Star Wars: The Bad Batch Theory Reveals Season 3 Is Rey's Secret Origin Story

Summary The Bad Batch season 3 prompts shocking theories about Rey Skywalker's lineage, possibly connecting her to Omega and the clones.

Omega is pivotal to Project Necromancer, the Empire's plan to resurrect Palpatine.

Speculation suggests that Rey may not only be Palpatine's descendant but also a descendant of Omega.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 may have revealed an even more shocking Star Wars lineage for Rey Skywalker than being a Palpatine. Although The Bad Batch season 3 timeline takes place decades before the sequel trilogy in the Star Wars timeline, the show has massive implications for Star Wars movies and TV shows throughout the franchise. Set during the Dark Times, not long after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, The Bad Batch has already done considerable work to explore what happened in the wake of Order 66 and set the stage for what's to come.

In so doing, The Bad Batch season 3 has offered some incredible reveals, many of which have direct implications for the events of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Although the plot twist in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that Rey was in fact a descendant of Emperor Palpatine took many viewers completely by surprise, one key Star Wars storyline could very well be revealing an even more jarring family connection. Specifically, based on The Bad Batch's exploration of Palpatine's cloning plans, additional details about Rey's origins may have been revealed.

Rey's Father Dathan Was A Palpatine Strandcast Clone

Although Rey's parentage may have remained a mystery for the bulk of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker eventually revealed that Rey was a Palpatine by blood via her father, Dathan. However, her father wasn't a traditional biological son of Emperor Palpatine. In the movie, little additional information is provided; the movie quickly shows Rey's emotional goodbye to her parents as they leave her behind on Jakku for her protection.

However, the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization, written by Rae Carson, provided significant additional context. The book revealed that Dathan was actually a strandcast clone of Palpatine, meaning that Dathan had been created both from Palpatine's DNA and DNA from other sources. What is most interesting about this, though, is the ambiguity of those other DNA sources. It isn't clear where else Dathan's genetic material comes from, so the possibilities remain wide open. One such possibility is particularly exciting and even seems quite possible.

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Omega Has Become Essential To Project Necromancer

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The Bad Batch season 3 has revealed how critical Omega is to Project Necromancer and Palpatine's resurrection plan. Project Necromancer, taking place on Mount Tantiss, is the plot behind Palpatine's eventual return. The plan hinges on the Empire's ability to produce Force-sensitive clones of Palpatine; however, they have come to discover that such an endeavor is particularly difficult. Although they have the aid of Kaminoan scientists, the very ones who were behind the creation of the prequel trilogy's clone army, creating Force-sensitive clones is quite different.

To do so, the Empire discovered they needed to increase the M-count (or midi-chlorian count) of a clone and bring together both a clone specimen and a Force-sensitive specimen. Disturbingly, the Empire found the latter quite simple. The Bad Batch season 3 has revealed that the Empire abducted multiple Force-sensitive children and is holding them prisoner and testing upon them in The Vault, a hidden base in their facility. So far, though, Omega is the only clone whose M-count was confirmed to have successfully increased through these experiments.

Omega is the only clone whose M-count was confirmed to have successfully increased through these experiments.

In light of that, Omega is seemingly the key to the entire project. As the Empire has identified that both elements—a clone capable of sustaining an increased M-count and a Force-sensitive specimen—are required, Project Necromancer could not go on without her. This also means that, at least at the current point in time, Omega is the only viable genetic option thus far.

Dathan's Other DNA Could Have Come From Omega

It's quite possible, therefore, that Dathan's genetic material may very well come from Omega. It's clear throughout The Bad Batch season 3 that the Project Necromancer experiments have undergone significant trial and error without success until Omega arrived. Given how many clones were unsuccessfully tested upon, this suggests that Omega is a true anomaly. Moreover, the Empire did manage to get their hands on Omega's blood even after her first successful escape, meaning her DNA is both viable and available to the Empire.

While it's possible the genetic material came from elsewhere or another viable clone specimen emerged, Star Wars has yet to show that. At least for now, The Bad Batch seems to point to Omega as the source of the clone DNA crucial to Project Necromancer. What makes this particularly compelling is that The Bad Batch has just one episode before the show's conclusion. There may be another Star Wars TV show or movie that will further explore the progress and final details of Project Necromancer, but it seems telling that The Bad Batch is wrapping up on this note.

Rey Could Be A Descendant Of Omega

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Were Omega indeed the source of Dathan's additional genetic material, that would mean Rey was not only a Palpatine by blood, but also that she was a descendant of Omega. In fact, this would be a truly incredible turn because it would mean that Rey had a genetic link to Omega but also to all the clones, Boba Fett and his father Jango Fett, the original specimen, as well. This would have considerable and fascinating effects on the larger Star Wars timeline, as it would unify stories that have already been told in a brand-new way.

That would mean Rey was not only a Palpatine by blood, but also that she was a descendant of Omega.

This would also make quite a bit of sense for Star Wars to do. The franchise has long since grappled with how to walk back somewhat or soften the abruptness of Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker and the equally clunky line "Somehow, Palpatine returned" as the only explanation for the startling resurrection in the movie. Moreover, many are still displeased that this was Rey's origin story after all. The possibility that Rey is related to Omega, and the amount of work that would have gone into making that so, would more than compensate.

While this remains only a theory at present, it is a compelling one. Rey's lineage has remained a hot topic in the franchise, and with The Bad Batch wrapping up, this would be one avenue of many to continue exploring those characters' stories. Although the truth remains to be seen, for now, it's possible that Omega provided the genetic material for Dathan during Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, making Rey a descendant of Omega.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an action-adventure animated series set after the events of The Clone Wars, following Clone Force 99 (a.k.a. the Bad Batch.) Finding themselves immune to the brainwashing effects of Order 66, the Bad Batch become mercenaries for hire while outrunning the empire, now seeing them as fugitives of the law. Cast Dee Bradley Baker , Michelle Ang , Noshir Dalal , Liam O'Brien , Rhea Perlman , Sam Riegel , Bob Bergen , Gwendoline Yeo Release Date May 4, 2021 Seasons 3 Franchise(s) Star Wars

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