The Bad Batch is doing for the Star Wars sequel trilogy what its predecessor, The Clone Wars, did for the prequels. The series is slowly, but surely, creating plot threads and connections to the new Star Wars feature films. But more than that, it’s finally connecting all the various shows and movies into one big connective plot. The re-emergence of Project Necromancer in the Bad Batch season 3 premiere episodes is a big sign of the series explaining some major plot points used in The Rise Of Skywalker movie. Read on for how season 3 of The Bad Batch connects to the larger Star Wars universe.
Please note that there will be some spoilers in the following for The Bad Batch season 3 premiere.
How The Bad Batch Connects To Palpatine
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In the third episode of season 3 of The Bad Batch, the series finally brings in the Emperor. On a visit to Mt. Tantiss, his secret cloning facility, the Emperor confers with the lead scientist, advising him how Project Necromancer is important for the future of the Empire. This is clearly a thinly veiled reference to his plans to be immortal by transferring his consciousness into a clone body after his death in Return Of The Jedi. Which was (kind of) revealed in The Rise Of Skywalker, but better fleshed out in other media like the comics.
It looks like Dave Filoni is doing with the very divisive sequel trilogy what he did with the prequels. The Clone Wars animated series reframed and filled in the blanks between the prequel and original trilogies. Characters were given motivations, complex machinations became even more complicated and ideologies were challenged with greys. And now, it looks like he is similarly taking the more controversial elements of the sequel trilogy, and reframing them with more meaning, substance and significance to the Star Wars universe in its entirety.
Project Necromancer Seemingly Confirms A Major Star Wars Theory
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That same The Bad Batch episode actually connects the story from a major plot point in season 1. The episode sees Omega and Crosshair escaping from a secret Imperial cloning facility. Although, it wasn’t really an escape as the Empire let them go. This is because the Imperial scientist discovered that Omega’s blood contains what they’ve been looking for; the right M-count.
This is clearly in reference to Midi-chlorians, one of those controversial concepts introduced in The Phantom Menace. They are microscopic life forms that are responsible for how Force-sensitive or strong in the Force people are. Most famously, the midi-chlorian count in a young Anakin Skywalker was the determining factor in Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn’s insistence on him becoming a Jedi. In The Bad Batch, a cloning scientist, a clone herself, confirms that Omega’s blood contains ‘positive M-count transfer with no degradation from the specimen’. This clearly means that they have been attempting to transfer midi-chlorians from one subject to another, without losing them in the process. And this is possibly how Palpatine returned in The Rise Of Skywalker.
The Mandalorian Could Have Had A Precursor To Project Necromancer
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Before Omega, there was another young and cute character whose blood the Empire wanted. Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian wanted to similarly extract all of Grogu’s blood, in an attempt to imbibe clones of his own with Force-sensitivity and abilities. The clones were all destroyed, so the outcome of those plans never panned out. But his plan definitely seems akin to that of Project Necromancer, if not maybe an earlier version of it.
Further proof of this comes in The Mandalorian season 3 episode titled The Spies when we first hear of Project Necromancer. A reference that predates this new episode of The Bad Batch. During a holographic conference of a Shadow Council, Captain Pellaeon mentions how Admiral Thrawn’s return (later seen in Ahsoka) will allow more time for Project Necromancer’s completion. Hinting that this project was running in conjunction with Gideon’s plans with Grogu. Which may still have been through the Emperor’s manipulation, even if there was no overt connection that we’ve seen yet.
How It All Ties In Together
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So basically, Moff Gideon seemingly perfected cloning himself but also wanted to transfer midi-chlorians from Grogu to give his clones Force abilities. Palpatine is attempting something similar with the cloning, to transfer his consciousness in case of death and remain immortal. However, given that he is a Sith Lord, that clone body also needs to be Force-sensitive. Which is probably where the ‘M-count transfer’ comes in.
It seems like Palpatine was experimenting with not just creating a clone, but also imbuing it with Force abilities. Potentially to create a clone body for himself that would sustain his dark Sith powers, and not degrade as we see him in Exegol in TROS. This was the whole reason Palpatine wanted his essence to transfer to Rey upon her killing him, as he intended. Since she was a Force-user, she may have been the perfect host for him, something he was attempting to create with Project Necromancer.
The Bad Batch season 3 premiere episodes are now streaming on Disney+.
So what do you think of Project Necromancer and how it ties into the larger Star Wars universe? Let me know in the comments below. Or follow me on X (Twitter) at @theshahshahid to geek out about Star Wars anytime.
