Don’t worry, she’s memorised all the plans! First-time Supa-Star Michelle Ang, the voice behind Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s beloved Omega, made an impressive debut at Supanova in Melbourne last month.
While Ang is now best known as Omega, her Melbnova panel also included a few deep dives into the actress’ past appearances in cult classic shows such as The Tribe and Xena: Warrior Princess.
If you’re just dying to know the identity of Omega’s favourite Bad Batch brother, or how Ang prepares for a scene, check out these panel highlights before she appears at Supanova on the Gold Coast (12-13 April).
Spoiler Warning: Contains spoilers for all three seasons of ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’
Omega has quickly become a role model for many people. Did Ang have a similar character role model growing up?
“I saw someone wearing a Neverending Story pin yesterday. So, I suppose, maybe because it’s fresh in my mind, the Childlike Empress was iconic to me. She was sure of herself, and she put herself out there. As an immigrant kid, that fantasy and escapism really appealed to me.”
Tech’s death in The Bad Batch
“I was devastated! I knew there was going to be some sort of big event to end the season, but we weren’t sure at the time that we were going to get a season three. Both those things meant that when I read about Tech deciding to sacrifice himself so the rest of us could escape, it was a double-edged sword because I wondered whether that was how the show would end. I will say it made the recording really easy, because it was emotional for me as Michelle as well as for Omega.”
On recording season one of The Bad Batch during Covid
“Most of you already know that my co-star, Dee Bradley Baker, voices all of the clones, so whenever I say ‘our cast’, it really is just me and Dee. The Bad Batch started just when Covid hit. Originally, I was supposed to fly out to LA and record physically next to Dee. Instead, we had to really quickly pivot, and I was sent all the equipment, and had Lucasfilm sound engineers talk me through setting it up in my spare room. For most of the recording, I was in a room by myself with Dee and the Director on a Zoom meeting. Luckily, for some of the big emotional moments, like the season two finale, I was able to fly out and record with Dee.”
Is there another Star Wars character Ang would like to play, either live-action or animated?
“I love voice acting. But it’s been strange for me, because I can only control Omega’s vocal expression. There’s a whole team of animators who get to decide how she walks when she’s grumpy, or how tiredness manifests in her body. So, a live-action, non-humanoid character, and working out the physicality of that, could be fun.”
Of all the Bad Batch members, who had Ang’s favourite dynamic with Omega?
“Crosshair. I really enjoyed the arc that Crosshair had in general, but also with Omega. It’s a big hurdle for Omega to climb over, getting Crosshair comfortable with having her in the Batch. Then when we meet Crosshair in season three, he’s a broken man, and Omega becomes so central to rebuilding his confidence. I love that by season three, she can really own that ‘Big Sister’ energy and tell him when to pull himself together.”
On the talent of co-star Dee Bradley Baker
“Dee records in story order, so he doesn’t just record all Tech’s lines. It can be Hunter, Wrecker, then Tech, then maybe I’ll have a line, and back to Tech. It makes it easy for me, but Dee does have to switch. Sometimes the Director will use a catchphrase to remind him which character he’s in.”
Her memories of cult-classic series The Tribe
“It’s a little weird given the last few years, but the show was about a virus that killed all the adults, leaving teenagers to build a new society. I played Tai-San, who was very spiritually connected to nature and a bit misunderstood, but always searching for an antidote to the virus. It was a little bit awkward at times, because I had bright blue hair at a time no-one really had blue hair, and I went to a very conservative school, but it did help me to push the boundaries of my own personal style as a teenager. It’s great that The Tribe lives on.”
On her first recording session for The Bad Batch
“We got to do the first episode together before lockdown. Voice actors have their own ways of getting into character, and for me coming from live-action primarily, it was lucky Omega wasn’t just immediately in battle. I loved her just having this total fangirl moment over Clone Force 99.”
What’s next for Omega?
“I’d like to see Omega use the skills she’s learnt from her brothers. And perhaps a meeting and acknowledgement of each other as siblings, if she were to ever meet Boba.”
Her favourite Clone (other than Omega, of course)
“Crosshair, because I love how grizzly and prickly he is, and how hard he was to win over. Both as Michelle and as Omega, I really love Crosshair.”
How she prepares for a scene
“I like to take an emotional snapshot of the full episode. It was important, for Omega, to have a naturalness, which I like to think my live-action skills helped with. I also, particularly for voice acting, like to take note of the weather in a scene. If they’re in a storm, for example, I have to raise and project my voice further.”
How her degree in chemistry factors into her life
“Well, I didn’t actually become a chemist, so my degree isn’t used in day-to-day life in that way. But I am interested in those scientific things that you can’t see, but are very real. It’s good having that little bit of knowledge, like now with AI in voice acting. If your voice is out there, and can be replicated, is it even really yours anymore? It’s a strange time, I’m not sure how that’s going to go.”
Working with Lucy Lawless, both on Xena: Warrior Princess and My Life Is Murder, 20 years apart
“My character, Akemi, was in the last two episodes of Xena. She was this amazing Japanese Princess who’d first met Xena when she was younger. They reunite when Xena is older, and Akemi reminds Xena that she killed a lot of people, and still has to atone for her sins. That was cool, I got to do a lot of wire work.
“Fast forward about twenty years, Lucy has a new, totally different show [My Life Is Murder], and I get to play a woman named Kathleen Boyce, who was so fun to play. She managed Drag Queens, very street smart. Lucy remembered me from Xena, but the dynamic was totally different. Akemi was very sweet with Xena, but Kathleen’s sort of going up against Lucy’s character [Alexa Crowe]. It was fun to get in each other’s faces a little bit. It was nice to have that full circle moment. Someone on social media found mirroring screenshots from both shows, which was great.”
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What was it like to work with actors like Ming-Na (Fennec Shand) and Rhea Perlman (Cid)?
“Ming-Na was on Zoom. She was so commanding, even in just a digital experience. It was a privilege to work with her. Rhea was a joy to work with, and so different from Cid. They’re such stalwart actors, it was amazing.”
Was there ever any pressure to change her natural NZ accent?
“No. I think I have to say thank you to [Supa-Star Temuera Morrison] for the opportunity to keep my natural accent. Being Jango, the blueprint, he set that baseline for the clones’ accents.”
On her favourite scene to perform
“I like the big emotional scenes, the ones where you get to stretch your muscles acting wise. I think in season two, the scene in the Ipsium mine, when Tech doesn’t understand why Omega is so upset about Echo leaving. Just trying to connect with Tech, who sees the world so differently from her, and make him understand that she’s just trying to keep the family together. There was a lot of emotional heavy lifting in that scene, so for me, as a voice actor, that was my favourite.”
Was the ending of The Bad Batch always set in stone?
“I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say! We recorded a few different versions of the Pabu scene. But the epilogue, with Omega flying off to join the rebellion, was something the creators of The Bad Batch, and Dee and I, really fought for. To reassure the fans that there was peace, but also hope and an extension into the future for these characters.”
We should campaign for more Bad Batch! Perhaps Ming-Na could take Michelle under her wing?
“Now that I’m not her bounty target, sure!”
Michelle Ang will appear at Supanova on the Gold Coast (12-13 April).
Lead image by Phil Kitt
