'Star Wars' Reveals Exclusive Death Trooper-Like Clones From 'The Bad Batch'
Via reporting from CBR.com, we have learned that recent Star Wars reveals indicate that death troopers, the Empire's elite stormtrooper guards first seen escorting Imperial Director Orson Krennic and fighting against the Rebels on Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), may have derived their looks from a newly revealed clone trooper that will appear in The Bad Batch. The death troopers have also been featured elsewhere, protecting Imperial dignitaries in other recent Star Wars series such as Rebels and The Mandalorian, so they are not just a one-and-done, and we are seeing their evolution thanks to an action figure being released by Hasbro, which is of a trooper type set to be introduced in the upcoming Star Wars Disney+ animated series, The Bad Batch.
The clone troopers colloquially known throughout the clone army as "The Bad Batch" were originally the subject of a multi-episode arc, initially shelved upon the cancellation of The Clone Wars series but preserved as story reels. Those story reels were finished and featured in a surprise seventh season of The Clone Wars animated series on Disney+ this past year that properly wrapped up The Clone Wars animated series, tying it directly into the end of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. This unique group of clone troopers, initially considered to be "defective" because of errors in their creation by the Kaminoans (the creators of the clone army), were later discovered to have special abilities and mutations that gave them certain advantages, making them indispensable to the Grand Army of the Republic.
The story arc featured in The Clone Wars saw them working with Anakin Skywalker to battle the Separatists and, in the process, they save a clone trooper, Echo, who had long been considered deceased but had in fact been captured by the Separatists and plugged into their systems, which enabled them to gain certain tactical advantages against the Republic Army. Upon the successful conclusion of their mission, Echo, who had been altered by the Separatists, decided to join The Bad Batch, which means we will also see more of his character in the upcoming series.
This new type of clone trooper that Hasbro has introduced, identified as an elite squad trooper, bears the basic look and feel of the aforementioned death troopers, eschewing the typical white and black coloring of the average Imperial stormtrooper and clone trooper armor that Star Wars fans already know well, for the dark gray/black armor accentuated with emerald green coloring for the eyes and mouthpiece. The end result certainly looks extremely similar to that of the death trooper armor, which continues the trend by Star Wars creators of detailing and hinting at the evolution of designs for soldiers, vehicles, technology, etc. during the various time periods featured in different Star Wars content.
The objective of these new elite clone troopers is described as "neutralizing anti-Imperial insurgents throughout the galaxy," which, given the era that The Bad Batch is set in, specifically immediately following the end of the Clone Wars and during the rise of Palpatine's Galactic Empire, makes sense. We know that the Empire is focused on rooting out and eliminating the remaining Jedi and Separatist forces and consolidating its grip on the galaxy during this time period.
It has been speculated by some that members of the titular Bad Batch may even be part of this new elite squad, based on them having worn similarly uniquely dark armor during their appearance in season 7 of The Clone Wars, as well as their apparent service to the Galactic Empire, as glimpsed during the trailer previously released for the new series. However, what happens to them throughout the course of the series and whether or not they continue to serve the Empire remains to be seen.
Source(s): CBR.com