Summary
- Star Wars may be introducing a formidable team of bounty hunters: Cad Bane, Fennec Shand, and Asajj Ventress.
- The trio's skills and abilities make them a powerful force in the galaxy and could lead to future adventures.
- The finale of The Bad Batch season 3 may set the stage for a new animated series focused on bounty hunters.
The The Book of Boba Fett has been the closest the franchise got to a show about bounty hunters, but rather than focus on the unsavory aspects of Boba Fett’s former profession, Jon Favreau chose to turn him into the benevolent Daimyo of Tatooine instead.
Despite The Book of Boba Fett’s misgivings, the franchise may soon be giving the audience the true bounty hunting show it deserves. With the success of shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Disney continues to delve deeper into the animated side of Star Wars with spin-offs like Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, and Visions. However, a recent Star Wars trailer has laid the groundwork for a series dedicated solely to exploring the galaxy’s deadliest bounty hunters, ultimately hinting at the franchise’s most exciting animated entry yet.
The Bad Batch Season 3 Trailer Featured Three Iconic Bounty Hunters
Cad Bane is one of the galaxy’s most impressive bounty hunters. Bane earned the audience’s respect in his first appearance in The Clone Wars season 1 by holding the Republic Senate hostage. Later, Bane even robbed the Jedi Temple of one of its precious holocrons. Of course, Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand also has an impressive portfolio in the franchise. In The Bad Batch season 2, Shand even managed to get the upper hand against Bane during their hunt for Omega.
While Bane and Shand’s reputation as bounty hunters is unquestioned, the newcomer to the party is Asajj Ventress. Up until recently, Ventress mainly worked as a Sith apprentice for the Separatists, often leading her to clash with many Jedi. However, her skills drew the attention of Darth Sidious, who ended up commanding Count Dooku to dispose of her. Having been cast aside by her master, Ventress turned to bounty hunting in the latter half of The Clone Wars. In the Dark Disciple novel by Christie Golden, Ventress was presumed dead, though it seems like Disney has other plans for her.
The Batch Could Be Looking To Hire Bane, Shand, and Ventress
While nothing in the trailer explicitly ties Bane, Shand, and Ventress together, one popular theory is that the Bad Batch may be looking to recruit the bounty hunters as allies. At the moment, Omega is being held captive by Doctor Royce Hemlock in the Empire’s cloning facility on Mount Tantiss. In the trailer, Hunter almost exclusively talks about how Omega has been waiting for them to rescue her for a long time. It’s clear the Batch intends to rescue Omega, but with the loss of Tech in The Bad Batch season 2, the Batch can’t hope to infiltrate Tantiss on their own.
In Star Wars Legends, Mount Tantiss first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire series, where Thrawn had a similar secret cloning facility.
Having been betrayed by Cid in The Bad Batch season 2, the Batch will be forced to turn to more unsavory company if they want to break Omega out of Tantiss. The Batch already encountered Bane and Shand when they tried to capture Omega, so they have a pretty good idea of their skills already. On the other hand, Ventress and her new yellow lightsaber will be invaluable for cutting through doors, enemies, and providing cover for the Batch. The only question is how the Batch will convince (or pay) the bounty hunters to their cause.
Who Is Asajj Ventress? The Sith You May Have Missed In Star Wars Prequels Explained
The era of the Star Wars prequels introduced several new characters, with one being a hidden Sith warrior working for the dark side: Asajj Ventress.
Ventress’ own words in The Bad Batch season 3 trailer seemingly confirm that she’s teaming up with the Batch to rescue Omega. She tells someone that she wasn’t planning on killing them, but that—for whatever reason—they’re making it difficult for her not to. If Ventress is addressing Omega, then this line makes perfect sense. The Batch may hire Ventress and the other bounty hunters to help break Omega out of Tantiss, and while breaking her out, Ventress may be complaining about how annoying Omega can be sometimes.
What If The Three Bounty Hunters Don’t Split Up When The Job Is Finished?
Regardless of whether the Batch’s bounty hunter trio succeeds or fails in rescuing Omega from Mount Tantiss, it’d be interesting to see what would happen if they chose not to split up. Cad Bane, Fennec Shand, and Asajj Ventress could become the most formidable bounty hunting team in the galaxy if they learn to set their differences aside for their missions. With Shand’s assassination skills, Ventress’ skill with a lightsaber, and Bane’s brilliant heist plans, Mount Tantiss may only be the first in a long list of their jobs.
Even if the trio of bounty hunters parts ways by the end of The Bad Batch season 3, it's likely the franchise will hint at their future adventures to come. Star Wars has yet to explain why Vader didn’t try to hire Cad Bane in The Empire Strikes Back. But if Bane was off completing missions with Shand and Ventress, it’d explain his absence in the original trilogy. To this end, The Bad Batch season 3 seems to be setting up the next entry in Star Wars' animated show lineup.
The Bad Batch Season 3 Could Set Up “Tales Of The Bounty Hunters”
“Tales of the Bounty Hunters” could be the perfect show to take The Bad Batch’s place. Just as the final season of The Clone Wars ended up introducing the Bad Batch before their spin-off was announced, it’d make sense for The Bad Batch to introduce the galaxy’s next group of characters in its final season. The story of the clones has almost come to a close, and it seems high time for the franchise to expand its horizons by exploring new stories from character perspectives that haven’t been seen before.
Finally, The Bad Batch season 3 finale is slated to air on May 1st, just days before Star Wars Day on May the 4th. As The Bad Batch comes to a close, Disney will likely be announcing a new series to take its place. Given their sheer presence in the trailer, it seems likely the next show will focus on bounty hunters. Whether or not those tales involve Cad Bane, Fennec Shand, and Asajj Ventress remains to be seen. But the early prediction for Star Wars’ next animated series is that it will center around bounty hunters.
