Hi all,

Just a short post this week. I was working on another post, but whilst watching the most recent episode of the Bad Batch, I had a theory that I wanted to share before the next episode airs on Wednesday. Spoilers ahead.

As part of an ongoing effort by Star Wars showrunners to explain the “Somehow” of “Somehow Palpatine returned” a major plot point of Bad Batch Season 3 has been the Empire’s obsession with transferring “M-counts” to their clone test subjects. This is heavily implied, and expected by fans, to mean an infusion of Midi-chlorians (conduits of the force that are found in the blood of Jedi and other force-sensitive people) in order, presumably, to make the clones force-sensitive. This will, in turn, allow the Empire to make a force-sensitive clone of the Emperor, as part of Project Necromancer. So far, the Empire’s only successful M-count transfer has been Omega – who is now being hunted by the Empire (again) so that they can figure out why it worked in her case. So, why was it successful for Omega?

Episode 8 ends with Omega teaching Crosshair how to meditate, a skill which she had previously learned from a Wookiee Jedi. I reckon that it’s due to this meditation that Omega’s M-count transfer was successful. It’s already been established (via the Ahsoka TV show) that anyone can learn to use the force. You don’t necessarily have to be force-sensitive, it’s just a lot harder if you’re not. Everyone is connected to the force and, with enough patience and dedication, anyone can wield it. Regardless, presumably, of how many Midi-chlorians they have (I think Chirrut îmwe from Rogue One falls into this category). It might even be the case, that embracing the force causes your M-count to naturally increase. Perhaps the Midi-chlorians are drawn towards highly spiritual beings and can’t survive in low-force-connection environments. The M-count transfer worked for Omega because, by practising Jedi meditative techniques, she had already started building a stronger connection to the force! This would, in turn, mean that the Empire’s experiments with other clones – who don’t practice meditation – are destined to fail, which is why Palpatine’s self-cloning plan doesn’t go as intended (and why he subsequently needs Rey).

Alternatively, I’m wrong (though I guess that’s always a potential alternative). There was a lot of speculation during Season 1 that Omega was force-sensitive. Back then, it came to nothing. But maybe they’ll bring it back and reveal that she was all along, I don’t know. Nala Se’s actions (discarding Omega’s test results) would suggest that she already knows or suspects Omega of being force-sensitive, so it is possible. I prefer my theory, personally, but then I guess I would. We’ll just have to wait and see.

-Dexter