#but i’m also just not a fan of the bad batch themselves

[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

[sulevinen]

hey, i haven’t seen the bad batch, is there any specific reason you list it as not tolerated in you pinned post? maybe the reason is obvious but i’m not very plugged online star wars fandom lol

idk how to end this ask so uhh. i hope you have a nice day :)

hello anon!! i have many reasons why i don’t tolerate any bad batch content here and why i hate it a lot.

the first reason is the blatantly obvious racism regarding the batch. they’re not only whitewashed, they’re presented as a ”superior group” better than their more brown counterparts whom the batch also alienates and views as lesser than (calling them ”regs” derogatorily on more than one occasion).

second reason is that i hate the batch’s origins: they call themselves the bad batch while in reality they have DESIRED mutations and they’re treated better by EVERYONE, they get better gear, better ships, they get to choose their missions and they report to no-one. and their mutations? any other clone, if given the same gear and training, could accomplish what they have.

the batch has this victim mentality that everyone is out to get them and despises them, while at the same time they possess a superiority complex, pretending that they are so much better than everyone else. the batch whines about being ”misunderstood” or whatever, while their lives are so much better in every way than the regular clones’, who aren’t even treated as human most of the time.

and third reason, they’re just really, really, REALLY unlikable. not a single good trait in any of them, not a single enjoyable moment. they’re all obnoxious, their personalities are so bland, they all have one defining trait that dominates their whole character (tech is supposedly a genius, wrecker is a strong dummy, hunter has no personality other than being the leader, and crosshair is just an asshole) and they just. they do nothing.

the fourth reason is the way they treat echo. the team behind the show are treating echo poorly, and i’m not letting that slide. they ignore echo’s ptsd, they ignore his disability, they treat him as a machine and make him inhumane, and his role and personality are non-existent in the first season. the batch treats echo better than the other clones because he’s ”like them” despite him still being a regular clone with cybernetics, and in the gregor episode they’re willing to let gregor die because he’s just a reg, while ECHO IS RIGHT THERE.

and the fifth reason is just the show itself, filled with racism, anti-semitism, ableism, etc. cid is a money-hungry lizard voiced by a jewish woman, echo is treated as a machine, then there was this execution squad where the non-white soldiers execute innocent civilians and the only white soldier refuses to do so. and many more instances like this that just scream racism.

it’s just so fucking poorly made. it’s horribe in every way, from the characters to the plot. it’s like a white man’s power fantasy which checks out since the target audience seems to be the white fans who can see themselves in the batch, even though the batch and the other clones are supposed to look like temuera morrison who is a brown Māori man.

here is the carrd made by clonehub, where each problem has been broken down perfectly and explains it better than i ever could:

[gffa]

As time goes on and Disney canon gets messier and messier, I have come to the position of "Lucas views/canon >>>> Disney movies/TV series > Disney supplementary canon" as to what I hold as my own view of Star Wars and how I reconcile things. Sometimes you just can't reconcile things between them and I think for me to try is a fruitless path, because I'd never be satisfied by it.  That's why I think viewing these things as different continuities is really the best way forward--when Disney diverges from Lucas' views, well, that's what is true for Disney's canon/continuity, but it doesn't affect Lucas' canon/continuity/views, they both exist at the same time and one cannot change the other. For the attachment thing specifically, I mostly get along by pointing out on my blog that it's not what Lucas put into his movies, it's not what the Jedi say in TCW, and then I just have to move on after that.  I love many things about Disney canon, but sometimes I disagree with it and that's just where I have to leave it!  I can talk about it on my blog, I can give examples, I can write/encourage others to write the kind of fic that I want, but I also just have to be okay with understanding that sometimes Disney canon doesn't get something right or that they want to change something, but that's only true for that continuity, it doesn't change the one I care about as my foundation (Lucas' continuity). Same for the celibacy thing--is it true for Disney's continuity?  Sure.  It's true that those characters said what they said.  But what does that even mean?  It doesn't mean I suddenly have to accept it, I can just say, "This conflicts with Lucas' statements, so I'm going to ignore it on my own level." or I can say, "It's not part of Lucas' canon, so it's not relevant to this discussion." if we're talking about Lucas' canon or I can say, "It's part of Disney's canon, they get to say what goes into their canon, but I get to say what goes into my fan creations and that thing in particular is getting tossed out the window." So ultimately how I reconcile it is that the context depends on the discussion we're having, whether it's relevant to that particular discussion or not (if we're discussing Disney's continuity, it's relevant, if we're discussing Lucas' continuity, it's not relevant, if we're discussing my bigger picture on the narrative themes of the Jedi, I get to personally say it's not relevant to me, everyone else gets to make that same choice for themselves and decide what they want). When I read or watch Disney era stuff, basically I just go, "Yeah, that's not what Lucas said, so I'm throwing that part out, but I'll happily enjoy the rest of the story!" For me, Lucas' continuity always takes precedence, because I'm not writing official Disney content.  I'm writing posts on my blog and while I do strive to be objective and accurate when talking about Disney canon, I'm also okay with operating in a mixture of different continuities + my own personal "canon" of what I accept/don't accept. By the way, this is setting aside the huge thorny deliberately unsolvable question of the reliability/need for 100% coherency within Disney's continuity, like, seriously, I think everyone should let that dream go, it is not going to always be reconcilable, like we cannot reconcile the Kanan comics with the The Bad Batch to 100%, we just gotta live with that, and I think Lucasfilm operates on that understanding, no matter what else they said.  Anything about how books/novels/comics are on the same level as the TV shows is an absolute lie. It's also setting aside that Lucasfilm has operated on the, "This is what this character said, they may not be a reliable narrator." idea for awhile now too, like when Rael says that Jedi are supposed to be celibate, that's what that character is saying, it's not necessarily written in the narrative stone as undeniably true.  (I do think that Disney's Jedi are meant to be celibate, but since we're going with this example, I'm using it to show how I operate within the continuity, if that makes sense!) That's my general philosophy about these things anyway!  And I think it's important to ask, what's the point of what any of us want to do here anyway?  Why are we having any given conversation?  Is it just to have fun?  Is it to analyze themes, parallels, or contradictions within various source materials?  That determines so much of what and how we reconcile things.  If I'm just being silly on the internet, I don't give a shit what Disney says, you know?  If I'm examining a Disney novel, okay, I give a shit what Disney says, but it doesn't have to change my bigger views of the Jedi, I might reject it but I might also like it better and adopt it in. At the end of the day, do what makes you happiest, there's no punishment or reward for breaking/following any "rules", only what satisfaction you personally derive from it!  It makes me happy to prioritize Lucas canon, so that's what I do.  If someone is happier prioritizing Legends or Disney canon or a mix of all three, they should do that!  We can recognize when we're talking different continuities with each other and that should be fine.  Each of us gets to choose what we do/don't reconcile with everything else.

[bastionbibi]

Hi it’s Drabble Anon here with the 3rd drabble I made in this batch, same ghost au but focused on someone else, have fun and have a good day/night:

“Man, it’s been a while since we hung out! Even though we’re dead.” Date huffed, putting his hands behind his neck while giving Hiromitsu a grin, “Say, where’s that girl who’s been following your brother every now and then? The friend of his?”

“Ah, you mean Aoi? She’s currently looking after Kansuke right now. I think she wants to try and write to him.” Hiromitsu explains, floating around in circles. “Mom and Dad are currently resting right now. They’ve exhausted themselves practicing to lift things up and getting Taka’aki-nii to sleep after a long day at work. I think that was the first time they managed to actually push Taka’aki-nii.”

“Really now? Your parents must be strong Hiro!” Date laughed, pulling an arm around his friend, “I can’t wait to meet them again, your mom makes the best tea!”

“I don’t even know how she was able to prepare that tea, we’re in the afterlife.” Hiromitsu admits sheepishly before smiling at his older brother who was talking to Takagi, a close friend of Date’s. “It seems my brother and your friend are enjoying each other’s company.”

“I think they’re talking about a show Takagi watched. He’s a big fan of martial arts and sports. I had no idea that your brother was interested in that sort of thing.” Date says, amused as Hiromitsu shakes his head fondly, “Nah, he’s not but I think he likes hearing how passionate Takagi is about the subject.”

Hiromitsu wraps his arms around Taka’aki, even though they could barely feel each other, he appreciates how at least his brother is able to sense his presence and pats himself on the back whenever Taka’aki smiles more warmly because of it. Date blinks as he tries to wrap his arm around Takagi’s shoulder, only to cuss when he phased through, stumbling before floating back up. “Damnit! How did you do it Hiro?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. It took a lot of practice but also a lot of determination. It’s like concentrating on a single point and making it happen.” Hiromitsu explains with a shrug, “It’s almost a gut feeling, almost instinctual.”

“I see.” Date nods, frowning as he continues watching Takagi. “Wish I could touch him but I guess I still haven’t gotten to that point yet. All I could do as of now is keep that reaper away.”

“What reaper?” Hiromitsu asked, confused when Takagi and Taka’aki halted their conversation, now focused as they calmly step into the building and that’s when Hiromitsu saw it— A skeleton in a black robe, wielding a giant scythe following the two. It was so silent, their presence non-existent and yet just looking at it was enough to plunge Hiromitsu’s heart into ice, shivers racking up his spine. “Wha—“

“Oh no you don’t!” Date shouted angrily, grabbing the cloaked figure and pulling it back, grunting as the skeleton struggled under his grasp. “Hiromitsu! Help me out here!”

“Ah! Right!” Hiromitsu exclaimed, snapping into action as he helped hold down the skeleton. “Who is this guy?!”

“I don’t know, I call it Bad Omen and it’s a real prick!” Date growled, re-securing his grip. “It constantly targets Takagi and puts him into serious danger like how he almost got caught in an explosion from a bomb and when he was left to starve in the damn winter!”

“Okay what?! You need to tell me these things later!” Hiromitsu yelps, letting out an exclamation of pain when the skeleton Bad Omen smacked him, sending shivers of foreboding across his body. “How do we get rid of it?”

“I don’t know, the best I can do is hold it off until Takagi is finished- woah!” Date’s eyes widened when Bad Omen suddenly disappeared from their grasps, leaving them fumbling for nothing. “No, no no! Where did it go?!”

As if to answer Date’s question in the cruelest way possible, an explosion went off in the building Takagi and Taka’aki went in and Hiromitsu felt his non-existent blood went cold upon that realisation. “Taka’aki-nii’s there.”

Immediately, Hiromitsu flew upwards, his panic rising upon seeing the floor covered in rubble, having flashbacks to a certain similar situation.

“No, no please… Taka’aki! Where are you?!” Hiromitsu called out despite the fact that Taka’aki couldn’t hear his voice at all. He dove into the rubble, gasping upon finding his brother trapped underneath, his only salvation being the pocket of space his upper body was in, his leg and arm pinned. Hiromitsu’s heart caught to his throat as he sees blood seeping out, “No! Taka’aki-nii, you can’t die! Not yet! You still have your life ahead of you! You gotta take care of your cat companion! Kansuke and Yui would be sad to see you go!”

Somehow, as if hearing him, Taka’aki stirred, groaning as he tries to lift himself up but the rubble prevented him from doing so. It was then that’s Hiromitsu noticed a sobbing, little girl wrapped around Taka’aki’s free arm, pulling her into a protective embrace. Hiromitsu resisted the urge to cry, biting his lip before noticing Bad Omen again. Anger clouds his vision as he tackles the skeleton right as it was raising it’s scythe, punching it in its skeletal jaw. “That’s enough! I won’t let you hurt them!”

Bad Omen clattered as it threw Hiromitsu away with ease, making him grunt before he flew back in but the skeleton was nowhere to be seen. Tightening his fists, Hiromitsu floated towards Date who found Takagi stuck in the rubble as well, holding himself up to shield someone underneath.

“Is that… The bomber?” Hiromitsu gasped in disbelief to which Date nods, trying his best to hold back tears, “Yeah, Takagi would always protect others, even if it’s at the cost of his own life. It’s something I really admire yet I wanna smack him upside the head for endangering himself all the time.”

“Date…” Hiromitsu muttered but before he could say anything else, the rubble shifted once more, pressing deeper into Takagi’s back which made him scream in pain. Date’s eyes shot open as he flew forward, “NO!!”

Date wasn’t sure how he did it, nor did he question it at the moment but somehow, he was pushing the rubble back, putting his all and more to make sure the Bad Omen doesn’t succeed. “Damnit… I won’t let you…! YOU’RE NOT GONNA DIE TAKAGI!! YOU’RE GONNA LIVE A HAPPY LIFE, MARRYING THE ONE YOU LOVE AND SETTLING DOWN!!! I WANT TO SEE YOUR WEDDING DAMNIT!!”

Hiromitsu didn’t hesitate to join in, doing his best to hold back the rubble or shift it so that it would be easier for those trapped underneath. It was stressful and every moment that passed, Hiromitsu feared that he’ll won’t make it in time. However, his fears were put to rest when hands shot forth and held back some of the rubble. Hiromitsu couldn’t help the tears of joy that rolled down his cheeks, “Jinpei! Mom, dad!”

“Sorry it took so long, but Anta and the others are here now.” Jinpei grinned through his exhaustion with a determined expression. “I saw your folks heading over here too, I guess they sensed something.”

“You’re not taking my son or that child’s life!” Hiromitsu’s mother exclaims with a fury Hiromitsu had never seen her with before, reminding her of the saying about fearing a mother’s wrath. “I won’t let you!”

Determination floods Hiromitsu as he, his parents, Jinpei and Date continue their best to keep the people trapped inside safe and after what felt like forever, finally, everyone was excavated out of the rubble. By some miracle and possibly their interventions, everyone survived and the bomber was arrested, the girl reuniting with her parents. Hiromitsu watched his parents as they hovered over Taka’aki worriedly, keeping close as though to reassure themselves that their elder son was still alive. Jinpei and Date were floating around Takagi and Satou with Jinpei solemnly rubbing Satou’s back as she cried, weakly scolding Takagi for getting into a dangerous situation again that most likely hit too close to home for her as Date huffs in exhaustion before laying down next to Takagi. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Bad Omen fade away and glared at it, sticking his tongue out before going to his brother and his friends.

They’ll protect their loved ones no matter what, not even a stupid death ghost would get in their way.

You know, I kinda love how what seems to be an isolate case of hauntings turns out to be a whole universe of this in-between realm. Everyone’s just chilling. 

OK SO DOES THIS MEAN, souls usually ‘attach’ to people they know? What if they don’t have anyone to attach too? Do they just hang around or leave?? You don’t have to answer btw im just wondering asdfghjk

NOT THE TOKYO TOWER REAPER!!! 

I love how Miwako can just sense when that mfer is close. 

You know, do you think the same reaper was targeting Matsuda before it targeted Takagi hmm…….. do you think miwako has anything to do with this coincidence? Since she’s the only emotional tie connecting these two men. 

AH!!! MATSUDA!!! I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU!!!

Wait, you know what’s funny? What if Conan is connected to them in some way since everyone keeps dying around him, keeping people alive when he’s around must be twice as hard kjanfkjlad 

I love this one tho, thanks drabble anon! 

[krunchycrispy]

I cannot stop thinking about The Bad Batch as modern YouTubers. So here’s some more stuff.

I’ve managed to settle on the group calling their joint channel Clone Force 99. They’re normally referred to as CF99 for short.

While Omega’s face is still hidden (and will stay that way), and Crosshair and Tech had their faces revealed further along the line. The resemblance between Hunter, Echo and Wrecker, as well as the word ‘clone’ being used in a channel of siblings gave it away that they all looked similar.

The Batch didn’t make their group channel until after they confirmed they were all related. It started out as just the guys, but then Omega (just her voice) popped up in videos after she joined their household.

I’ve only recently started watching The Clone Wars (took you long enough Krunchy) and I don’t really know if Fives dies or just leaves yet. But in this au he just lives far away and when he visits he more than likely joins Echo and/or the family in making a video. Fans have noted that on Echo’s channel those videos are where he usually looks happiest.

The Batchers have different schedules in terms of them they post. So I’ll order them from most frequent poster to the least frequent. Factors are mainly due to their work (school work in Omega’s case).

Wrecker - Either one reasonably long video or two-three shorter ones every week. Not on any set days. It’s quite easy for him compared to the others since half of his content is stuff in his regular routine.

Echo - Once a week on Saturday evenings. During the time he allows himself to spend off he researches the charity he chose due to either his comments requesting it, or it’s something he thinks should be urgently brought up.

Tech - Sometimes it’s once a week. Sometimes once every two weeks. Depends on the age the tutorial is aimed at. The higher the age, the longer the video takes to be released due to the complexity of the topic.

Hunter - Once every two weeks. Sometimes three. It’s irregular. He finds himself too busy with work and taking care of Omega. The other batchers offer to take over more so he and Echo have more time for themselves. But paternal instincts are too strong.

Omega - Once every two weeks on a Saturday. She switches between hobbies frequently, so like wrecker it’s either one longer video on one thing, or two or three much shorter videos on multiple things. Whatever it is she took an interest in for those two weeks is getting posted. She also makes a YouTube short weekly for a series called “types of ships and their uses in under a minuet” which are basically one minuet max summary’s of her longer explanations on the ships

Crosshair - Man posts once every millennia irregularly. It gets to the point where whenever he posts the fans who notice pounce on it like lions who haven’t eaten for weeks. Unless it’s the occasional YouTube short where he shows a short compilation of his sessions shooting targets in weird scenarios (after his face reveal Wrecker walked outside to the garden to find him in the farthest corner away from the house crouching on a broken fridge they were taking away that very day shooting an apple he somehow got onto the roof).

Those, or short clips of him purchasing a new nerf gun and shooting his brothers. He always strictly tells the camera at the end to never aim for the head for safety reasons. Those became one combined video eventually. He’s also tried going on live once. Never again (I have some scrappy doodles explaining why on a page dedicated to this au. I’m considering sharing these particular doodles but I’m not too sure).

The Batchers refer to Omega via a fake name for her privacy. They call her Mini Crosshair due to her love of using a bow and arrow. This led to a chunk of the fanbase theorising what she looks like based off of Crosshairs appearance just in case there’s anything between the lines to read. Their obsession with discovering her face creeps the group out a bit. As well as the rest of the fanbase.

They didn’t make any fake names for themselves since nobody believes those are their actual names. They’re fine with that. Phee still uses “Brown Eyes” for Tech though.

Those occasional videos where Omega collaborates with Crosshair on his channel are called “Target practice with Mini Me part 1/2/3 (etc)” as a result of Omega’s online name.

Those videos have an essence of them sharing brain cells. Once video you can see a smaller shadow climb onto a bigger shadow’s shoulders with the makers behind the camera grunting and huffing with “So you can climb trees but not a human?” retorted by “I’m surprised too, you’re no different to a grumpy tree yourself!” After that, people begin to understand there’s more to “Mini Crosshair” than shooting habits. They did hit the target in the end, so everyone still had a good time.

There has been the odd occasion where another one of Jango’s offspring has been mistaken for a member of the batch with a makeover. It’s laughable really. One of Jango’s clones (or maybe a group of them) posts a video titled “Why we look like your favourite YouTubers.” Or it’s Obi Wan and/Suu speaking for them with the video being titled “Why our husbands look like your favourite YouTubers (and please stop asking them if they’re single)”.

Phee loves interacting with the Batcher’s videos and showing her support. Whether it’s commenting praise and jokes or leaving likes. Her comments are either pinned or hearted.

Omega hearts all of them. So does Tech, who also tends to leave a reply that seems a bit more personal more often than not. That has the theorists of the fanbase going nuts all over again.

Hunter and Wrecker have already posted their routines for activities they are known for having. Hunter’s being camping and Wrecker’s being his many workout routines. Both their channels have a video of said routine where Omega does a voice over for them.

Hunter only has one of those videos, which he would always watch fondly if he comes across it online. But Wrecker and Omega had so much fun they made a video for almost every workout routine Wrecker has. It got to the point where Wrecker made a playlist called “My little sister voices over my workout routines” Arms, legs, shoulders, core muscles. If it’s a workout routine Omega’s done a voice over for it while Wrecker enthusiastically models.

After the first video, they decided to shorten the title to “*insert workout routine here*-Little sister edition!”

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: “Metamorphosis” - Review

A genuinely creepy episode of The Bad Batch closes up long standing franchise plot threads while pushing the series into a thrilling new direction.

A mysterious crashed freighter draws the attention of The Bad Batch. However, its deadly cargo may be a link to a greater Imperial conspiracy.

When the Zillo Beast duology from The Clone Wars’ sophomore season ended with a cliffhanger, it was never really clear if Dave Filoni and the rest of the storytelling team had any intention of returning to this particular plot. “The Zillo Beast” and “The Zillo Beast Strikes Back” played intentional homage to classic Godzilla movies and other monster films of the 1950s and 60s. Hints towards a lingering threat were a genre staple and the idea that Palpatine would clone a kaiju felt more like a winking nod to this trope rather than an actual indication of stories to come. It’s a pleasant surprise then that The Bad Batch has not only found a way to reintroduce the Zillo Beast but do so in a way that leans into its intent as a pop culture tribute and connects directly into a simmering aspect of the series’ mythology.

If the Zillo Beasts original appearance was a kaiju film, “Metamorphosis” plays out like an animated remake of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Instead of rampaging through cityscapes we get a very xenomorph-esque juvenile Zillo crawling through the ducts and vents of a dark and shadowy spaceship. The intent is clear, but director Saul Ruiz actually does a phenomenal job of making the atmosphere of “Metamorphosis” genuinely creepy and unnerving. Instead of being a pure pop culture nod to one of the best science fiction and horror films of all time, The Bad Batch rile up worthy scares of its own. Sure, it likely won’t have adult fans hiding beneath blankets, but the direction is solid enough that the suspense is palpable all the same. The Batch actually seem nervous and afraid of what they’ve encountered and it’s easy to see why.

Also, in keeping with the connections to Alien, the creature itself is only the iceberg tip of a larger galactic conspiracy. The Empire is eager to use the Zillo Beast as a source of new armor for its warmachine and is more than willing to cover up its secrets. Just as frightening as the threat of a hungry alien beast hiding in the shadows is the cold tyrannical government that will silence any witnesses to its own misdeeds.

And this all ties back to Mount Tantiss (which is located on the planet Weyland. The Alien connections aren’t subtle guys! Not that I’m complaining at all). Teased at the end of last season, this mysterious Imperial science facility finally comes into focus this episode and begins to spin plot threads that will likely carry us through the closing of this year’s stories.

The unnerving Doctor Royce Hemlock has arrived to get captured Kaminoan scientist, Nala Se, to cooperate with the Empire’s plans and in the process he brings in the imprisoned Lama Su to negotiate. Hemlock is an instantly creepy villain and the way he holds a seemingly familiar but detached relationship with Nala Se adds a fun wrinkle to a plot that was one of the most interesting from last season. For so long the Kaminoans held a detached control over those that they saw for their utility and not their humanity, and now they find themselves subjected to very similar circumstances. We finally have a new villain and he’s eager to do whatever he wants to get what he needs. And right now? That seems like Omega.

The Bad Batch feels back on track and if the early buzz is correct, these next five episodes are going to be a wild ride.

Score: A-

[third-generation-female-warrior]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @nightfall-1409, so, here we go!

How many works do you have on ao3?

A proud 11!

What’s your total ao3 word count?

321, 918 published, a godly amount of unknown beyond.

What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars, The Bad Batch specifically.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Not to brag or anything, but you might recognize some of my classics like: Tales From Marauder Lane, Remnants of the Republic, The Boy Who Came to Dinner, The Rumor at the End of the Hall, and The Way Forward

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Of course! I love interacting with my readers and going "director's cut" on them.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Way Forward by far. It's that sad but hopeful ending, I cried writing the whole damn fic, but that ending, OH, it still gets me.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The Boy Who Came to Dinner. Super cute, wholesome family hijinks.

Do you get hate on fics?

No, but I have gotten some REALLY passive aggressive remarks and not very constructive criticism.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, I want to, haha, but I don't think it would be good. I'm very much a tasteful fade-to-black kind of person. We'll see, though. If I write smut, I know what I want to write, and it will probably be published anonymously.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Technically, yes(??) Jedi: the Video Game Series and Bad Batch Crossover, but I guess, since it’s all in the Star Wars universe, not really.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thankfully. *knocks on wood*

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I have worked on translating a person's not-use of Mando'a for another person's fic. Like, the section was in English, but it was supposed to be Mando'a. Still working up the courage to tell them...

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, in the days of old. I miss it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oof. You're talking to a multi-shipper. For example, Merrical has my heart right now, but I have also written some Cal KestisxOmega stuff and I loved doing that, and I do have some MerrinxOmega stuff on the backburner of my mind, but that’s neither here nor there.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Oof… probably… This Night, For Them. Painful admission…

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been praised for my dialogue, nailing down character voices and such. I think I also have intricate and interesting concepts.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I wish I could write more emotion. I feel like I’m not emotional enough, I wish I had more of a prose-y style.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It comes weirdly natural for me. I do have bilingual or multi-lingual characters, and I just kinda… understand how that works, how they would say or express themselves and when they would slip into native tongue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ninjago. That’s all I’m going to say on that.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m torn between Remnants of the Republic or Tales From Marauder Lane. I will go back and re-read both and be like, “This shit was genius. I wish I could bottle this” and I loved the fan reactions from them. Remnants, I think, will be my answer, if I had to pick one, I just LOVED that, and I loved writing it.

I don't have anything to add, but I hope people who like my fics are patient with me, I'm sorry for the haitus!

[lavenderbeskar]

why, out of all new star wars projects for cody to show up in again, did it have to be the fuckin bad batch 🙄😒

[kamino-blues]

Hey, how you doing?

So, could you please write something we’re the reader is a princess who needs to be escort by The Bad Batch, but she is also a fan of them?

Thank you, and sorry if this is confusing 💕✨

I'm doing extremely well love thank you so much for asking! I'm sorry that this took so long & I hope that you enjoy!! I had a lot of fun writing this, hopefully I didn't stray to far from the prompt <3

Word Count: 2,746

Warnings: None 💖

As a princess of a Mid Rim planet, you were often required to attend banquets on the regular

Usually you would just attend these on your planet, as your parents preferred not to put you at risk by having you travel off world

So suddenly you found yourself swept up in getting prepared for one of your first trips off world

However, this next banquet was extremely important

It was only being held on Coruscant, as it was a chance to have royalty, senators, and Jedi interacting in one safe (-ish) venue

Due to you not traveling off world, that made you a huge target

There were many people who wanted you dead as your planet was important to the republic, and this was their opportune moment to do so

So it was decided by your parents that you would have to travel undercover, not accompanied by your royal guard or anything to give away that you were of royalty

Your kingdom had gotten in contact with the republic, trying to see if they could get you a safe passage to Coruscant

There were no squads available, but in a moment of luck, the royal guard stumbled upon Clone Force 99

They were on planet to refuel and restock on supplies

So your parents were contacted about this new piece of info, and after a call with the republic, Clone Force 99 suddenly had a new mission to do

They were informed that they would need to get you to coruscant, having to pass through a rogue checkpoint set up by enemies of your planet

As this was all going on, you were getting ready to leave for your first ever off planet banquet

You were excited, your home world was lovely but you had read about so many other planets

After your servants had helped you pack up what you needed for your trip (your actual items for the banquet were being sent on a different ship, you just had some spare changes of clothes and other necessities), You quickly got changed out of your royal garb into something much less conspicuous

Dressed in maroon leggings, black boots, a dark gray undershirt, and a black poncho, you felt completely different then how you usually dressed

You quickly tied your hair back into a bun, throwing the bag with your stuff over your shoulder as you walked to the main hall

You heard many voices, one in particular that was booming through the halls that you couldn’t put your finger on

You stepped into the main hall, stopping as you noticed five men standing with their backs to you

You recognized the armor right away, and let out a small gasp

In the past, the 212th has come to your kingdom to help and protect at banquets

You have had Commander Cody assigned to you personally a few times, and over the years you have become pretty close friends

As you were pretty sheltered from the war, you would always pester him to tell you stories about everything

At first he refused, but over time he started to open up and tell you the stories he had

It was interesting hearing about the 212th

But the stories that really stuck with you were the ones surrounding the clones who dubbed themselves ‘The Bad Batch’

The crazy antics, the fact that they just charge head-on into battle, it was nothing that you have ever heard of before

Especially compared to the clone troopers you knew, it was just so,, out of character

So needless to say you became a big fan (and Cody knew it)

The most recent time Cody had visited, he showed you a holovid of the batch fighting

You were completely and utterly awestruck by them

So seeing the men who donned the armor that you had seen in that holovid weeks ago made you completely stop in your tracks

You quickly take in a deep breath and made your presence known

Hunter

When Hunter turns around to see you, he was taken back by how pretty you are

He noticed your increased heart rate, at first he figured that it was because of the armor, but it didn't seem like you were scared?

He just mentally shrugged it off, raising an eyebrow under his helmet

He would then take the initiative and introduce himself and the Bad Batch to you

He carefully took his helmet off, giving you a small smirk as he walked towards you

Seeing his tattoo in person put you in a state of awe, he was gorgeous - Intimidating, but gorgeous

You would go to stand in front of him, giving a smile and sticking your hand out for him to shake

Throughout the entire trip, you were intrigued by Hunter

You thought that he would be a lot more intimidating, but he was honestly extremely laid back

He gave you a tour of the entire ship and made sure that you felt safe and comfortable before he gave the command to take off

When you had to go through the checkpoint, he had to leave you to talk with the guards, but when he could he would sneak glances back to make sure that you were ok

The checkpoint went smoother then expected, and Hunter was able to come back pretty quickly and sit by you on his bunk (he had allowed you to stay on it while you were being transported)

After a few hours on board, you finally mustered up the courage to ask him about his senses (you were dying of curiosity) - which deeply confused him since he had never mentioned them

You would then confess how you knew Cody and that he told you about them

He would chuckle, mumbling under his breath about how that explained why your heart rate went up before

Hunter would then put his hand on your shoulder teasingly, just so he could see how it would affect you

Of course it made your heart rate go up, which made him chuckle

He then went into explaining his senses, and mentioning how he could feel your heart rate

You were a blushing mess! Especially when you realized that he could tell how you were being affected by him

But the moment ended to quickly, him getting up to prepare for the landing on Coruscant

When you land, he would lead you out with his hand on your lower back, making sure you safely got off

And then when it was time to depart, he pulled you in for a hug, lowering his mouth to your ear

“Hopefully we’ll see you again sometime Mesh’la”

Wrecker

When he notices Hunter turn around in the throne room, he automatically follows suit, holding in a gasp when he first saw you

He could not get over how beautiful you are, living for how your outfit is matching the Batches color scheme

It took all of Wreckers self control to not yell out a greeting, realizing that you are royalty

But when Hunter introduced him to you, he automatically gave a wave and a hearty hello

Honestly it was so adorable, it caused you to grin and wave back (much to your parents dismay, you weren’t acting very princess-y)

When you shake his hand, you are absolutely baffled by how big his hand is compared to yours

Your were expecting to feel intimidated by him, but honestly you felt the complete opposite

Hunter led you on a tour of the ship, and Wrecker automatically tagged along, curious of you

He pointed out small items around the ship, introducing you to Gonky and showing off Lula

Lots of laughter came from him as you glanced curiously around the ship, not used to being on this type of transport

Wrecker definitely made you giggle, and made you feel safe as you crossed the checkpoint

He stayed back with you, pulling you behind him when the guards entered the ship

You had a light blush on your cheeks as you stood behind him, feeling completely and utterly safe in his presence

When the guard was off the ship, he quickly pulled you into a hug and spun you around, picking you off the ground

You let out a little squeal at this, never being picked up like this in your life before (but you really liked it)

He held you against him for a little longer, hesitant to let go

When you did, you gave him a wink, turning when Hunter came back from the cockpit

You left this man a blushing mess

When it was time for you to leave, he was visibly upset

You gave him a hug, and leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek (to the best of your abilities, this man is tall)

You assured him that the Bad Batch would be your go to whenever you needed help with anything

Wrecker smiled brightly at this, quickly kissing you on the forehead and stepping away

While you were walking away, Wrecker brought his hand up to his face

“Have fun at the banquet!!!! Eat as much food as you can for me!!!”

Tech

Tech was fidgeting with his datapad when you arrived in the throne room, trying to figure out the schematics of the transport mission so that your parents would be reassured that you would be safe

He’s the last to turn around, when Hunter introduced him to you

Tech gave a small greeting, reaching out to shake your hand, then going automatically back to his datapad

You raised an eyebrow at this, but you weren’t bothered

Cody had told you about how Tech was always like this, focused on his work

You two didn’t interact again until you were on board of the Marauder, him piloting the ship

You sat down in the co-pilot's seat, staring out into space

This was one of a few times you got to see it in person, so you were amazed

Tech noticed this, and was honestly confused why you were so infatuated by something so simple

In fact, he was so confused, he decided to state that out loud

You described how you barely left your home world, for your safety according to your parents

He raised an eyebrow at that, but noticing how your eyes were flashing from every object you saw, he started giving you facts about what you were seeing

It was extremely comfortable, you were excited to be learning about concepts you had never seen until now, and Tech was excited to share facts with you

After a while, you asked him if he could tell you about different planets he had been to recently, and Tech happily obliged

When Hunter came into the cockpit to prepare for the checkpoint, you got up to excuse yourself

As you passed Tech's seat, he grabbed your wrist, squeezing it slightly and giving you a small smile, before pulling away

You replayed that moment in your mind for the rest of the evening

When the guards came into the ship, you weren’t able to see Tech

But in the cockpit he was bouncing his leg, flicking his eyes between the guards

When they left, he mentally let out a sigh of relief, piloting the ship towards Coruscant

Soon it was departure time, sadly not being able to see much of each other since of him being the designated pilot

He stood off to the side, and you quickly ran over to him

You pulled him into a hug, him tensing before wrapping his arms around you

As you pulled away, you noticed how he fixed his goggles, fidgeting slightly before he looked back up at you with a slight tint of color on his cheeks

“Thank you for listening to me”

Echo

You hadn’t seen Echo before, he wasn’t on the holovid that Cody had shown you

But as he took his helmet off to properly greet you in the throne room, you were in awe of him

He had a small smile on his face, reaching forth to grab your hand with his intact hand, and bowed his head slightly to you as you shook it

Echo seemed like a complete and utter sweetheart (and you were slightly mad at Cody for him never mentioning Echo to you)

When you were first boarding the Marauder, he offered to take your bag, and was overall being such a gentleman

You thanked him multiple times, and after you took a tour of the ship, you plopped down on one of the boxes in the main area

Echo was sat across from you, and gave you a small smile

He was honestly taken aback by you, he had worked with royalty before, but they had usually been extremely rude to him

So meeting someone so excited to be in his company made him slightly flustered

Crossing your legs, you looked up at Echo to ask him about himself- You let him know how you had known of the Bad Batch from Cody, and from that he quickly rubbed the back of his neck

He talked about how he had just recently joined them, and how his bsttalion often worked with Cody's in the past

That made your eyes widen, excited to meet a friend of your friend

You got up quickly to make your way closer to him, standing in front of him with your hand out with the intentions of having him shake

"Well hello Cody's friend, I'm also Cody's friend nice to meet you!"

He quickly grabbed it, letting out a chuckle and stood up, but he didn’t let go of your hand

You reached out with your other hand to hold onto his arm cybernetic, giving him a small smile

He was about to say something, before Tech yelled for Echo to join him in the cockpit as they were making their way to the checkpoint

Echo quickly squeezed your hand, before quickly moving away from you

The checkpoint went well, you were unable to see Echo during it though as he was sat in the co-pilot chair, fiddling with the ship (You honestly had no clue what he was doing, you weren’t that ship savvy)

He stayed up there until you all arrived at Coruscant, and as you were leaving he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you towards his chest

Echo then pulled away, before handing you your bag, patting your hand as you gripped onto it

“Stay safe please, if you need anything comm me”

Crosshair

Crosshair was not that excited to be doing a transport job

They had done it a few times in the past, and the people have always been rude

But when Crosshair turned around, he mentally couldn’t avoid how beautiful he thought you are

He didn’t let it show though, giving you a small smirk as he shook your hand

“Nice to meet you princess”

You blushed automatically, stepping away from him and giving him a slight nod

You gave a quiet response, respectfully giving a slight bow

Crosshair could tell how he affected you with his words, and he decided that he was going to use it to his advantage

He could tell you weren't going to be like the other passengers they've had in the past, and it was only going to be for a day so why not mess around with royalty?

So when you tripped going the ramp of the Marauder and he caught you, he held onto you and leaned down to your ear

“You better be more careful princess, you wouldn’t want to damage that pretty look you got going”

Needless to say your face was bright red, and ran into the ship while his smirk widened

You could hear Hunter chastising Cross, and you let a small giggle out, holding your hand to your face

This is not how you thought your interactions with the sniper would go at all

You didn’t see him until the checkpoint happened, Cross joining Wrecker in protecting you by keeping you behind them

He didn’t say anything as the guards came on board, but he did move slightly back towards you

When the threat was over, he plopped down into his bunk, taking his gun kit out and started to clean it

Wrecker had stepped away to go and check on what was happening in the cockpit, making sure everything was good

You watched curiously, not saying as you both sat in silence

It was relaxing until he looked up at you and raised an eyebrow, not understanding why you were just staring at him

He figured he might as well continue messing with you, and sent you a wink

With your face bright red, you rolled your eyes and walked to the front of the ship away from him

Crosshair let out a chuckle at that

When it was time to leave the ship, you walked out behind him

Cross purposely stopped halfway down the ramp, forcing you to run into him

He turned around, feigning a look of surprise with his eyebrow raised, leaning his face near your ear

“I guess you are just drawn to me princess, sad I can’t join you at your fancy banquet”

[itsclydebitches]

The Bad Batch: A Crosshair Analysis

Hello, Star Wars fandom! I have just completed watching—and loving—The Bad Batch, which you know means I now need to dump all my thoughts about the first season into the tumblr void. Specifically, thoughts on the complicated drama that is Crosshair. I have no doubt that the majority of what I’m about to say will be old news to anyone who watched the show when it came out (I’m slow...), but I’m writing it all out anyway. Largely for my own sanity enjoyment :D

I want to preface all of this by saying that the above is not an exaggeration. I love the show and I love the entire cast. My enjoyment in each of the characters is directly connected to my enjoyment of the season as a whole, which I say because I’m about to get pretty critical towards some of the characters’ choices and, to a lesser extent, the writing choices that surround those. Does this mean I secretly hate The Bad Batch? Quite the opposite. I’m invested, which is presumably just what Filoni wants. I’m just hoping that investment pays off. 

But enough of the disclaimers. Let’s start with the matter of the inhibitor chip. I’ve seen fans take some pretty hard stances on both sides: Crosshair is completely innocent because he’s definitely been under the chip’s control this whole time, no matter what he might say. Crosshair is completely guilty because he said the chip was removed a long time ago and he chose to do all this, no moral wiggle room allowed. However, the reality is that we don’t know enough to make a clear call either way. The audience, simply put, does not have all the necessary information. What we have instead is a couple of facts combined with claims that may or may not be reliable. Let’s lay them out:

Crosshair was definitely under the chip’s control at the start of the series.

He was able to resist it to a certain extent, resulting in a pressure to obey orders coupled with a primary loyalty to his squad. See: telling Hunter to follow the Empire’s commands—which includes killing kid Padawans—but not turning his team in as traitors when they did not. It’s an in-between space.

Crosshair’s chip was then amplified to an unknown extent. I’m never going to claim I’m a Star Wars aficionado—I’m a casual fan, friends. Please don’t yell at me over obscure lore lol—but within TBB’s canon, no one else is undergoing that experimentation. The effects of this are entirely unknown, which includes Crosshair’s free will, or lack thereof.

Crosshair then becomes a clear tool of the Empire, hunting down innocents, killing on a whim, the whole, evil shebang.

In “Reunion” he’s caught by the engine and suffers severe burns to his face. One leaves a scar that covers precisely the place where the chip would have been extracted.

Removing the chip leaves its own scar behind. If Crosshair’s was removed, we can’t see that scar due to the burn.

After these events Crosshair seems to mellow a bit. He does horrible things under the Empire’s orders—like shooting the senator—but is still loyal to his squad—killing his non-clone teammates to give TBB a chance, saving AZ and Omega, etc.

Crosshair claims that his chip has already been removed. However, Crosshair is arguably an unreliable source if he’s been lied to or if the chip is still there, encouraging him to manipulate the team.

Crosshair claims it was removed a long time ago, which is incredibly imprecise. As we can see from just some of the events listed above, precisely when the chip came out—if it came out—makes a huge difference.

Hunter realizes this and presses for clarification, but Crosshair dodges giving it. Again, a legitimate belief that it doesn’t matter, or evidence that he can’t say because something else is going on? We don’t know.

Hunter checks Crosshair’s head and finds the burn scar which proves… nothing. As stated above, they wouldn’t be able to see the surgery scar one way or another: its existence or its absence. It’s useless data, as Tech might say. I’ve seen a few fans claim that Hunter was also feeling for the chip with his enhanced senses, but 1. I didn’t catch any evidence of that in the scene and 2. Even if we assume Hunter did that anyway, the chips are notoriously hard to spot. Fives and AZ couldn’t find the chip at first when examining Tup. Ahsoka had to use the force to find it in Rex. TBB themselves couldn’t find it at first in Wrecker. If machinery consistently fails to find the chip on the first couple of tries—it’s meant to be a hidden implant, after all—why would we believe Hunter’s senses could pick it up instantly? Maybe he missed it, or maybe it wasn’t there at all. 

Crosshair appears to be struggling with a headache in the finale, just as he was at the beginning of the season and just like Wrecker was for the first half.

The point of listing all this out is to emphasize how ambiguous this whole situation is. I don’t want to use this post to argue one way or another about whether Crosshair’s chip is really out. I have my preferred theory (the chip’s still in, but only partially functional), but at the end of the day none of this is conclusive. The writing takes us in what I hope is deliberate circles. Crosshair says the chip is out? Crosshair is not a reliable source of information until we know if the chip is out. What other evidence is there that the chip is gone? A scar? We can’t see if there’s a scar. Hunter’s abilities? He only checked once for a canonically hard to find implant—if he actually checked at all. And why would the Empire want the chip out? Well, maybe it has to do with that push towards willing soldiers, but if that were the case, why leave Crosshair behind and have the “clones die together”? By that point he was one of the most willing, chip or not. Did they have to take it out because of the engine accident? Pure speculation. We just don’t know and THAT is the point I want to make.

Because it means the rest of the Bad Batch didn’t know either.

The core issue I have here is not whether the chip is in or out, or even how long it may have been in if it is out now. The issue is that TBB spent 99% of the first season believing that Crosshair was under the chip’s influence… and they didn’t try to do anything about that. They abandoned him. They left a man behind. Does this make them all horrible monsters? Of course not! This shit is complicated as hell, but I do think they made a very large mistake and that Crosshair has every right to be furious about it.

“But, Clyde, they couldn’t have gone back. It was too dangerous! Hunter had a duty to his whole team, not just Crosshair.” True enough and I’d buy this argument 100% if Hunter hadn’t spent the entire season throwing his team into dangerous, seemingly impossible situations to save other people. Crosshair became the exception, not a hard rule of something they had to avoid. They went back to Kamino for Omega, a kid they’d only had one lunch with, despite knowing how dangerous the Empire was. They went into the heart of an occupied planet to rescue not just a stranger, but one belonging to the Separatist government. They helped Sid when she asked and there was plenty of compassion for the criminal trying to take her place. Most significantly, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation to go rescue Hunter when he was under the Empire’s control, in precisely the same place. Every explanation I’ve seen fans come up with—Kamino is too fortified, they don’t know where Crosshair is, they can’t risk Omega being captured, etc.—also holds true for Hunter, yet there wasn’t a second of doubt about needing to at least try to help him. And his rescue was arguably far more dangerous given that TBB knew they were walking into a trap. Going after Crosshair would have at least had some element of surprise.

I think the problem with these justifications is most easily seen in “Rescue on Ryloth” and, later, “War-Mantle.” In the former, we do watch Hunter decide that going on a rescue mission is too much of a risk, only for Omega to talk him into considering it.

Hunter: “It’s a big galaxy. We can’t put ourselves on the line every time someone’s in trouble.”

Omega: “Why not? Isn’t that what soldiers do?”

Hunter: “It’s not worth the risk.”

Omega: “She’s trying to save her family, Hunter. I’d do the same for you.”

The arguments that sway him are ‘Soldiers should help people’ and ‘Soldiers should specifically help their family.’ So… what does that say about their feelings for Crosshair? They’re willing to put themselves on the line for the parents of a girl they met once at a drop site, but not their own brother? That’s the message the writing sends. “But, Clyde, the difference is that they had an advantage here. Hera’s knowledge of her home planet tipped the odds in their favor.” Yeah… and Crosshair is stationed on TBB’s home planet. Even more than them collectively having the same knowledge that Hera does, “Return to Kamino” reveals that Omega always had additional, insider knowledge of the base: she has access to a secret landing pad and the tunnels leading up into the city. That knowledge was given and used the second Hunter’s freedom was on the line, but it never once came up to use for Crosshair’s benefit. 

“War-Mantle’s” mission puts this problem in even sharper relief. Another claim I’ve seen a lot is that TBB only took risky rescue missions because they needed to be paid. The guys have got to eat after all. Yet Tech makes it clear that going after Gregor will lose them money. They’re meant to be on a mission for Sid and deviating for that won’t result in a payment. He explicitly says that if they decide to do this, they won’t eat. They do it anyway. No money, no intel, a huge risk “on a clone we don’t even know.” But that’s not what’s important, the show says. All that matters is that a brother is in trouble. This time it’s Echo pushing that message instead of Omega. When Hunter realizes that they’re about to try and infiltrate an entire facility and they don’t even know if this clone is still alive, Echo points out that they took that risk once before: for him. “If there’s a chance that trooper is being held against his will, we have to try and get him out.”

Yes! Exactly right! So why doesn’t that apply to Crosshair?

“Because he tried to kill them, Clyde!” No, that’s the easy, dismissive answer. A chipped Crosshair tried to kill them. AKA, a Crosshair entirely under the Empire’s control. The only difference between his enslavement and Gregor’s is that Gregor’s chains were physical while Crosshair’s were mental. And again, the point of everything at the start of this post is to show that no one knows when or even if that chip was removed. TBB definitely didn’t have any reason to suspect that Crosshair was working under his own power until Crosshair himself said as much. We might have been able to make that case at the start of the season, but “Battle Scars” removes any possible confusion. The entire team watched Rex reach for his blaster when he learned their chips were still in. The entire team watched Wrecker become a totally different person and attack them, just like Crosshair did. The entire team forgave him instantly and had their own chips removed. So why in the world didn’t anyone go, “Wow, Crosshair has a chip too. He was no more responsible for attacking us than Wrecker was. We need to try to get him out, no matter how hard that might be, just like we had to try for all these other people we’ve helped.”

But they didn’t. No one even considered rescuing Crosshair. They only went back for Hunter and, when they realized Crosshair was there too, they didn’t change their plans to try and rescue him as well. He’s treated as a particularly threatening inconvenience, not another team member in need of their help.

The problem I have with how this all went down is that the team treated Crosshair like an enemy despite all evidence to the contrary. Despite Omega outright saying that this isn’t his fault, it’s the chip, the group seems to decide that he’s gone crazy or something and that there’s nothing they can do. “It’s fine,” I thought. “They don’t really get what the chip is like yet. They don’t understand how thoroughly it controls someone.” But then “Battle Scars” arrives and Wrecker is treated with such compassion (which he deserves!) only for the group to continue acting like Crosshair is somehow different. It’s easy to say, “But Crosshair shot Wrecker” and ignore the easy pushback of, “and Wrecker nearly shot Omega.” Up until Crosshair’s own accusations and Omega’s ignored comments, TBB’s understanding of the chip’s influence and the lack of responsibility that accompanies mysteriously disappears when the show’s antagonist becomes the subject of conversation. This is seen most clearly in how Hunter tries to frame things during his talk with Crosshair:

“You tried to kill us. We didn’t have a choice.”

“Can’t you see that they’re using you? It’s that inhibitor chip in your head.”

“You really don’t get who we are, do you?”

Hunter mentions the chip, but he acts as if it’s Crosshair’s responsibility to overcome it: “Can’t you see…” Of course he can’t see, that’s the entire point of the chip, the thing he currently believes Crosshair still has stuck in his head. But Hunter and the others—with Omega as a wonderful exception—never seem to have accepted this like they did for Wrecker. When Crosshair “tried to kill us” it’s seen as a deliberate act that he chose, not something forced on him like with Wrecker. When Hunter talks about their ethics, he subconsciously separates the team from Crosshair: “You really don’t get who we are, do you?”, revealing a pretty ingrained divide between them. Even Wrecker gets in on the action, the one brother who truly understands how much the chip controls someone: “All that time, you didn’t even try to come back.” What part of he couldn’t try is not hitting home here? Again, for the purposes of this conversation it doesn’t matter whether Crosshair was chipped this whole time or not. The point is that TBB believed he was chipped… and yet still expected him to somehow, magically overcome that programming, writing him off when he failed to do that. He’s consistently held responsible for actions that they were told (and, through Wrecker, saw) were completely outside of his control. Even when we factor in his claim that the chip was removed, TBB has ignored all the evidence I listed at the start. No one, not even Omega, challenges this super vague and strange claim, or seeks out proof because they don’t want to believe that their brother could willingly do this. There’s just this... acceptance that of course Crosshair went bad. Why? Because he was an asshole sometimes? Taking it all as written, it doesn’t feel like the batch considered him a true part of the team. Certainly not like Wrecker or Hunter. As shown, the batch will go out of their way, risk anything, forgive anything, for them. They have a level of faith that was never shown to Crosshair. 

“Severe and unyielding,” Tech says and he’s absolutely right, but I’d seriously challenge this idea that any of the others would have automatically done better if the situations were reversed. It stood out to me that each batch member has a moment of doubt throughout the series, a brief glimpse into how they think the Empire isn’t that bad, at least when it comes to this particular thing. Basically, a moment that could lead to a very dangerous line of thinking without others to stomp it down. Wrecker announces that he’s happy working for whoever, provided they give him food and let him blow things up. Tech finds the chain codes to be an ingenious strategy and is clearly fascinated with their development. Hunter initially wants Omega to stay on Kamino, despite knowing that this Empire has already, systematically killed an entire group of people: the Jedi. Doesn’t matter. She’s still (supposedly) safer there than she would be running with the likes of them.

There’s absolutely no doubt that those three made the correct choice in defying the Empire, but I believe that their ability to make that choice is largely dependent on them having each other. They survive together, not apart, and it’s their unity that allows them to make the really hard calls, like setting out on their own and opposing such a formidable force. But if Tech’s chip had activated and he’d been left behind, would he have muscled through to escape somehow...or would he have gotten caught up in all the new technology the Empire offered him, succumbing to both his chip and the inevitability that if his squad no longer wanted him, why not stay? Would Wrecker have escaped, or been easily manipulated into a new life of exploding things? Would Hunter have been able to push through without his brothers, or would he have become devoted to a new team to lead? Obviously there’s no way to ever know, but it’s always easier to make the right decisions when you have support in doing so. Crosshair had no support. His team left him and yes, they had to in that specific moment, but the point is that they never came back. As far as we saw throughout the season, they never planned to come back. They all talk about loving the Crosshair who existed when life was easier, but they weren’t willing to fight for the Crosshair that most needed their help. When he says “You weren’t loyal to me,” he’s absolutely right. The same episode, “Return to Kamino,” gives Omega two powerful lines that the group rallies behind:

Omega: “[The danger] doesn’t matter. Saving Hunter is what matters.”

AZ: “You must leave.”

Omega: “Not without Hunter.”

The key word there is “Hunter.” Danger, stakes, risk, probability… none of that matters when Hunter needs help. Crosshair did not receive that same level of devotion.

Which creates a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. The group is upset that Crosshair isn’t rejoining them, but they fail to realize that he has no reason to trust them anymore. He’s not joining the Empire because he’s inherently evil and that’s that, end of discussion. He’s joining it because above all Crosshair wants a place to belong… and TBB has made it clear—unintentionally—that he does not belong with them. The horrible actions that Crosshair took under his own free will (theoretically) came after he realized that doing bad things while under the Empire’s control was, apparently, unforgivable. If it wasn’t, his team would have come back to rescue him. They could have at least tried. But they didn’t, so Crosshair is left with the conclusion that either what he did under the Empire’s control is something the group can’t forgive him for, or they can forgive that (like with Wrecker) and he’s the problem here. He’s the one not worth that effort.

“The Empire will be fazing out clones next,” Hunter says. To which Crosshair responds, “Not the ones that matter.”

He wants to matter to someone and events show he no longer matters to his brothers. So why not stay with the Empire? I mean, we as the audience ABSOLUTELY know why not. Self-doubt and feelings of isolation aren’t excuses for joining the Super Evil Organization. Crosshair, if he is under his own control, is still 100% in the wrong for supporting them, no matter his reasons. So it’s not an excuse, but rather an explanation of that very human, flawed, fallible thinking. He needs to be useful. He needs to be wanted. Crosshair is an absolute dick to the regs and I have no doubt that a lot of that stems from the harassment TBB has experienced from them (with a side of his inflated ego), but I’d bet it’s also due to Crosshair’s intense desire to be valuable to someone. He keeps pointing out the regs’ supposed deficiencies because it highlights his own usefulness. When Crosshair fails to find Hera, the Admiral says that soon he’ll get someone who can, looking straight at Howzer at the door. It makes Crosshair seethe because his entire identity is based on being useful, yet no one seems to need him anymore. TBB seems to no longer want him. The Empire no longer wants clones. Now even regs are considered a better option than him, the “superior” soldier. Everywhere Crosshair turns he’s getting the message that he’s not wanted, but he’ll keep fighting to at least be needed in some capacity, no matter how small. Even if that means overlooking all the horrors the Empire commits.

“All you’ll ever be to [the Empire] is a number,” Hunter says and he’s absolutely right. But to TBB recently, Crosshair hasn’t even been that. He’s been nothing. Nobody worth coming back for. To his mind, at least being a number is something.

I hope that all of this resolves itself into a conclusion that is kind to each side (preferably without a Vader-style death redemption), especially given the still ambiguous state of the chip, but from a writing standpoint I’m admittedly a bit wary. We’re obviously meant to believe that the batch all love each other, but as established throughout this entirely too long post, this season did a terrible job imo of proving that they love Crosshair. Or, at least, proving that they love him as much as the others. If this was really meant to be just a matter of miscommunication, with Crosshair making terrible life choices because he only thinks he was abandoned, then we as the audience would have seen the batch trying and failing to get him out. Or at least establishing a very good reason why they couldn’t take that risk, hopefully with entirely different side-missions so the audience isn’t constantly going, “So you can risk everything for Gregor... but not Crosshair?” I’m VERY glad that Crosshair was allowed to air his grievances to the extent he did, but the end result of that—Hunter continually denying this, Omega walking away from him in their rooms, neither Tech nor Wrecker actually sticking up for him and acknowledging the chip’s influence during at least some of all this—is making things feel rather one-sided. It’s like we’re meant to take Crosshair at his word and accept that he’s this garden-variety antagonist who joins the Empire because yay being on the winning side… despite all these complications that clearly have a huge impact on how we read the situation. It doesn’t help that the show has already embraced an inconsistent manner of portraying chipped-clones. We know every clone has one, we know only a couple clones are aware of the chip’s existence (and can thus try to get it out), we know they enter a “Good soldiers follow orders” mindlessness once activated… yet towards the end we see a lot of side character clones thinking for themselves. Howzer decides that he’s no longer loyal to the Empire, giving a speech where a couple other clones throw down their weapons too. Gregor was arrested because he likewise realized how wrong this all was. But how is that possible? Do the chips completely control the clones, or not? Are these clones somehow exceptions? Are the chips beginning to fail? All of that has a bearing on how we read Crosshair—what were his own decisions, how much he was capable of overcoming the chip, whether that changed at all during certain points—but right now that remains really unclear.

It’s details like that which make me wonder if all these other questions will be answered. Will the story resolve all those ambiguous moments surrounding the chip, or brush them off with the belief that we should have just taken Crosshair at his equally ambiguous word? Will the story acknowledge Crosshair’s points through someone other than Crosshair, allowing it to exist as a legitimate criticism, rather than the presumed excuses of an antagonist? I’m… not sure. On the whole I’m very happy with TBB’s writing—despite what all this might imply lol. Until my brain picks over the season and discovers something else, my only other gripe is not allowing Omega to form a solid bond with Tech and Echo, instead putting all the focus on big brother!Wrecker and dad!Hunter. I think it’s a solid show that does a lot right, but I’m worried that, unless there’s a brilliant answer to all these questions and an intent to unpack both sides of the Hunter vs. Crosshair debate with respect—not just falling back on, “Well, Crosshair is with the Empire so everything he says is automatically bad and wrong” take—we’ve just gotten the setup for a somewhat messy, ethical story. For anyone here who also reads my RWBY metas, I’m pretty sure you’re not at all surprised that I’m invested in going, “Hey, you had one of the heroes suddenly become/join a dictatorship and do a lot of horrific things, but within a pretty complicated context. Can we please work through that carefully and with an acknowledgement of the nuance here, rather than throwing the ‘evil’ character to the proverbial wolves?”  

God knows TBB is leagues ahead of RWBY, but I hope things continue on in not just a good direction, but one that tackles the aspects of this situation that many fans—and Crosshair—have already pointed out. As much as I adore the cast—and I really, really do—it was discomforting to watch a found family show where 4/5th of that family so completely wrote off one of the members and crucially have, at least so far, refused to acknowledge that. I want complicated, flawed characters, but that’s only compelling when the storytelling admits to and grapples with those flaws. We have quite firmly established Crosshair’s flaws in Season One. I hope Season Two delves into the rest of the team’s too.

Aaaand with that meta-dump out of my system, I’m off to write TBB fic. Thanks for reading! :D

[weirdgirl92]

Cuphead Season 1b episode ranking

Since this month’s batch of Cuphead episodes gave me a lot of mixed thoughts and emotions, I wanted to do something I’ve never done before on this site, and that is make a personal ranking list of all the episodes in this batch from most enjoyable to least enjoyable.

1.) Release the Demons!: This is where my personal bias really starts to show, because not only is this a Devil episode (my favorite kind of Cuphead episode), it also marks the return of King Dice, which I know a LOT of fans were looking forward to. Though, there are plenty of other reasons why I have this as #1. It has all the best jokes, we get a very cute flashback of baby Cups and Mugs, and GOD, that ending with Stickler was just icing on the cake!

2.) A High Seas Adventure!: Aside from Release the Demons!, this was the season 1b episode I was looking forward to the most, and it did NOT disappoint. It had Mugman being the secret badass that he always was, Captain Brineybeard was surprisingly entertaining, but the real star of the episode was definitely Cala Maria. She was always one of my favorite bosses from the game, and I LOVE how the show portrays her as a monster who openly embraces her beastly side, rather than the stereotypical mermaid we all came to expect from a kids show. Plus, her voice was absolute perfection!

3.) Jailbroken: This one is…pretty much your typical, standard “Hey, let’s bust out of prison” story, but there are 2 very big things that make it stand out: Mugman becoming friends with the prison inmates, and the MVP of the episode, Ms. Cyclops.

4.) Rats All, Folks!: I’ll admit, I never really cared for Werner Werman that much in the game, as he was just one of the least interesting bosses to me, but this episode succeeded in making me love him. The way he just Tom and Jerry’s his way out of everything until Elder Kettle shows up is peak entertainment. Also, Werner vs. Elder Kettle, we love to see it!

5.) The Devil’s Pitchfork: Now here we have the episode that got SO many fans excited for this half of the season in the first place. Unfortunately, I only have it ranked at #5 because of Netflix’s horrible marketing. Remember how the trailers for season 1b had this brief clip of Cuphead taking the elevator to Hell, with the pitchfork right behind him, implying that he was gonna rescue Mugman from the Devil? Well, it turns out that Netflix lied to us, because this episode, the VERY episode that they spoiled for us at the table read back in June, was pushed at the VERY END of this half-season, leaving us on another cliffhanger! Again, I’m only pinning the blame on Netflix here, because I know for a fact that the showrunners themselves never intended for this to happen. The episode itself is actually very good, it’s just the misleading marketing that left a bad taste in my mouth.

6.) The I Scream Man: This was Mugman at his most unhinged, and I’m all here for it, honestly. It is by far one of the craziest, and most hilarious episodes in the entire series thus far. Some people might find Mugman’s behavior in this episode a bit too mean-spirited or out of character, but honestly, seeing Mugman get back at that ice cream man was really satisfying for me, because the ice cream was just a creep.

7.) Sweet Temptation: Much like Jailbroken, this episode has a pretty standard story, one of those cautionary stories about self-control and stranger danger. However, I do really like Baroness Von Bon Bon as a villain and as a character in general, especially since the show gave her a mysterious backstory with her not being able to leave Sugarland, due to a “curse”. This was very interesting to me, and as a world building junkie, I’m hoping that we’ll get to see Bon Bon again and learn more about her curse next season.

8.) Charmed and Dangerous: This one was a little difficult for me to rank at first, because while I was happy to see Chalice again, I felt a little disappointed with the way they decided to skim through her potential character development with a nonchalant, half-assed apology to the Cup bros, even though last time we saw her, she had a very guilty look on her face when she ditched them at the cookie factory. Plus, she also sort of “lied” to them about the angry mob that was after her, which almost got them killed. Still, the ending was very sweet and heartwarming, and I’m glad we didn’t have to wait that long for Chalice to reveal her ghost form to the boys.

9.) Piano Lessons: I…really don’t have much to say about this one. I didn’t “hate” it, but apart from the unhinged Mugman stuff (which I like), it wasn’t all that memorable.

10.) Dead Broke: I’m sorry, but this one was kinda boring to me. It just felt like a weaker and less funny version of Ghosts Ain’t Real. I mean, no offense, but did we really need an entire episode centered around some random ghost vulture sisters? Again, this was a huge missed opportunity to develop Ms. Chalice’s character and her backstory, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

11.) Another Brother: Now, I did think the message in this episode was really nice, but….am I the only one here that DOESN’T care about Bowlboy as a character? I mean, he was funny as just a one-off character in Handle With Care, but him getting more screen time just feels so…forced, and out of place. Again, I don’t want to sound like I’m trashing the show runners, but I feel it would’ve made more if we had gotten an episode on one of the other Cuphead bosses, like Beppi or Djimmi, or even a flashback episode about Elder Kettle, or King Dice. I’m just saying it’d be nice…

12.) Lost in the Woods: Okay, I’ll admit, the beginning and ending of this episode were KINDA funny, but the stuff in-between was very boring and unfunny to me. Though, at least it wasn’t rage inducing like the next episode on this list…

13.) Say Cheese!: Look, I understand that some episodes of this show are gonna be less grand and less spectacular than others, but this, so far, is the only Cuphead episode that I legitimately HATE. Seriously, if there was one episode I wish to erase from my memory, it would be this one! Cuphead, Mugman, and Elder Kettle were all unlikable the whole way through, and that diaper baby subplot was just gross, because for me, it felt like weird unintentional fetish fuel. Also, minor nitpick, but why was Elder Kettle’s baby name “Little Elder Kettle”? That doesn’t even make sense! Did “Little Kettle” or “Baby Kettle” just not sound funny enough?? Don’t get me wrong, I still love this show with all my heart, I just…hope that they don’t make another episode like this one ever again.

[monako-jinn-stories]

Crosshair X Fem!Reader FanFic

It Started With a Vacation

Hello my lovely readers. I don’t like this chapter much, but all fan fictions have to start somewhere, right? I PROMISE I have a plan…at least later in it akidhwehid. Building up to the parts I have planned is the hard bit for me. But! I hope you stick around to see where this goes (I’m really excited for it AHHHH)

Main Master List

Story Master List

Intro

Chapter Two

Chapter One

“A Jedi? Really?” Crosshair said as Hunter told them about their next mission and who was to lead it.

“Hey, it wasn’t my choice. Sometimes we have to follow a generals orders,” Hunter replied. Crosshair rolled his eyes, biting down into the toothpick in his mouth.

“Maybe they’ll be fun!” Wrecker said enthusiastically, earning a glare from Crosshair.

“I doubt it.”

“Cmon, we have to give them a chance. They can’t all be sticklers for the rules,” Hunter countered.

Crosshair didn’t respond, he merely went back to chewing absentmindedly on his toothpick, eyes narrowed while scanning the hanger they were waiting in. Clones wandered around, some coming back from missions while others preparing to leave. Crosshair wished they could just be on their way already, so that his time with this Jedi would be over quickly.

“Do we know anything about this Jedi?” Tech asked, busily scrolling through his data pad.

“No, nothing yet. General Windu just said that he would bring them here to meet us before the mission,” Hunter responded, watching as Wrecker was about to try and mess with Crosshair.

“Not even a name?” Tech said looking up.

“Nope.”

“Huh,” he said, going back to his data pad.

“Well, if my information is correct,” he began.

“Ah, not this again with your useless info,” Crosshair mumbled before wheeling around and grabbing Wrecker’s collar, pulling his face down to his own eye level and glaring at him, earning a brief “ahh!” in the process. Tech shot Crosshair a look before continuing, saying, “The generals that are currently engaged in battle right now are General Skywalker, Kenobi, Secura, Fisto-”

“Ah, just tell us who isn’t fighting, that list HAS to be smaller,” Wrecker said while trapping Crosshair in a headlock.

“Well, that would be General Windu, Plo, Tii, Yoda, Jinn, Mundi...” As Tech rambled on, Hunter looked across the hanger again, wondering why they had not been given more information. Was this Jedi notorious for something? Did they have a bad history that Windu didn’t want the clones to know about before the mission? Was it Pong Krell?

“And, by my calculations, which are rarely wrong,” Tech spoke as Hunter tuned back in, “that leaves the possible Jedi to lead us as General Unduli, Tiin, and Jinn.”

“Let’s pray we don’t get stuck with Unduli,” Hunter said, “I know she’s strictly by the books.”

“Yes, and General Tiin seems to be similar by my data.”

Hunter was just about to question Tech about the last General, General Jinn who he had never heard of, when he saw Windu enter the hanger.

“Look, there’s Windu now. Oh,” Hunter said, “looks like we got a lady Jedi this time.”

Crosshair huffed in response, turning to look at who he was pointing to. He took in your appearance as you walked next to Windu. You wore a simple shirt with simple pants, not the traditional Jedi clothing that many humans wore. Your boots looked worn and scuffed, almost falling apart. You had a soft expression on your face, not quite excitement but a level of interest. Boring, in his eyes.

“Hey, she’s kinda cute,” Wrecker said, nudging Crosshair in the side. He merely shot him an annoyed glance before turning back to the two approaching Jedi. The batch all seemed to straighten up slightly as you approached, saluting to you and Mace.

“General Jinn, this is clone Force 99. Also known amongst themselves as the bad batch,” Mace stated, motioning to the clones in front of you. “They are genetically modified with favorably enhanced abilities, and are an elite Squad that never fail a mission.” You nodded as you took them in, certainly different from any clone you had seen before. “You may inform them of the mission details when you’re enroute. Unfortunately, I must be heading back to the council immediately, so you’ll have to make your own acquaintance.”

“Not a problem, Master Windu,” you said, bowing slightly to him before he turned and left.

“So,” Hunter said. “General Jinn, is it?”

“Yes, but please, call me y/n. I hate formal titles,” you said, extending your hand. Hunter gave a small smile, accepting the gesture.

“My names Hunter, and this here is Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair,” he said, pointing to each one individually. Tech looked up and gave you a brief glance when his name was said, before going back to his data pad. Wrecker gave an enthusiastic wave, and Crosshair just stared at you, chewing on his toothpick.

“Tech here is a master of technology, hence his name. He’s the smartest of us as well, and he might try and tell you some useless information if he gets the chance,” Hunter explained.

“It’s not useless information if you might need to know it some day,” Tech countered.

“When do we ever need to know your information?” Wrecker questioned, and Tech just merely huffed and continued scrolling.

“He’s also the most talkative of us, so if you want to have a long conversation, I suggest going to him first.” You nodded, taking mental notes on the clone. He looked younger than any clone you had seen before, perhaps from his genetic modifications. His goggles made him look cute and smart.

“I’m Wrecker,” Wrecker spoke, pushing Hunter to the side to shake your hand. “I’m the strong one, and I love to blow things up!” His massive grin almost made you laugh as he violently jerked your arm up and down.

“Nice to meet you, Wrecker,” you said, rubbing your shoulder after he released your grip. “I’ll make sure to remember to let you press the button if something needs blown up.” Wrecker was the biggest clone you had ever seen. He was taller and more buff than the rest, clear indications of his strength. You felt bad for the droids that encountered him, clearly he would easily destroy them.

You looked to the clone who was seemingly bored with the introductions.

“Crosshair isn’t much of a talker,” Hunter said. “He prefers to brood around like he’s better than everyone else.” That earned a sneer from Crosshair who flicked his toothpick from his mouth at Hunter.

“He has incredible eyesight, so he’s our sniper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss a shot. He’s the best shot there is in the entire clone army,” Hunter stated.

“Try best shot in the galaxy,” Crosshair countered. You guessed he was the oldest of the group, as his grey hair stood out from the others. He was also very lean, and looked like he held himself above others. You noted the crosshair symbol tattooed over his right eye, which you assumed was the one he used to aim.

“And you?” You said, looking at Hunter. He was quite handsome for a clone, who you thought were already pretty good looking. You took in his longer hair, and his half skull tattoo that covered most of the left side of his face. He looked the most respectable out of the group, and you took a mental note to talk to him more. “What are your special enhancements?”

“I’ve got heightened senses, allowing me to pick up on electromagnetic frequencies. I’m more trustworthy than a map,” he said. “I’m also the so-called leader of the group, as my senses will help us determine the best course of action.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be needing to do a lot of scouting and leading for this mission,” you said.

“No offense, y/n, but we would rather trust my abilities than yours,” he said.

“Oh, no, I’m not saying I’ll be doing that. I’m saying that we won’t be needing anyone to do it,” you replied.

The clones looked at each other, confusion on most of their faces.

“Care to explain?” Tech said.

“On the ship,” you replied. They nodded and Hunter led you onto the Havoc Marauder, Tech going to the cockpit to begin the journey.

“Where are we off to?” Tech asked as the ship began to exit Coruscant’s atmosphere.

“Dohbar,” you stated.

“Dohbar,” he repeated, suddenly sitting up straighter in his seat. “I was under the impression that Dohbar had been able to stay out of the conflict.”

“It has,” you said, “but we’re being sent there for a reason.”

“And what exactly is that reason?” Hunter questioned.

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” you said. Crosshair suddenly turned to you, an annoyed expression on his face.

“Listen, Jedi,” he said, “you said you would tell us what our mission was when we got on this ship, and we’re on it now, so tell us.”

“Master Windu told me not to tell you anything until we get there,” you countered. “He said to wait because if I told you sooner, things may not go to plan.”

“Actually, I heard him tell you to explain the mission when we were en route,” Crosshair shot back.

“Well he told me privately to wait, as some of you may decide not to do your part,” you said, noting to yourself that Crosshair might have been the one he was talking about.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll find out.”

Crosshair held your gaze for a second before he huffed and got up to leave the room.

“Someone’s grumpy,” you mumbled to yourself.

“Ahh, you’ll get used to it. Cross doesn’t exactly like following orders, or being told what to do. Especially not by a Jedi. He also hates not knowing what he’s getting himself into,” Hunter said, coming to stand by you.

“I would tell you if Master Windu hadn’t warned me, but from what he told me about you, I think he’s right,” you said, meeting Hunter’s gaze. He looked at you with confusion and suspicion, to which you responded, “oh, it’s nothing wrong with you, this mission just isn’t your style, from what I’ve heard,” you said, hoping to ease some tension. He just looked at his brothers before shrugging.

“As long as we get to have our fun, I don’t think it’ll be that bad,” he said, going to sit in his seat.

“Well fun shouldn’t be a problem, I hope.”

“Preparing to jump to hyperspace,” Tech said. You leaned against the wall as the ship jumped forward, entering light speed.

The trip from Coruscant to Dohbar wasn’t terribly long, and it went by faster due to Tech’s curiosity in your home world. He asked you many questions, setting his data pad down for once and focusing all his attention on you.

“What was it like on Dohbar before it joined the Republic?”

“Well, pretty much the same as it is now, except now we have a senator, my friend Ahnimaka Caree.”

“Are there any Republic bases there?” Tech questioned, grabbing his data pad and looking at a map of the planet.

“No, not yet. Since there hasn’t been any conflict near or on Dohbar, there hasn’t been a need to establish a base.”

“But, according to my data, a few years ago there was a separatist attack that resulted in the deaths of King and Queen Monako.”

You stiffened slightly when he mentioned this, remembering the day like it was yesterday. “Yes,” you said, “but that was seemingly a one time threat. There has been no interest in Dohbar shown by the Separatists, so we have remained confident that the only protection we need is from our own military forces.”

He suddenly stopped scrolling, staring closely at a picture on his data pad. He suddenly looked at you, eyes narrowed, and then back at his data pad. He did that once again before turning completely to you, holding the data pad to face you. Your eyes landed on a picture of yourself and your friend Kwol Barren, under the heading “Current Rulers: King Barren and Queen Monako.”

“Is this you?” Tech said more than asked.

“Yes,” you replied simply, unbothered by his discovery.

“Wait, you’re the queen of Dohbar?” Wrecker asked. You nodded your head in response, taking in their reactions.

“So, is there some kind of high-level threat that we need to protect you from? Is that why we’re going there?” Hunter asked, folding his arms across his chest, “we’re just some kind of personal bodyguard group?”

“Believe me, I can take care of myself, and I certainly don’t need you to protect me,” you shot back, suddenly angry at his question.

“Calm down, your highness,” he said defensively, “I wasn’t calling you weak or helpless, I was just observing what this situation looks like.”

You huffed in response before folding your own arms. “Sorry. I’m just sick of my entire life, people have thought that I need protection, or that I need to be watched. That I can’t stand for myself.”

Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter looked at each other before Hunter spoke.

“Hey, we get the feeling of no one believing in you, or respecting you. Hell, almost every reg thinks we a bunch of lab experiments gone wrong. We’ve had to fight our own brothers for a chance to prove ourselves in this army,” he said gently.

You looked at them again, seeing sympathy in their expressions. You felt bad for almost exploding on Hunter, it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know what his duty on this mission actually was. He had only been putting together the information he had to form the most accurate guess.

“I’m sorry that the others don’t respect you,” you said. “Maybe it’s because they’re jealous that you’re better than them?” You offered, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, they don’t see it like that though,” Hunter laughed. The mood in the room changed back to calm again, tension leaving the air.

“Tell us about your military,” Tech said, pulling your attention from Hunter. “I’m very intrigued on how you’ve been able to avoid conflict so well.”

“We haven’t always avoided conflict,” you began, “but when it presents itself, we’re always prepared. We always try diplomatic solutions and negotiations before engaging in any kind of fighting, but sometimes that doesn’t work. Like the clones, I assume, we train from a very young age to defend our planet. All kids enter into their local academy, and the ones who develop a passion for fighting and protecting Dohbar transfer to one of our military academies after a certain year in their academic career. In recent years, we’ve made the schooling more private in the sense that parents have less influence over their children’s choices. In the past, parents had more ability to make the military decision for their children, often against their wishes. Many were forced into furthering their training that did not have a real passion for it. But, since me and King Kwol were coronated, we made it one of our priorities to ensure it is the child’s choice, not their parents.”

“Interesting,” he said, leaning forward as he listened to you. “And what about your training? What kind of fighting do you learn?”

“Well, we learn all types of fighting. When we’re young, we learn hand to hand combat, the sort of self defense kind. As we get older, it progresses into offensive combat, while bringing in some weapons to defend ourselves, such as knives and small blasters. Those who chose to continue on the military path learn how to fight with bigger weapons, like larger guns, cannons, and tanks.”

“So it’s very similar to the the clone army?”

“I guess, in a way. Yes, I suppose you’re right, now that I think about it.”

“Interesting,” he said, turning to face forward in his seat as the navigator began to go off.

“It appears we have arrived at Dohbar,” Tech said looking at the navigator. You looked out the front of the ship as you came out of hyperspace. Dohbar sat in front of you, beautiful as ever.

“Nice planet,” Wrecker said.

“It doesn’t look especially interesting,” Crosshair said. You jumped when he spoke, as you had not noticed him reenter the cockpit. A hint of amusement was briefly in his eyes as he settled down in his seat.

“Where shall we land?” Tech asked, taking the controls from autopilot.

“The palace hanger, they’re already expecting us,” you said. Tech nodded as he made his way into the lower atmosphere. You had made this trip many times, constantly going between the Jedi order and your diplomatic duties as queen. As the ship settled in the hanger, you eagerly made your way to the exit ramp.

“So, what exactly are we doing here?” Hunter asked as you led them off the ship. You were walking in front of them, so they didn’t notice when you bit your cheek, hesitating before answering.

“I was told that your squad needed some time off to relax, so I was asked to bring you here.” You sensed them all stop walking before you turned around to look at them.

“We’re being sidelined?” Crosshair hissed through his teeth.

“No, you’re being forced to relax,” you responded.

“This has to be a joke,” he angrily said, going to turn back to the ship. “I’m not taking a vacation in the middle of a war.”

You looked at the others before you shrugged your shoulders.

“Fine. Leave. See if I care,” you said, turning and continuing to walk into the palace.

Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker looked at each other before looking at Crosshair, who was standing on the boarding ramp of the ship.

“Well?” He said to his brothers.

“Sorry, Cross. We’re gonna give this a chance,” Hunter said, turning to follow you.

“Yeah, and I’d love to learn more about this planet as Dohbar only recently joined the republic and opened its data to outsiders,” Tech agreed, putting his data pad down and looking around himself.

“And y/n’s nice!” Wrecker added, joining the group. Crosshair grumbled to himself, going to sit inside the ship.

“Is he going to be alright?” You asked, leading the boys through the palace.

“Yeah, don’t worry. As soon as he gets over himself, he’ll join us,” Hunter said while looking at his surroundings. You heard Wrecker and Tech let out astonished noises at their surroundings. You passed massive windows that overlooked the city and pillars carved long ago. Every so often, you walked by a painting of a past ruler hung on the wall with their name under it.

“This is really quite incredible,” Tech said. “According to my research, the royal Dohbarian palace was constructed 374 years ago. Many renovations have been added to it in order to keep up with new technological advancements. The original structure has also been reinforced many times in order to protect it from aging.”

“Ahh, do you have to ruin everything with facts?” Wrecker groaned, shoving Tech playfully. Tech quickly regained his balance and adjusted his goggles before grumbling something about not being appreciated as much as he should be.

“Don’t worry, Tech,” you said, moving to walk next to him, “I appreciate your information. Some of what you’ve said today, I didn’t even know myself.”

He seemed to lighten up when you said that, offering you a smile before looking around again.

“Up ahead are 5 rooms I had prepared for you,” you said, pointing down the hall.

“5?” Hunter questioned, “but there’s only 4 of us.”

“Well, I didn’t know if you wanted separate rooms or a shared room, so one of them has beds for all of you, while the others are just singles,” you explained. “I know that at least my men in the 17th battalion often like to stay together, as they have grown up that way.”

“Oh, well, thanks,” he said. They seemed to appreciate the gesture. You watched as they all made their way into the shared room.

“I’ll let you get accommodated to your room, then I can show you around later.” You left the room and the boys began to settle in. There wasn’t much to the room. It was simple, with a bathroom off to the side and a balcony over looking the palace grounds. There was also a staircase that led down into the grounds. The boys put their stuff down next to the beds they had chosen, Wrecker jumping onto his and laughing when it didn’t break.

“Ahhh,” he said, falling back and relaxing. “This bed is the nicest I’ve ever had!”

Tech rolled his eyes at his brothers actions and sat down on his own bed.

“This is quite a nice place. Y/n seems to be trustable,” Tech said.

“Well, yeah, she is a Jedi,” Wrecker replied.

“Not all Jedi are trustable. Some, like Pong Krell, don’t care for us clones. Something tells me y/n cares more than most,” Hunter explained.

“Maybe we should try and get Crosshair to come join us,” Tech said while standing up. “I don’t like leaving any of us alone.”

Hunter shook his head. “He’ll be fine. I think he just needs some time. He isn’t happy about this “mission” we were sent on.” Tech nodded before walking over to the balcony. He noticed you kneeling under a tree off to the side. He watched curiously, assuming that you were meditating.

“I do hope we aren’t here long. As nice as relaxing might be, Crosshair is right. We are in the middle of a war, and we should be fighting,” he said while turning back to his brothers.

“How about we give it 2 days? If we feel as though we need to go back, we will. I’m sure y/n would understand,” Hunter said.

“Aww, I was hoping for longer,” Wrecker complained.

“Wouldn’t you rather be blowing stuff up?” Tech questioned, to which Wrecker opened his mouth to respond before huffing and crossing his arms in defeat.

“Come on, let’s go ask her to show us around,” Hunter said, leading them down the stairs into the palace grounds and over to where you were meditating.

[kvwviiju]

Sorry if this is out of pocket but can you confirm that you support #unwhitewashtbb? You’re my favourite bad batch artist and ive had to unfollow so many for not supporting and it’d kill me if I had to do the same here

firstly, yeah. of course i do. my exact opinions are as follows:

• tbb clones and clones as a whole are whitewashed in the last few seasons of tcw + tbb

• this is a conscious choice that I don’t understand as both an artist and an animation student

• the clones are portrayed by a māori man and, as clones, should look like him.

• having tbb look slightly different than Jango wouldnt bother me as it’s implied their genes or whatever were manipulated during the cloning process + temuera Morrison is mixed race, but that’s not what we got - we got whitewashing. there’s a difference between subtle changes in appearance for marketing and design purposes, and just flat out altering their skin tone and physical traits based on stereotyping (wrecker being the ‘brute’ looking the most Maori, tech being smart looking the most Caucasian, etc)

with all that being said and my support confirmed, i also think #unwhitewashtbb has been coopted by white artists/content producers looking for validation. their idea of activism is making content to appeal to a specific woke crowd (usually of other white people) who will spread their work with the intent of gaining attention and followers, without actually taking the time to a) support the movement, and b) uplift the POC creators/fans etc who are actually affected. they’re capitalising on the movement for publicity rather than out of genuine concern. They don’t care about the actual issue. It’s just white people sharing the work of other white people whilst patting each other on the back about how ‘woke’ they are, whilst the people affected are left to sit in the corner and watch.

im not saying that every artist (particularly white artists) depicting clones with darker skin tones is attempting to wrongly capitalise on the movement - not at all, drawing the clones with the correct skin tone should be encouraged. I myself make an effort to draw clones with the correct skin tone, or alter their facial features to look more like Temueras - but I don’t expect praise for and I certainly don’t try and label is as activism, because ultimately it’s the bare minimum. The whole reason you even had to send this ask is because I don’t feel the need to make a song and dance out of it. I’m talking about white artists who flood the #unwhitewashtbb tag with art with the intent of gaining followers as a result, who use the movement solely to grow their own brand rather than uplift POC voices. they’re prioritising their own need for validation for their wokeness and their shameless desire for praise over the voices and struggles of the actual POC affected. They label what they’re doing as a form of activism when in reality it’s just performative at best. They don’t make an effort to share POC work, fan content, or even thoughts/feelings. They’re making the movement about themselves because they’re ultimately more concerned about being seen as racist than actually preventing racism.

not to mention that it’s largely this demographic that overwhelmed the movement and turned it from something constructive and positive into something hateful by attacking animation teams, fan artists, and voice actors in what was ultimately just childish attempts to outdo each other at being progressive. they completely crippled the movement and are part of the reason we’ve struggled to be taken seriously or see any change. this doesn’t even begin to touch on the amount of fetishisation of Māori perpetuated by these people.

so, tl;dr: tbb and clones as a whole are whitewashed and that needs to be fixed, but #unwhitewashtbb has become a mess of white people attempting to outdo each other for woke points, who ultimately have only succeeded in silencing the voices of the POC who founded the movement and are affected by the issue.

If you, like me, are white and care about #unwhitewashtbb, the best and most constructive thing you can do is to just listen. amplify the important voices instead of adding your own to the mix and fucking up the message because ultimately (and this may come as a shock) this isn’t about you. It isn’t hard.

[sir-sunny]

(Lavender) Misc headcanons for you!

-Gundham has chew necklace… He doesn’t use it often but sometimes you need a Sensation and monching your scarf isnt great. Yes I am projecting.

-Stronk Sonia with abs actually. She can bench press most of her classmates. She can run in heels. We love her.

-I know the popular idea of a Sonia and Toko friendship is based on Sonia being a Jill fan but consider actually. Sonia is a Toko fan. She owns all her books. She’s got every available translation of each one and she uses them for her language learning. She runs the Novoselic Fukawa Stan Discord. Toko tries so hard to hate her cuz she’s “cheating at life” but it’s so hard to cuz Sonia constantly gushes about her and overloads her with praise.

-I just think Hajime knows One Other Language but like. An uncommon one in Japan. Like idk. Man learns Finnish or smth for funsies and it never comes up until he hears Sonia “30 languages” Nevermind say something in Finnish and he’s like “FINALLY…. all my training… for this moment…”

-Akane. Straight up has gone to the doctor maybe three or four times ever. She doesn’t Not Want To she just. Forgets or doesn’t feel like she needs to. Mikan and Nekomaru lowkey FREAK OUT a bit when they realize this. They really are like “girl please… take care of your health I beg you…” but she makes more of an effort to make it a priority when she realizes they’re worried.

-I just think maybe sometimes Nagito stress bakes. Man feels a panic attack comin on and is like ”Hey Hajime I’m going to the store brb :)” and then a few hours later Hajime enters the kitchen to find Nagito in the middle of a fifth batch of cookies with a cake in the oven and half a tray of cupcakes consumed. He’s not even a good baker he just does it.

-IBUKI BIG STIMS. She’s just full of energy. Her physical stims are a big more subtle, but she def makes. Lots of noises. Not a truly quiet moment with Ibuki.

-Mahiru takes LOTS of pictures of Imposter, especially when they’re real comfortable. She always makes extra copies to give them, sometimes with little notes about things she notices about their appearance or what they were doing when she took it. They hold onto every one. Sometimes you don’t know who you are but the things your friends notice about you and the fact that they recognize you grounds you.

-Also the whole class is SO SUPPORTIVE of each other. Even when they don’t understand each other’s issues fully, they work so hard to help each other. Particularly today I’m thinking of the class being very supportive of Imposter when they’re trying to figure themself out and like. Give themself a name. I feel like for a while they don’t understand themselves enough to even think of one, but everyone in the class has their own kinda Personalized Nickname they have for them.

MMHMM sonia is v strong and buff. i like to imagine she's p good at fighting. i imagine she partook in some kind of training when she was younger ykno. she knows martial arts.. maybe she knows how to wield a sword or oh, i dunno... maybe a bow and arrow....... maybe she knows how to throw hatchets.... maybe she knows some parkour...

sonia and toko friendship.. ur a genius

yea ksajdgjah akane very begrudgingly makes an appointment w mikan and they find out she has terrible sight and she needs glasses, she has carpal tunnel in wrist and really should wear a brace, she passes out a couple times a day cuz she has low iron, she actually has quite a few food allergies and the list goes on aksjdjhas mikan's just like "AKANE!!! whhwhw!!" ykno

aksjhkasjhd hajime walks in on nagito decorating cupcakes to look like cute, colorful, little cats a and he looks up and is like "oh hi hajime! im a having a very bad day :)"

:(( oh my god mahiru and imposter.....

uGH YEs everyone being super supportive of each other,, they all have very different upbringings but theyre similar in so many ways and they are truly grateful they all have each other because they relate to each other and at the same time, there's much to learn about each other and they still gotta work on understanding one another but theyre willing to work together and keep moving towards the future and overcoming their past and they have to learn to forgive not only each other but themselves and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[cienie-isengardu]

axelzp replied to “The Bad Batch”:

I think most people take issue with Omega and TBB due to concerns over whitewashing. Also, what do you have against the explanation of the biochips? Personally, I always thought it fit Palpatine's controlling nature better than the idea of clones just getting a command from some random guy in a hood, telling them to kill the Jedi.

First off, I apologize it took me so long to answer. I tried to explain my reasoning in a short and coherent way as possible, but apparently the years of frustration about this issue needed more space to be properly addressed. So, in advance, sorry for text length.

From all TCW changes done to star wars, the chip-in-brain is one of my top 3 reasons to dislike the whole TV show, despite many of its good moments. I understand why authors chose this sub-plot that allows them to separate the visibly individual "good" clones (thus making them more likeable for the audience / marketing) from the “bad” that kill the Jedi but frankly, I find it a cheap and kinda problematic excuse. Clones were victims regardless of which version people will accept but I really despite the idea that Jedi were their beloved generals and commanders - so beloved that clones actually had nightmares about killing them waaay before Palpatine ultimately won which undermines the whole point of Order 66. 

Jedi could never expect clones to shoot them in the back because they were used to their unquestioned obedience from the start of war. It was common knowledge, repeatedly mentioned in sources like “Jedi Trial” that clones were “bred to war, bred to discipline, bred to obey without question the orders of the powers that paid for their services”. Clones were made that way by genetic manipulations and years of intensive training; an indoctrination that makes clone troopers believe they have obey, no matter what cost.

Some sources, like Clone Wars Adventures’ “Orders” outright show us the mindset of clones:

and We’ve got nothing but each other ad our orders.

Because of that worldbuilding, I prefer Legends take on clone obedience and the Jedi approach to the problem than what TCW created. I talked about it more here, but the general sense is that I feel cheated by the idea of chips that turn people into some “programmed” machines because in such way, TCW erased the Jedi & Republic part in abuse & enslavement of clone troopers, while at the same time giving an unrealistic idea that Jedi were so liked / respected when most of clones did not have any special bond with them. And this is less about if Jedi were good military leaders or not and more that as generals/commanders they didn’t interact that much with common troopers. Because the chain of command doesn’t work like that. I’m willing to buy the close(r) bond between Anakin & 501st because frankly Darth Vader himself from the start was built as someone with better relationships with common troopers / “normal” officers than with most of the high ranking officers presented on screen. I’m pretty sure some other Jedi were caring and liking clones (and vice versa) but it is impossible for generals to know and be so close to all of their troopers.

Above everything else, Legends created an interesting situation in which the Jedi Council / Order knew clones would follow orders no matter if those were right or not and were aware how dangerous it could be yet they still didn’t do anything about it, because the obedience of clones were beneficial for them. Jedi not only took for granted their obedience, they mistook it for respect.

Which really speaks a lot about Jedi's own moral failing and/or lack of understanding the difference between those two terms.

In the Legends sources, there was no need for chips, really, when from the start Kaminoans tinkered with clone genome, created the effective system of “proper” education to mold clones into obedient soldiers and Republic wasn’t really interested to undo the damage done by such indoctrination. 

Before TCW brought the chips and “nightmares haunting clones” there were officially established Contingency Orders for the Grand Army of the Republic: Order Initiation, Orders 1 Through 150. A guideline for unexpected and/or critical situations, so the Great Army of Republic [GAR] would know how to proceed - especially when troopers were given contradictory orders. The orders (also known as Clone Protocols) weren’t secret and there is a big chance that Jedi knew it, if someone bothered to learn the manual. The whole formula of Order 66 was described as:

"In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established."

And here how the scene played in the RotS novelisation:

That concealed compartment held a secure comlink, which was frequency-locked to a channel reserved for the commander in chief.

Kenobi nodded and spoke to his mount, and the great beast overleapt the clone commander on its way down into the battle.

Cody withdrew the comlink from his armor and triggered it.

A holoscan appeared on the palm of his gauntlet: a hooded man.

"It is time," the holoscan said. "Execute Order Sixty-Six."

Cody responded as he had been trained since before he'd even awakened in his creche-school. "It will be done, my lord."

The holoscan vanished. Cody stuck the comlink back into its concealed recess and frowned down toward where Kenobi rode his dragonmount into selflessly heroic battle.

Cody was a clone. He would execute the order faithfully, without hesitation or regret. But he was also human enough to mutter glumly, "Would it have been too much to ask for the order to have come through before I gave him back the bloody lightsaber. . . ?"

The order is given once. Its wave-front spreads to clone commanders on Kashyyyk and Felucia, Mygeeto and Tellanroaeg and every battlefront, every military installation, every hospital and rehab center and spaceport cantina in the galaxy.

So there is really no “random hooded guy” calling clones to kill Jedi but Chancellor himself using an appropriately secured military channel with confirmation of his identity to issue a legal order in a critical situation (an opportunity created by the Jedi Council themselves who went into the Senate building to kill Palpatine). So why the clones shouldn’t listen, when the order came directly from the Supreme Commander of the Great Army of the Republic? 

Of course, the movie (and novel based on it) alone has this weird addition like “yes my Lord'', what I personally consider as the cinematic way to show the switch from Chancellor Palpatine to Emperor Darth Sidious. Still, I’m willing to give some benefit of doubt about the modification made by Kaminoans and if Order 66 could trigger anything hidden in clone subconscious. But even if there was something, it didn’t erase their personalities or changed the way clones behaved like it happened in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch.

One way or another, the Order 66 worked out because clones “have no malice, no hatred, not the slightest ill intent that might give warning. They are only following orders”. Which I guess comes down to how clone troopers were presented - or maybe rather how they were seen by other characters in the Legends. As more detached, combat pragmatic, toned down, to some degree isolated from the outside world, less individual. Regardless of what Jedi or Republic citizens thought about clones, it did not make them any less human beings.

And here comes the paradox of The Clone Wars. The TV show made great effort to humanize clones by presenting them as very individual, outstanding people which in itself is a great thing. The names, the tattos, the different paintings of armours, visible variety of behaviour. All great to make the audience see clones as human beings, to get emotionally invested into them, because the more likeable clones were the better for marketing the story (and the cynical part of me thinks it really comes down to making money, isn’t it?)

But this effort became also the trap and the inhibitor chips is the excuse to make such loved, caring and brave characters into the detached clones gunning down the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith. 

The things that irks me a lot about this situation is the feeling like fans started care for clones because they were made into different type of characters than what they were (similar like Anakin’s movie characterization was thrown out of the window, to make him more suitable for fans who wanted the badass typical male hero instead of introverted, conflicted and traumatized young man). The clones get the visible individuality to make them the heroes we should root for, but then there is the “magical” switch that will cut down their heroic deeds because now they are “bad” and stormtroopers can’t have any personality. Which is just… frustrating. 

Don’t get me wrong, I adore how clone troopers get more visible individuality (even if sometimes if felt too exaggerated), but the “not standing out from the group”  was something that kept clones alive on Kamino and I can see why it was used as coping mechanism (the safe option) during the war. I regret that The Clone Wars didn’t show the transition from AotC nameless troopers into such individuals and how much it happened thanks to Jedi, what may help to build the feeling of supposed strong bond between Jedi and troopers. Because frankly, when we met TCW!clones, they already have names, different colors and marks on armor plates and helmets and for all we know, they could create their own “culture” without Jedi influence.

The final part of why I hate the chip-in-brain sub-plot is how it changed clones. Because even if that was a means to force clones into killing Jedi & ensure that Order 66 will be carried on no matter what, it shouldn’t change them into bullies toward their own brothers. But now in The Bad Batch, the clones don’t speak between themselves, are aggressive toward others and generally act like assholes for no real reason. And yeah, I get this may be a cinematic metaphor for a change from “good” republic soldiers into “bad” imperial stormtroopers and most likely something along the way “Republic/Jedi gave you individuality, Empire takes that away” but frankly, Republic did not give anything to clones. It did not acknowledge their human right, didn’t have any plan for their future, didn’t pay for their service or more expensive medical treatment for that matter, did not teach them they could - should - make their own choices.

Now clones are cheering for the Empire because inhibitor chips! They are assholes, because inhibitor chips! They shoot their *beloved* Jedi generals because of the chips! 

And in a way, I get this resolution, the chips make it clear clones were victims. But even without them, they were victims from the start. Except now clones are “programmed” while in Legends the senate (a power paying for their life) officially and legally renamed Republic into Empire and clones were glad for still having a purpose in life. The war ended (thus their usefulness), but they were still needed - still wanted - instead of being put down or closed at Kamino or whatever. I can see why the uncertainty of the future made clones cheering up for the Empire. And frankly, I personally prefer them not caring for the political change (because why should they? It never was their job to *judge* the rightness of their superiors) instead of being “programmed” like some droids and playing the role of fodder to kill for the “good guys”.

Dunno, if I explained properly my issue with inhibitor chips, it just feels to me as not really convincing and a too risky concept in the bigger picture of the things and the fact that Jedi just like that ignored this suspicion matter of Tup and Fives and biochips doesn’t help either. Like I said, I understand why the chips were introduced to the story, as the excuse in the change of clone troopers’ behaviour but at the end of day, Legends worldbuilding will always make more sense to me. I don’t need overly done differentiation of clones to care for them as an individual human beings (and it kinda seems to me like that, clones suddenly became fan favorite when every looks or act differently but not when the AotC literally presented them as an army created to blindly obey Jedi/Republic) and I don’t blame them for sticking with Empire because what better option they had, considering their upbringing and the pathological system in which they lived all their life?

Dunno, I’m biased and may just have allergy to TCW in general.

As for Omega, I’m not really surprised about this concern, especially after seeing TBB’s version of padawan Kanan (that if not for A) some basic knowledge about his backstory and B) Depa Billaba calling him by name, I would probably never have figured out who he was supposed to be). But for Omega alone, I don’t mind her look, because I’m used to Legends!Jango’s biological family in which his mother and sister were both blond haired women and frankly, some “defective” clones (including Rex?) apparently could be blond too, so it seems like Jango’s genome has a recessive gene somewhere for that color of hair. I try to hold my judgment about Omega and her appearance until the full backstory will be revealed because there is still a chance that Fett’s DNA was mixed with someone else's (still I hope Omega is not force sensitive…). I mean, Hunter has heightened senses while Wrecker has almost supernatural strength and both traits seem to be not really human, so who knows what Kaminoans really did with them.

 I understand people’s emotional response to Disney’s approach to characters and their visual look, especially since it isn’t the first screw up in New Canon (the models for characters in general and New Mandalorians especially). I’m totally okay with people’s criticism of that matter and demanding from Disney more diversity and respecting the already established ethnicity of certain groups. I’m aware I may not be sensitive enough to that matter as some other people (even more with barely watching TV shows to have any current and up-to-date comparison to trends in cartoons) and I’m pretty sure more qualified / invested fans already wrote or will be writing soon great metas about that. But the thing that irks me is hearing people saying that Omega *can’t* be Jango’s clone - I don’t like this sort of exclusion based on someone’s look alone. She may not look like Fett or other (male) clones but it is not something Omega chose for herself and does not erase her connection to the rest of the Bad Batch. Being angry at Disney/creators for her look is a different matter I don’t have any problem with.

[buckybarnesss]

a few thoughts on the finale of book of boba fett that i didn’t feel like making separate posts about.

cad bane better be dead. like, i get the wish fans have that characters like mace windu and cad bane come back but these two characters somehow returning i fell would undermine their deaths and the point of them. cad was, what, in his 70s at his point? still capable and intimidating but he was always cocky and arrogant. he finally lost and he was left to die in the streets of tatooine unceremoniously like the amoral piece of shit he was. rule of cool shouldn’t overrule this one. we’ll probably see him again in bad batch season 2. 

not sure how i feel about grogu’s dilemma being resolved in this show  and the reunion taking place. does it undermine the separation at the end of season 2? will it make casual views confused as hell when they come to watch season 3? it does give credence to the powers that be insisting they’re telling an overreaching story but also smacks a little of disney getting nervous about separating them. 

the cameo complaints. i thought we went through this in season 2 of the mandalorian. everyone had a reason to show up as they did. this is still an active story that is being told. it’s not just nostalgia. boba fett himself is the ultimate nostalgia fueled cheating death character after all. people would bitch if these characters weren’t utilized. 

i have issues with deepfaking mark hamill. just because we can doesn’t mean we should. are fans that delicate that it’s impossible to accept that mark hamill cannot play young luke anymore and the another actor can. why can’t other actors have a chance at these iconic characters? it could be a breakout role for someone. yet people cry and whine and shit themselves on the internet because cad bane wasn’t the exact shade of blue he was in clone wars so maybe i’m hoping for too much. 

your mileage may vary and letting people like things need to make a come back into fan vocabulary. i know, i know no one hates star wars more than star wars fans but there’s a real difference between criticism and being an asshole about something because it doesn’t meet your impossible standard of fannish daydreaming.