Die-hard fans of the 2008 The Clone Wars TV series knows how exciting it was to hear that it would finally be getting a Season 7 in 2020. Especially after the last season wrapped up in 2014 and left fans with even more questions regarding the clones and Order 66. So, when Season 7 did premier, it gave fans their much needed ending, even if it was a heartbreaking one. But one scene in Season 7 of The Clone Wars had many fans scratching their heads. In Episode 1 of Season 7, The Bad Batch, fans get to see Captain Rex sitting in the barracks looking over a photo of Commander Cody, himself, ARC Trooper Fives, and ARC Trooper Echo. When Commander Cody walks in to tell Rex that it was time to move out, Rex begins reminiscing about his fallen brothers, saying;

“Fives, Echo, and before that Hevy. There’s so many troopers gone.”

Many fans found it odd that Rex would bring up Hevy at this time, considering that Tup died not long before Fives, and even before that Hardcase. So why did Rex mention Hevy if he died so early on in the series and after knowing him for such a short time? One theory is that the three members of the Domino Squad that met Rex had a huge impact on his life.

Hevy only appeared in 2 episodes of The Clone Wars, with his first appearance being in Episode 5 of Season 1 in Rookies along with batchmates Echo and Fives. When Rex first meets Hevy, it's after getting attacked on the landing pad of the Rishi moon outpost, after it was taken over by General Grievous’ droids. Immediately after meeting Captain Rex, Hevy comes across as confident and ready to fight, even impressing both Rex and Cody. As the episode goes on, Rex comes across a bit like General Skywalker with his unorthodox ideas, insisting that he’s always first, and even comes up with the idea of blowing up the outpost to stop the all-clear signal from being transmitted. Once their bomb has been assembled and it was time to leave, Rex starts having some technical difficulties with the detonator, which he passes off to Hevy to fix. Rex ends up being one of the first out of the outpost and doesn’t even realize that Hevy isn’t behind them until they’re already outside the outpost. At this point, it’s to late for Hevy, who was unable to fix the detonator in time and ends up sacrificing himself to detonate it manually.

In war there will always be casualties, and even at this point Rex has already seen many of his brothers die. But the thing that makes Hevy’s death even more impactful to Rex is that it could have been avoided. From the start of the episode, Cody put Rex in charge and mostly stood back and let Rex take lead. All the calls were his, and when it was time to get to a safe distance he never stopped to see if everyone was behind him or if the detonator was even fixed. At this point in the actual Clone Wars it's safe to say that Captain Rex is probably still a little new to his leadership position. Considering the Clone Wars only lasted 3 years and the series is 7 seasons long, it very well may only be a couple months into the war. This could have been the first time Rex felt he was personally responsible for someone’s death that could have been avoided.

Unlike Hevy, Fives and Echo appeared in several episodes and quickly became fan favorites. They were added to the 501st after the Rishi Moon incident and were eventually promoted to ARC Troopers after Season 3 Episode 2, ARC Troopers. Fans wouldn’t see the two clones again until later in the season, in Episode 18, The Citadel, where they are in full ARC Trooper gear. During the mission to save Master Piell, Echo was seemingly killed in action while trying to take out an enemy turret that was firing on their getaway ship. Both Fives and Rex were there to witness his death and it clearly took a toll on Fives. While Rex never showed any real reaction towards Hevy and Echo’s supposed deaths, they reveal in Season 7 just how much it affected him.

Fives would end up being in more episodes than Hevy and Echo and would play a big role in not only Rex’s life, but in all of the clone's future. In Season 6 Episode 1, fans finally got to see a clone fall under the influence of the inhibitor chip, forcing them to execute any and all Jedi. Clone trooper Tup’s inhibitor chip malfunctions and causes him to execute Jedi General Tiplar. In doing so, this sends Fives off on a desperate journey to understand why this happened and eventually has to go on the run after discovering the truth. In Season 6 Episode 4, Fives meets with Captain Rex and General Skywalker to try to explain what he’s learned. Before Fives can reveal the truth to Anakin and Rex, he is interrupted by shock troopers who gun him down when he reaches for a blaster. This time, Rex is clearly distraught and even slams his fist against the ray shield that he’s stuck behind in an attempt to reach his friend. This heartbreaking scene ends with Fives dying in Rex’s arms.

Hevy, Echo, and Fives all played a big role in Rex’s life from the start of the war, all the way to the end. Hevy may have been one of Rex’s biggest regrets, considering everyone involved in the Rishi Moon incident beside himself and Commander Cody has never seen battle before and he was personally in charge. It was made clear throughout Season 7 that Echo helped Rex come up with most of his strategies and were close enough for Rex to risk everything to try to save him from Separatist hands. Fives died trying desperately to find the truth behind the inhibitor chips and Rex had to watch him get shot down, unable to do anything to protect him. So, despite Rex knowing and befriending many clones, it was clearly the Domino Squad that had the most effect on him. Rex was there for their first battle and for their last.

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Source(s): StarWars.com

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