had complete control over the galaxy with Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Andor, andSolo: A Star Wars Story. Andor and The Bad Batchtake place during the height of Imperial power, and The Mandalorian is just after their defeat, showing the fallout of the Empire's actions.
Each new story raises the stakes of the Empire's depravity, further justifying the Rebel's cause, but none does so quite as effectively as The Bad Batch, which shows the Empire reaching a new level of evil. Sure, the Empire has all but wiped out the Jedi, mistreated and experimented on the clones, and who knows what else, but The Bad Batch shows their experimentation on children, who are held captive, dehumanized, and harshly punished if they disobey. This level of cruelty from the Empire is not entirely surprising, but it is horrific. The Empire has never been good, but somehow, it keeps getting worse.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
TV-PGAnimation Sci-FiThe 'Bad Batch' of elite and experimental clones make their way through an ever-changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars.
- Release Date
- May 4, 2021
- Creator
- Jennifer Corbett, Dave Filoni
- Cast
- Dee Bradley Baker , Ming-Na Wen , Michelle Ang , Noshir Dalal
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- Disney+
- Franchise
- Star Wars
What Is the Empire Doing in 'The Bad Batch'?
The Empire using kids in their experiments is not entirely new. In The Mandalorian, the former Imperials are chasing Grogu for experimentation, and in the rest of the season, Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson) is Omega (Michelle Ang) for the same reason. Yet, Season 3, Episode 10, "Identity Crisis," reveals more about the all-important Project Necromancer, showing just how cruel it is. As Emerie Karr (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is promoted to head scientist in place of Nala Se (Gwendoline Yeo), she gains access to a secret vault where three young children are held for testing. These are the subjects for Project Necromancer. Though the finer details of the project are unknown, Dr. Hemlock's obsession with M-count and Palpatine's particular interest suggests a connection to Palpatine's revival in Star Wars: Episode IX — Rise of Skywalker. But their actions are unforgivable.
When Emerie sees her test subjects, she is rightfully horrified. Despite her loyalty to the Empire in Season 2, she wavers with this new information. Initially, Emerie questions why the subjects are kids, prompting Hemlock to inform her that no adults are left to test on. Though Hemlock doesn't explain the reason, there are few adults with a high M-count because Palpatine forced the clones to carry out Order 66 and kill all the Jedi. Any decent life form would recognize that it is unacceptable to treat anyone like that, but abusing innocent children is always worse.
How Does the Empire Treat These Children?
Of course, any sort of experimentation on children is bad. However, the Empire goes beyond that to fully abuse these children. Hemlock also explains that these kids, not knowing the Force Sensitive abilities that accompany their high M-count, are easier to "subjugate." They are kept in a small, heavily guarded space, and escape attempts are punished with shots from a blaster and self-confinement. The Empire encourages the dehumanization of the kids by referring to them as specimens rather than children and using numbers instead of names, as they do with the clones. But that is not all. Emerie gets to know one of the kids better than the others. Eva (Olwyn M. Whelan) asks about when she can go home, believing she will get to return to her life before. Eva's persistent hope only adds to the heartbreak of her situation.
But Eva's questions reveal an important element about the children's treatment: how they got there. Eva's longing for home proves she and the others were ripped away from their families unwillingly, demonstrating the cruelty of the Empire. This action is further explored through Cad Bane's (Corey Burton) story. With The Bad Batch having already established a bounty out for Force Sensitives through the Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) storyline, the explanation is simple. The Empire sends the likes of Bane after the rumored kids. Bane steals a baby from his loving family and delivers it to the Empire, leaving an infant to grow up in these harsh conditions and without a memory of their life before.
'The Bad Batch' Is an Example of the Empire's Worst Actions
The Empire is not new to mistreating people. Since the original film came out, they have been killing and destroying all over the galaxy, but the targeted abuse of children is a new low, even for the Empire. These are not Rebels who defied them or the faceless population of a planet, but children whom the Imperials interacted with regularly. The Empire committed no shortage of evil acts. Upon his introduction, Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/David Prowse) blows up Alderaan to make a point to Leia (Carrie Fisher). The Empire famously murdered all the Jedi and then established the Inquisitors to stamp out any who remained. Andor shows the awful treatment of prisoners and the brutal torture methods the Empire used. And that is far from an exhaustive list.
At a certain point, it's difficult to determine what is the worst because they are all deplorable, but the victims shown in The Bad Batch are not like the others. While none of the Empire's atrocities should be excused, most were motivated by military action. However, Project Necromancer is focused on Palpatine's personal goal of immortality. Worse, there is no reason why the scientists could not treat the children better and still work on their precious project. Because The Bad Batch explores the time just after the Empire rises, it has a unique opportunity to portray an Empire in its prime. With no resistance to speak of (yet), nothing is there to stop the Empire's worst actions. Though its actions will create enemies, the Empire has no reason to fear yet, allowing it to embrace all the darkness and commit the terrible evils seen in The Bad Batch.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. with new episodes on Wednesdays.
