The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 2 Ending Explained: What Went on in “The Planet Saleucami”?

By Rahul Rajput On Jan 5, 2023

The American animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch was developed by Dave Filoni for Disney+. It continues the story begun in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and serves as a spinoff of that show. Lucasfilm Animation’s The Bad Batch is created by Jennifer Corbett (head writer) and Brad Rau (supervising director).

Each member of the Bad Batch, a team of elite clone troopers with genetic abnormalities, is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He’s reprising his role from The Clone Wars by providing the voices of several additional clones in the show. Omega, a female clone, has been cast as played by Michelle Ang. The spin-off from The Clone Wars, with Filoni, Corbett, and Rau connected, was formally ordered by Disney+ in July 2020.

Season one of Star Wars: The Bad Batch debuted on May 4, 2021, and concluded on August 13, 2021, after 16 episodes. Experts were generally enthusiastic about it. A new 16-episode season began airing on January 4, 2023 and will wrap up on March 29, 2023.

The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 2 Ending Explained

The second episode of “The Bad Batch” is intriguing since it’s a far more modest excursion than the first episode’s great adventure, in which the crew travels the galaxy in the wake of Order 66. However, this really benefits the show by providing more time to explore the inner workings of the characters.

Two of the squad’s core members are shown to be affected by a crucial decision as Episode 2 of “The Bad Batch” comes to a close.

What Went on in “The Planet Saleucami”?

Saleucami, from Sector J-19, was first seen in “The Deserter,” an episode from the first season of The Clone Wars.

“Space turkeys,” or nunas, are tiny creatures that have been sighted racing around the planet. In the years following the release of The Phantom Menace, they have made cameos in a number of cartoons and other forms of media. The turkey has been replaced in the Disney theme park Galaxy’s Edge by Nuna meat, just as it is in the show.

An artificial nexu appeared in the gladiator arena combat scene of Attack of the Clones, posing a threat to the farm. In the animal kingdom, Nexus is known as a crafty predator. As well as the Twi’leks, other aliens have shown up on Earth.

Since Greedo threatened Han Solo in the first film, Rodians have become a common element of Star Wars fan art and media. Stormtroopers pick on Snivvian, a cantina alien with a large jowl. A couple more aliens who got their start in the cantina are shown in this episode: the Bith and the Gotal.

The R-series astromechs, damaged Separatist combat droids, and the A New Hope GNK-series power droid populate the background.

Cut Lawquane, his family, and Omega

Even though it’s great that Cut Lawquane, who hasn’t been seen since Season 2 of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” makes a return in Episode 2 of “The Bad Batch,” his presence is also meaningful for the clones: It demonstrates that one’s existence can be fulfilling without always taking up arms.

For the time being, Cut is focused on farming the land with his wife, the Twi’lek named Suu Lawquane (voiced by Cara Pifko) and making a good life for her and their adopted children, Shaeeah (Nika Futterman) and Jek (Kath Soucie). After Omega (Michelle Ang) escapes Kamino and joins the Bad Batch at the end of Episode 1, Cut offers to take her in and care for her as his own, demonstrating his real kindness and willingness to help people in need.

With the growing influence of the Empire and the increased surveillance of Saleucami, though, Cut is eager to uproot his family and start anew somewhere else. That Cut, after settling down with his family, is still on the run from the law is scarcely surprising.

Later in the episode, another clone warrior begins to recognize Cut as a clone, highlighting the importance of his escape. Just though “The Clone Wars” and “The Bad Batch” are animated shows intended for children, doesn’t mean they don’t deal with some unexpectedly adult subjects; the pure agony on Cut’s face at the idea of losing his family is a reminder of this.

The chain and Empire codes

In the second episode of “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” the new regulations and limits imposed by the Empire across the galaxy are a major source of tension. Empire officials are hard at work developing chain codes that will be used to precisely identify and monitor every citizen of the new dictatorship.

The Empire’s use of these codes has made it more challenging for those without proper identification to travel freely around the galaxy. The idea is that if people don’t travel between planets, the Empire will have less of a chance of facing a rebellion or a coup d’état from within, as they won’t have the numbers they’d need to mobilize against it. Things went wrong for the bad guys.

In the pilot episode, as Saw Guerrera’s (Andrew Kishino) armies amassed on the jungle planet of Onderon, the oppressed population promptly rose up in rebellion.

In the second episode, everyone is in a rush to obtain Cut Lawquane’s family their own set of chain codes, so that Omega can go back to being a normal kid. It’s the first time the team has been shown assisting galactic civilians in a direct fashion, like in “Star Wars Rebels.” With any luck, they’ll make it far enough into the series to join the Rebel Alliance and continue assisting others in need.

Hunter’s decision

Since Omega joined the crew at the end of the first episode of “The Bad Batch,” Hunter (also portrayed by Dee Bradley Baker) has had an intriguing predicament. He’s transitioning into more of a parental figure, although he still doesn’t get why Omega is so careless, like when a Nexu beast attacks.

Hunter is accustomed to the regimented military way of life, where it is not acceptable to put the safety of the squad at risk for the sake of personal enjoyment. But Cut warns him, “Kids will always find mischief.” One of the factors that swayed Hunter to grant Cut permission to bring Omega along with him and his family on their departure from Saleucami.

The members of the Bad Batch are on the run from the Empire, which isn’t exactly a kid-friendly scenario, so it’s clear why he makes that decision. In doing so, Hunter deprived Omega of any control over her own life and prevented her from developing in a setting where she could learn to be self-sufficient.

Yes, she would have a more secure and pleasant existence with Cut’s family, but in a world where clones have become increasingly antagonistic to normal individuals, can she really be sure that the Lawquanes will always be safe?

Fortunately, Omega was still able to make her own choice and assert her independence despite Hunter’s.

Omega’s choice

Omega is instantly charmed by the Lawquane children because they are her age. Being an apprentice in the cloning facility took up most of her time on Kamino, so this is the first time she has been given permission to play. Although Omega has fun playing with Shaeeah and Jek, she frequently returns to the Bad Batch since they feel like home to her.

Even though Omega agrees to leave Saleucami with the Lawquanes, she clearly does not want to be separated from Hunter and the other clones. They bonded in a special way because Omega, alone on Kamino, saw a reflection of herself in the Bad Batch since they were different from the rest of the Clone Army.

In Episode 2 of “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” Omega finally makes a decision about which family she wants to be a part of. As the Lawquanes make their escape from Saleucami, she abandons them and rejoins the Bad Batch. This is a big deal since Omega has made this decision on her own, despite Hunter having tried to steer her in the opposite path because he thought it would be better and safer for her.

The episode ends with Hunter and Omega realizing they can learn a lot from each other thanks to their relationship, and, more significantly, that the young clone belongs with the Bad Batch on their next expedition.