Top 10 Bad Batch Moments From Season 1
Image Source: IGN
In the last season of The Clone Wars, fans were introduced to Clone Force 99. A group of experimental clones (each with a specialized skill) that helped Anakin and Captain Rex locate (and rescue) the long-lost clone Echo. The group faced many challenges but was successful in its mission and, in the end, even adopted Echo into the group. While The Clone Wars series may have ended the story did not for this team. In May of 2021, fans were given 16 episodes that were filled with new adventures that took place just as order 66 was happening. With The Bad Batch returning this week for Season 2, let’s recap the best moments from Season 1.
10. Project War-Mantle
Image Source: Wookieepedia
In the early days of the Empire, Vice Admiral Rampart sought to change and further empower the Imperial army. When the Bad Batch arrived on Daro to rescue a friend of Rex’s, they stumbled upon a secret base filled with conscripted (and volunteer) TK troopers that were set to replace clone troopers. As Gregor put it, “ Well, we clones are soldiers of a Republic that don’t exist. These recruits come from all over the galaxy. They swear loyalty to the Empire. They’re not as skilled, but there’s an endless supply of ‘em.”
Project War-Mantle was mentioned in the movie Rogue One but The Bad Batch showed the idea in its infancy.
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9. Destruction Of Kamino
Image Source: The Direct
Coruscant has always been the home and the heart of the Republic but during the Clone Wars, its muscle came from Kamino. The premiere season of The Bad Batch culminated in the complete destruction of the clones’ home. The Empire (having stolen the last of the cloning technology) left the city and the Bad Batch in the past and destroyed any chance for anyone to replicate the kind of army that put them in power. It was the unofficial end of the Clone Wars and the last place we saw the Bad Batch and Omega before the season ended.
8. Omega Finds A Home
Image Source: GamesRadar
One of the biggest themes in Star Wars is found family. From Boba Fett finding a home with the Tusken Raiders or Ezra joining the Ghost crew, found family is a theme that teaches us where we begin is not where we have to end up. When Omega escapes with the group, Hunter’s initial instinct is to get her somewhere safer. The Bad Batch had just put themselves in the direct crosshairs of the Empire and knew Omega would never be safe with them.
In the second episode, the Bad Batch takes shelter on Saleucami with Cut Lawquane (a clone deserter), his partner Suu, and their children. Hunter asks the couple to take Omega with them. Suu asks him if that is what he really wants, to which he responds, “It's what she needs.” He sends Omega off but in the end, she refuses and sneaks back to the group. In the third episode, the group gets stranded on a barren moon where Omega saves Hunter’s life and then helps the group by retrieving a key part for the ship. After the detour is over, Wrecker and the group surprise Omega by giving her own room in their ship, declaring her part of the squad.
7. Fennec Vs. Cad Bane
Image Source: Comicbook.com
Fennec Shand appeared in the fourth episode of the show and faced off against the Bad Batch as she attempted to kidnap Omega and retrieve the bounty on her. She was unsuccessful in her efforts but had a second chance later in the season when she confronted Cad Bane (who was successful in abducting Omega) in an abandoned Kaminoan facility. Cad warned her that she didn’t have the experience to go up against him but she took him on anyway. The two had a brutal fight which allowed Omega to escape. Both bounty hunters have the upper hand at different moments but both abandon their melee to pursue the fleeing target.
6. Crosshair Chooses The Empire
Image Source: StarWars.com
In the first episode, Omega, Echo, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker were at the Marauder gathering their supplies when they were interrupted by Crosshair. The clones were imprisoned for refusing to follow the Empire’s orders but they gave exception to Crosshair when they learned he remained loyal to the Empire. They amplified his inhibitor chip programming and pitted him against his former teammates. The moment was incredibly tense and culminated in a shootout that left Wrecker injured, and Omega saving Hunter’s life by shooting the pistol out of Crosshair's hand.
5. Hera’s First Mission
Image Source: The Direct
In the middle of the first season of The Bad Batch, the show switched gears and showed us the perspective of Hera Syndulla (future Rebel leader in the show Rebels) and her family on Ryloth. Hera’s parents were arrested by the newly empowered Empire and she was forced to call on her friend Omega. The young clone pled with the group to do the right thing and help her friend. The group was apprehensive at first, but decide to do the right thing in the end. They concocted a plan to distract the Empire (and Crosshair) but the plan went awry and forced Hera and Omega to improvise. The two hijacked a ship and Hera got to pilot her first (of many) mission against the Empire. Hera is a legendary character and it was amazing to see a young version of her (and Chopper) in action.
4. Kanan (Caleb Dume)’s Appearance
Image Source: StarWars.com
The first episode of The Bad Batch was presented as a 71-minute movie. It opened in the waning moments of the Clone Wars. On the planet Kaller, a group of troopers and the Jedi Master Depa Billaba were pinned down, but her apprentice Caleb Dume arrived with reinforcements in the form of the Clone Force 99. The group showed off their impressive skills and saved everyone. However, their victory was (sadly) short-lived as Order 66 happened, turning the clone troopers against their leader. The young Jedi did not fully understand and was forced to run off on his own. Hunter and Crosshair followed but Caleb (unsure of their intentions) escaped. This moment showed us a brutal version of Order 66, planted the seeds of Crosshair’s eventual betrayal, and set Caleb on a path that would lead him to be on his own (until he met Hera in the Rebels series).
Kanan is one of the most important characters in the Star Wars universe and it was a fun surprise to see him in action as a young Padawan.
3. Return Of Cad Bane
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The return of Cad Bane was an explosive moment in the show. The group had traveled to Bracca to remove their inhibitor chips (with Captain Rex), but stayed afterward to gather supplies. The group was in the process of stripping an old Venator when they were interrupted by Crosshair and the Empire. The group tried to evade them but was split up during the fight. Hunter and Omega were able to escape to the ship but encountered a hanger full of dead troopers. Hunter felt something was wrong and his fears were proven correct when the legendary bounty hunter stepped into view. The two face off in a quick draw battle, with the Cad winning the bout, and taking Omega before the rest of the Bad Batch arrives.
The moment connected the show to the larger Star Wars universe and gave us the return of a fan favorite. His appearance also meant the character wasn’t killed offscreen (as some had thought) and opened the door for him to return in The Book of Boba Fett.
2. Return Of Rex
Image Source: AV Club
One of the biggest moments of the show was the return of the famous captain. Rex surprised fans when he appeared in The Bad Batch series after hearing that a random group of clones helped his allies (Martez sisters) on Corellia. They discussed what they have both been doing since the war ended but Rex is suddenly taken aback when he realized that they had not removed their dangerous inhibitor chips from their brains. He led them to Bracca where the group each underwent the procedure, as he once did with the help of Ahsoka. The chip suddenly activated before Wrecker went through the procedure and proved Rex’s warnings correct. Wrecker unleashed his wrath, even going after Omega with homicidal intent. Rex was knocked out at the beginning of the skirmish but managed to save Omega at the last moment. After the group recovered, they performed the operation on Wrecker. It took a while but the lovable clone eventually woke up, and then the remaining three all removed their chips.
1. Crosshair’s Revelation
Image Source: CBR
The most explosive moment of the show came in the first half of the two-part finale. Hunter was captured and brought back to Kamino by Crosshair. The two argued but were interrupted when Omega and the rest of the Bad Batch arrived at the facility to rescue their leader. Crosshair ambushed the group but surprisingly killed his subordinates and gave his brothers one last chance to join the Empire. Omega released dozens of droids to give her friends a diversion. The chaos worked. Hunter and Crosshair resumed their fight, which ended with the Clone Force 99 fighting together one last time. The beautiful moment ended with The Bad Batch giving Crosshair a chance to leave the Empire and telling him that his actions were not his fault, but the inhibitor chip that was still in his head. In a twist that none of the Bad Batch believed at first, Crosshair revealed that he removed his chip long ago and that his actions were his own. After the group escaped the destruction of Kamino, Crosshair decided not to leave with the Bad Batch, choosing to go back to the Empire.
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