As the fourth of May comes around, so does the next big Star Wars show. The Bad Batch will premiere on Disney+ and I have a good feeling about this. I’m happy The Clone Wars series came back last year and ended on a strong note; the series deserved it, and now we’re getting a continuation of it. The Bad Batch debuted in the last season and made one heck of an introduction. According to George Lucas, he wanted this particular squad of clones to have more enhanced abilities than the regular clones, but he also didn’t want them to be superheroes. I mean, why would they have to be when they got Jedi around, right?
When they went on their mission with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Captain Rex, they really separated themselves from the other clones. Think of the Bad Batch as the ugly stepchildren of the clones, except they’re the elite of the elite. The cloners on Kamino basically made them as the experiment gone wrong, but didn’t want to waste them. Hence, the reason why they don’t look like the other clones. Each of these oddball clones had a different appearance and were trained in a different skillset. At the end of their training, Clone Force 99, better known as the Bad Batch was born. And boy, do they live up to their name. Let’s do a brief headcount and summary of the team.
The Bad Batch are a squad of five clone troopers. First, we have Hunter, the leader of the squad. He’s got long hair, a read headband, and some black paint on one side of his face. Then we have the muscle of the squad, known as Wrecker. He can be easily distinguished by his large size and his loud and brash nature. Next we have the data analyst/smart guy of the squad, called Tech. Just look at his yellow goggles and you can tell he’s the smart one. The next member is Echo, the hacker/other smart guy on the squad. His socket arm helps him out with that. And finally, they have Crosshair, the eagle-eyed sniper of the squad.
These genetically altered clones make up the elite clone trooper squad known as the Bad Batch. They’re unique clones, both in appearance and in their abilities. What I dig about them is that they’re the ragtag squad that the Republic, the clone army, and even the Jedi don’t really recognize. However, they know the other clones consider them freaks, but that doesn’t stop them from getting their jobs done. They know they were created to do the dangerous missions the regular clones couldn’t do, and that’s all they care about.
I can’t wait to see what kind of missions they’ll embark on once the series gets rolling. However, I think we should also keep in mind what time period in the Star Wars timeline the show takes place in. After the final season of the Clone Wars last year, we got to see how Order 66 played out from the show’s point of view. Of course, we know the overall outcome of what happens, including the main Jedi who survived and the ones that didn’t. What’s cool about the Bad Batch show is that it will show us how the aftermath of Order 66 and the rise of the Empire will change the clone troopers.
It’s not another story about the Jedi, this is a story about the clone troopers. In that case, I believe that there is one very popular clone commander who should cross paths with the Bad Batch. No, it’s not Rex. He was already in Rebels, and I would honestly rather have him make his live-action debut in the upcoming Ahsoka series. Sure, that’s assuming he’s still alive, but if it’s not confirmed in the Star Wars lore, then we can safely assume that he’s somewhere in the galaxy.
Speaking of which, the clone commander I have in mind was never confirmed to be dead or still alive. Remember Obi-Wan’s clone commander? Yes, Commander Cody made his debut in live-action form when Revenge of the Sith came in 2005. Once the Clone Wars series kicked off, Commander Cody became one of the most recurring clone characters. Unfortunately, we all remember him to be the backstabbing clone who turned on Obi-Wan on Utapau and nearly killed him. It’s a good thing that he never found out that Obi-Wan survived, but hey, it wasn’t his fault. He had the inhibitor chip placed in his brain just like the other clones. Well, at least that later became the case.
After Emperor Palpatine gave the order and the rise of the Empire began, it was unclear what happened to Commander Cody. Last I checked, he participated in the enslavement of the Wookiees on their home planet of Kashyyyk. Pretty ironically tragic how it all turned out, right? The clones spent three years fighting for freedom alongside the Jedi, but in the end, they turned out to be worse than the Separatists.
I believe that the Bad Batch series should emphasize on that, and if they bring back Commander Cody, we can finally see how his story continued after Revenge of the Sith. Unlike Rex, he never removed his inhibitor chip and probably continued serving under the Empire. Based on what we’re seeing in the trailers, the Bad Batch could be turning away from the Empire and I’m guessing they’ll come into conflict with other clones. Would it bother them? Maybe, but don’t forget, the Bad Batch are considered to be the freak clones. While they wouldn’t hesitate to help their fellow clones, they would also be willing to fight them. Heck, Wrecker nearly took Rex’s head off.
If the Bad Batch are going to fight some clones, who better to take them on than Cody? If this does happen, then Cody can either somehow be free of the inhibitor chip or he’ll meet his end. It would be interesting to see him remember how he betrayed Obi-Wan and how he reacts to it. Will he try to redeem himself or remain loyal to the Empire? These are the possibilities we can see if he appears in the Bad Batch series. He was one of the most popular clones from the Clone Wars and I think we need to see how his story ended. If you’re a Star Wars fan, check out the first episode and of course, may the fourth be with you.
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