LOVE THIS!
Sometimes a family is a clone girl and her 5 dads: a knife-wielding tracker who looks like he can kill you (but probably won’t), a military droid cosplayer, a tech-savvy computer whiz, a bodybuilder who’s never skipped leg day, and a sharpshooter who is most likely to sell you to Satan for one corn chip.
If it helps, I plan on writing a Crosshair and Omega piece for my TBB series. It won't be for a while, but it is planned. I hope you'll see it when I get around to it!
OMG REALLY?!! Thank you so so much!!! I can’t wait!!! I hope I will be able to find it/see it when you so post it/finish in the future. I am excited… thank you for letting me know EVEN if it’s not currently being written this second lol!
Sorry I am “SLIGHTLY” obsessed with Grogu and Omega as my favorite characters of ALL TIME lol! And of COURSE Cross is my favorite sibling for Omega! You made my day (been struggling with my chronic illnesses so your very much appreciated!!!)!
Thank you so much again for everything and letting me know! (Have to figure out how to find this when it’s finished!!!), have an awesome night :).
Shared this already (not sure if it was from the same poster) I believe but I needed to do it again. I absolutely LOVE these two characters so much especially together (not sure why but they make me happy especially together). I believe that she makes Crosshair think in a positive/different way (she is the kindest and is one of the most compassionate people in all of the Star Wars universe. Also, she loves him even after he specifically told his men to shoot her or anything else that he did against her. I think/believe that Crosshairs chip is still in but just malfunctioning and not working like it used to. So I think he still loyal to the empire in most ways (saw that he can’t still be COMPLETELY loyal as he still killed his men whether to get them to join the empire. That is something against what “good soldiers” do in my opinion) but at the same time Omega makes Crosshair have more of a conscience if that makes sense any sense. If you make or find any Fanfictions or anything else with Crosshair AND Omega especially interactions with them...please somehow share them with me if possible. Thank you so much, I’m so obsessed with finding everything with these two in them! Sorry for the long explanation and request...hopefully it doesn’t bother anyone. May The Force Be With You!
Speaking of content I desperately crave. Bring back toasty toothpick man. I will not rest till the Bad batch is a whole family again.
We’re back at it, here with the second post in this father-daughter-space-duo series! You guys responded to the first post better then I expected in all honesty! I didn’t think my insights were viewed as so important lmao. I don’t really think much introduction is needed here, the post itself is very self explanatory.
(Pasted paragraph: I would just like to add a disclaimer here. I am, in no way whatsoever, slating the other batchers for having differing relationships with Omega. I absolutely adore everything single one of the boys, and I think they all have wonderful and unique interrelations with her. Although I may point out these different approaches in comparison to Hunter’s, I am not stating these engages are wrong, just different is all!
I’m going to separate this into a little series- covering each episode in a separate post, which I’ll have tagged as the series progresses. Once I’ve tackled these two, as they’re my favourites, I’m going to move on to each individual Batcher and perhaps a few other dynamics such and Hunter and Crosshair, or Wrecker and Omega! Let me know what you guys would like to see!)
We kick off this episode with Hunter walking in on Echo inspecting Omega and Wrecker fast asleep on the floor. His face is very relaxed and he clearly finds it very sweet that her childlike curiosity has tired her out. His line, “ha, well this is a first,” while holding a strong gaze in Omega’s direction, suggests that she’s been exploring for quite some time, unleashing her endearing juvenile inquisition in the batchers presence. Hunter continues to claim she’s curious, using the same lighthearted tone he has always used in her regard, sparing the conversation in the medical wing on Kamino. This continues to confirm his gentle approach and concern towards the young clone.
When Echo confronts him over the situation at hand, it’s evident that Hunter hasn’t actually thought about what he’s going to do with Omega, yet by the look of quizzicality on his face. I personally took this as a sign that his initial thoughts were always “we’re going to lay low with her, look after her, while keeping everybody else safe.” It’s clear here that Echo has differing ideas that Hunter hadn’t even began to consider, and I think that’s what perplexes him in this moment. He needs to consider everybody.
The kid is up and awake! (Let the havoc commence aha.) Omega’s reaction to sunlight and dirt is definitely one of my favourite developmental moments of hers, it really sets in place that this little girl may have been an intelligent medical assistant, but she lacks experience, and still needs a guiding hand to help her through this new world she’s never endured before. I’d like to point out that it is, in fact, Hunter who stops to watch Omega’s reactions, and his FACE when she’s playing in the dirt! I’ve never seen such a parental smile on a man so stoic! I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot, but he is so endeared by her! She’s a breath of fresh air in Hunter’s very toxically routined life, and I love that for both of them. When they finally reach Cut’s land, Hunter is the one to pull her back, despite the fact she had to run between Echo and Tech to get to him. And upon Suu and Cut’s arrival, I actually didn’t realise that Omega creeps behind Hunter, most likely because these are strangers she doesn’t know and she feels she needs the protection. This confirms a clear bond between them has already began to flesh out.
There isn’t too much to say about the introduction and inhibitor chip discussion, as Omega spends a decent amount of that time exploring Cut and Suu’s house, but I will just say that it’s a nice touch that she ends up back at Hunter’s side when her part of the conversation is needed, she always seems physically drawn to him. Which brings me to my next point. Upon Shaeeah and Jek’s arrival, Omega once again creeps behind Hunter out of fear, only deciding to approach when formally addressed to do so. *Sigh*, and when Shaeeah pulls Omega out to play, and she halts to ask for Hunter’s permission, which is clearly given through a series of comforting smiles, is a plain indication of a trusted child-parental relationship. I must admit, Hunter’s face is pretty hilarious when everybody practically calls him out on his parental role- it’s just “why are you all staring at me..?” Because you’re acting like a dad, my dude.
Okay! Down to Cut and Hunter’s discussion. It’s a nice touch that Hunter is the first one outside to watch Omega play, swiftly followed by Cut, who, rightfully so, questions her existence. Although instead of explaining Omega’s origin (and by that I just mean that she’s a medical assistant clone from Kamino), he states that it doesn’t matter what the Kaminoans created her for, because she’s with them now, and to be with them she doesn’t need a purpose, she’s just a kid and should be allowed to act like one. Cut goes ahead to tease him over the ins and outs of raising a child, but to Hunter it was a no-brainer, Kamino wasn’t safe, so she was coming with them, as I’ve said previously, he saw NO negotiations. And as Cut says, “I (you) have to do what’s best for them.” This adds sentiment to the narrative of Hunter’s commanding role within the squad and Omega specifically.
So I’m shifting ahead slightly to the ball incident, and I have a LOT to say about this scene. First of all, it’s clearly evident that Hunter is the first to leave the house, along with Cut and Suu following closely behind. Associating this trio together is purposeful on the animators part in my opinion, they intentionally exclusively had Hunter leave with the other parents in the situation, isolating him specifically with that role in Omega’s life. When he finally reaches her, we see the protective hand come straight out to guard her against the Nexu, a typical trait they’ve established between them.
Now we move on to the confrontation. This is the first time Hunter raises his voice at Omega, and immediately she turns herself away from him, curling into her shoulder and making herself small. Omega is going through a lot of emotions right here, she’s afraid, anxious, and she’s being forced to deal with the fact that for the first time, Hunter is mad at her, for something she didn’t even intend to do wrong. Whereas from Hunter’s perspective, he hasn’t acknowledged she’s already in a bit of a state, and instead feels the need to immediately lecture her for her mistakes….although this lasts all but thirty seconds. Upon Cut’s attempts to diffuse the situation by having him pull Hunter away and reiterating that “she’s (Omegas) not a soldier”, his face immediately softens, he forgot for a moment, but now he realises and instantly the features are set in a regretful frown, he clearly feels awful and misrepresented. Hunter continues to observe Cut’s behaviour as he comforts Omega, who seems to take to the attention like a kicked puppy, lip trembling, eyes shaky, shoulders hunched, and I honestly think as Cut carries her away- is the exact moment Hunter realises he isn’t good enough for Omega. (I’ll further out on this in a moment)
I only want to briefly touch upon Omega’s gunners nest scene because I don’t think it has too much impact on her relationship with Hunter, however I would like to address the symbolism. I personally see the removal of her headpiece and the addition of her bangs as a new beginning, attaining the contrasting yellow light of Salucemi in comparison to Kamino, where she would’ve been given her jewel. Considering the episode’s outcome, Omega is no longer the tightly held, quivering little girl from Kamino, and instead she brings a slight unruliness to her aura, a little cheeky, definitely her brother’s sister. Still a sweetheart of course, but with a matter of confidence and boisterous behaviour to her. She seems to bounce out of her sadness quite easily here, as she seems suddenly awkward- yet curious- over Tech’s plan later on.
Furthering out into my previous point about Hunter believing Omega deserved much better in comparison to what he could provide: his conversation with Suu. “Protecting them is what we do.” The realisation on his face when she says this, it’s so…raw, something he’s taking time to comprehend. He heeds her words because he knows she and Cut are experienced in this field, they are better suited for Omega than he and the boys are, he believes he isn’t good enough for her, and this is projected when he insists ‘Mega leave with the family of four. Although Suu questions his sincerity, and he does indeed dodge the straightforward answer, this is what Hunter anticipates is best for Omega. He’s putting her needs above his happiness, no matter the heartache.
Moving along slightly, as Omega and Hunter spend a short period of time away from each other during the ship impoundment, I briefly wanted to touch upon the tone of Hunter’s voice when he learns Omega is on route to their position…by herself in a heavily armed spaceport. His eyes widen in a moment of fear, his voice is suddenly strained, he is struck with another raw emotion, something he frankly can’t obtain right now, and it’s let out in a minor threat towards his brothers- “if something happens to her-“ a clearly indication of worry.
This next point absolutely breaks my heart, the poor dears, both of them. Upon Omega’s arrival, Hunter is left to explain his forced proposal that she should leave Salucemi with Cut and Suu. As usual he completes his little ritual of taking her shoulders and crouching to her level, although this time he can’t quite look her in the eyes, a clear sign of regret and guilt, because he doesn’t want to give her away, he knows deep down she belongs with them, but he doesn’t believe he has what it takes to raise and protect her. The way Omega’s eyes crumple really catches me here, she’s being left, again… All this kid has ever known her entire life has either been abandonment, abuse or isolation, and she’s being passed on to strangers by the only people she’s ever been able to trust, and not only is it clearly breaking her heart, but she’s taking it personally, she thinks she’s at fault, much like Hunter does. Her line: “but, I want to stay with you.” compressed with the quivering tone and her precious accent really aides her desperation here, it conveys her in an adequate and very precise way.
Starting a brief new point to split these up slightly: I bring us to the continuous glances shared between them. Omega consistently looks over her shoulder to Hunter, she doesn’t want her eyes to leave him for one moment, she’s savouring his face, his details, for the very last time. And equally, Hunter is letting go of something he doesn’t want to leave behind, he likes the kid, to the point where his own self depreciation and doubt have been forced ahead in order to protect her, he can’t risk anything at this point. I’d also like to quickly mention how beautifully Omega’s eyes are animated, they intel so much, those precious little doe irises hold such story to them.
Moving on to a little jump cut enduring the batch’s escape and Omega’s return: Hunter’s tone of voice when addressing Wrecker is so pained, and his facials match it perfectly “she’s not com-“ it’s almost as though he’s biting back the urge to sprint headfirst into the gunfire if only to catch up to the little clone before it’s too late.
However, seeing as she’s managed to find her own way back that wouldn’t be exactly necessary. I think it’s a nice point that Hunter is the one to rush to Omega’s aide after she is grabbed by the trooper (flowing a brief flash of concern crossing his face), although Wrecker might’ve been closer, it’s a nice hint to their subtle closer bond. He, once again, crouches to her level although an unnecessary step in the situation, and I see this as another nod to their familiarised dependancy.
Finally, my last point for this episode, is their final conversation within the last few minutes. It’s faint, but the fact that the other batchers are all busying themselves in the cockpit, leaving Omega and Hunter to chat privately, is a very distinct use of separation. It also should be noted that Omega is the one to approach Hunter, this shows a decent level of not only maturity on her part, but trust between them as family, she trusts both him and herself enough to advance on a delicate situation, we even see her hesitate slightly, before pushing forward with a slip of confidence, and that takes a lot of gut from a little kid. She stands her ground, but with compliment. She very much reminds me of Hunter himself in the brig, assertive yet respectful. And speaking of Hunter, his face is just absolutely guilt-ridden when talking to her, because he too made the mistake of attempting to give her away, no matter how much good he thought it would do them both. While Omega is admitting she has a lot to learn in regards to safety and tactility, Hunter is suggesting he has a lot to learn about raising a child and providing the necessary care for her. It’s a brave moment for both of them, to be honest and open, and yet its received extremely well on both ends.
“If this is where you want to be…then this is where you’ll stay.” The admiration in his voice, the admiration in her eyes! They absolutely adore one another, and it melts my heart every time it’s displayed!
I hope you liked my analysis of Hunter and Omega’s relationship in episode two of The Bad Batch! Of course, I’d love to discuss these two with anybody who might be interested, so please feel free to drop me an ask or a DM, and if you’re captivated enough I’d totally recommend looking out for my future posts on the topic!
As always, much love to our ‘Megs and Hunter, thank you for reading! 💛
Part One: Aftermath
This scene hurt me so much and I feel like I’m sure Omega wasn’t thrilled about it when all she wants is her brother back (he may be an ass to her but he’s proved he’s willing to save her too).
When crosshair saw the rest of the Batch pointing their weapons at him after he saved Omega and Azi.
They will never trust him again. What a brutal moment.
Anyone who follows me knows I am OBSESSED WITH CROSSHAIR AND OMEGA ANYTHING!!!!!!!!! This is absolutely well done and gives me all the feels and is approved by the obsessed Crosshair and Omega fan girl lol. I need MORE of this and ANYTHING Crosshair and Omega, pretty pretty pretty please help me and make more pictures/fan art but especially FANFICTION!!!!! Thank you for making this, made my day!!!
OMG I LOVE THIS SO VERY VERY MUCH AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO A FANFICTION FOR THIS (I beg you and not just a one shot unless it’s long lol).
This post is gonna be long because I have so many thoughts. @scarlettroseog and I had the best time discussing these!!
Crosshair: Crosshair is the one who stares at baby Omega when they first get her and is just like “how do I pick it up”. Tech offers to show him a useful holovideo on how to safely hold a baby. Crosshair offers to throw Tech into hyperspace. Once he gets the hang of it though, Cross is a natural and can often be found asleep with a baby on his chest. He loves baby cuddles more than life itself, but he’ll be damned if he let’s anyone know it. He has to act like holding her is the biggest inconvenience you could ever ask of him, but if someone else offers to take her, he’ll refuse. He reminds them he never said he wouldn’t hold her.
Very much a silent protector, Cross is always incredibly aware of his and Omega’s surroundings and is always looking out for her. He’s most at ease when Omega is still in his eyeline, but as long as she’s with one of the squad, he know she’s safe.
Crosshair is an utter softie and has been caught singing to her, and crying when she grabbed and clung to his finger for the first time. He talks to her in the softest voice, and when she starts to babble he talks back as if they’re having a conversation. Little Omega hangs onto his every word. The others don’t understand why he tries so hard to hide his affections, they all think its the cutest thing ever.
Oh, and he absolutely has no qualms cursing around her. He secretly hopes Omega’s first word is kriff to see Hunter’s reaction.
Tech: This. Man. Tech disappears for a whole day when Omega lands in their care, and re-emerges a child rearing expert with a large shipment of baby supplies on its way to them. He has gone to the ends of the Holonet to research absolutely everything he needs to know and eagerly passes on his findings to the others. He’s an expert swaddler to the point the others usually just leave that job for him. He’s tried countless to teach the others, but Hunter especially just cannot get the hang of it. One time they find him sat shirtless with baby Omega on his chest, and he explains how he read that skin to skin contact is really good for newborns and helps them bond and feel safe. He suggests making a rota for skin to skin contact. Crosshair tells him to never say those words ever again. His enthusiasm comes from a place of absolute love, but he does have to be reminded to rein it in from time to time.
Tech absolutely documents EVERYTHING. He’s so in awe of this extraordinary tiny human and all her potential. He tracks and logs her development and milestones, he’s recorded her crying countless times to try and decipher what she needs from how she’s crying. He even develops a pretty successful formula to help her get to sleep. This guy is revolutionising child care over here. He allows the others to add to his notes with cute pictures and stuff, so its more of a baby book than a scientific log.
Despite his eagerness to learn and give Omega the best care he can, the change she brings to their entire lives does unsettle Tech a fair bit. New priorities, new routines, everything has changed in some way. He does acclimatise, helped by how he dives into learning how to care for her, but its a difficult transition at first.
Baby Omega gives Tech a sense of protectiveness he’s never experienced before. She brings his emotions to the surface more than anything else ever could. He records a lot of sounds of her growing up, and the sound of her first laugh might just be his favourite sound hes ever recorded. He finds himself listening to it if he’s away from her for whatever reason. When he’s working on projects, he likes having Omega to keep him company. He crafts a little baby chair to attach to his work table, and she sits and watches him work. He talks her through what he’s doing, knowing full well she has no idea what he’s saying, but her sweet little smile makes up for it.
Wrecker: None of them have EVER seen Wrecker so gentle and careful. They warned him once that she’s fragile, and they never had to warn him again. He is also swaddling expert second only to Tech - he asked Tech to teach him and practised over and over again on Lula until he got it. Considering Hunter cannot do it to save his life, he’s very proud of himself. This guy is so, so sweet with her, he simply cannot cope with how tiny and adorable she is and will not rest until he has gushed about it to anyone who will listen. He even turned an unused storage crate into a crib for her with all the blankets she could ever need. He puts Lula in there too, but the fact she’s bigger than Omega gives Hunter anxiety so she is still Wrecker’s until Omega is bigger.
Not to worry, though, because Omega spends more time sleeping in the arms of her ori'vod than in the crib anyway. Tech has insisted multiple times that they should allow her to get used to sleeping in her crib, but even he is guilty of falling asleep with the baby in his arms.
My friend has a headcanon that Wrecker knits in his spare time as a calming activity and oh boy am I running with this. Hats. Wrecker makes all the hats for tiny Omega, and all five of them cried the first time she wore one of his creations. He doesn’t just stop there, she has blankets, stuffies, bootees, Wrecker should start his own knitwear etsy shop at this point. He plans to donate omega’s knitted things to people in need when she grows out of them. Wrecker is at his happiest sat knitting with little Omega fast asleep on him.
Echo: oh my god do not get me STARTED. I’m crying already. Echo is the sweetest most gentle soul and Omega is such a calming presence to him, and he has the same effect on her. A cuddle with Echo and she’s out like a light, and Hunter definitely isn’t jealous.
Due to his scomp arm, he always asks for help to pick her up or take her into his arms. He usually puts a blanket or something around the scomp as well, he’s so afraid that he could hurt her or cause her discomfort with it. He can’t hide that it gets him down, he wants to help out with Omega as much as the others can, he wants to be able to pick her up on his own without assistance.
Hunter takes him aside and reassures him that he’s doing a great job and that Omega clearly feels safe with him regardless. He knows how self-conscious Echo can get about his appearance and his disabilities, and reminds him how much of an incredible role model he is for Omega. Tech is already hard at work, though. If he hadn’t already been working on a prosthetic arm for Echo, he was now and working double time. Seriously, no one knows if Tech is even getting any sleep. At least once they have to force him away from his work and hand him Omega to give him a moment to calm down and relax. In the meantime, Wrecker knits Echo a little scomp cover, and Hunter and Crosshair fashion slings out of spare blankets, so Echo can hold Omega more easily and in general so everyone can hold her hands-free if they need to do something else at the same time.
Echo cries the first time he picks Omega up on his own, and in the same moment, Omega smiles for the first time. Now Hunter is crying, Wrecker is crying (more because he had been trying so hard to get her to smile for him), and Tech is leaping over furniture so he can capture the moment in time.
Hunter: The Dad™. Also a nervous wreck. Hunter is the one you’ll find watching Omega sleep and constantly checking she’s breathing. And waking the poor thing up on occasion, just to be sure. Omega coughs once and immediately, Hunter.exe has stopped working and he’s probably called an ambulance. He puts on a brave face, but in reality, he’s terrified. He’s trained for battle, not parenting. He doesn’t know the first thing about raising a baby, but with his squad behind him (particularly Tech’s extensive research), he knows he’ll be just fine. The one thing hes certain about, from the moment she is left in their care, is that he is never, ever going to let anyone hurt this little girl. Ever.
He is also the one with the rules; no weapons around the baby, no cursing around the baby, no throwing the baby (no one intends to do so, but he wanted to make that very clear just in case), and no eating while holding the baby, after Wrecker dropped half his lunch on her one time. Hunter didn’t find it as funny as Omega did.
His heightened senses come in very handy, he can often sense just moments before the crying starts, and unfortunately for him, he knows before anyone else when she needs changing. At times, the crying takes it’s toll and can contribute to a sensory overload, but with the rest of his squad on hand to help, that’s rarely an issue. If it isn’t his turn for night duty, he has his noise cancellers in, otherwise he’ll be waking up every time Omega does. He finds her presence calming like Echo does, she’s so peaceful when asleep, and her big brown eyes are so alight with curiosity when she’s awake. Hunter finds himself watching her silently observing the world around her, and enjoys going for walks with her strapped to his chest so he can show her just a little bit more of the world. Someday, he’ll show her the galaxy.
BONUS HEADCANONS:
- At first, the five of them end up doing everything together. Baby check up? All five of them are piled in that doctor’s office. Baby music class? It was Wrecker’s idea, but all five of them come along. After a while they learn that not every situation requires all five of them.
- Tech suggested making a baby care rota, but they didn’t need one. They just kind of manage to balance out the tasks and the cuddle time. Except Hunter. Hunter is selfish. Hunter will straight up steal the baby from one of his brothers when he decides it’s his turn for cuddles. The only exception to this is Echo. Hunter will never steal Omega from Echo.
Sorry for this absolute essay. I put more effort and focus into this today than I did at work. This has also helped massively in plotting out a couple fics surrounding The Bad Batch and a baby Omega. I cannot cope with the amount of fluff I’ve written today.
Please let me know what you think, add some suggestions! I had a great time writing this and want to write some more headcanons for similar scenarios!
Will someone please give this man a hug? He’s been through it.
It’s about time I finally got around to making this post, and what better time to do so then the first Friday without a new TBB episode (I’m heartbroken yall 😞 what am I supposed to do with my timeeee)
I’m going to do this by going through each episode individually. Over the past week I’ve rewatched them all, and these are my favourite details between the iconic Clone Force 99 Sergeant and his chaotic space daughter/little but also older sister.
I’m going to separate this into a little series- covering each episode in a separate post, which I’ll have tagged as the series progresses. Once I’ve tackled these two, as they’re my favourites, I’m going to move on to each individual Batcher and perhaps a few other dynamics such and Hunter and Crosshair, or Wrecker and Omega! Let me know what you guys would like to see!
Okay! Kicking it off with the ‘official meeting’! Around the 20 minute mark in episode 1, ‘Aftermath’.
We first see Omega scanning each squadron of clones alongside the Kaminoans, on the look out for her (unbeknownst) brothers. Her little excited gasp when she finally makes eye contact with Hunter is so endearing, and definitely very sweet. It is noticeable that she is very quick to disappear, most likely out of pure excitement, and the knowledge that this would be the only time Nala Se couldn’t put a hand out to stop her from leaving. Hunter’s face, on the other hand, is a little more neutral, he doesn’t know this little girl yet, he’s never met her before, it’s a strange image and certainly something he isn’t use too, but he’s clearly endeared by her! Little does he know this is the start of something beautiful.
I know the reasoning behind this is due to his enhanced senses, but I think it’s a nice touch that Hunter is the one to recognise Omega’s lingering presence in the corridor. His lack of involvement in the conversation between the other Batchers, who were discussing the difference between the Republic and the Empire, shows that he was very concentrated on assessing her sudden appearance. He took to her quite well.
This little sweetheart was just “😇” behind them for a good minute. She was so ready to follow them and finally reunite with her brothers. Goodness I love her. She isn’t shy or apprehensive, as we’ve seen she can be around new people, she’s very forward and excited to meet them. Now, while Wrecker and Tech give a very sceptical response to her appearance, Hunter seems much more curious, rather than alarmed. He willingly smiles at her, he starts to crouch to her level, he’s almost gentle with her, he asks her a very kind question too- not a “who are you?” or “what do you want?”, instead it’s just a “what are you doing on Kamino, kid?” He knows it’s no place for a sweet little girl like her. He has no reason to be rude to her, so he isn’t.
When Nala Se announces Omega is a medical assistant- and a disobedient one at that -Hunter pulls a face of confusion and almost pity, he can’t quite make sense of her involvement in such a way, and as we see later, he doesn’t actually believe this to be true. Yet he never seems to take this out on her directly, it’s a very mature and tactical trait of his.
Omega’s little wave, Part One. She’s just so happy to finally meet her brothers again, and I love that for her.
Omega’s little wave, Part Two. Finally mustering the courage to sit with them in the mess hall, she’s trying her best to remake her connections, and although they all seem extremely surprised by her presence, Hunter is the first to fully address her, while the others seem much more reserved. Can we also address how panicked she became when she thought they didn’t recognise her? She can’t relive that trauma again, and I truly pity her for it.
Omega tries her best to make conversation with them, stating they don’t fit in like she doesn’t, and here’s where we see Hunter’s own patience begin to falter, and I don’t think either of them are to blame for this. Omega just wants to befriend them, she’s been waiting her entire life to meet with them again. But to Hunter, he is being suddenly reminded of the whole reason the regs hate him and his squad. “They don’t fit in.”
However- this is all forgotten when this exact situation falls into place, the regs don’t run to coddle Omega- “oh sweetie don’t sit with them, they’re defective.”, instead they taunt her, claiming she’s another member of the Bad (‘sad’) Batch, I think this is the first incident where Hunter sees Omega as one of them. She’s getting picked on for her new associations, and he’s going to stop it from happening.
This child straight up throws food at the other clones because they insulted her brothers. I absolutely love her lmao. Immediately, we notice it’s Hunter who runs to her rescue when the reg prepares to throw hands with a literal ten year old-. Another instance of him being her primary protector, he wants to diffuse the situation, even if he’s also angry that the regs treat both him and his squad terribly on the daily.
Now for this next point I really think Hunter put two-and-two together. When chatting in the corridor, everybody left Omega alone, while sitting with them in the mess hall, she was picked on and quite literally almost punched by a fully grown adult. He also knows exactly what Lama Su is capable of, and even has a rough idea in regards to Tarkin and his tactics. He knows that he and the boys have already caused enough trouble for this kid, and they don’t want her to endure anything else. He’s already began to put her best interest forward, perhaps not as lightly spoken as one would think, but it’s certainly a start, especially in comparison with the other batchers.
This can be seen later on when she catches them in the hanger and Hunter rolls his eyes upon her arrival. I must say, Omega’s poor little face when she is inevitably left behind once again…I understand Hunter doesn’t know they’ve already left her once before, but I can’t imagine what must be going through her mind at that moment. People often forget this is a child.
Next I bring us to Omega listening in on Nala Se, Lama Su and Tarkin discussing her brothers. She knows immediately they are being set up for failure, and she needs to do something about it. And who does she approach? That’s right, the sergeant himself! He seems quite sceptical at first, but as soon as she says she needs to speak to him, he softens. He crouches to her level, his eyes ease and he becomes less rigid. He takes her concerns gently, almost like a parent easing their child’s irrational fear of the dark, he’s reassuring but assertive. This continues as she insists she should come along, he isn’t rude to her, but he is insistent. He doesn’t want her getting hurt. But from Omega’s point of view, she’s being left behind (again.) she knows things are different now and she is no longer safe wherever she is, but the boys don’t see it that way, and you can see it breaks her heart, despite Hunter’s attempts to offer reassurance. The way he turns back to her after she calls out again, he’s still not ready to dismiss her, and I bet my life she wanted to tell him of their relations there and then, but she hesitated.
“Something about her I can’t figure out.” His mind is on her, she’s caught his interest, he feels this need to protect her, he just doesn’t know why yet. When he looks back, their eyes don’t leave one another until Hunter boards the ship, and Omega anxiously rings her hands as she watches them go. They’ve already established a connection that warrants both of them holding second thoughts when assessing one another. “Kids aren’t your area of expertise.” maybe not, Crosshair, but he’s definitely established a base with Omega, one that they’ve both settled in on.
As soon as Hunter realises the Empire is spying on them, his immediate reaction is to think of the little girl who warned him of that very situation. It doesn’t cross his mind that she’s just a kid, like it does with Crosshair (“we’re taking the word of a child now?”), but instead he immediately takes heed of her word and begins to consult his own thoughts on what to do. When Tech is explaining Omega’s origin, Hunter looks off in the direction they had just come from, as if remembering the children they had almost been forced to kill, and linking them to the very same child he had left on a planet soon-to-be riddled with imperials. Confirming she is one of them, Hunter’s first reaction is that they need to go back for her, that she needs them. He doesn’t even react to Crosshair’s jab negatively, instead he makes it clear that this is NOT a negotiation, he is going back for her and that is that.
Back on Kamino, Omega is just pleased to be scanning through her brothers room, this is most likely the closest she’s been to them since she was a toddler and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s Hunter’s bunk she takes to first, after examining Lula of course (as any child would. Even I want a Lula and I’m 18 lmao)
Moving along to the reunited brig scene, we see once again that Hunter crouches to Omega’s level, he is continuously very gentle with her, he is never rough or brash, he is calm and collected. Everybody steps aside to let him by because it’s clearly established that he is most likely the one to talk to her properly, the others have seen them interact multiple times now, it’s evident. Upon Omega’s insistence that they shouldn’t have come back, Hunter merely makes light of it (for her sake), stating they had come back for her. She’s suddenly all hyper and smiles, she’s ecstatic over the fact they came back for her, and she lets them know, and Hunter continues to make light of it, still for her sake. That’s what a father does
When the argument between Crosshair and Echo breaks out, Omega’s worried eyes immediately trail to Hunter, and they stay on him until Crosshair’s head begins hurting, and she changes her approach to the situation, but in her moment of panic and confusion, it’s Hunter she seeks out. Upon the arrival of the regs (who are ready to retrieve Cross,) we see the poor kid leap back in surprise as Hunter is hit, covering her mouth and squeezing her knees together. She has seen brutality before, heck she lives on Kamino, but to see it against her brother directly, it’s a new level for her, one her childlike emotions can’t conceal very well.
Skipping ahead slightly, we’re moving on to my second favourite interaction of this episode, the mimicking. Omega has a blatant connection with Hunter, she wants to be just like him because she adores and looks up to him. She copies every little movement he makes, even the indifferent ones such as shifting his forearm or moving his fingers. Hunter immediately picks up on this, and he too is endeared by her curiosity, he moves around a lot to see if he can catch her doing it; and when he does, he’s attentive towards it. We see this habit never quite stops later on in the series. She continues to do this for at least five minutes, both when they’re forming the wall, when they’re telling Wrecker to quieten down, when Tech is explaining the plan, she never stops no matter where her main attention lies.
There isn’t much to say about Omega’s escape through the wall, but it’s nice to see Hunter offer reassurance and direction for her. And her clear excitement to follow his orders and finally be apart of the squad offer an extra connection between them. It’s very sweet.
Finally when they’ve suited up in the hanger, it is Hunter she finds comfort in. She’s clearly afraid, so she falls to him, simultaneously he drops to her after the first shot is fired, this could be because it was an easier position to fall to, but I also like to think it’s because his first priority was protecting her, she’s not a soldier, she needs him. Alongside this, he immediately pulls her to safety when she reaches out for Wrecker, he does his best to reassure her that Wrecker will be alright and they must stay put, as they’re only using Wrecker to get to them. Although they are both suffering in the predicament, Hunter takes charge in a military fashion, while still managing to approach Omega appropriately.
Alongside this, he makes sure Omega has the plan in her head before ordering the rest of the crew into action. He does well to ensure her safety first, knowing full well she isn’t a trained soldier and will need extra instructions on exactly what she should be doing.
However, Omega, seeing the danger, disobeys orders briefly to rescue her brothers in their time of need. She follows Hunter’s lead and manages to knock the gun from Crosshair’s hands, and just for a moment everybody is still, even she, because nobody can quite believe she just did something so…daring! (And when they’re on the Marauder, it’s very clear Hunter is very impressed with her skill, and he lets her know!)
When finally aboard the Marauder, Hunter is the first and only one to notice Omega’s juvenile enjoyment when looking out at the stars (although I don’t blame the others, as they were busy helping Wrecker). He makes a pleasant little conversation with her, with a gentle smile on his face, and the tone of his voice is everything in this scene, “where’d you learn to do that?”, this is VERY similar to how Cut speaks to her in episode 2, Hunter is clearly parental material, it couldn’t be more conspicuous!
When Tech asks the leader of their squad for a plan, Hunter leaves no hesitation in taking Omega’s childlike advice, no questions asked. She suggests friends, he thinks of Cut, and off they go. They’re already a team and she’s been on the ship for five minutes lmao-
Taking into consideration that he knows she’s never seen hyperspace before, Hunter crouches down to her again (I LOVE it when he does that), smiles and insists she straps in so she won’t miss her very first hyperspace view, and we see from the absolutely beautiful look in her eye as she watches the stars that it’s all so damn worth it, and Hunter was the one who made that happen for her. Not only that, but he stands aside her and watches for a reaction; he finds her so incredibly cute, her reactions to things, her entire aura is just the personalisation of the word “wow!”, and I don’t think this man can get enough of it!
Just look at his smile!
Okay now THAT turned out to be much longer than I expected! I told the discord server yesterday that I had a tendency to analytically rant but I didn’t think I was this bad haha. I will have the other posts prepped and ready for posting for tomorow, and I’ll be linking them here once they’re up! I hope you guys have enjoyed my analysis on my new favourite Star Wars parental-child duo! These two are honestly admirable in so many different ways! They have some amazing qualities and beautiful development between them! So much love for our ‘Megs and Hunter!
My heart was literally pounding when I watched this scene. I was so scared one of them was going to die!! 😭
I loved how determined Omega was saving Crosshair!
She didn’t give up!!
She didn’t leave him and wait for the bad batch to come; she rescued Crosshair!!
She was determined to save her brother!! 💕
Also, Crosshair looked so panicked and it made me even more terrified for him! 🥺😰
Plus, Omega has good aim to shoot from the surface into the water. Just like Crosshair when he saved her and Azi later on.👇🏻👇🏻