#(like what happened with rex in s7 of tcw)

[stars-n-spice]

I need to lock these gay ass motherfuckers all in a room.

For science.

[hipwell]

i’ve been thinking about the bad batch nonstop since watching infiltration/extraction, and i wanted to share some thoughts (mostly about the clone operatives and crosshair)

i think it’s really interesting that this is the first time crosshair is talking about the clone operatives program. i think he is definitely dealing with a lot of guilt about everything, but i also noticed he seemed so scared about the shadows (especially when he found out rex had one and when they were talking to him).

i think they are definitely implying that there’s something crosshair isn’t telling his brothers about, especially when the hostage operative suggested crosshair had answers the rebel clones were looking for.

i have 2 theories on what crosshair might be hiding:

1. if i remember correctly, we have seen 3 clone operatives before (one on coruscant in s2, and the two in these recent episodes). they displayed sharpshooting skills, especially with the last one continuously using the scope. this could be unrelated to crosshair, because we have seen other clones as snipers during the war. however, we know these clone operatives were a hemlock project. part of me thinks hemlock may have tried to use crosshair’s genetic material while reprogramming the operatives, since the reconditioning wouldn’t work on him. this could be contributing to his hand tremor, and he might be degenerating faster because of experimentation. this idea made me look back to see how the timeline works out, and i realized we see the first operative on coruscant before crosshair is arrested and taken to tantiss. so maybe i just pulled this idea out of nowhere, but i still feel like the show made a point to show the last operative using a sniper rifle throughout the episode and there’s an intentional parallel to crosshair.

2. i think another possible reason crosshair may be hiding something is because he knows who some of the operatives are (or used to be). we have yet to have any success getting through to the operative clones, so i think it would be reasonable for crosshair to feel like it’s too late to save these ones. that might be a reason for not telling his brothers that someone they are close to is an operative.

after watching the episode, i thought the surviving operative was probably a reg since he was the same size as wolffe. that makes me think it might be cody. we know from s7 of tcw that the batch had a good relationship with him, and we don’t know what happened after he went AWOL in s2. as much as i would love to think cody ran away to find obi wan in the desert, i think if he got away he would have found rex and the other rebel clones. this makes me think he might have been caught and taken to tantiss. also, we have seen cody’s skills with a vibroblade before.

the other possibility, which i am far from the first to suggest, is tech. i have tried to maintain the mindset that tech is dead until i see that he’s not. i think star wars theories and predictions can often take on a life of their own and fans can set themselves up for disappointment when things go differently. i also think the writing both before and after the plan 99 episode makes sense for tech’s sacrifice to be his death. that being said, i can’t help but wonder if he might have survived. i pretty much shot down the possibility of tech being the surviving operative while watching the episodes, once again due to his height. i was under the impression that tech was 6’4” (1.93 m), and that’s what it says on wookieepedia (my favorite source, ily). this should make him significantly taller than wolffe, since the regs are 6’ tall (1.83 m). however, i saw a couple people point out that these heights aren’t super consistent with the show. referring back to a couple of scenes (pics below) tech seems to be only about 2” taller than hunter, who is listed as 5’11” (1.8 m). this definitely makes me no longer rule out tech (even though i’m still so hesitant to be hopeful that he survived). there were also a lot of parallels in the last episode that made me think of tech; in particular, the grappling hook and the handful of times the operative falls (if it is tech, the falling is so evil omg). i also found it interesting the operative questioned why he was activated, but that could also literally be nothing.

whether the operative is someone we know, if there’s something more to them that we don’t know yet, or none of the above, the show made sure to let us know that he survived. this makes me think we will be seeing a lot more of him, and hopefully soon because i am really enjoying how much mystery there is surrounding the things hemlock is doing on tantiss.

this is completely unrelated and not even a prediction, but i really want to see boba before the series ends. ever since s1, i have desperately wanted boba to meet his baby sister. he’s the same age as the gen 1s so i think he would be about 15 years old at this point, so i don’t know how realistic it is to hope he’s one of the bounty hunters looking for omega (although he was already doing hoodrat shit in tcw so maybe). i’m not sure of another way they might cross paths, so it’s probably wishful thinking.

one final thought: i fear this series is going to end tragically. the clones’ story has always been a tragedy, and it would be foolish of me to expect a happy ending. we only know the futures of rex, wolffe, and gregor (and the homeless trooper in obi wan); i wouldn’t be surprised if we end the series with only a few other survivors. i don’t think they would kill omega, but i don’t think any other members of the batch are safe. i think they might be setting us up to lose hunter, with his reluctance to get involved in the fight. realistically, we could lose all of them (i will walk into traffic).

anyways, thanks if you read my ramblings!! this is basically all i’ve been thinking about lately so i would love to hear what other people have to say <3

[writingforfun0714]

So I wanted to wait and let the new Bad Batch trailer sink in before posting about it.

Warnings: Spoilers, some thoughts/opinions will be critical

Alright so I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t care for the Bad Batch. Even ignoring the horrible, incredibly RACIST clone model, the writing is mid/passable at best and not even watchable for me. Most of S1 and 2 combined is the typical ‘mission of the week’ type of story where only a few Empire-focused episodes stand out. There are also instances of ableism concerning Echo in particular (CF99 are also super dismissive of him in general—going along with that whole fucking ‘superiority over regs’ thing—seriously wtf).

Most episodes were very bland and predictable. S1 had no stakes despite its finale. By Mando/ST it’s clear that something has happened to Kamino. Didn’t really need to see a 2pt ep of the city getting wiped. Plus AZI should’ve been sacrificed. Even Ahsoka learns the lesson that you can’t save everyone in S1 when she disobeys Anakin and Admiral Yularen. TBB S2 had no character development from anyone besides a little bit for Omega (and Tech—but that was always speculated by fans since S1 and he’s dead now so it doesn’t really matter). A lot of the dialogue felt…basic. I think the only thing that TBB does well is the music. It’s really amazing and beautiful along with the smooth, crisp animation/scenery. Shame they ruined it with racist clone models, racist tones with the ‘reg’ dispute in both seasons, and being ableist and dismissive towards Echo.

Which brings me to the trailer. Oh boy. First, right off the bat I noticed how similar the trailer opening is compared to the S2 trailer. I do like that Phee is back. She did take time to grow on me but I do like her character and am curious to see where they will go with her.

It’s interesting we are seeing Crosshair back with the group so soon. Personally I do believe that is Crosshair and not just someone else wearing his armor like some think. I like the idea of Omega and Crosshair escaping early on but Omega gets recaptured/separated and taken back to Tantiss.

I’m interested in Hemlock and his backstory (is his gloved hand robotic?). I wish they’d create more interesting and unique characters like Phee and Fennec Shand instead of relying on cameos of established characters/fan-favorites like Ventress. I loved Dark Disciple and I thought it was a great ending for her.

I know it’s officially said that Ventress’ story will follow Dark Disciple but I don’t see how unless they retcon her death or pull a ‘somehow she survived’. Either way that sucks. Reminder!! DAVE FELONY DIDN’T EVEN FOLLOW REBELS FOR AHSOKA. SABINE IS NOT FORCE SENSITIVE IN REBELS. DAVE RETCONS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING. I have no faith that they will remain loyal to DD. Anything that will be ‘canon’ will be mid at best because even Crosshair’s arc has been messy (which is due to the weird S1 ‘reset’ the characters go through. Like they totally should’ve appreciated ‘regs’ by the end of TBB arc in TCW S7–there was no need for that awkward food fight scene in S1).

I hate that this show has to rely on cameos to get the viewing numbers. Here is a list of every character cameo we’ve seen so far:

—Rex*

—Tarkin*

—Palpatine*

—The Lawquane Family

—The Syndullas/Chopper

—Nala Se/Lama Su*

—Cad Bane

—Bail Organa

—Riyo Chuchi

—Gungi

—Gregor

—Wolffe

—Cody

—Scorch

—Saw Gerrera

—Martez Sisters

—Kanan/Depa*

—Muchi/Rancor from RotJ

—Taun We/Halle Burtoni

—Ventress

*I consider these important/relevant cameos and am not bothered by them like the others*

What a list right? I might even be missing one. These were just off the top of my head. Some are big players, others smaller and almost not-relevant to the plot. Not counting the one’s I asterisked, it’s 15 characters. There are original characters but a lot of them, especially in S1 felt like one off, not important characters. And I hate Cid so much—glad to see she was absent in the S3 trailer. I’m really starting to love Phee and I’ve always loved Fennec Shand, and Hemlock is definitely an intriguing villain and Emerie feels like a total mystery (though the reveal was not shocking due to the similar design and accent to Omega). Like why can’t they create more characters like these? The rest just feel forgettable. And it’s clear that characters like Saw, Gungi, Scorch, Cad Bane and even the Syndulla and Lawquane families just felt like fan service. The rest kind of make sense that they’d show up but it also feels a bit like fan service.

Moving on..

I know a lot of people think that new weird dark trooper at the 1:40 mark is Tech. While I’m inclined to agree as I think the ‘Winter Soldier’ story is an obvious choice to pick, I also think that Tech is dead. I’ve changed my mind and kind of hope that Tech isn’t brought back.

I hope this is someone new. I also wouldn’t mind if it was a bounty hunter we’ve seen before. Due to the frame and stature, I could almost think of Boba due to him being older than Omega but it’s definitely more likely to be Tech than either of these choices.

It’s interesting a lot of cameo characters from S2 do not make an appearance in the trailer. Bail, Riyo, Gungi, Gregor and Cody are all absent from the trailer. Trailers usually show action shots to avoid story spoilers, but with Gungi, Gregor, and Cody all being capable fighters, I’m surprised they didn’t appear (usually stuff with politics is a story spoiler).

Overall I’m skeptical of the trailer. I don’t like Ventress being alive/in TBB being a Dark Disciple lover. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the story of S3 so I don’t feel like I can give an accurate take on that. I hate how Omega’s longer hair looks. Curly haired Omega is adorable!! The animation (everything but the clone model) is definitely getting better. However, based on how S2 was marketed as a ‘darker story compared to S1’ and was like 80% fetch quest I’m definitely skeptical.

Those of you that made it through this post, thank you for your time and I hope I gave you something to think about. If you wanna learn more about the racism and ableism portrayed in this show, check out @unwhitewashthebadbatch for more info.

[moonstrider9904]

No because Echo has become the definition of If that's where you feel your place is, then that's where you belong it's poetic

Hear me out. Over the past year, I've moved three times. When being somewhere didn't feel right anymore, I had this calling to be elsewhere. It wasn't permanent--I thought it was. Gosh, I could have sworn the second time I moved, nothing would get me outta there again. I am currently in the city I was a year ago but with completely different circumstances, different mindsets. (Totally not meaning to make this about me, just saying that Echo's character right about now hits hard and hits home)

This sort of thing can happen in real life because change is the most normal and most constant thing in life, and your willingness to change, your willingness to adapt... fuck, it's not easy, you know? You have this calling that won't leave you alone and you can't ignore no matter how daunting the idea of change is, so get up and move, say goodbye to your family for a while, say goodbye to the place you called your home for a while because you're off to do something bigger with your life.

Yes, that scene was painful, especially when you consider the parallel between that scene and the ending of s1 with Crosshair (though the circumstances were very different), but overall, we knew Echo's character was heading here. I probably would have liked to see some more "No, don't go!" angst besides what we got from Omega, for example, from Hunter or Tech, but at the same time...

I do like that they're supportive of him. I do like that Echo got up and said "I can do more good elsewhere" and everyone else was like "Yeah, we freaking know you can, and we won't stop you."

Because (for obvious reasons lol the batch don't condone the Empire and that's that), despite the fact that this wasn't there for Crosshair, it's here for Echo and I'm just happy to see that in this show.

Because I think that, in its beginnings, TBB was supposed to be about family. And, even if this family-supporting-family trope is... lacking... in some other aspects of the plot, I loved that we got to see it here. I love that we're seeing a parallel of something that happens very often in real life with a brighter, more optimistic, less tragic light on it as opposed to Crosshair splitting to follow his path. It also goes to show how one thing can have two entirely different connotations--but I think I'll leave a whole parallel analysis between these scenes for another post.

Right now, I really just want to applaud Echo. It's no wonder he's a favorite all around, and that phrase Rex told him back in TCW s7, that phrase that's rung in my ears every time I've moved in the past year

It hits entirely different

[the-bi-space-ace]

Before I rewatch season 1 & 2 of The Bad Batch I wanted to watch the season 7 episodes that the bad batch is in and I have so many thoughts.

I’m going to put it below the cut because it gets very long and kind of chaotic.

The Bad Batch - TCW S7 E1

Quote - Embrace others for their differences, for that makes you whole

AH FUCK YEAH CODY IS HERE. I love Cody. I love that Cody comes to Mace and Anakin and is like Rex has thoughts and you should hear them. Good brother energy.

Rex standing here saying that the Separatists know his plays and they know his strategies despite them being unique to these new battles is so interesting to me. How he can see them taking advantage of new tactical plans and is worried. ALSO that Anakin knows immediately that something is off about Rex. Rex lies, says that’s all, but Anakin knows. He knows. It's also great that Cody says that Rex is one of their best and if the Separatists have found a way to counteract Rex's strategies this effectively then they've got a problem. He believes so strongly in Rex. Again. Good brother energy.

THIS MOMENT THAT FOLLOWS IS WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT. Rex is staring at this photo of him, Cody, Echo, and Fives. And he’s thinking. And Cody says this line that kills me every single time: In war it’s hard to be the one that survives. But Rex follows it up with “I know. That’s what I’m worried about.” And he knows it might be hard to believe. He knows it might make him seem unstable but he tells Cody anyway. He tells Cody that he believes Echo is alive. He already knows. He already feels it. Cody tries to bring him away from this theory. He doesn’t want Rex to start holding onto “misplaced hope”. I think there are a few reasons why Cody tries to steer him away from this idea. Partially because this is a major distraction for Rex on this mission. He must carry so much guilt about everything that has happened and Cody must know this, so he’s trying to steer Rex away from this theory. Because what would that even look like? Let’s say he’s right and Echo is alive (we know he is) and that leaves two choices: he’s turned on you willingly or he’s being used against his will. In Cody’s eyes they need to not put too much stock into Echo being alive because none of the outcomes seem favorable and he needs Rex’s head in the game. It has to be Rex’s overactive guilt that’s creating this not because Cody wants to discount him but because it’s better if Rex doesn’t draw conclusions before he has evidence. How many times can I point out that Cody has good brother energy before it becomes annoying?

Also because I love this line: “Echo’s fingerprints are all over this.” Rex knows. He has probably always known. I think he never gave up, never stopped believing that Echo was alive somewhere. It probably ate him up inside. But he knows a plan that Echo has touched, he knows how Echo’s mind works.

Oh hell yeah here come our boys.

Rex already likes them (partially because Cody likes them so much) but also because of this line: “99. Nice touch.” Rex thinks that’s a nice homage. He appreciates what they’re trying to do.

They are all so fucking dramatic getting off of that ship I love them.

Uh oh. Crosshair is already confrontational on the ship on the way there and Jesse is taking the bait so easily. He’s practically itching for a reason to fight and I think Crosshair picks up on this and baits him on purpose. Crosshair also wants a reason not to like these three and is pushing. He’s pushing for some sort of satisfactory reason to hate them. I do appreciate here that Cody tells them to cut the attitude. They’re on the same side. Jesse and Crosshair have already been openly antagonistic towards each other and it needs to stop. I have a feeling Cody would’ve kept them in line had he not gotten hurt.

They really made Wrecker seem like such an adrenaline junkie in this episode lol. I love how chaotic he is.

Ugh. Okay. I can see why Jesse doesn’t like them but I do wish he liked them more. I mean, their plan worked! They may have ignored Rex to do it but it worked and Rex didn’t balk at them not listening to him. BECAUSE IT WORKED. He appreciates a good strategy. I can see how Jesse in particular has already seen things he doesn’t like and wants to put them in their place for it. They’ve been showy, they ignored Rex’s orders, Crosshair has been a dick (crossy, baby, maybe shut your mouth. Hunter said you weren’t a conversationalist and you’re out here running your mouth), and he already didn’t like them before he even met them. “It’s not that they win, it’s how they win that worries me.” - Okay, Jesse, yeah, that’s fair but you were judgey before they even got off the ship. I get it. They have a reputation. They swoop in, don’t have much regard for the things they destroy or the other clones that might get hurt in the process, they think only about themselves, they’re cocky, they wear their differences from other clones like it’s a badge of honor. I know that’s irritating. That’s insulting. That’s hard to watch. You want to know how you could actually get under their skin, Jesse? Shut up. Crosshair wants a rise out of you? Laugh. Just laugh. Wrecker says something about ‘regs’? Don’t engage. The less you engage with antagonistic behavior from them the more irritated they’ll get with your lack of response. Act as unbothered by them as possible. Act like you couldn’t be more bored with what they're saying. It’ll drive Crosshair, in particular, up a wall because he wants to get a rise out of you. I see your need to get a few solid shots in at them, to defend your captain, to stand up for other clones. I see that. I think your instinct to defend is strong and admirable. But you judged them before you even meet them and, ya know what, they did too. They have preconceived notions about you and all other clones. There is judgment and antagonizing from both sides and Crosshair has latched onto Jesse because he can already sense that there is a rocky start here. He's going to try to exploit that.

What I think this episode is trying to say is that mixing up tactics is what is going to give them the advantage. The Separatists have found a way to understand their next move. That’s why Clone Force 99 is so effective here. It is not that other clones aren’t good at what they do. But this situation in particular requires plans that Rex didn’t come up with on his own and are not in widespread use. They’ve found a way to counteract his strategies, they need a different approach. Clone Force 99 does just that. It’s a balance.

Oh boy okay. Boys… I am trying to find ways to make Jesse and Kix like you but you’re making it difficult. So, Crosshair is fighty again and this time it’s towards Rex. I find it interesting that Rex doesn’t balk at the disrespect. Because it is very disrespectful. Rex doesn’t entertain it with a response even if he doesn’t look pleased (he takes my earlier advice, maybe?) Rex knows he’s a good leader, knows Cody doesn’t doubt him, so why fight with Crosshair over something he is not insecure about? He doesn’t need to fight this battle, there’s no reason to. Then Jesse defends him in, honestly, a very reasonable way and Wrecker LIFTS HIM OFF OF THE GROUND. BOYS. BOYS PLEASE. IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS? IS IT? STOP FIGHTING CODY IS HURT. THERE IS MORE AT STAKE THAN THIS. THIS IS NOT A REASONABLE WAY TO RESPOND TO JESSE TELLING YOU THAT YOU CAN'T TALK TO REX WITH DISRESPECT.

Rex is starting to lose his patience now, I can see that. I mean who wouldn’t? Jesse is being held off the ground by someone who clearly finds it humorous despite the fact that he’s probably hurting him. Crosshair is pushing Kix around. Cody is hurt. They will be two men down when they attack the tower since Kix is going to stay behind with Cody to wait for the evac. Tech, very interestingly, is trying to mediate. Ya know, I’m starting to see that here Tech is more curious than anything else. He answered Jesse and Kix’s questions about Hunter’s capabilities. He told Wrecker and Crosshair to calm down. He looks a bit horrified that Wrecker is holding Jesse off the ground by his neck (I’m horrified. I’m horrified for sure.) He’s curious about these new clones they’re meeting.

Hunter steps in and they behave, they stop fighting, they even look a bit shameful about it. If Hunter is angry with them then they’re taking it too far. It’s interesting how they don’t want to disappoint Hunter even if their structure as a squad is a bit different than the rest of the clones. This is where Hunter concedes, probably as a gesture of good faith, that Rex is in fact in charge (because he is, command structures and all) and Rex gets to do what he does best: lead.

Here is where Rex shows why he is a good leader. He liked their strategy from before when they crashed. He wants to use it. He doesn’t stick to what he’s used to because he saw something he liked and wants to try it. He takes the good ideas of those around him and implements them. He’s not focused on being right, he's focused on using what is working with the team he has. He is using their tactical advantages because he has observed the ways they can all work well together.

The way Rex’s face changes when he hears Echo’s voice. It breaks my heart. Tech asking Rex what the number meant and Rex telling him is also such a good moment. Again this to me screams Tech being curious about them and what they know and who they are. Tech is curious by nature, he saw how Rex reacted and he wants to know why. I love this moment.

As a whole I think this episode does a good job at showing that they all needed to embrace each other’s differences to get this mission to work. If the batch keeps going off on their own and doing whatever they want it’s not going to work. If Rex and Jesse stick to how they’re used to doing things and don’t use the batch’s tactical advantages to their advantage then they won’t get anywhere either.

Overall a great episode to introduce the Bad Batch in and it really does build up the tension for the three after it.

[feltpool]

Resonant Acts

I went into TCW S7, Ep 2 to grab a couple of screenshots, but I soon realised that the Batch’s orders never involved rescuing Echo, and what tipped me off was the phone call to Hunter from Omega.

You never noticed that, huh?

Well, until last Saturday neither had I. Although, I’ve probably only ever watched S7 twice before, and it’s a background detail that we’re not supposed to notice, much less to focus on at that point.

But don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.

I’m going to deal with this in the order that I spotted this all in, and not in the linear order of the episode, because that makes more sense to my brain, so this is going to jump about quite a bit.

I’ll try to make sure it all makes clear sense though.

Bear in mind that most of this is based on logic and extrapolation from the few facts we have, so it’s all open to debate, and subject to change.

.

So, it’s the phone call that got my attention in the first place.

But Hunter doesn’t take a phone call, we’d have noticed that!

No. We don’t see him take a phone call, almost all of this happens offscreen, but you can see the shape of it and work out that it happened.

Around the 17.30 minute mark (times likely differ between watching on D+ or torrent so I’m not going to be too specific about them) Tech says he’s lost Echo’s signal and they split into two groups. Anakin and Crosshair go one way, and everyone else goes the other.

Anakin goes into a dark room filled with boxes and a droid drops down from above him and says ‘drop your weapon’

But just before it drops down, the droid says one word. Or rather, it’s synthesized voicebox picks up one word from an unsecured communication and it’s uttered out loud.

And that word is “Huntah?”

Listen to it, listen to the tone and cadence of that one small word.

It’s unmistakably Omega speaking.

So why was Hunter receiving a call from a child he didn’t even meet until TBB ep 1?

Well, let’s look at that.

Before they split up we see them all standing together and Hunter has his helmet on.

When Tech announces that he’s picked up Echo’s signal again Hunter walks up the hallway from behind him, but now he has his helmet under his arm.

They’re mid mission, so why in all hell would he have taken his helmet off?

Because he was being facetimed, and by someone who would expect him to show proper respect and remove his helmet for the call.

How can I possibly claim that?

Because Omega is, by her own admission, ‘official Kaminoan medical personnel’ and Nala Se refers to her as her ‘medical assistant’

And who is currently in the med bay on Kamino who might want to speak to Hunter about the mission he’s on? Someone who has seniority over Hunter? Someone who very likely is in no fit condition to get up and make their own call for themselves?

Marshall Commander Cody

Who says something to Hunter which does not impress him in the slightest judging from the bulldog licking piss off a nettle highly disgruntled look we can see on his face before he puts his helmet back on.

So what happened? Did Cody chew him out over something? Did he tell him to get his act together? Or just make damn sure that not only had he better make sure that Rex returned from this mission, but that if Rex came back with so much as a single scratch on his armour that he would personally make it his life’s mission to make him suffer for it?

But why would Cody do that? Rex is a capable soldier. Doesn’t Cody trust him?

Yes. But he doesn’t trust the others.

.

The Batch’s high death toll is subtly implied a few times.

In the previous episode with Wrecker’s ‘we always get shot down when we work with ‘regs’ combined with his complete and utter lack of knowledge about how to deal with a man with internal injuries. No matter how dense they imply him to be, there’s no way he should ever think it’d be acceptable to just pick Cody up like a sack of potatoes and sling him over his shoulder after a crash like that. Not if he’d ever been expected to care about whether a ‘reg’ survived the experience anyway.

Also in the way Rex has never heard of the squad before. Which given his length of time in service as well as being such a well known face (so to speak) as well as General Skywalker’s right hand man, seems pretty damn surprising.

Unless no one ever comes back to tell the tale of ‘the time we worked with Clone Force 99’

The exception there seems to be Commander Cody. Whose loss would be difficult to explain if he suddenly disappeared, not least to General Kenobi, but he isn’t confirmed as ever having been on a mission with them himself before. Only that he’s met Hunter previously and knows a little about their unit.

Which he rapidly sidesteps having to explain even though Rex directly asks him about them.

Cut to this episode with Hunter’s ‘What kind of ‘suicide mission’ do you have for us this time?’, because why would he be expecting a suicide mission if the men they started out with usually came back?

And it makes me wonder about not only how many ‘regs’ have died on their missions, but Nala Se’s comment to Tarkin in TBB ep 1 about how ‘five are all that remain’ when he asks how many enhanced clones they have.

Just how many did they start out with?

.

Anyway,

Isn’t it a little too convenient that Tech lost Echo’s signal at just the right time for Hunter to take his phone call in private?

Did Hunter know he’d be getting that call, or was Tech tipped off by someone at the other end shortly before the call came through? Because we don’t see it to know if it was a scheduled call or a total surprise. Either way, he ‘miraculously’ manages to pick the signal up again once Hunter’s call has finished and the device he has in his hand shows him that.

(If you watch the group of them checking the doorways Rex runs to a door, Wrecker runs to a door, But Tech? Tech walks. Tech only gets as far as putting his hand on the door before looking at his device and announcing that the signal is back. Convenient, eh?)

But that’s the second time Tech ‘happens’ to lose the signal. It happens once on the approach to Wat Tambor’s city and again shortly before Hunter’s call comes in.

The first time doesn’t immediately stand out as him calling a pause in the proceedings, but then neither does the second time – until you have a wider context to consider it in.  

But, in a scene about 13 minutes in, the Poletec scouts have led the team towards the city to show them where they need to go. They’re standing on a high, jutting piece of rock with the tall, slender towers of the city visible in the distance.

We’re distracted by Wrecker’s fear of heights being turned into a comedy moment due to his choice of phrasing before Tech gives us a technobabble reason for losing Echo’s signal, essentially blaming it on the weather, before turning and walking away from the group while tapping away at his arm device while no one is paying him any attention, or looking over his shoulder at what he might actually be doing.

Next up is Hunter, who uses his turn at dissuasion to warn that it might be a trap and Echo may well be dead, which Rex firmly refuses to accept.

Then it’s Crosshair’s turn. He chooses to point at Rex allowing his personal feelings and guilt about Echo’s loss to interfere with his reasoning, before finishing with the comment about him being ‘just another ‘reg’’ (this is the last time we ever hear him use that term)

After the brief fight Anakin tells the Batch to sod off so he can talk to Rex alone.

Watch Hunter as they walk away, note the nod he gives Crosshair as he approaches him. Well done lad, good try, you did your best.

Now, skip forward to the next scene, at about 15.30 minutes. Not only has Tech miraculously managed to regain the signal in the middle of a dust storm even though he couldn’t find it in the far clearer conditions on that rock, but when we rejoin the group they’ve had a little time on their own. A little time to discuss their orders about the next stage of this operation, maybe?

.

For the moment we’ll cut back to the moment mentioned at the start, about 17.30, when Tech once more claims to have lost Echo’s signal.

They’ve only just got to the top of the tower and taken out a few guards when it vanishes, Tech lies again and reels off a plausible sounding excuse while mostly looking at the floor. Anakin suggests they split up, but no orders are given for who follows who.

So no reason is given onscreen for why Crosshair follows Anakin when everyone else goes off in the other direction. Or for why Hunter watches him go, and only stops watching him once everyone else has started running.

So let’s look at that.

Because as well as that one brief fragment of unguarded transmission picked up before the droids get blown away this scene also has the moment when Crosshair has Anakin dead in his sights. But chooses not to pull the trigger.

Even though he was supposed to.

I realise that that’s a big claim, but bear with me.

At the start of this episode is the facetime session between Anakin and Padme, all very cute and with comedy thrown in on top.  But during that call Padme says, regarding Rex, ‘Trust his instincts, like you trust yours’

Watch Anakin closely here. With his Grrr face on he deflects the shot from one droid right back at it and destroying its weapon, turns and cuts down the one which had been behind him, and then, rather than turning back to cut the other droid down, instead just has time to see Crosshair in the doorway, and ducks slightly and faces away from the sparks that fly from the shot that Crosshair puts in its back.

Only once the sparks stop falling from the droid does he stand, turn, and raise his lightsabre again, because he may trust his instincts but he isn’t a total idiot, and he’s still all alone with a man he barely knows who is armed with a high velocity rifle which is pointed right at him.

A man who definitely had enough time to put a follow up shot in his back if he’d wanted to.

Especially since the Firepuncher has a rapid fire mode.

But Anakin doesn’t react.

And we know how fast Anakin’s reactions are, it’s what made him such a fantastic pod racer in the first place, he could have deflected a shot from Crosshair even at that distance, especially since he’s already in a good stance for it.

Instead he gives Crosshair another chance to make a move if he’s going to. But he doesn’t. He lowers his rifle, Anakin’s eyebrow expression clears, and he turns off his lightsabre before casually leaving the room.

.

I realise that none of that directly implies that Crosshair was supposed to shoot him. I’m getting to that part.

Following a brief interlude where the gang find the Echo Chamber (yes, that is how I refer to the room where he was kept), skype with Wat Tambor, and have a bunch of droids sicced on them, Anakin reappears by force blasting a bunch of droids out of his way before getting in there with his lightsabre and the fight really takes off.

No one seems surprised by him being there.

Everyone has a moment to show they’re getting in on the action before Crosshair blows the head off the droid Hunter is holding before powersliding across the room towards Rex and Anakin’s position, ending up in a position where he has his back to Tech and Hunter.

When Crosshair shoots the droid, Hunter pauses. Only briefly, but he does.

The camera cuts to Tech and Hunter standing together. Tech looks at Hunter and shakes his head, Hunter responds with an acknowledging nod.

And the only thing which occurred in the time that they weren’t present is that Crosshair failed to take a shot at Anakin.

Which also means that Anakin didn’t deflect the shot back at him, or simply cut him down.

And either way Crosshair can’t win.

If he’d fired he’d be dead, but by not doing so he becomes a pariah and gets all the blame for the failure of their mission heaped upon him. Not to mention any reprimand the team received post mission.

So which one was the outcome Hunter was hoping for?  Getting rid of the Jedi, or getting rid of his team mate?

.

Okay, but when did this supposed ‘kill the Jedi’ order come in? And from whom?

The exact who of ‘who directly issued the order to them’ is uncertain, but it probably came from Kamino.

(I know who I’d put my money on for it, but let’s not get distracted by that right now.)

I’d say the starting orders Hunter passes to the others are for them to discover Echo’s location and then attempt to persuade Anakin and Rex to call off their retrieval mission. Only when that tactic fails does he update the team with the ‘take out any witnesses’ part.  But the call Hunter receives in Purkoll tells him he’d better not do that, which is why he looks so pissed off afterwards and doesn’t carry out any further action after Cross disobeys his orders.

Why do I think this? Let’s go through it from the top

The Batch plus Rex and Anakin set out on their mission. Upon reaching Skako Minor they’re set upon by the locals and Anakin is snatched by a keeradak. Crosshair shoots it with a grapple line.

If Crosshair had shot him then it could easily have been blamed on the creature moving about too much. Or on his rifle rest (Tech) having shifted. A bad thing, terrible accident, but explainable. When they track Anakin to the Poletec’s village he shoots the Keeradak holding him to the ground in the leg with an electro dart. Again, a perfect opportunity to take him out at a distance when there’s little he could do about it and call it an accident.

But it doesn’t happen.

Because he hasn’t had any such order at that point.

No, only once the locals show them the place where Echo is located and Tech sends that info back to base, or notes it down for later, or receives an update when no one is paying him any attention, does anyone start to interfere with Rex’s mission.

Tech ‘happens’ to lose the signal immediately after the city is pointed out to them, but no amount of persuasion is going to put Rex off.

So when they’re alone in the time where Anakin is talking to Rex, Hunter makes it clear that the pair of them have to go. But carefully.

And by the time Hunter gets that phone call he already thinks that Cross is taking care of Anakin, so it’s no wonder he looks disgruntled. Because that’s going to be a hard one to explain if they have to send witnesses home afterwards.

.

So, was this ever intended to be a rescue? Or was it supposed to be a heist?

Locate the unique and very valuable piece of technology, get rid of all witnesses, and take it home. Gift boxed.

Because Echo is a very valuable piece of technology, and someone who is seen as being property, and he ‘belongs’ to the Kaminoans, and I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t want him back. He’s recorded as dead, so he’s off the GAR’s books.  Remove anyone who can vouch for his continued existence and no one will ever know you have him. Then you’re free to use him however you see fit. But once he’s returned home by Rex and Anakin he’s on record as still being alive. He’s accountable for. And it’s a lot harder to use and abuse him once that’s the case.

But it’s also why Sergeant ‘so two-faced that it’s literally a part of his basic character design’ Hunter offers him a place on their team. To keep him close. To keep an eye on him. To wait for everyone else to either forget he ever existed or to die in battle, and then Echo’s owner will be free to do whatever they want with him anyway.

Simple!

.

And I never did get those screenshots

[nimata-beroya]

I've seen people saying that Crosshair's chip was removed in episode 3, and I'm sorry, but that's not when, IF it ever happened.

First of all, it makes no sense whatsoever that Tarkin was ok with removing the only way to control Crosshair. Tarkin knows how loyal clones are to each other, no matter what. He doesn't like clones, he doesn't trust them. Why would he give the go for Cross' chip to be removed at the risk of him turning on them at any time, despite Crosshair following orders?

Second, Cross didn't have a bandage/scar/shaved patch of hair after the so-called removal

Exhibit A

However, Wrecker, Tech, Hunter, and even Rex in tcw s7 had one when their chips were removed

Exhibit B, C, D, and E

(Sorry for the quality of the pics. Took them as snapshots on my phone)

It seems to be too deliberate showing no sign of surgery on Cross while making it obvious in the others. If they truly wanted to go on the road of Cross not having a chip and making a big reveal on episode 15, all they need to do was never showing Crosshair's right profile during that scene on episode 3, but they did. A LOT!

Let's say, that the chip was taken out after that but before Bracca. Yeah nope, a distorted scar from the surgery should be visible anyway. I have scars over surgical scars and you can notice the difference even when one overlaps the other. Skin heals differently. The same applies if it was afterward.

Another proof that Cross is lying about not having a chip is the way he rubbed his head, like if he had a headache... Remember how was Wrecker between episodes 3 to 7? Yeah, me too.

Another big possibility is that Cross is not lying because he actually believes his chip was removed but It was not.

It makes much more sense that Crosshair lied or told what he thinks it's true to Hunter about the chip as a way to convince him and the rest to join him and the empire. Because ultimately all Crosshair wants is to have his brothers back.

After the batch escaped Kamino the first time, Cross has been super lonely. He never bonded with his new squad. Do you think he's happy with the results they get, the batch escaping them several times, and such? His record of perfect missions went to hell, just as it did for the batch. There's some arrogance in Crosshair believing himself and his brothers superior. It's nothing new, he always had that. In a twisted way, he wants to prove it to the empire. Tarkin and especially Rampart have used that to manipulate him.

One tiny little detail more. Like @bb-8 said in a post, it's too much of a coincidence that AZI-3, a medical droid with experience in removing chips (altho with not the best outcome😢), is with them. If his only purpose was to help Omega while she was in Kamino, something would've happened to him already. Also, Nala Se's med lab is underwater, most likely, will be intact when Tipoca City is not. That's the escape route aaaaaand the perfect place for chip removal. Bc Bracca is NOT an option. I can tell you that.

[mid-nighttiger]

ok here’s one dave filoni thought: he’s way too attached to ahsoka. he can’t let go. he’s like one of those dnd or rp players who won’t let anything bad happen to his oc. and the rest of star wars suffers for it

there’s that time filoni said that to him, the clone wars was ahsoka’s (and rex’s) story, which is why s7, the final season, pretty much exclusively focused on ahsoka (and rex). uh, sir, the clone wars is called the clone wars, not ‘the ahsoka & rex story,’ so you’ll forgive me if i disagree. this is the final season, the finale season! we’re not getting any more content from this time period after this is over. why are you focusing on one (former) jedi and one clone and not the war, the clones, the jedi as a whole?

he has this idea of ahsoka as this perfect character who everyone likes and can do no wrong, but doesn’t show the buildup of relationships with others, so emotional beats often fall flat. to take examples from s7 -- the clones paint their helmets in honor of her, with her colors and facial markings, and it’s sold as this very touching moment. but why would they do this? what sort of special relationship does ahsoka have with these clones, besides ‘military commander,’ which most other jedi also have? what does ahsoka do that is so special that other jedi don’t do, that the clones would paint over the symbols of their individuality for her, even after she’s left military command?

he fekkin canonized time travel for ahsoka because he couldn’t stand the thought of her having even an ambiguous ending! what benefits does this have besides an out-of-universe ‘fans love her’? what does she bring to the star wars story, from a narrative standpoint? if time travel needed to be canonized, why ahsoka and not the myriad other important figures in star wars? don’t get me wrong, this would be all well and good from a fan standpoint in like, fan fiction and such, but it’s one of those things i never wanted to see happen in the canon media

this makes it sound like i hate ahsoka, lol. i don’t. i think she’s a fine character. tbh, i think it was mostly fine in the earlier years of tcw, when we do see her as a youngling, make mistakes, and learn from other characters. but since tcw ended for the first time, i feel like filoni’s built up this idea of her in his head that he just sticks fully-formed into his shows without caring if it fits with where she came from or how we saw her last

[gffa]

OHHHHH BOY DOES THIS THROW A MONKEY WRENCH INTO EVERYTHING.  AND THE WORST PART IS THAT WE REALLY DON’T EVEN GET THAT MUCH INFO ON IT?? So, in summary:  Heater and Racetrack are both clones who deserted (what does that mean specifically? WHO KNOWS) and the other clones are furious at them and don’t trust them, saying they abandoned their brothers, their family.  Wolffe offers the deserter clones a redemption mission, after which they’ll be free (what does that mean specifically? WHO KNOWS), and Heater is like HELL YEAH I’M ALL IN.  They do the mission, things are tense, but they come through in the end, Wolffe says, okay, you’re free, we can drop you off wherever you want, and Heater says that he wants to go home, ie, back to the GAR.  In the beginning of the comic, there’s tension running through the 501st and it’s Heater who is telling the story of what happened, himself characterizing it as a betrayal to his brothers. SO, LIKE. W   H   A   T. This is an Adventures comic, which means it’s fairly simple and straightforward (as well as supplementary material and reasonably low on the canon tiered scale, which apparently still exists in LF), so we don’t get a lot of details, but apparently there is a method of the clones being able to leave the GAR, if they really want to?  But that most clones really do not want to? Heater himself says that he never had a choice, he never signed up for this, but by the end, once he is given that choice, he wants to stay with his brothers, he sees his own actions as a betrayal, whatever that initial “desertment” was. Initially, when Wolffe proposes it, it sounds like, “Do this redemption mission and you’ll be forgiven for the desertion, then you can rejoin the army, slate wiped clean.” which isn’t actually being free, but he also says, “or you can stay here”, then later says, “You four are free.  We’ll take you wherever you’d like to go.” and that does sound like they’re genuinely free. Then you have the question--who is running this program?  The comic just says “Command” sent them on the mission, which seems to indicate Wolffe, so we don’t know if this was a program introduced by the Senate or if this was Clone Command introducing it, but it must have gotten approval if Heater, Racetrack, and the others actually were able to leave the GAR. So, are we to take it that there actually is a path out of the GAR, even if it’s a dangerous one, should any clone want it?  Is it only offered to those who “desert”, but then come back?  How many clones would have taken this? Because everything--from the movies to TCW to the comics, etc.--largely characterizes the clones as deeply prioritizing loyalty to their family (with the obvious exceptions), that they want to fight.  Even in s7 of TCW, Rex’s mixed feelings are about how they were created for the war and the war is a bad thing, but they are kind of grateful to it in a strange way because it’s why they exist, rather than being angry about being a soldier, that the tone of the conversation isn’t at all that being a soldier is an inherently bad thing. The clones themselves largely seem to want to fight to defend the Republic, especially because they’re seeing first hand some of the truly shitty things the Separatists do and they want to protect people, they want to protect their brothers, that they see the path out of this war as one where they stick together as much as they can.  There are exceptions to this and we don’t really know what the chips do to their thoughts--though, the intention of the narration by and large seems to say YES THE CLONES ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH THEIR OWN THOUGHTS, like even by the time of Rebels, when Rex and Gregor and Wolffe are given a choice, they choose to fight, that’s really what it came down to for them.  They were fucked over by the Republic and the chips, but when they were given a choice, the chips long since out of their heads, they chose to help the Jedi and the Rebellion, that’s what Gregor’s last words were about. And it’s hard to parse all this because narrative intention vs tone of execution is going to play havoc with the discourse, as well as we don’t really have a strong sense of precisely how a lot of this worked, as well as this is a supplementary piece of material and probably wasn’t intended to be taken super seriously (ha ha but what is Star Wars fandom if not giving too much time and energy to stories meant for childrens’ stories? 😂) and yet. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A PATH OUT OF THE GAR FOR THE CLONES??  I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS.

[aenaxes]

one to ten

[jesse x gn!reader] there are ten things you remember about jesse.

warnings: tcw s7 spoilers, suggestive themes, mentions of death

w/c: 2.5k

a/n: sorry for the constant parentheticals lol. ishei is a spin on a biblical name/the hebrew name basis for jesse (yishai) as a kind of namesake (surprise, you've now adopted a togrutan).

01. Your first glimpse of beauty in war comes in the form of a clone trooper.

It doesn’t make sense. They all look the same, you groan to Uche, the one other civ enlistee who didn’t waste their breath (or your time) waxing poetic about galactic justice or pining after the out-of-touch idealogues holding rank in the jedi temple and Senate floor.

What’s so different about him? Uche asks, and you don’t have an answer.

You remember sneaking furtive looks from inventory protocol drills to the landing platform, seeing the unnamed soldier step off the dust-beaten hull of a gunship transport with a straight-backed swagger. Even from afar, he demands attention, presence, in ways the men with him cannot.

I don’t know, you mumble. Maybe it’s the tattoo on half his face.

02. You learn the name of this beautiful man when Uche ditches the buddy system to wander off with a trooper in red armor at 79’s.

Shitty friend, comes a voice you’ve heard a hundred times over. You turn your head, ready to shoo away a shiny eager to prove his mettle, but instead you are met with the beautiful soldier and his ridiculous face tattoo in Uche’s seat. He flashes you a grin, raising his brows at you in a way that oozes the same confidence you remember in the landing bay. Can I make it up to you with a drink?

Will it be worth my while? you shoot back. (It’s amazing how well you mask the excited tremor in your voice. The wonders of working in a military hierarchy.)

No promises, he shrugs as he flags down the barkeep. But I think you already know your answer.

Then fine, I guess, you fight the smile playing over your lips. And when he closes his eyes and laughs, you think it’s only fitting that your nameless soldier has a laugh as gorgeous as himself.

I’m y/n, you say.

Jesse.

03. You meet this beautiful man again (Jesse, you curl your tongue over his name), and it just so happens that you end up assigned to the same ship as him. You board the Resolute, your civ certification in hand and a drab uniform as your completion gift, and as you claim your quarters aboard the destroyer, a firm tap at your shoulder stops you at your door.

Fancy seeing you here, y/n.

You’re kidding me, you smile. When you turn around, Jesse’s grinning back at you, bucket tucked under one arm, the other propping him up against the hallway wall in the worst attempt to look even remotely flirtatious that you’ve ever seen.

I’m hard to resist, I know, Jesse laughs, and you do your best to muster the most irritated expression possible despite the elation in your chest. I guess 79’s wasn’t enough for you, huh?

Sure, I can’t get enough of me absolutely drinking you under the table, Jesse, you snort.

Okay, okay, I was off my game. But you can’t tell me I’m not a better kisser when I’m tipsy, he shrugs.

I haven’t kissed you sober, you deadpan.

You think I could change that by the end of this tour?

04. You’re in bed with this beautiful man for the nth time this month, and you’ve never been too good with pillowtalk, so you tell him what you have always thought since the day you first saw him. Your fingertips light over his cheeks, you tell him that he is beautiful.

Jesse laughs and leans in to kiss your wrist. Between kisses trailing up your arm, he tells you that he is one face of many; that he is all rough skin and scars; (that there is no beauty in war embodied, cemented in the flesh over and over and over); that you just might have poor taste.

You jab his arm (because fuck you, Jesse, this was supposed to be a romantic moment), and he yelps, cackling. But you’ve successfully stroked his ego, and he thanks you by pulling you down onto his bunk again.

05. You’re in love with this beautiful man.

The revelation is a long time coming and yet somehow the greatest surprise that shocks you awake one morning when Jesse is still asleep in his bunk with one heavy arm draped over your bare hips.

It’s more than simple beauty as you watch him sleep, his lips parted and brow slack. Done away with the bravado and big talk, with the tension lifted from his proud features, Jesse is terrifyingly vulnerable in the way that makes your heart ache (even if he might be drooling just a little bit).

And then the ship alarm blares, and Jesse’s scrambling awake, sleepy apologies and bleary eyes as he shuffles around you to fumble for his armour.

See you in a few, sweetheart, Jesse laughs, locking his vambrace in place before he leans close and presses a quick peck to your cheek. And then he’s gone, breaking into a jog down the hallway as you shrug on his GAR bomber and pull it close over your chin.

You tell yourself that you don’t breathe deep on purpose, that you don’t shiver when you catch Jesse’s scent, standard-issue aftershave and spritzes of the Corellian cologne you’d bought him planetside, saved for the nights you spent over in his quarters.

You’re in love. (Fuck.)

06. You’re in love with this beautiful man.

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, he says softly, perched beside you on the stout nose of a laatie. You lift your head from his shoulder, meeting his unreadable gaze (all you know is that it is soft) with a furrowed brow.

When you ask him what it means, Jesse—smooth-talker, sly bastard, a snappy retort always a word away—sputters unintelligibly, forgoing any excuses or mistranslations for sliding down the gunship’s hull and breaking into a run across the dewy grass. And you forget that you haven’t run this fast in months when you take off close at his heels.

Tell me, asshole! you shout, sprinting after him.

Not on your life! he shouts with a grin thrown over his shoulder. But he is slowing, his run pacing down to a jog, then a funny little walk on the heels of his feet as you close his lead and tackle him to the cool grass underfoot.

You feel a bruise blooming over your knees, and you’re fairly certain he’ll have a worse bruise over his tailbone. But all you can do is laugh as Jesse traps you in his arms and wrestles you onto your back under the silver light of the Nemoidian moons. (When was the last time you had laughed so freely?)

And when you catch your breath, vision blurry with the best kind of tears, you look to the wonder in Jesse’s eyes as he kneels above you.

You think he might be in love, too.

07. You’re in love with your beautiful man, and when you call him yours (when he calls you his) between hushed breaths and soft moans, you savor the thrill that rushes up your spine every time.

General Skywalker’s married, Jesse says one night, his voice rumbling under your ear as you lie over his chest.

It’s kind of obvious, you respond, and he laughs.

No—I mean, I knew—we’ve all known. But what if we got married?

You lift your head, and something heavy and warm lurches alive in the spaces between your ribs when you meet Jesse’s eyes. There is no witty playfulness, no heckling rise—only yearning, deep and vast and held with bated breath when he reaches up to touch your cheek.

Just you, me, some peace and quiet. I’d make a hell of a mechanic. And kids, maybe, well, if you want, he says, and with each word, his voice grows softer and softer still until you can just barely make out the last sound that passes his lips.

You could be a realist, cruel and cold, listing some regulation manual clause and the twofold speed at which Jesse would live and love (and die). You could tell him that the chances of you both making it out of this seemingly endless war were slim to none. You could tell him that the grief of losing a husband would fester where the loss of a friend would heal. You could leave.

But normality is so, so sweet—the vague yet enchanting idea of life beyond a war for which your beautiful man was born, a war which has swallowed you whole.

Rules and probabilities be damned, it’s worth the risk.

I’d like that, you whisper, and Jesse’s incredulous, enthralled laugh sweeps you off your feet before he’s kissing you like it’s the first time all over again.

A week later, Fives officiates, Echo bears witness, and they shower you with handfuls of tiny blue flowers scrounged from the flaxen Lothal plains as Jesse kisses you breathless.

(Both of them are dead within the year.)

08. You’re in love with your beautiful man, and you don’t think yourself a fool when all you can wonder is whether he still loves you from behind the mirrored visor of his helmet, one pound of pressure away from two blaster bolts and twin wounds (one for Ahsoka, one for you).

It is not his voice you hear over the labored blare of the ship alarms. It shares the same breath and passes through the same lips, but it is not the cocksure charm in rank or the languorous warmth of leave you have come to call your own.

You’ll be demoted in rank from commander and subject to execution along with the traitors Ahsoka Tano and y/n l/n.

It is not Jesse’s voice. (The last time your full name found home over his tongue, Fives and Echo had been alive.)

And then you watch him fall.

The hangar is a flurry of blaster fire and gunsmoke, and it’s a wonder that through it all, only one shot manages to graze over your leg before Ahsoka hurls you onto the docked y-wing and into the gunner’s seat.

The thrusters rumble to life as you slam your viewport shut, and you hear Rex’s voice crackling over the intraship comm for you to strap in. But all you can do is search frantically for any flash of twin ARC pauldrons and a shock of royal blue in the violent sea of helmets paying forgotten homage. You press your palms to the glass because he was there, he was there, right where Ahsoka spears her lightsabers into the metal, he was there.

The floor drops from beneath your feet, and you tell yourself the smoke and ache in your lungs is from your head connecting hard with the domed viewport glass as you scramble for your controls.

(What goes through a man’s head when he knows he will not wake when he lands?)

09. And then your beautiful man is dead.

You will think later that you were lucky, blessed, even, that you were not the one to pull his mangled body from under the charred belly of a destroyer, but that fact makes uncovering his face no less difficult. The broad ink stretched over his skin does little to hide the blood dried over his brow, bled into glassy eyes unseeing.

Did he feel it when the ship tore apart? You slide his eyes shut. (You do not hear your own wailing.) Was he in pain?

His brother tells you to leave his helmet over his grave because you buried bodies, vessels, ghosts of who they had once been. Jesse was not himself when you ran. Why would you carry a marker of someone you no longer knew, someone who no longer knew you?

There won’t be space for it on the ship (leave the dead with the dead), and you pretend not to hear how young Rex sounds when his voice bows under the loss of everything he’s ever known.

You hang the bloody plastoid back onto its perch.

It feels like the death of a saint, not because Jesse was some paragon of virtue, but because it is cruel, uncaring and unjust and pulled out of your hands into a single divine lie. It’s a wordless eulogy come too soon, and you cannot seem to pull away from the scuff marks and chipped paint at your fingertips.

It’s time to go, Rex says.

We got married, you say.

I know, Rex replies.

I’m not ready, your voice cracks. I didn’t say goodbye.

You feel strong arms pull you close, and if you focus on the sound of the slowly groaning hull before you, you can pretend like you aren’t being pulled apart at the seams, crashed into some cold moon, dirt under your nails, blood on your knees, alone.

I know.

10. Sometimes, you see your beautiful man in fleeting glimpses over his brother’s face. They are only split-second visions blurred by sleep (denial, denial, denial). You see copper skin and a soldier’s eyes, but that is where the familiarity ends and reality begins.

Even if you took away the tattoo arcing over Jesse’s skin and placed them side by side, Rex does not have the slight curve in his nose from a sparring session kicked too high; he does not have the dark freckle just below his chin; he does not have the playful twinkle, the knowing gleam that lit up his eyes whenever he saw you. (Rex only looks to you with shared grief, pity, these days.)

Clone or not, he is not him.

So you sleep.

If only for a glimpse of Jesse, his face blurry and voice warped under the weight of memory (played, rewound, and played again), you treat your precious shifts of sleep when Rex takes the helm as nothing short of speaking to the divine itself. Even if your dreams are more often than not nightmares of staring down a blaster barrel, part of you thinks that it’s worth the shaky hands and uneven breaths as Rex shakes you awake, that you might try to say goodbye.

Tonight, you see him again. But this time, the hangar deck is silent, blasters raised but frozen in place, a snapshot frame of the day a part of you died with him. The script changes. He lowers his blasters, you step forward, and when you reach up to lift his helmet from his shoulders, it is the clearest you have ever seen his face since you laid him to rest.

I’m sorry, his voice floats, settling in the space between your ears, soft and strong. I love you.

Goodbye, Jesse.

And when you wake, for the first time in weeks, your eyes are dry.

You will heal.

—

00. Buir, a soft voice filters down from the top bunk as your ship hums around you.

Ishei, you call, lifting one hand to rub at your eyes. You catch your son’s little horned head peeking over the edge of his bunk, and he scampers down the ladder when you beckon him close.

I can’t sleep, he whispers as he crawls beside you and tucks his arms around your waist. Will you tell me about father?

(Jesse will never know the orphaned Togrutan boy who calls him buir. You wish he did.)

Every night, you laugh softly, gently rubbing between his budding white montrals. Every night, I tell you about Jesse’buir. You don’t tire of the same stories?

You feel Ishei shake his head against your chest. Jesse’buir is my hero! Did he really look just like Rex ba’vodu?

Not at all, you smile. Not at all.

[bonlussson]

Tech is NOT that aloof

-

The recent animation premiere information drives me craving for those boys again, so I rewatched the Bad Batch arc in TCW S7, and have found some interesting details Usually we think Tech is aloof, problem-solve centric, it's true, for example, he don't pay attention on Wrecker's acrophobia even just goes far away from the team to gain stronger signal

-

But he does have some way to show caring for his brothers and interact with other troopers. In E01, When the Bad Batch met Rex and others, they just tried every second to scare the regs, showing feral smiles, while Tech showed the TRUE GENUINE SMILE

-

When he fiddles with his datapad, he will monitor his batchers' state. On the transportation, Crosshair provoked Jesse, Tech lifted his eyes to see what's going on

(Why are you looking at the camera

-

And later they crushed, while Rex tried to rescue Cody, Hunter pushed him aside. Actually, the nearby Tech moved too, I suppose he also wanted to explain to Rex, but Hunter did it first, you can see the slight motion at the gif down here

-

After this they came across the B1 droids. Wrecker using the B1's head to tease Crosshair, at that time Tech looked up from his datapad again to see his brothers

-

And to his dismay caused Wrecker's attention too

-

At the jungle, when Crosshair began to question Rex, Tech paid attention to this event too, he stood up from the ground, looking at Rex attentively. When the fighting happened, he seems really disoriented and confused, then looking at Hunter as for asking help from his buir twice

Just look at his flustered 3-year-old like expression

-

So connect this to the genuine smile, he does be not much sensitive to social clues, and does not know how to cope with it either. It's maybe even hard for him to understand why regs always try to bully him (If it happened really). Although he is clumsy, he DOES FEEL EMOTIONS, from himself or others. When Hunter put an end to this fight, others looked embarrassed or not convinced, Tech looked a little embarrassed too, but ESPECIALLY SHOWED RELIEF

-

And though he paid no attention to Wrecker's acrophobia, even rolled his eyes on the impending pipe, he paid attention to his pyromaniac behavior encouraged him when he got frustrated

Awwwwwww big eyes how cute

-

He fetched Echo's helmet when he was taken out too

-

Besides, when translating to the Poletacs, Tech transformed Rex's emotion too. For example, at the scene in which Rex said indignantly about Techno Union tried to turn Echo into a machine, Tech volumed up and spoke angrily too, just check it in the E03.

(Maybe you think he's just trying to be a perfect translator, but hey, a protocol droid is a perfect translator, yet they never show emotion in the translation. I think he did feel something about Echo's horrible experience.)

And while talking to Poletacs "We're out our welcomed in Purkoll" after escaping from the Techo Union by those "flying reptiles (Keeradaks)", Tech put his hand on Anakin's shoulder, so definitely we can infer that he can touch people friendly when he wants (Sadly due to the number limitation I can't put on more pictures anymore).

-

The final conclusion: I want to keep a tiny Tech, He's a tooooooo cute, passionate inside lil nerd!

[hellothere-generalangsty]

I HAD A BRAIN WAVE MOMENT

DO YOU REMEMBER WAYYYY BACK WHEN EVERYONE HATED ASOKA? DAVE DID THAT ON PURPOSE SO HE WAS IN CONTROL OF WHAT PEOPLE HATED ABOUT HER. OK NOW THIS MIGHT BE A LONGSHOT THAT HOPEFULLY DOESN’T END UP LIKE LONGSHOT THE CLONE, BUT, IM HOPING THATS WHATS DAVE IS DOING WITH TBB. BEING IN CONTROL OF WHAT THE FANDOM HATES ABOUT IT AND THEN IMPROVING IT SLOWLY BIT BY BIT.

PLEASE IM DESPERATE FOR A EXPLANATION!

(also where’s my explanation about why the clones are white washed, dave? hmm? where is it dave?)

OMG LOOK.

It wouldnt excuse the whitewashing or the weak scenario, because he got us used to some good stuff now (tcw s7, Mandalorian, that kind of things)

But it would make sense - to a certain extent - to work that season as a "cliché team in a cliché scenario" and see how people react to be able for a second season (if there's a second season) to improve it

_

Disclaimer: I'm a white, abled person so I'm not trying to speak on behalf of poc/disabled people, but I think it's important to support them and listen to the critics they make about SW and it's content

Also this is quite long I got carried away but worth it it is!

I linked some of @rebekadjarin 's post here because I read a bit through her blog today and agreed with her posts; and I invite you to check out the "#whitewhashed tbb" if you want more extanded and developed information about that matter! (As my knowledge on the matter is still quite limited/ incomplete due to my privileges, and this post is more of a summary than a real analysis)

_

So here, we know that the fans are unhappy about:

- the whitewashing of the Bad Batch (especially since they proved they could animate dark skinned people/ more generally poc with the first seasons of tcw, Kanan in Rebels and the Separatist in the latest TBB episode)

It is a real problem and it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Even if they are different, the Batchers are still clones and it's really not that hard to show their enhancement while keeping Temuera's features and skin colour (I mean, look at all the artists who did and do it everyday on this app; no excuse here)

Star Wars has wasted a lot of potential on numerous occasions because they keep doing stuff like this; and it's quite ironic (and very sad) to see that racism, ableism and stereotypes are prevalent in a universe where people fight for equality and peace...

Here and here are two posts about it (if you're the author of these posts and want me to delete them from my post please tell me so; I took the liberty of adding them because I think they highlight quite well the issue and do a clear job at showing the whitewashing in SW/ around the clones)

~

- the way Crosshair is treated; both by the Batchers and the writers, he's manipulated by the chip yet no one is talking about rescuing him and we see nothing about the effect of his absence on the Batchers (they don't mention him, don't try to save him, and Hunter is more distraught by Omega's absence than by his own brother's)

And don't get me wrong, Omega is a kid and she's nice, of course they have to take care of her and protect her

But they also don't know her purpose; why is she here? She could be a bad omen (maybe she doesn't even know it! The Kaminoans probably didn't tell anyone about her real purpose and I stand by the idea that the infos they got about her are all wrong and purposefully misleading) and I have the dark feeling that she will be the end/ death of the Batchers by the end of the serie, even if she didn't wanted it that way

But Crosshair is never mentionned, except for when he's needed in the scenario. Which is a shame, because he's a Batcher too even if he's mind-controlled and (for now) working for the Empire. He's supposed to be a main character, and he's a key element to the plot; yet out of 10 episodes we saw him in only 3, and only the moments where he was acting bad (i'm excluding the lonely moment at the end of ep2 because it had a lot of potential about him fighting the chip but that was all we had and i'm still bitter about it lol)

Here is a post about it

~

- speaking of plot; I feel like it's always the same disk playing since episode 2-3: They have a mission given by Cid, they do it, things go wrong, Omega saves the day and they get the money.

Crosshair is doing bad guy stuff so no need to tall about him (haha right?)

Now. I'm a good public. I know when to activate the Dummie™ in me and enjoy a show about a found family doing crazy jobs for a criminal and raising a newly adopted daughter at the same time. It's fun, it's sweet, sometimes it get emotional and the animation is beautiful (the lights are amazing I am always in awe)

I can enjoy it and be in awe and see Echo sniffing food and Tech smiles and Wrecker playing with Omega and feel happy about it.

But I also expected more. I hadn't any clear idea because I didn't wanted to set expectations (how ironic) but I can't help but feel sad about the wasted potential around Empire! Crosshair and the rise of said Empire.

If you want to antagonize one of the main character, do it, but do it fully and do it well. Show us Crosshair getting really invested in a plan to catch the Batchers and suddenly making a scene for a tiny detail that could blow it up; show us Crosshair and Hunter fighting each other hand to hand after they disarmed each other, and Crosshair getting the upoer hand until something holds him back; just enough for Hunter to take control again

Show us a complex character who suffers but doesn't fully realise it, and show us brothers mourning yet hoping to get the family back again you know?

~

- the way Echo is treated by the Batchers. And as much as it saddens me, they do him dirty in the show.

Echo is a war veteran, an ex- prisoner and a disabled character. He went through a lot; first he lost the Domino squad, then he lost brothers on Kamino (including 99 who was close to his squad), then the Citadel happened and he lost both his legs, an arm, his freedom, his brothers and probably any hope to be saved.

Then they found him in that freezer, and he probably realised that, if Fives wasn't here to save him, it meant he lost him too.

Then he left Rex to go with a team of 4 because he probably didn't feel like he belonged with "regs" anymore; he chose strangers over brothers because he thought he couldn't find his place there. Which in itself is sad and problematic.

And now he's with the Batchers, and they don't seem to grasp the importance of his trauma. I mean; they always had the 4 of them and never lost a brother (apart from Cross; which is another wasted potential here because they could have exploited that trauma and made a parallel with Echo being so used to losing brothers and them experiencing it for the first time on such a personal level you know) and they do some crappy stuff to him.

Selling him as a droid? Not cool.

Brushing off his trauma for a mission and some credits? Not. Cool.

And Echo can't say anything because he chose them, and now he has nowhere to go anyway because Order 66 happened; and he probably doesn't want to be a burden to Rex, and he probably doesn't want to abandon his brothers especially now that Cross is gone and they have a child to take care of

But yeah there are a lot of things happening - or NOT happening - around Echo and his trauma and his disability that are wrong and people are right to talk about it

Here is a post I read and I agree with it

~

- Overall, the way the show and the characters are handled; they often feel very stereotyped/ cliché and the basic plot doesn't really help for character development or improvement

I read a post about it and it was really interesting; they linked the whitewashing of the characters with their abilities/enhencement

Tech and Crosshair are the smartest and the whitest in the group (which is bad)

Wrecker is portrayed as the Bid Dummie™ and he's the one with the "darker" skin and the features closest to Temuera/ Maōri features (also very bad)

Hunter is straight up a Rambo with a face tattoo, and Echo - and you guys know I love him - is whiter than a sheet of paper (all so bad)

Not only this, but there is no improvement in their personality or thinking

They don't seem to evolve, and just like their mission, they end up playing the same song over and over again

Hunter is the broody soldier and though people enjoy talking to him as a Dad (count me in) but he's not a good dad for Omega (he calls her soldier and is always acting awkward and uncomfortable around her)

Wrecker could be a better dad for her; but again they display him as a big dummie and give the impression he couldn't take well care of her

Tech is here to be the smart one, we only see him when they need someone to do the smart speaking and the complicated computer things

Echo is the grumpy reg, the "more droid than man" and sometimes the Mom™ but they never show him talking about the Empire or the trauma or how the I am not Freaking Out™ I did came back for this Shit™ he's just here to... Be here and be grumpy and bring the oldest clone wars fans to watch TBB

And Crosshair is almost non-existent.

Here is another post about it

~

What could it be then?

So either Dave is pulling a Ahsoka on us; but he'll still have a lot of things to correct and explanations to give because I can excuse a bad plot but I draw the line at blatant racism ans ableism (especially when they KNOW the fans and they KNOW what people want and they KNOW it would probably bring more people to enjoy and get invested in the show)

- If he's doing this, he will probably work with the animator to correct the whitewashing (because it really is the only really wrong thing in the animation, the rest of it is quite good to be honest like the light, framing and all)

- Understand that Tbb and Mandalorian are two different shows and cannot be treated the sale way; so he'll get back to the main plot and hopefully work on Crosshair's arc and hos his absence/ him being controlled by the chip affects him/ the Batchers/ their relation

- He'll probably work more on displaying the effect of their trauma; collective and personal, and see how it reflects on their relations (and give Echo the healing he deserves)

- By extension, give the characters more depth and complexity, dig their stereotypical surface and reveal their true nature (show me a ruthless yet easily overwhelmed Hunter; a smart but constantly anxious Tech, a very emotional Wrecker playing the big explosive dummie to protect himself, etc.)

Well, that's what I would do

Or he's just... Doing this and not planning any changes; in which case I'll probably do what I did with SPN s15: stop watching, scroll through tumblr to get some infos and gifs and tell everyone about how dirty they did the characters, and they did us.

~

But I really hope he's hearing us and taking our remarks into account; the show in itself had a lot of potential and I'm still hanging on the thin hope that the ending could "save it"; but I also have no expectations and am in fact waiting for a disappointing ending

On a brighter note, I'm glad the fandom exists because I see artists and writers and gif-makers and theorists and all kind of people creating and sharing their own content, headcanons, art, writing and they all feel right and better than the canon

Like yes, give me a in-character dark skinned clone who deals with his trauma and the sudden changes around him in a realistic way

Tell me about the real effects of the war on soldiers, and the truth behind the corrupted government taking over the galaxy, and the efforts everyone has to make to survive, exist and live together

If Dave and his team cannot do it, I know you guys can and that's why I'm glad to be here too; you give me hope when they fail to do so 💙

~

I hope I like... Answered this correctly? 😂 I got carried away but yeah, though I'm usually not vocal about it and try to enjoy it with my Dummie Energy™ I still see and read about what you all think, and usually I agree with you; the show deserved better and we deserved better

Now back to ignoring the canon and writing a fic about my very much alive and beloved Fives 🥰

[basura2319]

Who lives, who dies

Pairing: Rex x reader (gender neutral)

Anonymous said:

“Hey! I’ve recently gotten back into the clone wars and Rex has stolen my heart 😂 would you be willing to do a Rex x Jedi!Reader but with a bit of angst where it’s older Rex in the Rebels series and he talks about the reader to Ezra? I hope that made sense 😂”

WC: 2.5K

Warnings: Takes place in Rebels, Ezra being nosy, angst, character death, blood, *S7 spoilers for tcw finale*, and things in italics are flashbacks.

A/N: I hope I did this fic some justice and sorry for making you wait so long. I had to force myself to rewatch the last episode a second time because that episode really messed me up, anyone else feel that way?

Rex never thought that he would be serving again since the Clone Wars. But times were changing and ever since the Ghost Crew came to him for help, he thought long and hard about joining a cause like the Rebellion. And when he did, it made him feel almost happy that he was doing something purposeful again. Something he’s choosing to be a part of. But at the same time, whenever he went on missions and saw rebels dying, ones he grew newly acquainted with, it brought back tons of memories he spent so much time on Seelos trying to repress.

Memories of his dying brothers, of Anakin and Ahsoka, and especially of you. Which was why he was outside of Chopper Base. Sleep eluded him right now and on those days when couldn’t sleep, he went outside to sit underneath Atollon’s night sky to think.

He sat on one of the crates by the shooting range and pulled out a hologram. With shaky hands, he turns it on and a tentative smile falls onto his lips at the image he sees.

It was a hologram of him—his younger self—and you, smiling at each other. Judging by the clothes you both wore, someone could look at the hologram and never guess that he was a soldier and you were a Jedi knight. But you were more than just a Jedi; you were his love. His everything. And this hologram, Rex thought, was his most prized possession. Because showed it a time in his life when he was in utter bliss. A feeling he would never have again.

Rex felt tears begin to build up as he gazes over your face again for the thousandth time. The light in your (e/c) eyes as you look to Rex and the crinkle on the edges of your eyes as you smiled. He remembered the day this hologram was taken. You convinced Rex to join you on a night around Coruscant. You had been the one to take the image without his knowing and you gave him a copy of it to keep. Since then, he has kept it with him at all times, as it is the only thing he has to remember you by.

He blinks the wetness in his eyes away. How he wished things turned out different. If only he believed Fives. If only he didn’t answer that incoming call from the Chancellor. If only they got out of the blazing cruiser fast enough. If only—

CRASH!

Rex immediately clicked the hologram shut and reached for his blaster, aiming at whatever made the crates behind him, he noted, fall over.

“Whose there” He growled. “Show yourself.”

It was probably those Atollon spiders again. How did they get inside the base?

“Relax! It’s just me!” said a panicked voice behind the crates. “Ezra!”

Rex sighed in relief. It was just the kid.

“What are you doing here?” asked Rex in exasperation, giving the boy a stern glare.

“I would ask you the same thing,” Ezra replied with raised brow. “Seeing as how you’re just…sitting here, doing what exactly?”

“That is none of your business,” said Rex sternly.

“Okay then,” he said sheepishly. “Well I guess my being here is none of your business so—”

“Ezra.”

“Alright,” he groaned. “I came out here to practice my lightsaber forms, see.” He waved his lightsaber around as proof. “And well…”

Ezra stared at the ground in shame. “And then I saw you by yourself a-and I didn’t mean to spy on you. I was—”

“Kid,” sighed Rex, feeling a slight tingle of warmth reach his face. “It’s alright.”

Rex shouldn’t feel embarrassed. It’s not like he could in trouble for possessing the only image of you he had. And it’s not like Ezra understood the context of what he saw.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped seeing the way Ezra looked at him. Something akin to concern? Pity? The young boy looked as if he had more to say.

“Something wrong?”

“No—it’s,” Ezra said hesitantly. “That person—in that hologram— I know them.”

Rex furrowed his brows in confusion. “How?” You died before Ezra was born.

“Kanan has these holo-recordings he’s been showing me,” Ezra began. “They’re mainly Jedi Knights teaching how to do a certain form. I saw them teaching a session on how to do the Soresu form, their name, I think, is—”

“Jedi Knight (Y/N) (L/N),” Rex finished hoarsely. The first time in a while since he had said your name out loud.

“You don’t have to answer this,” Ezra said with a curious tone in his voice. “But, did you work with them?”

Rex smiled, recalling all the adventures you both had. “I did, in fact (Y/N) was part of Torrent Company.”

He sat back down on the crate and so did Ezra. “I met them a little after I met Commander Tano.” He chuckled. “They came in to save our forces after the disastrous stunt we pulled off in Felucia. Had they not came in to rescue us, we would have died trying to fend off those clankers.”

Rex, in his mind, remembered it all. You coming out of nowhere with  gunships, screaming at Anakin to fall back. He recalled Skywalker being almost stunned at your presence.

“What are you doing all the way out here (Y/N),” Rex remembered Anakin asking you as they got inside the gunships.

“Here to save your ass,” you commented back. “Only this time from a battlefield instead of from Master Kenobi.”

Anakin chuckled. “Always with the quip remarks.”

“We both trained together since we were kids,” you stated with an arched brow. “Why are you surprised?”

“So you’re a general now?” he asked.

“No,” you answered with a knowing grin. “But I am assigned to one.”

“No way!”

You threw your head back and laughed. “You better believe it.”

“Well then, I should introduce to my second in command, other than you,” he said, smirking at the offended huff you made. “Meet Captain Rex.”

He remembered you reaching out to him as you hung to the straps of the gunship to shake his hand. “Hello Captain, I’m (Y/N) (L/N), but please call me (Y/N).”

He was so entranced by your smile that he almost forgot you were speaking to him.

“Nice to meet you (Y/N),” he said, silently thanking the force that he had his helmet on so you couldn’t see the tinge of red in his cheeks. “And please, call me Rex.”

Rex smiled at the memory. “(Y/N) was a very clever Jedi, but most importantly they were compassionate. They treated us clones like equals and was always there to listen and understand our grievances.”

“They sound amazing,” Ezra replied. “I would’ve loved to meet them.”

Rex paused. “I think (Y/N) would’ve loved to train you and certainly wouldn’t hesitate for a second to be apart of this rebellion if they knew what became of the Republic we both swore to protect.”

His smile disappeared. He really wished you were here to see this.

Ezra looked to Rex with sadness. He could feel the clone veteran’s grief so strongly and could also feel his love for you; just like how he could feel the love between his parents as a kid before the Empire took that all away.

“They didn’t make because if the order did they?”

“No…” said Rex hoarsely. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t even be here…”

Everything fell apart after Mandalore.

He had no idea he was going to be forced to kill (Y/N) and Ahsoka by just one simple command that was enough to overpower his senses.

While Ahsoka managed to escape the blaster fire from him and his men, he was relieved to learn after his chip was removed that you were in your quarters when the order happen, giving you time to hide in the vents.

He was so afraid that his men might’ve gotten you. But he could see the fear and realization on your face when he woke up from his chip removal.

“Fives…” you said in a hushed voice as you three ran to open the hangar doors. “He was right about everything.”

Rex reached for your hand and gave a hard squeeze. “I know, but it weren’t for him, I would’ve killed…”

He couldn’t say it. The thought of you or Ahsoka being executed out of his own will, he—

He just didn’t want to imagine it.

But things worsened. The cruiser was beginning to break apart as they got out of hyperspace and the cruiser was on its way to crashing on a moon.

His men. His brothers who he loved so much, were all waiting for them at the main hangar. Willing to kill themselves trying to complete the mission.

Tears were streaming down his face as he argued this realization to you and Ahsoka.

You knew more than anyone how he felt. Removing his helmet, you pressed you forehead against his in affection. “Rex…it’s okay. I know your brothers. Ahsoka and I know that they are good soldiers and this isn’t their fault.”

He knew they might not have a chance in finding a ship and leaving, but he went with the plan of trying to reason with Jesse, his little vod, on not killing you or Ahsoka. But Rex already knew his brother was long gone, lost somewhere in his mind. He was desperate when it didn’t work and they kept firing at them.

To add to the ongoing mess of things, their chance of escape was taken away by Maul when he took the last remaining shuttle.

They were reaching the moon’s surface rapidly and running out of time.

“Wait,” you called out to Rex. “I see another unharmed ship. There!” You pointed to the Y-wing bomber.

You deflected the blaster shots away as you three ran towards it. Using the force, you wasted no time in pushing Rex towards the ship and jumping your way over.

“There’s only two seats!” exclaimed Rex in panic. “What do we do?”

Your heart seized at the problem. You looked over at Ahsoka who you realized didn’t make it over to the ship, still trying to hold the clones back. She wasn’t going to last long.

“Rex…” you called out, voice strained.

He looked to you, face contorted in anxiety. “What is it?”

You took his helmet off so you could stare at his face one last time. “You know that I love you, right?” you said breathlessly. “More than anything, more than life itself…”

“Y/N stop—“

You kissed him, one last time, savoring his lips as tears leaked from your eyes. “I’m so sorry.”  

You shut the cockpit canopy before he could stop you. “I hope one day you can forgive me.”

He was screaming your name and it broke your heart in two. Rex tried opening the canopy but it was too late.

“Ahsoka go!” You force pushed the clones out of the way and continued to deflect your lightsaber against their firing.

“No, I’m not—”

You didn’t let her finish. Using your remaining strength, you push your friend towards the ship. Rex felt the cruiser begin to tilt, watching how it made you lose your balance and fall towards the opening of the hangar. The cruisers billowing speed and harsh winds caused the Y-wing bomber to fly out before Rex and Ahsoka had a chance to help you.

As Rex gained control of the ship, he maneuvered through the rubble trying to see if you were alive, possibly hanging onto debris. He didn’t see you. Instead moments later, he found your mangled body in the debris along with his brothers.

He fell to his knees, gathering your body in his arms and wept. His watery eyes gazed at your form, noting the blood matted on your head that must’ve been from something blunt that collided with your head. The dried blood from your nose and mouth. And the most haunting thing of all was your (e/c) eyes, staring lifelessly at the sky.

It only made him cry out in anguish.

Ahsoka watched from afar as her friend mourn, silently crying at everything that went down. She felt the connection between her and her master die and now, you were gone too. To save her and Rex.

Rex reached a shaky hand over to close your eyes. He didn’t want to leave you here, but what choice did he have? Someone was going to come to evaluate the site soon. They had to leave.

Rex and Ahsoka took one last look at the burial site they made and left with a creeping feeling of numbness. When they went into orbit, Rex stared at the moon below while reaching for his necklace that held the hologram of you he hid under his shirt.

Pressing the device to his lips he whispered, “I love you… and I forgive you, my cyare”

They made the jump to hyperspace, uncertain of what their future would entail now.

***

“Did you ever go back to the crash site?” Ezra asked a little after Rex finished talking.

“No,” sighed Rex. “The place for all I know could be swarming with Imperial probe droids or they probably took whatever they deemed important.”

Ezra reached over to put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I might not know (Y/N), but from what you’ve told me, I think they would be proud of where you are now.”

Rex smiled at the young Jedi. “I’d like to think so too.”

***

All beings become one with the Force after death.

That’s what you’ve been told along with all Jedi.

Yet you didn’t feel like you were apart of the Force. Sure you could feel it binding you, but it was nothing like you’ve imagined. You thought that after death, you wouldn’t recall your past life, but you did. Or that you wouldn’t be aware of anything that’s happening in the universe.

You are able to see and acknowledge what’s become of this universe. And you're horrified of it. You’re horrified of what you know.

The only thing you’re thankful for is that the one’s you cared about made it out alive.

Ahsoka, you gathered, is following a path you knew suited her apart from the Jedi ways and you couldn’t be even more happy for her.

As for Rex, you never left his side after death, just not in the way you expected. He couldn’t see you. No one could unless they were Jedi. But that only happened when you wanted to be seen.

But you’ve watched over him after all this time and watched his struggle in adjusting to a new life as a free man. That didn’t mean you couldn’t feel his guilt though. His guilt that he lived whereas his brothers didn’t and lastly, his guilt over you.

You were filled with sadness whenever he grieved over you, like what he was doing now. Sitting by himself, staring at the hologram you gifted him.

You hated that you couldn’t talk to him or that you couldn’t give him some sort of comfort. There was so much you wanted to say to him, but oh how you couldn’t wait to speak to him to again. It’s only a matter of time.

For now, all you can do now is be in his presence, wishing he knew you were here.

[darthbecky726]

Bad Batch 1x01 spoilers

I've never done something like this before, but I figured I'd start. Reactions to the first episode of The Bad Batch. (This ended up being a lot longer than I intended, but whatever)

Spoilers under the cut

Red logo burning away starts strong

Yay narrator dude!!

Feels like clones wars

Animated rots scenes!!

And what grevious did after the rots beginning

HOLY SHIT DEPA!!!!!

And caleb right???

And we're in

Omg who voiced young caleb bc it sounds a lot like fpj but aged down and he def doesn't sound like the 14 I know he was when this happened

I like how we started out on familiar characters but not ahsoka or anyone from tcw. We started w young kanan and his master and we know what happened to them and all but if anyone watching hasn't seen rebels they wouldn't be lost as to who caleb and depa are, they'd just assume they're random jedi in o66

Good ol droid screaming as it falls off a cliff

Wow. Them.

I love crosshair

And wrecker

And tech

And echo

And hunter

B1's are so dumb

Lmao the salt from hunter

I feel like depas forehead pearls are a bit unrealistically large but I have no cultural standpoint to really know so...

Caleb's voice is too deep in the same way that jack frost from rotg's voice doesn't match his character model

Ah wrecker not really knowing what she means and echo, the one who has been trained to deal w people and hung out w ani and obi is just like 'thanks general'

Obes kenobes mention

Why is echo so pale

Depa and caleb feel a little too pale too tbh I wonder if it's the lighting or the whitewashing

Wow caleb is a lot like ezra, I can see why kanan wanted to train him lol

Is this what separates caleb and depa, leading to her telling him to run??? Do I need to read dume???

Oh no

Noooooooooo

Bb didn't get the order!

Oh caleb nooooo! Nooooooo they didn't receive that order, they can help you!!!

And he's gone

Oh I need an au where caleb stayed with bb and they helped him after depa died

Hunter sounds so much like rex it's weird like ik they're supposed to sound the same but it feels like wrecker is replacing rex or something. Even tho ik rex's story is over for the time being

Crosshair, no! Don't shoot at him! He's baby

Oh no did crosshair get o66???? It didn't seem to trigger anything in any of the rest of them, but is crosshair close enough to 'reg' for it to have triggered???

😭😭good soldiers follow orders

"sure thing, boss" "hey hunter got a sitch"

Crosshair acting sus

Oh I love watching padawans fight, they're so good!!

I hope that hit to the tree did a lil cognitive recalibration for crosshair, he was acting crazy

Caleb looks so scared!! He just watched his master get gunned down by his friends and now strange clones are trying to kill him/confusing him

Oh caleb

Oh no crosshair don't try to kill him!! Hunters trying to help!

Also hunter doesn't sound as much like rex w the helmet off, but it's weird bc most of the clones are distinguishable by voice even w helmets on. I guess it's the 'im in charge' voice

Star wars if caleb had gone w the bb

Oh hunter u sly dog lying to crosshair so he doesn't go after him. U gotta figure out why crosshair responded to o66 and no one else in ur unit did

Oh crosshair knows he's been lied to

I will always love coming-out-of-hyperspace shots

Ooh kamino, always nice this time of year

Echo is done w wrecker

Why hasn't crosshair taken his helmet off yet, lil bit sus

They better get his chip out on kamino, I don't wanna deal w this

Oof hunter 

Oh who’s that, giving me cloud city vibes

Extreme cloud city vibes wow

Never realized how many clones are just on kamino

Coruscant guard?!?! FOX?!?!

The vibes here, omg

‘The war is over’ wow

Oh no who was that

A female jedi, doesn’t appear to be shaak, couldn’t see any montrals but never know, we don’t officially know how or where she died

Ok wow none of the bb has their helmets on except for crosshair, who got the order. The regs around kamino all have their helmets on. That scene in victory and death when ahsoka took rex’s helmet off- 

And crosshair, he’s actins strange too

Oh tech, do u guys get bullied by regs a lot??

I love their barracks

Lol he finally took his helmet off only to stick a toothpick in his mouth, can he get anymore cliched?

Wrecker is seeming a lot more infantilized than he was in the s7 eps...

Yeah crosshair’s being sus

Ooh, he shifted his toothpick

Lmao ‘what programming’

Well documented my ass

Tech’s speech patterns are so stiff and robotic, it’s like he has to remind himself to talk in basic instead of binary or some shit

Tech throwing shade at crosshair

I can’t quite tell if we’re supposed to like crosshair at this point

Lmao we been knew

Oop ‘more machine than man’ the vader parallels are serving folks

Understatement.

Ugh sheev

Crusty ass bitch

Straight from rots wow

Who is the mystery child and why does he look mandalorian

Ooh he gone

Oh no, the beninning of the empire

Cheering?? Why?!?

That imperial march fade in tho

Thank you echo

Oh shit mystery child is female

Omega, I would not have guessed the pronunciation of your name by reading it wow

She def seems mandalorian

Ugh kaminoans

Oh the kaminoan pronounced it as it usually is, huh.

Omega’s character model def seems more masculine than female, I now headcanon her as trans

Ugh tarkin, I hate that crusty bitch

Empire politics ugh

I love how much shade is being thrown at tarkin and his stormtrooper proposal lmao

Why do all these clones have the standard haircut?? ik them boys like their variety, even if these boys are still under o66′s programming

Wrecker you’re being extremely loud

They’re all being loud in the mess, why

They remember, kid

Lol child

Oh my sweet summer children

The dad instinct was clearly passed genetically from jango lol all these clones got it

Why are background characters so mean? What about it, shiny? Why is ur hair regulation, reg??

The Sad Batchn omg the slander

Lol the food fight I’ve read about in the fics, its finally happening!

Is she.... australian??

The over-animation of character movements in this is reminding me of the looser style of rebels, as opposed to the more clunky style of tcw

Lmao he’s still got food on him

Food fight!!

‘Not again’???!!! Echo!! Wdym not again?! Food fights have happened before?!?? Wait. W bb or w torrent, bc I can see torrent having food fights on the resolute-

Crosshair’s just eating his food until someone messes

I like how echo still has his kamas

Oh no echo!!

Oh echo’s trauma, he doesn’t trust medical droids! Where’s kix when u need him, huh?

Lol, comically long name for a robot trope is alive and well, huh

Lmao the droid lowers his voice like ik this is a perceived bad thing, but I will not tolerate this slander, boys u need to get off kamino

‘The shock’ lmao whyyy

Lmao tech!!

Oh, echo recognized tarkin from the citadel!

‘When you blew up’ lmao

Oh they make me sad

Aaaaah fox!

Man the domino squad nostalgia

Those droids look cool

This is a neat scene, I like seeing them in action

Wrecker reminding me of hevy, but he’s got the training and success to back it up

Live fire???? No!!

Ugh I hate tarkin

Oh no wtecker

Did he just get shot!???! 

Oh no crosshair, be careful!

Tarkin’s trying to kill them!!!

Lol wrecker I love you

Echo using his mech hand as a weapon, truly an arc

Now I wanna see what happened on felucia

I like how tech’s just sitting on the droid’s shoulders

And hunter just had a knife

These boys, I love them

Oh no tech bby

Hot damn that was cool

Wrecher things so too lmao

Tarkin’s like “why didn’t that work??’

Oh new baby clones

No tf they could not, they would never serve the empire and those bitches

I love that they have a window apartment lol

Ugh tarkin u shifty

They all stand at attention, only after glaring at tarkin

Oh no onderon

I hate tarkin, he’s a bitch

How quickly could bitch lord and darth sad have replaced the armory on kamino??

Crosshair still acting sus

Neither does echo, kid

No.

I like omega.

Crosshair, with the sassy hand on the hip-

What does that even mean?? Or elude to??

Lmao tech messing w wrecker, they rlly r bros

Its prob the vegetation

Oh, I missed onderon, but not this much

Lol the put-upon sigh

Its clearly saw and his rebels

Saw! Looking sharp, what’s w the hair....

That’s a very geometric beard, saw

They didn’t kill any jedi!

That’s not what happened, tech

‘The clones’ bitch that was rex and ahsoka, check urself

Aw, I’ve always like the design of imperial probe droids

Thank you, echo

It seems like crosshair’s o66 programming and his mutation are warring w his morals

Lmao the shade

I knew she was an enhanced clone!

Oh, so she is (at least on paper) trans! She’s a clone of jango, and yet she’s female! That must be her modification, but it makes me wonder why

Lol *flicks toothpick*

Aw, they have a picture of themselves! Recent-ish, too, its got echo!

Oh no, AZI!

The difference between them arriving earlier and now, the lack of escort...

Creepy how they had to open the hanger door themselves

Oh no! Everyone!

The coruscant guard, I wish they had gotten better

Tarkin u dramatic bitch

‘The brig’ this ain’t some tallship

Lol echo that shade

Their blacks are different from the ones seen in the past

Crosshair, stop being a bitch

Oh, I don’t like that phrase!! And the fact that crosshair screamed it in echo’s face makes me uneasy. Did rex fill echo in on why fives died?? I hope so...

Crosshair, ur chip hurting??

This child, I like her.

No! Don’t hit hunter!

No crosshair!!!!

I dislike this immensly

So they do still have inhibitor chips!

Tarkin you monster

Oh poor crosshair

ihatethisihatethisihatethis

Lol tech I love you

Wrecker you sweet pea

Lol that’s adorable

I love how they form a “wall” its so suspicious 

He was about to say that, omega

Aaww, echo protective boi

Wrecker shut up tf

That was cool

Sneaky bois

This reminds me of rex and ahsoka sneaking around in v&d

Echo runs so stupid

Oh no they winter soldier’d him!

If he says who the hell is crosshar, I will lose my shit

Yes, he has. They took it from him.

The toothpick

I wonder how they’re gonna get crosshair back to normal

Not good that they nabbed the sniper

Oh, crosshair shot him in the same place he got hit during training!

Ooh, a kaminoan on their side!

I hope omega doesn’t die

Poor trigger etiquette, crosshair

Wonder if omega has any speciality training

They’re just gonna leave him there!?!?!?!?!

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Omega reminds me of young boba 

Oh, so its in her dna

Go back for crosshair!!

Holy fucking shit that was amazing! I didn’t expect it to be that long, but I’m not complaining! This ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated, but I don’t feel like cutting anything out, so sorry for the long post but at least I put it under a cut.

[madhyanas]

🍵 and the siege of Mandalore arc?❤❤❤

oh a serious question. well then. keep in mind i’m not great at applying critical thought to star wars so most of this is just gushing

imo contains some of the best scenes in the clone wars show as a whole. visually and thematically

maul stole the show of whatever scene he was in. as he tends to do 

sam witwer KING once again delivering the sickest lines imaginable. “too late for what, for the republic to fall?” gets me in particular but his entire conversation with ahsoka pre-duel is immaculate. more maul saying weird philosophical stuff please i eat that shit up

ahsoka and maul’s duel was maaaad. i mean. wow. the choreography, dialogue, score. all of it was incredible, it’s probably the scene i go back to and rewatch the most.

i liked how ahsoka was so close to joining maul. the overlap of their ideologies and their dynamic as a whole is fascinating. wish we could have seen more of it in rebels

the animation is so CRISP. i don’t do art/animation so i’m no expert but i love the fluidity, especially in fight scenes and facial expressions. that being said i think they skimped on rex post-O66 a little i wanted more MELODRAMA thank you

mandos mandos mandos MANDOS. everyone looked slick as fuck 10/10

ms bo-katan kryze you might have earned your rights with that elevator scene. more jetpack focused strategy and battle choreography i NEED IT

i don’t even care about bo-katan that much or gar saxon at all but their whole chase/battle was dope

speaking of bkk i would like to see more of her relationship with ahsoka. mainly because the arc implied them to be allies and friends so how would that WORK lmao. even in mando s2 bkk’s got tabs on ahsoka’s whereabouts but is that a ‘friends help friends’ thing or just. strategy. hm. 

listen i don’t even need to say it but the whole landing on mandalore sequence is phenomenal i think about ahsoka swooshing people out of the carriers every day

using lightsabers to slow your fall!!!!! leaving scorch marks in the metal!!!!  happens in a few scenes and im in love every time

very VERY happy that ahsoka’s showdown with maul was preceded by handing jesse over to rex. it sets up the pre-duel conversation quite nicely, fits with maul’s character as he needs ahsoka to be open to discussion AND we get (unfortunately brief) jesse&rex interaction pre-O66. i don’t know that much about him but jesse’s s7 appearances are cool and they set up his post-O66 plot priority pretty well

body language in this arc is EXTREMELY nuanced. especially rex’s: the parallels between him first pulling his weapons on ahsoka a lá “find him (fives)” vs. shooting back in defence once his chip is removed,,, the same stance but mirrored,,,, good fucking food

after O66 is announced i think ahsoka’s strategising with the droids onboard the destroyer is a little... meh. i know it’s buildup to her removing rex’s chip but i didn’t get very invested in that sequence. seemed kinda s3-4 vibes if that makes sense? oh well

something @thecyndimistuff mentioned that stuck w me is how the entire arc is focused on showing how ahsoka’s such a good person for not killing the clones rather than rex dealing with O66. like i understand that ahsoka’s the closest thing tcw has to one singular protagonist but if there’s any media that would explore how a de-chipped clone feels about choosing one of his two families (i.e. the clones or ahsoka and by extension anakin) it should have been tcw. this show really should be more about the clones like that’s just false advertising 

i can blame this on dbb’s voice acting but as much as i enjoyed what little we saw of rex’s emotional turmoil post-chip removal, it still fell somewhat flat. i think they could’ve gone further with it. like the whole “those men down there, my brothers” thing where ahsoka takes his helmet off is heart-wrenching yeah but... it felt like they were crescendoing to a point and just never reached it. probably because ahsoka’s response was deemed more important to the scene than what rex was feeling to prompt such an outburst in the first place

tldr; it’s a great arc and i really enjoyed it. but to be picky: just like with the show as a whole, it lacks in clones’ (specifically rex’s) characterisation

[piepeloe]

Bad Batch S1 finale

I know it's a kids show. And I will admit that I wasn't wild about the 1st season of Rebels, or even TCW. But I'm definitely not crazy about Bad Batch.

A large part is frustration: this time period in the GFFA is so interesting! Right after Order 66, right after the Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen and the Empire is new. There's tons of stories there!

We get tantalizing glimpses of them with certain guest characters. But nothing ever comes of it. This was the same for Rebels & TCW too at first, with missions of the week until we got to a larger story. I feel those shows took that time to explore characters and their dynamics though, and I'm not sure Bad Batch is doing that.

Quick question: what's the timeline of this show exactly? Because I feel like it takes place over a number of weeks/months, but some of the Empire's actions seem like they're happening a bit soon? I obviously have no experience running an Evil Empire, so who knows.

My main issue is how the theme of most eps seems to be 'We can't just do nothing, we have to help'. In line with a SW kids show. But when it comes to the inhibitor chips and Order 66, it's just shrugs all around. Not even Echo worries about his former battalion or the Jedi. They like Rex and Cody, but again, nothing. And FFS, Crosshair has a right to be pissed at them.

I don't really know how to feel about the destruction of Kamino and what happened to the Kaminoans. It's sad, in the sense that the Clone War is definitely over now. But we've had better symbols for that. No one liked Kamino. Not even the Bad Batch. It's where the clones originated, but it's not their home.

I'm going to end on a positive note: the visuals of Kamino in flames, in the dark, slowly sinking into the water...Absolutely stunning. As beautiful and memorable as some of the stuff from s7 of TCW.