What Does It Mean to Go AWOL? A Brief Look at The Life of Commander Cody

Star Wars

Jan 16

This past week's episode of The Bad Batch titled “The Solitary Clone” saw Crosshair working for the Empire. It also brought back a beloved clone from The Clone Wars and the prequel movies, Commander Cody.

Cody however is not like fans remember him, he is now working for the Empire. As his mission continues, however, he definitely starts to question the motives of the Empire, and by the end of the episode, he is considered “AWOL”.

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Commander Cody served under General Obi-Wan Kenobi and was considered his second in command. Cody served in many of the major battles that occurred during the clone wars and even became friends with Captain Rex.

After the Battle of Coruscant, he and the battalion were sent to Utapau, where General Grievous was hiding out. It was here that Cody, and the rest of the clones, got the message from Emperor Palpatine to “execute Order 66”. Cody succumbed, like the rest of the clones, to the inhibitor chip in his head, and started executing the Jedi. He failed, however, to kill Jedi Master Kenobi. He continued to serve under the Empire until a mission on Desix had him questioning the motives of the Empire. He later deserted and is considered AWOL.

The term AWOL literally means “absent without leave”. It’s primarily used in the military when a soldier leaves without permission from a superior officer. In Star Wars, it seems another clone has gone AWOL. Cody and Crosshair meet during the episode, and Cody tells him that he believes they chose the wrong side. He is no longer believing the “good soldiers follow orders” mantra that has been ingrained into the clones since Order 66.

The Empire also doesn’t call the clones by their names and treats them as nothing more than soldiers, so it's no surprise that Cody wanted to leave. Crosshair is shocked to be put on another job, after learning about Cody deserting. This really shows what the Empire is all about, and that the clones are disposable to them.

Commander Cody going AWOL leaves us with many questions. Will Crosshair have to go after him? Will Cody find Rex and try to find redemption? Will he join Clone Force 99? Or maybe he’ll try to find Obi-Wan and make amends. We are still extremely early in season 2, and hopefully, we find out what path Cody decides to take.

New episodes of season 2 of The Bad Batch are released every Wednesday on Disney+.

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