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lornaka · 1 year ago

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My five cents on Tech’s fate in TBB

It’s been over three weeks since the show ended and I’ve been writing this in my head ever since, mostly to have it summed up in one post for posterity lol. I considered letting it go at this point but I know it’ll drive me crazy if I don’t get it out of my system so might as well.

So here we go, some of my rambly post-finale thoughts on Tech’s death (and a few other issues) under the cut!

Disclaimer: while this post is in critical spirit (because that’s how my brain works), I want to make clear that I have nothing but respect and gratitude towards everyone who’s worked on the show. My criticisms are of the final story as a whole as I interpret it (art is art, everything is subjective, you know the drill), but one never knows what goes into the process of making it behind the scenes, so I’m not holding anything against the creative team. I love this show dearly and am in awe of how good it is at its best, despite certain things I wish they did differently.

To begin, if I had to sum up the biggest problem that TBB writing suffers from, it would be lack of closure, and too many red herrings. Not just for Tech, but many things. Major plot threads as well as little character moments are cultivated or thrown in just to never culminate in anything or to be immediately discarded after serving the plot, some of them incredibly misleading. Some of the top examples:

- Crosshair’s chip. We never get an exploration of how the trauma of his chip activating and being left behind not only affected his motivation and choice to stay with the Empire, but his relationship with his brothers. While it was made fairly obvious, if subtly, that Crosshair became free of the chip’s influence after getting hit by the ion engine on Bracca, the narrative treated this change as if it didn’t matter at that point, while it obviously mattered a lot within the context of Crosshair’s character. Add to that all these little details with him clutching his head in s1 finale, Omega expressing her disappointment in him, and Tech’s comment on how “it is just his nature” (as if it matters!!! See what I mean about the narrative treating Cross’s chip as if it didn’t play the key part in his trajectory? They throw in this line, like we are supposed to take away that it’s simply Crosshair being Crosshair and not like, the results of brainwashing and abandonment), Wrecker blaming Crosshair for not going back to them, all while we as the audience have been shown and told repeatedly how these chips work (and so were the Batch), we ended up with an incredibly confusing situation with lots of mixed signals from the writers. And once Crosshair makes his choice to stay with the Empire in s1 finale, his chip and the confusion it brought to his relationship with his brothers is never brought up again, because the plot simply moves on.

- Cid’s betrayal. After her being a major character for two seasons with a continuous relationship build-up with Omega in particular, she is discarded as soon as her betrayal serves the plot, with all that character development getting thrown out of the window. You can be mad at Cid all you want, but to me it’s incredibly weird and wasteful to end two seasons worth of build up on that note without it having any closure for the characters, especially Omega whose whole theme is trusting people and bringing out the best in them. It’s fine if they decided to make Cid exactly what she appeared on the surface (untrustworthy and self-serving) after playing around with her potentially growing through her fondness of Omega, but then at the very least the betrayal should’ve had an impact on the characters, Omega most of all. Even just one casual line from Omega in s3 about how Cid’s betrayal impacted her emotionally, however minimally, would have solved that problem. And no, CX-2 mentioning how he extracted info on Phee from her off screen absolutely doesn’t count as closure, because I’m talking about emotional closure for the main pov characters as well as the audience. Cid had a presence for two seasons, then as soon as she executed her role as a traitor to further the plot, she was discarded like she was a random extra.

- Emerie’s relationship with Hemlock. We are led to believe that he basically raised her, instilling in her the idea that she had no chance without him and owed her purpose and “safety” to him. You can’t tell me that this didn’t deeply affect her struggle and eventual decision to break away from all that and choose to help the kids, basically betraying Hemlock. I get that the show only had so much screen time and Emerie is a supporting character in season 3 at best, but common, she has more tension with Dr. Scalder than Hemlock while the potential for this rich deep conflict between them is right there.

I can probably list more smaller examples but this is getting long and I don’t want to go on any more tangents, so, finally, the biggest example of lack of closure and tendency of TBB writing to display foreshadowing that leads nowhere:

Tech’s death.

First of all, I’ll die on the hill that it wasn’t denial or delusion that led to such a big portion of the audience to believe that Tech didn’t really die in s2. If we look at the facts:

- there was no body

- it’s the finale of season 2 out of 3, pretty early for one of the main titular characters to get killed off

- the only/last character to allegedly see Tech after his fall is a villainous scientist who is known to experiment on clones specifically

- not a fact but: the whole scene with Hemlock presenting Tech’s goggles to Hunter was incredibly suspicious. In hindsight, I think the whole purpose of it was so that the Batch got Tech’s goggles back in their possession as a memento (and to show how evil Hemlock is to rub it into Hunter’s face like that) but it was executed in a way that read as something much more. It read as if Hemlock was going out of his way to convince us/Hunter of Tech’s death, but with us knowing who Hemlock is, his background in experimenting on clones, everything screams at us to not trust a word he says. Is it really so surprising that so many of the viewers immediately jumped at the conclusion that something more was going on there?

- Hunter’s (lack of) reaction/immediate narrative fall-out. More on that later as I address lack of emotional impact of Tech’s death in s3.

- it’s Star Wars. And there was no body.

So yeah, to me, it is completely justified that so many people read that whole thing as open to speculation at the very least, foreshadowing Tech’s survival at most.

Personally, I was 70% sure Tech was truly dead prior to s3, but not because the text told me so, but because at that point I was used to the show’s writing regularly sending out mixed signals, and a part of me was resigned to Tech’s death becoming another example of the writer’s intent clashing with their accidental empty foreshadowing.

As season 3 aired and the whole CX-2 plot was unfolding alongside continued lack of closure for Tech’s fate, my hope for Tech Lives reveal grew and grew, but in the end my initial doubt was proven right, unfortunately.

Oh, CX-2.. what a mess. You can’t tell me the creators went over all of these scenes, all of these lines, looked at the whole picture and *didn’t* see how it was incredibly easy to interpret CX-2 as potentially being Tech with all these little potential parallels. “Domicile” alone.

If they didn’t want us to entertain the idea that it could be Tech, they could’ve done it differently, but for some reason, they chose to leave that space for speculation. My question is, why?

If they truly wanted us to believe Plan 99 was it, Tech’s Noble End that we were supposed to take as this dramatic super emotional ultimate sacrifice and all that, then why would they not make it clear that CX-2 couldn’t be Tech? Why breed confusion? And breed confusion they did. It’s hard for me to believe they didn’t foresee the “ohh is it Tech?” speculation.

When so many members of the audience immediately and individually jump at a theory or have the same take away from the story they are being told, yet the authors say it wasn’t meant to be taken that way, something went seriously wrong with the writing.

I don’t like to speculate on such things because we will probably never know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had at some point considered CX-2 being Tech or at least something more for the whole CX plot thread, but changed and reshuffled things at the last minute for whatever reasons.

Which is fine and understandable. But it brings me to the heart of my biggest issue with how Tech’s fate was handled:

lack of impact and closure.

Let’s disregard all the Tech Lives theories for a moment and focus on what we did get: Tech, one of the main characters, getting killed off at the end of s2 out of 3, for stakes and consequences and NOTHING else. When I say nothing, I mean nothing.

Imagine, for a moment, he survived and stayed with the Batch. Nothing would have changed, in the grand scheme of things. Nothing. We wouldn’t have had a few obligatory “Tech mention, everyone feel sad now” throwaway lines/goggle shots and whatnot, sure, but that’s it.

Tech dying didn’t change the trajectory of the plot in any way, nor did it affect any of the other characters in a way that changed their trajectory. And anything less is simply not enough to justify killing one of your main characters. Stakes and consequences ain’t it.

Consider Mayday, for example: a supporting character, but his death in s2 affected Crosshair in such a way it completely redirected his journey, AND in s3 we got an episode that cemented the impact Mayday had on Crosshair and provided emotional closure for them. That’s a narratively meaningful death.

Tech’s death was not meaningful to the narrative beyond removing him from it. That’s why so many Tech fans insist he deserved better treatment: not only was he not present in one third of the show physically, but he lacked any sort of presence even in death. His absence was never processed or grieved by any of the main characters and so by extension by the audience.

And before anyone starts with the whole ‘they are soldiers/they had no time to grieve/etc’ arguments, it is the responsibility of the writers to provide the space for all of that emotional impact. It they don’t, there is no impact.

A few reactions here and there, moments of missing Tech as a person and a brother, not an asset, anything would have made this whole thing easier to accept.

The lines that we did get, from Omega mentioning the stuff Tech taught her to Echo commenting on how decryption would be easier if Tech was with them to “Clone Force 99 died with Tech” from Crosshair - each and every single one of those lines linked to Tech’s functions as part of the squad, his usefulness, but we didn’t get a single line in remembrance of him as a person of his own, no one missed or remembered him for himself or his personal impact on them.

Just one line from Omega about how he taught her about change being a constant part of life or whatever, or Wrecker making a comment on how Tech used to info dump about stuff, anything would have instantly provided that much needed sense of “he was here, he was a person and is still a part of us”. Instead, Tech was killed off to show that messing with the Empire is dangerous and risks are real, I guess, and immediately lost any and all presence within the story.

We never even got to see Crosshair’s or Phee’s reactions to losing him.

Speaking of Crosshair, that’s a whole other example of complete lack of closure: they never closed the loop on the family being reunited again after initially leaving Crosshair behind, and with Tech dead, it’ll forever stay broken.

They could’ve given this a bittersweet yet meaningful spin if they developed the angle of Tech dying on a mission to bring Crosshair home, making a sacrifice so Crosshair had a chance.

Instead, the moment Tech dies, we get Hunter (and through him, the narrative) immediately abandon the idea/plot thread of going to rescue Cross all while saying “let’s not waste Tech’s sacrifice”. Sacrifice for what? Clearly Hunter doesn’t see it as a sacrifice for Crosshair’s sake, so, what, to make sure the rest of them makes it from the mission? The mission to save Crosshair. That mission. Right.

I see people talking about Tech’s noble sacrifice that ensured his family got to live and eventually have their happy ending, but all I can think about is how the creators chose to have him die on a mission that was immediately abandoned and the only take away from that whole sub plot was Tech’s own demise.

And after Crosshair is back with the Batch, his reaction to Tech’s death is never explored at all.

So yes, to me Tech deserved so much better. If you are going to kill off a major character, it must be necessary to be compelling. The way I see it, Tech’s death was not necessary at all because it didn’t change anything. And if it was meant to, the creators failed to communicate that by choosing not to explore the emotional impact of it and not structuring certain story beats in a more precise manner.

To wrap this up, if the way Tech’s death was handled was satisfying for you, that’s valid and I’m glad for you. For me, unfortunately, it’s completely the opposite and will forever remain the biggest and most unfortunate low point in the story.

And while I welcome anyone to share their own perspective if they wish, please don’t take this post as an invitation for debate, since there is no one right or wrong way to interpret or be affected by art.

#tbb analysis #the bad batch #And I ask you to please not use this post as an excuse to hate on the show I love in spite of all the issues described above #you can make your own post to express your dislike of the show #especially for reasons not covered in this post #personally I consider TBB to have some of the deepest and most meaningful moments in all of Star Wars #at its best it is a masterpiece #the character writing is stellar and the subtlety of expression of certain moments is chefs kiss #it’s the story writing I have problems with #tech

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laughhardrunfastbekindsblog · 11 months ago

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One thing I adore about Bad Batch is how well it balances presenting two (or more) perspectives while allowing us to understand why each side has that perspective.

Take, for example, one of the most tragic scenes in season 1, where my heart just breaks for Crosshair...

Come on, Bad Batch, Crosshair has just saved Omega. Even if it might have appeared at first that he was pointing his rifle in Hunter's face, it's now clear that wasn't his intention! Can y'all stop pointing your weapons at him??!? 💔💔💔

And yet... I can still understand and sympathize with where the rest of the squad is coming from.

Months prior, Crosshair had started acting a little bit... off, rambling on about being good soldiers and criticizing Hunter's every move (including the decision to not shoot civilians). Then, the squad was imprisoned; then, Crosshair was singled out; then, as the squad was going to get him, he found them and shot Wrecker and threatened the rest of them. And they had to flee.

Oh, there was talk about inhibitor chips influencing clone behavior, maybe even controlling it; but the squad had precious little information to go on.

And then Rex gives them more information and dire warnings, and they see firsthand the dangers of the chips when Wrecker (of all people) goes all murder rampage, and it's abundantly clear that this must be why Crosshair is acting the way he is.

And immediately thereafter, Crosshair finds them... and when Hunter attempts to talk him down (because now they really understand what's going on), Crosshair "aims for the kid" and then keeps them trapped in an ion engine with the intent of incinerating them.

... Well, Wrecker had just tried to kill them all too, so it's understandable why Crosshair is acting this way. Not exactly ideal - especially since he doesn't want to listen to them and he has Imperial backing - but understandable.

And eventually Crosshair succeeds in actually capturing them. And he goes on and on about being better than everyone else and the value of serving an Empire whose definition of "order" involves terror and subjugation. But hey, apparently he's not trying to kill them this time... Until Hunter says no to joining the Empire and Crosshair makes it clear he considers this to be traitor talk... But then Crosshair helps them defeat the droids, so Hunter tries again to talk to him about the inhibitor chip.

"Wrong," Crosshair says. "I had my chip removed. A long time ago."

Just look at the confusion on Hunter's face as he grapples with the implications:

And then we are granted Tech's and Wrecker's reactions, with Tech's being more apparent since we can see his eyes - the shocked surprise followed by the eyebrow furrowing that reads to me as Tech trying to fit this revelation into his understanding of Crosshair's behavior:

(Remembering, of course, that Tech was the first to bring up the possibility of the chip influencing Crosshair's actions.)

"Since when?" Hunter continues in shock.

"Does it matter?" Crosshair shrugs.

"YES," Hunter insists.

"This is who I am," Crosshair responds.

And then Crosshair pulls his rifle (which we know isn't set to stun) on Hunter.

For months, Crosshair's brothers had been giving him the benefit of the doubt even as he repeatedly and deliberately endangered them; but now, he leaves them to wonder - Was Crosshair acting of his own volition when he shot Wrecker and tried to lure the others out that fateful night on Kamino? Was it his own choice to try to roast them to ash on Bracca? Was the chip involved or not when he chased them down as they were trying to leave Bracca?

He apparently doesn't have the chip now, and yet he's gone from holding them hostage to fighting alongside them against the droids to threatening Hunter again, all in the space of about 5 minutes.

And he insists that "This is who I am."

Crosshair is behaving dangerously, violently, and unpredictably, and he's said that he considers them to be his enemies since they won't join the Empire. And he keeps arguing with them every step of the way as they set out to escape an orbital bombardment.

Is it any wonder, then, that his brothers don't trust him holding a weapon, even when he's saved Omega's life?

#my heart breaks for ALL of them #paraphrasing from sabine wren: the empire wanted to destroy worlds and it destroyed theirs - and i'm not just talking about kamino #the bad batch #clone force 99 #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb omega #tbb analysis

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apocalyp-tech-a · 1 year ago

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Remember in Season 1, Episode 1 Aftermath, Tech says "I am merely stating a theoretical hypothesis based on factual data?" Well, that's what I did, I made a "logical conclusion." From Lama Su coming back when we thought he was dead to the infamous "domicile," it was all factual evidence that was meant to push us in a direction of hoping that Tech would return and that CX-2 could be the way he does it. I'm not stupid, and neither are you. There's an underlying reason that I love Tech not based on just his handsome looks. I don't claim to have an exceptional mind like him and I don't intend to convince anyone that CX-2 was Tech, but I do want to explain how it could be construed through the way that character was presented as well as the possibility of Tech's return in general, that he could have been and none of us were wrong or "losers" to think so.

45 70 Reasons and more well on the way, lol...

General reasons:

*Tech is never seen actually dying.

*Hemlock being untrustworthy source of death certificate.

*The return of many thought to be dead characters in past Star Wars from Darth Maul who was sliced in half to Lama Su - the door closed on him and we thought he was getting shot by troopers only to show up alive later and this happened in The Bad Batch itself.

*CX-2 is shown walking toward the 'light' after dropping off Omega, symbolically toward a future redemption. @astrovoidy

*Height change on starwars.com

*The word 'dead' danced around on official sites and by BB employees

*the similarities to Winter soldier @on-a-quest

*the cryptic tweets that showcased reborn characters like Gandalf

*The official poster of CX-2 shows him in 'good' light. @eriexplosion AND CX-2 is shown looking up and to the side the way the original CF99 members are positioned and facing in their poster as if CX-2 is also a CF99 member

*other people in professional settings like New Rock Stars on youtube thought the same exact thing as well as casual viewers

*the large focus on CX-2, over multiple episodes

*misleading title of last episode "The Cavalry Has Arrived"

*Tech being smart enough to find a solution

*If Season 2 could be compared to Empire Strikes Back, Tech was taken from us the way Han Solo was, but Han Solo was returned so surely Tech would be as well

*no one expected a main ensemble character permadeath

*the fight with Crosshair music had hints of "Plan 99" in it

*Tech’s whole big conversation with Romar was about culture and memory, and he helped Romar restoring a data repository. Between the implication that Tech would have lost his memories and Phee saying, “Tech’s brain was the databank, not mine,” you could easily see that as foreshadowing for Tech getting his memories back. @heyclickadee

*All the little one line reminders and goggles shots up through episode twelve only serve to make the audience want Tech back. They aren’t closure, they’re reminders of his absence. [Tech never being quite mourned.] @heyclickadee

*The goggles are lit, or look like they’re lit, in every scene they’re in except the last one, which sure makes all those earlier shots deliberate. @heyclickadee *CX-2 could have killed all of them at different moments, but chose not to (shooting pilot instead of Hunter for example)

Physical and character similarities:

*the shrimp posture

*the kick in the fight similar to droid kick in S1E1

*the similar hand to hand combat style

*the shooting accuracy- ipsium cave/ plan 99

*the elegant deliberate movement especially of hands and fingers

*the animated head and body when speaking

*the helmet – even has his hairline @jorolle

*the viewfinder similar to Tech's and utilized just as often

*the pouches(!!!)

*the limberness and agility

*the confident capability

*the crouching/getting on one knee - Tech is an infamous croucher!

*the deviant nature – ignoring orders

*the technology know how

*the flying – some say the turn on Teth was a Tech Turn

*the extraness of tool/weapon twirl

*armpad like Tech's datapad @wolveria

*CX-2's ship has similarities to the Marauder @wolveria

*Tech CC-9902 / CX-2 - both end in 2 @wolveria

*We are reminded this season that Tech was especially good at decryption. What do we see CX-2 doing on Phee’s ship? Yeah. @heyclickadee

*Season two went out of its way to establish that Tech has a high pain tolerance, is a good close range fighter (he won a life-or-death fight with a guy when he had that broken femur), quick processing speed, and is an excellent shot. All skills we see CX-2 exhibit. @heyclickadee

The 'British' accent, speech inflection, pronunciation. and vocabulary (this alone is enough to convince anyone...):

'You better get back HERE." - "I know the girl is HERE."

"The fifth IS Omega." - "The girl IS alive."

"Who are you?" - "Who are you?"

"Naveecomputah." - "Neveecomputah."

"DOMICILE." - "DOMICLE."

Cinematic framing similarities:

*the limping

*the coming out of the water @lilacjunimo

*hooking the rappel hook rappelling down was like dangling off the rail car

*the boulder moving

*helmet viewpoint from CX-2 in finale, only BB members ever had that

Conjectural situations of suspicion:

*the beef with Crosshair

*the constant surviving

*the pausing when choking Crosshair

*the pausing to look at Phee

*The implications that Crosshair seems to know something about CX-2 (he wants to get out of dodge when he knows CX-2 is coming), and the intense lingering guilt Crosshair feels—and which is never dealt with! It’s still there through the finale—implying he knows or suspects it’s Tech. @heyclickadee

*“Whatever they did to you, whatever you’ve done, you’re still one of us,” offered by Rex towards the CXs @heyclickadee

*Crosshair’s character arc this season being partly about realizing that anyone can change and that no one is really beyond saving, which would have continued going somewhere if he thought CX-2 was Tech and considered him beyond saving, but then changed his mind and realized he needed to try. Notice that he does not engage CX-2 in 11 like he did in 7, and that this comes after his revelation about giving people a chance in 9. @heyclickadee

*CX-2 is even more Tech like in 11 than he was in 6 and 7. This implies that he could be starting to wake up, and that almost killing Crosshair triggered that. He doesn’t kill anyone except one of his own guys on Pabu (or Phee) even though it would make his job much easier. He even has Hunter and Wrecker in his sights and moves his aim to not shoot them directly. @heyclickadee

*Crosshair has no way to know that the CX’d clones come out different and that their identities are erased unless it happened to someone we know. In fact, there’s not reason for the CX plot to exist unless that horrific thing happens to someone we know. @heyclickadee

*The first episode of the show starts out with Hunter covering for someone who supposedly died in a fall. In fact, there are direct parallels in the lines: “Where’s the Jedi?” “I stunned him when he jumped. He didn’t make it.” vs “Where’s Tech?” “Omega…Tech didn’t make it.” I’m not saying Hunter was covering for Tech; I am saying that is the only place in the script where we see those phrases matched up. @heyclickadee

*Tech being CX-2 would have fit in perfectly with each member of the batch experiencing a traumatic loss (and regaining) of agency that correlated directly to who and how they are as people. @heyclickadee

Foreshadowing lines:

*More machine than man, percentage wise at least.

*Better late than dead.

*See you around, Brown Eyes.

*Tech's not gone.

*The operative's gone rogue.

*Romar saying he's a survivor and Tech's look at him.

*Don't go running off with any pirates or smugglers. @heyclickadee

Abandoned storyline reasons:

*The romance with Phee, surely it wouldn't be abandoned!? 🙄😡

*CX-2's death being anticlimactic

*The finale seeming rushed and incomplete

*Actors saying there were script changes

*CX-2's accent in the finale was not only not like Tech's as it was in previous episodes, it wasn't even a clone accent (wtf was that) signaling a script change

@wolveria made a great analysis here with her Tech-Genda !

@heyclickadee gave a great analysis here and also great evidence, more in comments!

@vivaislenska has a list as well with some of these points!

@eriexplosion has a great analysis here!

Having said that, here are some reasons it may not have been him:

*Too many characters coming back from the dead.

*The way he says 'clones' in Infiltration was more reg accent.

*Tech's line in the cave to Omega which "was a big one to me” in retrospect: "I am aware that you miss him, but we have to adapt and move on."

As for the intentions of the writers to either have been forced to change the script, but can't admit it due to NDAs or if they truly meant for CX-2 to be Crosshair's foil which to me was unclear, especially with all of the evidence above, I don't know. At least they could have made CX-2 talk and move like a reg. Making him talk and walk like Tech was kind of cruel on top of a cruel we already experienced in Plan 99. I am not personally attacking the writers, I still love Season 1 and 2 and most of Season 3, but I wish I knew what happened behind the scenes with this and I know I'm not the only one. I think this is the last time I'll personally address Season 3 or the finale unless to support other commentators/creators and for my own fix-it and art and writing. And I look forward to seeing everyone else's works as well and hope no one gives up this beautiful Batch or fandom as I almost did. Canon seems done with him, he belongs to us now. 💜

And if anyone has anything I missed (I'm sure I'll think of more myself), feel free to comment or reblog with that addition or a link to your own post and/or I can edit the OP to include it and tag you. Also, don't feel like you can't make your own post about this subject! But I do hope this maybe helped anyone still dealing with the 'aftermath' like me, to know you're not alone, and you did not read too much into it.

(In retrospect, I can't believe they killed him though, lol. What the kriff were they thinking!?! #too handsome to die #too awesome to die)

#tbb spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #star wars #the bad batch #cx-2 #tech the bad batch #tech tbb #tbb #analysis #the bad batch season 3 #TECH LIVES!#DOMICILE y'all!!! what the kriff...

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i-dont-know-how-this-site-works · 1 year ago

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I've truly hit rock bottom.

The major complaint with all our delusional takes regarding Tech's survival is that we are taking them out of our asses, but in this case, it is quite literally outta someone's ass.

Look, I don't wanna dunk on my main man, but Tech's got no booty. He is as flat as an airport landing strip in the Netherlands. I don't know what voodoo dark magic Nala Se did to strip Tech of the standard issue clone tushy, because our next possible candidate for Clone CX-2 is Cody, and dude is packin'.

Exhibit 1:

Certified 0° booty.

Exhibit 2:

That's a category 10 booty right here ^.

Now, fortunately for us the creatives put Clone CX-2 in a leotard from the waist down, so we got an unobstructed view of the clone's behind and I gotta say, it's some pretty convincing evidence right here that CX-2 is Tech.

Also, I made this account three years ago and have never changed the profile picture before, but today I did cause delusion is swallowing me whole.

#the bad batch #the bad bad spoilers #tbb tech #clone trooper cody #commander cody #imperial!tech #clone cx #CX-2 #tech is alive #tech is alive ist conspiracy theorist reporting for duty #puts on clown shoes #with my clown make up on #and my clone nose #and my clown wig on #media analysis #tin foil hat #conspiracy theories #scraping the bottom of the barrel #star wars

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emo-crowgirl · 4 months ago

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Another good reason to play around with the whole “Miko is a glitch” Theory/Headcanon/whatever you’d call it, even ignoring canon’s “evidence” or the fact that if any of the techs were a glitch, Miko would be the most likely candidate, is the fact that out of all of the Techs, Miko is the person that would take learning that information THE WORST out of all of them.

Even ignoring that moment in Going Going Gauntlet where she has a brief existential crisis over if Ally is technically alive or not, think about Miko for a minute.

Practically her entire life she’s been an outsider in some way. Most other kids her age either know her as “that one kid who kicked Ralphie Bear’s head off at someone’s birthday party” or “that weird girl in the arcade with the high score in Rock ‘Em Sockers”. (And it’s slightly implied the series of events went Rock ‘Em Sockers -> Birthday Incident with Miko (having just moved to Bailey) originally getting herself noticed through Rock ‘Em Sockers only for everything to come crashing down when she was invited to that birthday party.) She’s had basically no real friends besides a few people she plays online games with until very recently when she met Five and even in her own family she’s a bit of a black sheep. And Miko is fully aware of all of this.

Miko desperately wants friends and she’s terrified of the possibility of losing the few friends she does have. She’s scared of being seen as “the weird kid” or “not normal” or anything that could potentially push people away from her. Just look at The Glitch Modder for one of the best examples. Mitch’s comments about Miko being weird, everyone else being unnerved by her reset immunity and ESPECIALLY Miko finding out that Five also sees her immunity as something strange sets her off for the whole day because of exactly what I’ve said before.

Miko desperately wants to be viewed as normal (most likely because she’s been othered before for being “weird”) and seeing everyone else’s immediate reactions to her immunity and especially the reaction of Five, her literal best friend, has to be pretty soul crushing to her. That’s also why Mitch’s comments get under Miko’s skin so easily here. It’s a massive pressure point for her.

Even as a much smaller point, we have Miko’s reaction to Five calling her Meeks. She hates it, but lies and goes along with it anyways because she’s afraid of doing anything that could even risk pushing Five away from her. It’s a tiny point, but still worth bringing up because it’s a tiny example of Miko just being desperate have friends.

So take all of that into account, and then look me in the eyes and tell me with a straight face that Miko would take learning that she’s not human but in fact one of the literal MONSTERS that she and her friends regularly hunt down even REMOTELY well. It is maybe one of the worst possible things that could ever happen to her.

#glitch techs #miko kubota #analysis #And that’s before even focusing on some of the really specific things #like Miko getting briefly hung up on if Ally counts as being alive or not #because that’s definitely going to be the first thing that enters her mind the next time she tries to sleep #Or the much much worse realization:#Oh what’s that Miko? You’ve always wondered why you kind of felt like an outsider in your own family?#Bad news: Here’s the answer.#on another note I think Miko may be one of my favourite characters because I can relate to her a lot #viewed as the weird kid throughout all of my time in school #had no real friends for basically all of my childhood #once I got a small group of friends I was desperate to not lose them because I didn’t want to go back to being alone #horrible undiagnosed ADHD #I see a lot of myself in Miko and relate to her heavily

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rabidline · 1 month ago

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Shoma Uno Commentary: Worlds 2025 Men's FS

Shoma didn't provide comment to every skate due to Fuji TV airing a compressed version of Worlds on terrestrial broadcast (around 6-8 singles skaters for each discipline?) but a kind fan has transcribed it on X/Twitter so I can run it through machine translation:

Tatsuya Tsuboi (I Pagliacci / Clown): "He seemed a bit frustrated, but given how high the level of competition is in Japan, he should be proud of the skill and results that earned him a spot as the third representative. As for this World Championship, it's not about whether the outcome was good or bad—it will undoubtedly serve as valuable experience for the future, and I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for him." Transcript

Junhwan Cha (Balada Para un Loco): (It was a piece of music Uno once performed to as well) "Yes, it's a very nostalgic piece of music for me, but I think he delivered a performance that was entirely his own, quite different from mine. I really enjoy Junhwan's performances every time—each program he presents is incredible, and this time was no exception; it was truly outstanding." Transcript

On his interview with Nathan Chen before the FS: "I was able to meet him again after quite a while, and his amazing voice hasn't changed. Even though he's two or three years younger, he has such a commanding presence that you'd think he was older! Still, he spoke passionately about his thoughts on skating... and despite the challenges of studying, he really shared a lot." Transcript

Nika Egadze (Oppenheimer): "By changing the opening jump from a 4Lz (quadruple Lutz) to a 4T (quadruple toe loop), it became a battle focused on achieving the completion and precision of three quadruple jumps. It left the impression that the level of men's figure skating has now risen to the point where it's all about mastering performance structure at such an advanced level." Transcript

Shun Sato (Nostos): "This is truly where his strength lies. I heard that his struggle has been not being able to fully showcase his abilities during competitions, despite how well he does in practice. Even so, through extensive training, he was able to deliver a performance today that demonstrated his skills and left him feeling satisfied. Watching this made all of us so happy." Transcript

Kevin Aymoz (Van Gogh): "Figure skating is undoubtedly a sport where scores are competed for, but watching a skater like him, whose smile brings joy and happiness to the audience, makes me feel that such skaters are also essential for us as spectators. His performance really conveyed that sentiment." Transcript

Mikhail Shaidorov (Moonlight Sonata, Take on Me): "With his level of skill, it might seem like a waste to use a quadruple jump in combination right at the first jump. However, it felt like he was showing, "This is his individuality," "This is his strength." From the very first jump, I was captivated by every single one of his jumps." Transcript

Yuma Kagiyama (Romansa, Ameksa): "In figure skating, when an unexpected mistake happens on the first jump, it’s really difficult to regain composure and return to your usual self. Even so, by the third jump, where he adjusted the planned quadruple-triple to a quadruple-double, it seemed like he managed to steady himself. However, there were some uncharacteristic mistakes in the later jumps... Still, even though he made mistakes this time, everyone knows his true ability, and I hope he won't dwell on it and will keep pushing forward toward the next challenge." Transcript 1, 2

Ilia Malinin (I'm Not a Vampire): "His greatness… well, it's exactly as you see! Regarding his jumping technique, he possesses a level of skill so extraordinary that one might confidently say there will never be anyone to surpass him. While jumping is undoubtedly his forte, I sense his desire to further refine other aspects of his performance. After accomplishing such high levels of difficulty and still appearing lively, it’s clear he has energy to spare—making it seem this isn't beyond his abilities, but rather a true reflection of his skill." Transcript 1, 2

Final Remarks: "The challenges and brilliance of skating... Each individual had their own unique story in this tournament. It has made me truly excited for next year's Olympics." Transcript

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queenofspades6 · 1 year ago

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I need more seasons of The Bad Batch! I can’t believe this amazing series is almost over… what am I supposed to do after? Just live my life like nothing had happened? These characters are part of me, and I don’t want their story to end.

What do you think?

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pong03 · 10 months ago

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Leo kurosagi analysis

this was requested but tumblr wont let me post to their ask so: Okay, Leo is selfish. I'm not gonna deny all the bad things people say about him, or even deny he is a bad person, but he is a GREAT set up for a character. I would like to say that Tokyo debunker is giving set up for growth from each character, Leo is just the most Jarring, for the fan base. full disclosure, I did not like Leo or even consider liking him until I saw the HATE on here, I'm not just trying to be quirky by liking the most disliked character either. I tend to just want to see the good in what most people dislike. I like kpop and I tend to bias the most criticized or least biased members of a group, because I think it's an amazing feeling to give love... Although I understand it's cathartic to hate too, and that's probably why the Leo hate is so strong. I also still don't LIKE Leo, but I really do want to explore his character and I probably will make more posts as we see him more and as I experience him more myself. The Leo cu*king tho, is maybe my least favorite "trope" in TBD fanfic rn... but I don't k*nkshame y'all :*

I also would like to say Sho is his friend, not his victim or Rapunzel. There is some value to Leo in Sho's eyes and I think we shouldn't degrade that because we see that if Sho doesn't like someone he will not engage i.e Ren. Sho is a sweet character and I think he might be friends with Leo because he wants to see the best in him or knows his more repulsive behaviors are a defense mechanism or explained by other reasons we the MC are yet to see. Why I think that is even tho the weird blob guys in the mystery diner suck at making food he still wants to see the best in them, and that very scenario could be a cheeky analogy from the writers themselves, about Sho and Leo. Obviously Leo could be blackmailing Sho, I know that is a commonly held belief, but I do have some perspectives that could debunk that thought. Leo doesn't Garner blackmail on his peers. I think Leo is nosy, and invasive, but he is also incredibly capable, implied by his contributions to the vagastrom group case. If he wanted to figure out who Alan killed he could with his hacking prowess, but instead he asks Mido himself. In invasive ways yes, but he could just have found the information himself, whether by hacking or asking the countless witnesses of the clash. Rather he asks Mido face to face, and, correct me if I'm wrong we can't say he wouldn't have taken no for an answer because Mido just gets mad at his antics and never gives him a straight up no. Again I could be wrong so let me know if Alan does give him a straight no. It's been a while since chapter two for me.

Right now I want to explore some possibilities for his character given the information we have about him ATM. I mentioned above the fact his little nasty, mean, degrading comments could be a defense moreso that he wants people to try and push past that to see if they're viable as his friends. Especially because he is micro-influencer he might be protective of himself because of that. As well as being a chronic liar online he may want to know if he can trust you not to expose him online. I think exploring his past would be amazing because even his stigma makes him seem like an overly cautious person, as well as invasive. Cautious? I feel like its cut and dry that wanting to hear what people say when you aren't around could hint to him being quite anxious about what people think about him. like idk I also feel like the jealousy we see towards Sho might also be more about people finding Sho more approachable. I think because Leo wants to be more involved with people in power he might have not been trying to scare Subaru away because "Sho is mine >:(" and actually could have been jealous that Subaru noticed Sho first and not him. Still awful right? but also like I said I don't see Leo as enjoyable but more so a lot of room for redemption, or explanation. Sympathy or empathy might be something we feel for him a lot if he is properly explored.

Obvs these are just possibilities right :) I actually find him very cute and I like his catty behavior, especially because in comparison to other nasty ghouls he is like a kitten hissing at you, harmless. Like dude Taiga shot me, and you're just a nasty baby, I smell your fear on the inside, you just want to be loved like everyone else. He's a true tsundere and not that "I swear I don't like you!!" shit and I appreciate that. I hope nobody misconstrues this as defense of his toxicity more-so that the point of tokyo debunkers focus seems to be everyone is demonizing these teens who seriously are just teens, and sometimes teenagers are catty are toxic, but they're still learning. Especially when the adults suck too... if not more because they are adults. AND LEO IS HATED FOR BEING STINKY AND MEAN BUT TAIGA AND ROMEO ARE LIKED BUT SO MUCH MORE MORALLY DECREPIT... so idk that especially irks me. I still would like to know what people think and if you are also excited to see the exploration of the ghouls especially Leo, and what theories you may have on him yourself.

#tokyo debunker #tdb #leo kurosagi #i love difficult characters #character analysis #tokyo debunker headcanon #tbd headcanons #tech savvy gays are always a lil evil #share your thoughts

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good-beanswrites · 1 year ago

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My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

#milgram #👍👍#if theres anything contradictory please lmk -- this is how ive been taking the evidence we have so i definitely want to rethink things if #theres a mistake #but also i just wanna hear what people have been picturing 🤔#i mentioned it before but the jailbreak tvs really did shift my brain from sleek tech to clunky old scifi vibes #im also still partial to an idea mentioned a long time ago about the prisoners waking up to catch the last few moments of their mv #and how heartbreaking that can be for some #but i feel like it would make more sense if there was no direct interaction after the extraction since es is overwhelmed with different #reactions (from us) and the prisoners themselves are raw with emotion and fatigue #i like the thought of interrogations occuring in that big courtroom (seen in undercover and now deep cover)#but that room seems way too echo-y for the vds to take place in #and it seems overkill to build every cell with moving panel walls and access to the machine #so the jurys still out on that one #(also hehe im still so excited that my oc fits very nicely into all of this but i kept this post 100% canon compliant)#analysis/thoughts

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celestial-specter · 1 year ago

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I haven’t seen it as much online these days, but when season one was still airing, I often saw criticism that the batch, other than perhaps Hunter and Omega, ‘lacked character depth.’

It was something I didn’t think too much about at the time, but now, on my final re-watch of the whole show before the final season begins (😭) I couldn’t disagree more.

Sure, as there is so much action and plot occurring during the series premiere Aftermath, there is not much screen-time remaining to dedicate towards the emotional depth of the characters.

However, I’m a huge fan of the ways writers can use unconventional methods to show audiences the traits and roles of characters; As the bad batch are soldiers in every sense of the word, I believe there is no better way to highlight their individual personalities and talents than to show it through their battle strategy.

So, if you’re like me and love both star wars and unnecessarily in-depth analysis, I present…

Aftermath’s battle simulation: How one scene reintroduces us to Clone Force 99, and possibly foreshadows later events in the series.

(Part 1)

Across all star wars projects, the empire is always presented from above (in the context of The Bad Batch, think of the broadcast of Palpatine shown to the clones earlier during Aftermath, Raven’s Peak towering over the cloud cover on Eriadu, and Mount Tantiss surging over the natural jungle on Weyland). During the battle simulation, Tarkin watches from the viewing platform above the training ground, suggesting this scene will illustrate how the batch will respond to the new power of the empire.

When the team first enter the training ground, Hunter is the only one without his helmet on - he is already more humanized than the rest of his brothers. Of all the team, Hunter is the one who looks most like a ‘regular’ clone, despite his obvious attempts otherwise. He understands the importance of humanizing himself and his brothers - when he tries to save Caleb on Kaller, he removes his helmet in an attempt to get through to him. In this scene, Hunter only puts on his helmet and regains his status as a soldier when it is clear that a battle is about to begin. Even this small action could be interpreted as showing that being a soldier is not what Hunter truly wants, whereas the rest of his brothers are satisfied to continue in the way of life they have always known.

Once the battle begins, Hunter gives his brothers no instructions besides ‘You know what to do.’ Even as their leader, he trusts his team enough to know that they will succeed without his direct intervention. Even without a clear approach in mind, they all fall into places without any preamble - showing that Hunter is correct in his assessment of the situation, and that his brothers know each other well enough to do so without guidance.

The positioning of each member at the beginning of the battle is also important- as they move to the barrier, Echo, Crosshair and Hunter go left, while Wrecker and Tech go right, as seen below.

These positions could be indicative of their current roles within the squad at its peak. For example, the split between the right and left side could represent their difference standards of morals. Hunter, Echo, and Crosshair have, at this point in the series, been shown to be the most complex and strong willed members of the team - it is clear what each one of them believes in, and each one of them is unafraid to speak up when something goes against their personal moral code. This this shown prior to this point during Aftermath, as most of the discussion over Order 66 is between this trio, while Wrecker and Tech seem to be simply going through the motions rather than challenging them.

This is not to say that Tech and Wrecker do not also each have strong personalities, but so far they are much more focused on their individual interests than the morality of their lives as soldiers and their prospective roles in the formation of the new empire.

In this formation, Hunter is caught in the middle of all of his brothers, a position he is often placed in during group shots throughout the series. In this scene however, he is closely drawn to Crosshair’s side. Hunter’s reaction to Omega has shown that he has complex feelings about children being on Kamino, likely an attitude he has formed due to his own upbringing on the planet. It can be assumed by CT numbers that Crosshair (CT-9904) is the youngest of the batch, explaining the close yet intense relationship shared between him and Hunter.

Echo is also on the left side, but remains on the outside of the group. This could be interpreted as Echo simply arriving late to the batch and their having to reform this battle strategy to include him, but I prefer to think of it as a way to highlight Echo’s continued isolation, even amongst his brothers.

The placement of Crosshair between Echo and Hunter is also interesting. Echo, who has always been very focused on rules and regulations, and Hunter, the leader of a squad who openly flaunt their ability to break them. This positioning could be indicative of Crosshair feeling torn between two places, and his emotional conflict due to the effects of the inhibitor chip.

Located on the right side, Wrecker and Tech are both much more placid and easygoing. They are both often involved in childish bickering (as is Crosshair), but these two are never typically involved in intense conflict as the others are. As shown by the batch’s first appearance in The Clone Wars, Wrecker can be quick to anger when his brothers are threatened, but is easily dissuaded from violence by Hunter. Meanwhile, Tech is attempting to stop the fight from occurring in the first place, and is seemingly averse to conflict unless he deems the situation to be inescapable without it (e.g. the cafeteria fight).

Wrecker and Hunter are technically next to one another, but there is a huge space between them. To me, this gap represents the difference in their personalities as a result of their upbringing. Wrecker truly symbolizes the more easygoing, often-childlike comedic character, while Hunter is burdened by his concerns and responsibilities for his family. The pair were shown to have a closer relationship during their arc in The Clone Wars, with Hunter joining in with the jokes and antics of his younger brothers, and assuring Wrecker that he will beat Crosshair’s kill count during their next mission. In this scene, the space between them could foreshadow the upcoming degradation of their relationship due to the rise of the empire.

Tech is also on the outside of the group, but on the complete opposite side to Echo. Interestingly, since their very first meeting, Tech and Echo have been shown to have quickly developed a close relationship, with Tech being the main clone (other than Rex) to liberate Echo from captivity. The pair being on opposite sides likely is due to their similar technical skillsets but opposing ways off approaching situations- Echo is shown to possess a great deal of tact and patience when it comes to other characters such as Omega, whereas Tech can come across as nonchalant and uncaring at times. These positions also highlight how these two are the most independent of the group, both of them having no issues in leaving to compete missions alone.

#the bad batch #the bad batch season 3 #star wars spoilers #star wars #star wars analysis #star wars the clone wars #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #sw tbb #star wars tbb #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb tech

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warsamongthestars · 9 months ago

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I became curious about something; how different do you think things would go if someone else but Crosshair had a 'functioning chip'? Say Hunter was the one 'loyal' to the Empire. Because then the rest of the Batch would suddenly stand leaderless for instance. Ignoring the bad writing of the show of course. (Sorry if you've covered this somewhere already.)

I prolly have covered it? I don't think so, but I also don't remember, and I am doomed to inevitably repeat things as all who forget their history are will to do...

I think that the situation is an interesting story to explore.

But if it followed TBB's logic, it would be one that, unfortunately, would inevitably done the same things that occur in TBB, without fail and maybe with only minor to insignificant one-line differences.

( Almost word per word, exactly like a fanfiction rewrite that spends a majority of its time just copy pasting lines word per word without taking it stories into new directions... just merely adding scenes that get a Mature Rating slapped on )

Because TBB is not, in fact, written to tell stories but sell you something for attention and subscription money. It was never going to be deep, it was only going to bank on hype, rush and attention-of-the-moment; and it was never going to follow any kind of character or character arc beyond how it affects their OC and the OC's rival character.

So to follow the lines of this logic, to follow TBB, is to place Hunter as Omega's anime rival... and it would be just like Crosshair's arc, if not exactly. Maybe a change of planet, maybe a change from sniper rifle to combat knife, exchange the energy bow for a vibrosword, but the result wouldn't be any different.

BUT.

If we were to follow the line of thinking, with the idea that unique characters make the plot, they are not made by the plot... And that means following the character as they are introduced and presented, with all implications in mind, with the world build of Star Wars and the set up of the Clone Wars...

And of course, adding the best parts-- human experience and human imagination in a beautifully gruesome mesh-like disaster...

It starts with the fact that the Bad Batch are killers first and foremost. They brag about putting down insurrections and killing the people involved [the Yalbec story from the Bad Batch arc of season 7. The implications behind their bragging are horrifying, so I grabbed popcorn.], as well as the fun additional information that suggests why there was an insurrection [ I'd be pretty pissed too if my giant bug mother was hunted down and killed because her stinger was delicious to some cultures, and even more so if the Republic we're apart of does nothing about it. ]

They all follow the Empire, because its easy. Even better, they're highly regarded for their skills, probably finally get a paycheck with benefits. To the bad batchers, there really isn't much difference between the Empire and the Republic, the Empire is just the Republic with the shackles off anyway, and they're just continuing what they've been doing since deployment.

But because the chip runs on regular clone genome, not their mutant modified brains, that's when conflict would begin arise.

That's the sciencey-bullshit explanation.

The narrative-bullshit explanation, is that the strongest parts of each character can break through the evil-artifact's influence, provided that what is strong about them isn't what the evil-artifact attaches / attacks.

That's a general set up. So let's add your suggestion as a spark point to get stories going moving forward. Setting up the setting is all nice and dandy, but we need Ideas now.

So let's add in the idea that while everyone knows something is probably wrong, but can't quite put their finger on it, they know that there is obviously up with Hunter.

He's colder, he's more vicious, he's not the anxious compulsive snarker now, he's seemingly more a perfect soldier than any reg. Orders are absolute and be damned to anyone in the way.

( It was already noticed that the regs are acting like that too, regardless if they were like that before, and this on the backburner of the minds of the Bad Batch. But because most of the Bad Batchers are "special" (save Echo, who is freaking out) they don't consider themselves to be as knee deep in the cacky as they actually are. )

Echo is the very first one to call it out. He knows something is wrong. His brothers aren't acting right, the Bad batch have been getting these odd headaches, and Hunter has done a total 180. But given that Echo is new, the rest of the Batch try to confront Hunter.

( The jedi are dead. Echo saw the massacre reports and recordings via his new built-in hacking skills. Rex is dead, Jesse is dead, Kix is dead--everyone he has ever known, is gone. And if they're not gone, they are certainly not them anymore. Echo wants desperately to trust his squad--they're the only ones left... )

They send Wrecker first, because its hard to do anything to Wrecker. Wrecker's general warmhearted rough housing, results in being yelled at and given a vicious cold shoulder. Wrecker leaves Hunter alone, and becomes depressed.

Then its Tech, who isn't a socialite by any means, and tries to break the ice, so to speak, with fun information facts he's learned. When Hunter ignores him, Tech skips right into direct confrontation, breaking down that there is something wrong going on and they're in the middle of it, Hunter shuts him down. Tech leaves Hunter alone, and copes by putting his mind to a nearby droid project, and never saying a word to anyone.

Then the big one, Crosshair. Second in command, confident and in control, and the biggest asshole when he has had it with someone. He straight up confronts Hunter, no preamble, though unlike the avoidant Wrecker or the bullheaded Tech in confrontations, Crosshair hits his marks.

"You weren't like this before." "You're acting like a Reg." "Since when did we care about Orders?" "Since when did we care about missions beyond surviving them and the GAR?" "You notice how the Empire is killing regs enmass?" "You're going to led us to our death with that attitude."

( It should be noted, that Hunter's original self, has just enough capacity over his chipped brainwashing to not report his brothers, nor to execute them for defying Order 66. )

( This is not enough, however, to stop him from retaliating with the full force of a wild animal. )

Hunter and Crosshair end up in a fight. Hunter, at his worst, is a vicious dirty fighter who uses his environment and flexibility and stealth, to take down an opponent. He is wicked wiht a knife and small arms, Crosshair's absolute weakness as a primarily long ranged fighter. Hunter, chip or no chip, does not attack to kill his brothers, but Crosshair is dragged to medical afterwards for an "incident with a training droid".

Echo has had enough. Lines have been crossed, he has been told to sit back and wait for the team to handle it, his own feelings are a chaotic mess, and now his alarms are going off.

Whatever is going on with the clone army and with Hunter, its not something that can be reasoned with, and its certainly not something that can be done about when under the scrutiny of these natborn officers.... These new officers who would order public staff executions, and gods knows what else they do to the planets they occupy...

The only decision is to run and maybe, find a way to help from the outside, because they're not doing shit here.

( with dragging of feet and looming disaster in their minds ("We're just, leaving Hunter behind!?"), it doesn't take much for Echo to convince the remaining squad that they can't handle Hunter right now, but maybe, just maybe, they can find help and get him later. )

( "He'll be fine, he has to be fine, they aren't going to kill him because of our failure, that'd just be a... waste of resource," says Echo, "We just need to sell it like its a mutiny." )

They do. Hunter is hard to deal with one on one, but collectively (well, minus a wounded Crosshair) its easy to cause a scene and punch his lights out in front of cameras.

The tricky bit is running to the Havoc Marauder. They are, of course, successful, but not without some strange, unseen, outside help from a blond haired clone cadet we haven't seen up onto this point. To CF99, it just seems like coincidence that the blast doors reopen as they're closing, and that training droids are suddenly flooding hallways.

They fly off.

And that would be... well, at least the first five episodes maybe? No TV show movie or 1 hour episode start, just, full on first quarter of season 1.

This is just my idea of it... but it starts with setting Echo up as the leader of the Bad Batch, and it does not involve Omega having center stage, but merely being an implied part of plot to be revealed later.

As for what happens going forward, that depends on what we want them to face. Do we want them inevidably heading to Wayland? Does Wayland even exist as it does in TBB or is it something else? Does Pabu exist or maybe are we canonizing old media planets into the Disney verse? Does Cid exist or is someone else around?

The best thing about a over arching episodic story... is that you can literally do anything, as long as you know the world build and the rules of the "game". There's a lot more that can be done in the STar Wars sandbox than just rehashing familiar shit for kudos and likes.

But we can set up a few things from what we know prior and from what this set up already has.

Rex is out there, starting the Rebellion, and he's working to free clones--which is perfect in order to get Hunter back. This also sets up the reveal of the chips as well as the fact that it was Fives who discovered them, and it was only by slim chance, that Rex ever escaped in the first place.

Crosshair would understand the logic of leaving Hunter, but the emotional impact of leaving a brother for potential dead, would immediately make him a rival challenging character to Echo. The writing rules of this situation, however, is to make him merely a rival, not a saboteur. Just because someone is a dick, doesn't mean they're going to unscrew the ship engine and tell the enemy where you're at. This is very important to keep in mind.

Each Bad Batcher would have an episode to come to terms with leaving Hunter, facing what their relationship with him meant to them, and dealing with the possibility that he may or may not come back. Part of this is returning to a post-battle Kamino and finding 99 was killed, which would play into why each Batcher is anxious.

Just as well, for emotional character scores that doesn't involve the plot or grief, each Batcher gets an episode to face the galaxy on their own merits, potentially leading them to a finale arc later on for when this initial over-arching plot is over, as a way to either allow the next over-arching plot or to retire the character for now. Rule of writing? It has to bee on their merits alone, not detailing their relationship with their team.

Of course we're going to have team episodes that help define to the audience what kind of relationship with batcher has with one another.

And we're gonna need episodes where the Bad Batchers butt heads with Echo as Echo leads a team that he wasn't a vital part of, and didn't share much history with.

Obviously we have to save Hunter. None of this 3 years separation-dangle-him-in-your-face shit. And Just as the other batchers get their own character episodes, both for their histories and themselves facing the world--Hunter needs those too without the looming threat of the chip. But before we get there, we're going to have fun with his chip episodes but allowing him to have an evil arc with obvious internal conflict--as his true self fights with the evil outside forces controlling his life.

I know I don't like her as she's treated in TBB, but Omega would be an interesting character to use without putting her in the spotlight. We do need someone around who knows their medical. Just maybe she's integral to freeing Hunter...

Because I love a dose of self indulgence, and every writers needs that in their stories, each Batcher gets a Chip episode or Chip Arc in some fashion. Enough to ensure character conflict and growth, and also to inspire fans to create their own Chip AUs. Could be that, because of how CF99 was made, removing their chips are a lot more complicated than just a brain operation on a derelict ship.

New Clones introduced of course. Perhaps those who would've filled in for clones who died in TCWs--like, since Commander Ponds die, who was Windu's new Commander for the rest of the war? And those from TBB, cos let's face it, thems were awesome too. Mayday might just survive this time!

No Guest Characters. If there are, they need to have a serious connection to clones, other wise, someone is robbing story and character for cameo rights, and that's not how you make a story. This is a clone story.

If we're gonna have Rex, we need Cody. Cody needs to be totally chipped as a foremost example of how bad the chip gets. He's meant to serve exactly as he's intended, as he's done in all his appearances, and in this case, he needs to additionally be Rex's rival and antagonist character.

And the final writing rule, the most important one...

Clone stories need to have an element of tragedy and finality. You don't have to kill a main character to get it, but there is no happy ending here.

The happy ending is performed by Luke Skywalker in "Return of the Jedi".

We can only achieve Bittersweet, at best. Everyone can live, and still lose.

Its by this rule, that Order 66 really is the tragedy its born to be and not just an excuse for the plot to get rid of all the Jedi characters.

We should see its direct effects as a clone story, and not just some one handed episode that never becomes relevant again. When this story ends, the loose ends should be on purpose as a message of "Because of the events leading to this story, this rope is permanently cut and can never be tied again. This is not a place of honor, we are survivors of the worst and the world cannot be fixed."

...

I wasn't expecting to write a full episode with a concept board attached, but damn, here you go, a full novel for your question.

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laughhardrunfastbekindsblog · 11 months ago

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I Thought It Was Obvious: Taking a Closer Look at Tech's Character Development and Journey

I had been debating with myself since the middle of season 3 whether to outline the development of each of the main characters - and then a random online comment gave me the motivation I needed to do it for Tech 😂 (no but seriously, I thought Tech's development was obvious!) What I had originally planned as being a brief summary rapidly ballooned into a roughly 6500-word essay, so... apologies in advance 😬 I do include pictures here because, well, it's Tech! 😍

Before we begin, a few points about how character development can take place within a story, and the difference between character development versus character arcs.

Sometimes, character development occurs as a character discovers something new or different about themselves – a hidden talent, a new priority, etc. – or follows a certain trajectory to develop toward or away from traits that have been established. This is the most easily recognized type of development and typically directly informs the character’s arc. (Examples: Omega’s compassion is established early on, and we see this continue deepening and developing to where it becomes one of her defining personality traits, strong enough to impact even Crosshair’s trajectory. We also see Omega’s initial uncertainty and naivete fade away into independence and confidence as the show progresses.) Other times, character development is less about the character themselves changing (or not), and more about our (as the audience) understanding of the character changing as new information comes to light or we see the character in various circumstances. This information doesn’t actually change the character’s traits or actions up to that point, but rather adjusts OUR perception of the character. (Example: discovering that Crosshair’s chip had been removed before the season 1 finale. Crosshair is still Crosshair, his actions and traits are exactly the same as they have been presented, but our perception of those actions/traits is altered as we grapple with the knowledge that Crosshair is choosing the Empire of his own accord and we come to realize that some of his previous actions were not influenced by the chip. Another example: Tech himself explains how he processes change and emotions in “The Crossing.” There is no real difference in how he processes these things now compared to before, but our perception of Tech may shift as this element of his personality is granted additional clarity.)

Also note that character development can be distinct from a character arc. There are many well-developed, fleshed-out characters with rich backstories and intricate motivations and desires who don’t have a defined journey within a certain story, usually because they are secondary characters - Phee, Mayday, and even Rex are just a few examples in this particular show taken in isolation from other stories (and yes I’m being super specific here so it's clear why I’m including Rex on this list!). Despite what seems to be popular belief, however, every one of the titular/main characters – including Tech – has both development and an arc (and it’s not a flat arc, either).

So, with all that being said, let's get down to it!

This analysis is split up into three parts. Part 1 covers Tech’s baseline characteristics and personality that are established early on in the show and are reinforced (developed) throughout the story as he consistently leans into those baseline traits. Part 2 dives into how some of Tech’s baseline traits and the beliefs/perceptions that inform those traits subtly shift over the course of the show. Part 3 offers a discussion of how the interplay between some of Tech’s traits remaining stable while others change over time informs his character arc.

Part 1: Characteristics, personality, skills, and relationships that are reinforced and strengthened over the course of the show.

Part 1a. I find it fascinating how thoroughly our initial introductions to Clone Force 99 – an introduction I consider to be comprised of both the Bad Batch story in The Clone Wars and the premiere of Bad Batch – establishes the baseline personalities of each of our main characters. In this section, I first provide examples from the two introductory stories that establish a certain trait, and then provide select examples from the remainder of the show that reiterate these traits as part of Tech’s characterization. (Note: this is not an exhaustive list of examples.)

He has an “exceptional mind,” though he is not infallible.

INTRO: He is the technology/decryption guy, of course. He also fluently pronounces other languages and therefore can act as a translator. He makes split-second calculations to aid Crosshair with identifying targets. While Hunter gently pokes fun at the sheer breadth of what he calls Tech’s “useless information,” Tech does have the information and uses it to the team’s advantage - including knowing the basics of the Poletecs on Skako Minor and (as mentioned above) even being able to fluently pronounce their language. His fascination with recording everything indicates his curiosity and love for learning. He reprograms a battle droid and uses it to the squad’s advantage – and the battle simulation isn’t the first time he has done so. And he almost immediately recognizes several key differences between the operations of the Republic versus the newly-formed Empire.

OTHER: He figures out how to forge chain codes even when the Empire itself has just barely rolled them out. He knows how to scramble a ship’s signature (which is implied even in Rebels to not be common knowledge). He builds a brain scanner from scratch, which is shown to work accurately once Rex shows up and Tech finally has the comparative data needed to finish the scanner. He is the first to infer that Ryloth is under military occupation despite not being a Separatist planet. He researches the irlings after he finally knows what they are (no thanks to Cid) and comes up with a plan to handle them. Not only is he fascinated by the Zillo beast, he also pieces together that the Empire is seeking to control all cloning operations and that the Zillo can be weaponized in the hands of the right scientist. Note that he is not infallible – for example, he can sometimes get thrown off with his plans when he doesn’t have accurate data (such as when he attempts to use clone codes in the installation on Daro), and Crosshair frequently outmaneuvers him since Crosshair knows the squad’s playbook – but his success rate is such that he is not overstating things when he says “I am seldom wrong.”

He is what some might call “socially awkward,” others might identify as “autistic.”

(I am not autistic myself nor am I a psychologist, so “socially awkward” is the term that came to my mind when first describing Tech after watching his introduction in The Clone Wars. After reading others’ reasons as to why they see Tech as an autistic-coded character, I am very much inclined to agree with this description as well.)

INTRO: Upon being introduced to new regs, Tech opens with an unsolicited info dump, then spends the majority of the time looking at his data pad. He tries to stop Crosshair and Wrecker from getting into a physical fight with the regs, but is not nearly as successful as Hunter is. He seems slightly uncomfortable when Rex puts a hand on his shoulder. He is brutally honest about his opinions as he outright tells Rex and even Echo that there was some doubt over Echo’s loyalties, and he clearly is bothered by what appears to be most regs’ attitude toward his squad (especially as seen on Kamino), yet he also doesn’t initiate any conflict with the regs. Even with his own squad, with whom he is the most comfortable, he doesn't always pick up on social cues that sometimes inform the flow of conversations - he occasionally leaves out details (“I thought it was obvious”) or perhaps unnecessarily zeroes in on a given topic.

OTHER: Given that we primarily see Tech interact with his own siblings, his behavior around others who are not of his squad stands out. When first introduced to Phee, his pattern remains similar to what it was with the regs on Anaxes: when not startled into prattling on about tangential topics, he stays engrossed in his data pad. Even as his relationship with Phee deepens, there are some circumstances - such as goodbyes - where Tech seems at a total loss as to what to say and do (“Do you require a briefing?”). With Romar, Tech maintains professional detachment until Romar broaches a topic that piques Tech's curiosity. With his own squad, his communication style sometimes leads to exasperation from his brothers (read: Hunter on comms). He also takes Omega at her word when she says she wants to be left alone while they are stuck in the cave, and has to be prodded by Wrecker and Hunter that, actually, he needs to go talk to her.

He is pragmatic in terms of considering the squad's needs first, and approaches relationships, major events, and decisions from a logical/rational standpoint, taking in different sides and looking at the bigger picture (which makes sense considering how frequently he engages in risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis).

INTRO: While he may not agree with the Empire, he does take into account the official line that Palpatine’s actions were a “defensive measure” as a result of the reported Jedi assassination attempt. When he takes an interest in something/someone, he studies/analyzes them - including Omega (ex: scanning her genetic profile while they are waiting for Echo to recover after the mess hall fight).

OTHER: Not only is he the first to point out the fact that they are deserters after fleeing Kamino (and citing this as a reason to trust Cut), he is also the first to point out that the squad will need to fend for themselves and acquire their own supplies after defecting. When it’s a question over whether to take on a “side quest,” Tech brings up the squad’s physical/material needs for consideration. After Crosshair turns on the squad, Tech doubles down on learning more about the inhibitor chips in order to prove his theories. He disapproves of slavery but also shows equal relief that they will be getting paid for freeing “Muchi.” He describes the war like reciting a textbook definition: “A primary mission objective comprised of battles on various fronts.” He takes the stance on Serreno that, even without the war chest, they “are no worse off than [they] were before.” He explains to Omega that while he does “feel” change, he “cares” about it by contextualizing it as a “fundamental part of life.” He keeps the squad’s safety as his top priority and suggests a “diplomatic approach” to cutting ties with Cid given what she knows about them. He points out to Saw the strategic disadvantages of blowing up Tarkin’s base simply for the sake of, well, sticking it to the Empire.

He is (unintentionally) hilarious with a great sense of dry, blunt, situational humor.

I’m just going to let some of his own words speak for themselves here:

INTRO: “Hopefully not mental, clearly we would never pass that.” “Careful, Wrecker, your programming is kicking in.”

OTHER: “Found her,” he says nonchalantly to Echo, pointing to Omega running across an off-limits dock while in possession of forged chain codes. “It’s not affecting life support. We’re fine.” “That’s not her ugly side?” “Yes, your dangerous and uncontrolled maneuvering is as confusing to them as it is to us.” “It is an unscheduled study break.” “If I am incorrect, we will instantly be sucked out and perish. I am seldom wrong.” “You sound surprised.” “With a few repairs, it will be a slightly operational heap of junk.” “I will note the date and time to commemorate such a momentous occasion.” “The collision alarms haven’t gone off once,” Omega says, to which Tech replies, “Because it shorted out during your last lesson.” “Now that is not what it is called, but I rather like it. I suggest you proceed before I come to my senses.”

He has physical/warrior skills at least equal to a standard trained Fett clone (and often superior).

Given that Tech easily keeps up with his brothers and matches almost all of their skills (with, perhaps, the exception of Wrecker’s) during every single mission, I’m just pointing out the highlights.

INTRO: He carries Echo up through a ventilation shaft without breaking a sweat. When he’s not holding a data pad with one hand, he’s wielding double blasters.

OTHER: He shows off his piloting skills with the Marauder on Ryloth and Daro, and the transferability of his skills when hijacking and piloting both the speeder and the escape pod in the Coruscant shipyard in “Truth and Consequences.” He shows his stamina and physical strength when fighting off troops on Serreno despite his broken femur (as a physical therapist I cannot overstate how incredible of a feat this is – especially since this wasn’t some hairline fracture, his femur was crushed. Disclaimer: do NOT try this at home; if your femur is broken, please seek immediate medical attention!). He also easily takes over from Wrecker in carrying the ipsium case on Ipsidon.

He is a calculated risk-taker – a skill he puts to use primarily for the sake of his squad.

INTRO STORY: Our earliest version of “I thought it was obvious” comes when Tech is asked how the team is supposed to get on the keeradaks, and Tech replies matter-of-factly: “How else? We jump.”

OTHER: He takes the risks of first collapsing the deck to escape Crosshair’s ambush on Bracca, and then blowing up the ion engine for the squad to escape incineration. He wants his (and the squad’s) skills to be utilized to their full potential, but he also wants to know what he’s getting into (as evidenced by his requesting more information from Cid before the events on Safa Toma Speedway, and his frequent comments that Cid rarely gives them complete intel). He enters a riot race – and wins – in order to extricate the squad from being at the mercy of Millegi. On Ipsidon, his primary concern is less about having the ipsium simply to fulfill the mission for Cid and more about making sure they don’t all blow up. And on Eriadu, as always, he does what is required to keep the squad safe, including not hesitating to go out on the rail line to reboot the power, and this before sacrificing himself to give the others the chance to escape.

He is confident in his abilities and remains calm under pressure.

INTRO: “I do have a brilliant idea!” Tech immediately says when Crosshair and Wrecker are dangling off a support beam and they are all surrounded by droids. He smiles a bit as he references his own “exceptional mind.”

OTHER: When asked if he can forge chain codes, Tech replies, “I only learned of them moments ago, but yes.” “Of course I can do it,” he says about scrambling the Marauder’s signature. “I can do both,” he says, cool as a cucumber in the middle of a riot race, in reference to analyzing the track schematics while focusing on not getting injured. Tech himself recognizes this trait, referencing his own “ability to think clearly in stressful situations,” but he isn’t arrogant or condescending in saying so – he’s just right.

He has a moral compass and follows it. And even considering his pragmatism that focuses on the squad, it doesn't take much to nudge him toward choosing “the greater good” that will help others over the course of action that will more likely provide resources for the squad alone.

INTRO: He quickly identifies major differences between the Republic and the new Empire. The “systematic termination of the Jedi” bothers him enough that he shows no hesitation in joining Hunter and the others as they break away from the Empire. He also shows no hesitation in following Hunter’s lead by leaving the insurgents on Onderon alone and then returning for Omega – indeed, he even questions Crosshair for having a problem with it.

OTHER: Tech mentions the squad split from the Empire because of a “fundamental difference in ideology,” and these “fundamental differences” continue to be emphasized as Tech (along with most of his brothers) clearly disapprove of the Empire’s actions on Raxus and Ryloth, Kamino and Kashyyyk, the Empire’s treatment of clones in general, and the tactic that Tech spells out as being similar to Mokko’s operation on Ipsidon – “using power and means as leverage over [their] workers.” One example that illustrates his willingness to be nudged into “the greater good:” when Trace reveals why she and Rafa wanted the tactical droid’s intel, we linger on Tech’s reaction to this information, which to me indicates that Tech is likely the one who convinces Hunter to give the data rod with the droid’s intel to the Martez sisters. And, while Tech always speaks to material practicality when Hunter needs to decide between missions, when the decision is made to do more to help, Tech goes all in.

Above all, Tech loves his family, is loyal to them, and, in his own way, prioritizes them above all else.

This leads us into Part 1b: TECH’S EARLY RELATIONSHIPS

In this section I’ll be summarizing Tech’s relationships with his brothers. Other relationships, including that which he builds with Omega, will be covered in Part 2.

It should come as no surprise that Tech loves his family dearly, and – like any of his brothers – he was willing to lay down his life for the squad from the moment we first met him. He works seamlessly with his squad in The Clone Wars, he instantly jumps in to back up his team during the mess hall fight in “Aftermath,” and just a few examples of the ways he looks out for his family are already outlined above. Let’s take a look at the differences in his relationships with each of his brothers:

Hunter: Clone Force 99 may be deviant and have no qualms about disobeying orders; but when it comes to having Hunter as a leader, Tech is a devoted follower. Given that Tech certainly has a mind and standards of his own, the fact that Tech so loyally follows Hunter’s lead is as much a testament to Hunter’s strong and thoughtful leadership and moral code as it is to Tech’s character. Tech openly shares his opinions, knowledge, and plans with Hunter; but whatever Hunter decides, Tech will follow through. We see this when Tech looks to Hunter for verification before jumping to hyperspace from Bracca and before acting on Senator Singh’s suggestion on Raxus, and when Tech hesitates but still follows Hunter’s order to leave him behind on Daro. Of note, even though the entire squad decides they want to go after the war chest on Serreno, they (and Tech) wait until Hunter gives in before proceeding. And, exasperated though Hunter may sometimes get with Tech, Hunter deeply trusts and relies on his brother, and frequently adopts his intel and plans.

Echo: Tech and Echo strike me as besties who frequently annoy each other (let’s face it, Echo is the one who’s annoyed most of the time). Tech was more than willing to help save Echo’s life (indeed, he ensured it by being the one who safely disconnected Echo from the experimental equipment and carried him through the ventilation shaft), but when it came to Echo participating in combat Tech still had doubts about Echo’s loyalty; however, once Echo had proven himself to be a loyal brother in battle, Tech was open and welcoming of the idea of Echo joining the squad (lest there be any doubt: Tech smiles at Echo after the invitation to join Clone Force 99 is extended. Enough said). When it comes to advising Hunter, Tech and Echo tend to serve as foils: Tech offers the more practical, squad-first side, while Echo pushes for the do more/do better, “greater good” side. The two of them frequently work closely together as their skill sets complement each other; and, while Echo bluntly calls out Tech as much as any of the other members of the squad when a plan goes awry, Echo clearly trusts Tech’s plans and skills. In turn, Tech shares his own viewpoints with Echo and doesn't hesitate to call his brother out either (such as when Echo keeps complaining about helping Senator Singh); and it becomes clear early on that Tech misses Echo after his departure when it's revealed that Tech knows Echo's comm is disabled.

Wrecker: If we were to select two brothers with seemingly opposite personalities, Tech and Wrecker would be the most obvious choice. To put it in overly simple terms, Tech is the brain of the group, while Wrecker is the heart; and with any other characters this could be a recipe for relationship disaster. However, both brothers love each other enough and are both low-drama enough that the teasing and even straight-up disagreements never escalate to full blown arguments or grudges. Tech may suggest that Wrecker learn the hand signals and reiterate that he himself HAS memorized them, thank you very much; but he’ll quickly follow up with explaining the plan in terms he knows Wrecker will immediately recognize. Wrecker may tease Tech for not knowing the odds of escaping slavers and zone out when Tech attempts to explain himself; but when Tech tells Wrecker to fight a rancor to assert dominance, Wrecker is on it with no questions asked, and when Tech volunteers for a death race, Wrecker will be openly worried about him. The worst we see of them bickering with each other is when Tech is clearly affected by Echo’s departure but trying not to show it and therefore takes his irritation out on Wrecker, and even that friction quickly blows over, as Tech soon accepts some responsibility and Wrecker doesn’t hold a grudge.

Crosshair: we actually don’t get to see much of Tech and Crosshair directly interacting (cue me screaming into the void 😭💔), but the little we do see, along with snippets of information dropped throughout the show, paint a decent picture – mostly of Tech’s views of Crosshair. We see them fight seamlessly as a team in The Clone Wars, with Tech providing direction and targets for Crosshair and (one of my top favorite moments) casually tilting his head for Crosshair to steady the rifle on his shoulder. Months before Tech’s famous line that outright states how well he understands his brother, we see that Tech is the first to suspect something is actually off with Crosshair – long before the others really take note of Crosshair’s odd behavior, Tech is already closely eyeing Crosshair in the barracks – and that it might be due to the “programming;” he is the first to posit the idea the Crosshair’s behavior is due to the inhibitor chip; he respects Crosshair enough as a brother that he also respects Crosshair’s decision to stay with the Empire (even if Tech doesn’t agree with it); and he tells Phee about his absentee brother in a way that, while Crosshair’s “sparkling personality” is apparent, equally obvious is the fact that Tech considers Crosshair a friend/comrade (especially telling, considering that this conversation must have taken place before Tech discovered Crosshair had turned on the Empire). And, while we never get an on-screen depiction of Crosshair’s reaction to Tech’s death nor do we get much closure on this point (cue me screaming into the void again 😭💔😭💔), Crosshair’s infamous line in the finale reads to me as Crosshair desperately missing his brother and feeling his absence, if not also feeling some measure of (undeserved) guilt over Tech’s death. So, Tech and Crosshair worked well together within the group, Tech strove to understand Crosshair’s nature and how it informed his decisions, and Tech loved his brother enough to push for a rescue mission when it became a real possibility that Crosshair might actually accept the squad’s help.

Part 2: Character perspectives and beliefs that shift over the course of the show.

As shown above, the show primarily leans in on and deepens traits and relationships Tech already has developed; and given that Tech is already the openminded, big-picture, practical, curious and always-learning genius of the squad, it might seem at first glance that the show slacks on letting him develop in the “new traits/hobbies/goals” department. But Tech gets development here as well, primarily through new relationships and situations that provide him with key paradigm shifts.

First and foremost, development occurs for Tech in the form of a growing relationship with a brand-new member of the team: Omega.

Omega endears herself to Tech as soon as she indicates that she wants to be associated with the group. However, Tech – like the rest of the squad – has to adapt and account for the presence of an untrained child on the team. Nowhere is this clearer than on Saleucami, when Tech’s seemingly seamless plan has clearly NOT factored in “child behavior" (and he still has a bit of a learning curve with children in general as, some time later on Ryloth, he states that Hera’s situation may not be dire as “children often overreact.”) However, Tech does adapt relatively quickly, and soon it is apparent he has adopted the “supportive but not overbearing older brother” role. He aligns more with Echo in recognizing Omega’s skills and putting them to good use while also expanding upon them. He rarely, if ever, voices any opposition to Omega being present on missions; and while he is rather less hyperfocused on Omega’s whereabouts than Hunter or even Echo are (how many times does Echo have to ask Tech “Where’s Omega?”), he still does everything he can to protect her – not least by ensuring she has all the knowledge she needs to excel as a cunning strategist and warrior. All the members of the squad train Omega in different areas, but Tech is Omega’s primary tutor and mentor of general and sundry topics, strict about keeping her focused on her studies but also recognizing when circumstances warrant “unscheduled study breaks” and readily allowing Omega to participate in the action, as well as acknowledging and implementing Omega’s ideas and suggestions during missions.

This new relationship opens the door to a key development for Tech. Omega's "We're more than [soldiers], we're a family" line seems to be the moment that shifts Tech toward considering his roles outside of the soldier paradigm. These clones had been raised as soldiers; it was all they ever knew, it was their very identity. They called each other "brothers," so to them, “squad” must equal “family” - the terms would be synonymous. And even as Tech was the first to state the obvious fact that they were deserters after “Aftermath,” he and the rest of the team continued acting as soldiers and functioning as a military unit – again, this being what they understood as “brothers” and “family.” Omega is the first to make a clear distinction between being a soldier (as part of a squad) and being a member of a family; and while Tech is initially thrown for a loop, I think this statement is what opens his eyes to the possibility that he and his brothers are and can remain a family, have roles and responsibilities, and apply their skills in ways other than being soldiers. And we see this shift come into play later as Tech reveals that he, like Hunter, wants to stay on Pabu to help the people rebuild: Tech, who had earlier indicated that he wanted his skills put to good use, is considering ways he can use his talents in roles outside of being a soldier operating in battles and conflicts.

Romar plays a small but distinct role in shifting Tech’s perspective on history, culture, and the impact of the war on the citizens of the galaxy. Recall that Tech had described the war to Omega as if reciting an encyclopedia entry, devoid of any thoughts on how the missions and battles may have had a personal/emotional impact, and initially views Romar’s data core as a “Separatist archive.” Romar, however, brings a much more personal approach to the effect of the war: he doesn't seem to care for politics either way, both the Separatist and the Republic (now Imperial) cause has exploited and destroyed Serreno, and he has no interest in treasure but rather in legacy, in the preservation of his culture and history, which existed before the war and - if Romar has anything to say about it - will exist after. And Tech is clearly touched by this perspective: he is thoughtful as he admits that he had never considered Serrenian culture outside of and apart from the Separatist/Republic debate, and the task of preserving even a slice of Serrenian history seems to become personal for him as he resolutely states, “Oh, I can handle that,” in reference to repairing the data core. Tech, who - like all the clones - has a war to thank for his very existence, and who has literally only ever known life within the framework of his role and working relationship with a military - either as a soldier or a deserter or a mercenary - sees the possibilities of life and tradition extending far beyond the narrow confines of war and conflict, thanks to Romar’s influence.

And then there's Phee, who unwittingly takes the lesson Tech had learned from Romar - history and culture doesn't have to be defined within the Separatist/Republic dichotomy - and expands it by teaching Tech to not brush off discarded and unknown items as “junk,” but rather to look at things with a different perspective and thereby find hidden treasures. Phee’s examination of “junk” materials yields the discovery of a compass that leads Tech and the squad to ancient wonders and new knowledge - and of course Tech’s “interest is certainly piqued.” She continues to gently shift Tech’s perspective by eventually revealing that her actual motivation as a “pirate” truly does lend credence to her being a self-described “liberator of ancient wonders,” and by prodding Tech into putting down the datapad long enough to enjoy a sunset. She goes the furthest in offering Tech and his family a life far separated from being soldiers by introducing them to a community, people who accept them without ultimately demanding that they remain soldiers, a place that welcomes people of all backgrounds and values their history. And, of course, she is the first to open up the possibility for Tech of developing a deep friendship with the distinct potential for romance.

And so, while Tech remains our logical, rational, socially awkward, self-confident, calm, curious, risk-taking warrior, these traits expand to include Tech assimilating and acting on new perspectives, ideas, and possibilities outside the rigid framework of a military identity.

Part 3: How Tech’s baseline personality and subsequent paradigm shifts inform his character arc.

There are diverse themes running through the show, but one theme stands out as a common thread that not only links Clone Force 99 to all the other clones and their plight, but also serves as the driving force behind the character arcs for most of the titular characters. Each character’s journey (Omega being the one exception) in this story revolves around each of them answering these questions:

“We were born and bred to be soldiers of the Republic. It is our entire identity, culture, and purpose. So what do we do when the Republic is no more, the war we were born for is over, and we face the possibility of being decommissioned? What are we if we are not soldiers?”

Crosshair’s arc is the most obvious as he goes from clinging so tightly to his identity as a soldier that he is willing to walk away from his family and throw in with the Empire, to eventually giving up the soldier life and retiring with his family on Pabu. Hunter’s and Echo’s arcs almost act as foils to Crosshair’s, but from different approaches: Echo deliberately chooses to stay in the fight and continues soldiering, but for a bigger cause he believes in and is one that aligns more closely with the ideals of the other members of his squad; whereas Hunter finds himself feeling that he needs to remain a soldier to protect his family from the Empire and has a difficult time letting go of that role even as other options open up to him, until the missions tragically lead to the loss of one of his brothers… and then he remains fighting as a soldier only long enough to recover what he can of his family and peripherally help Echo as needed.

Tech’s and Wrecker’s arcs are more subtle than those of their brothers, since these two are very much the “followers” in the group and seem content to continue following Hunter’s lead (especially since they agree with Hunter’s morals) and keep the squad intact as much as possible. But arcs they do have as their development leads to them individually answering the driving question of the show. Tech’s arc, of course, is tragically cut short before all the pieces can come to full fruition, but his trajectory has still taken him to where he is not exactly the same person he was when we first met him, even as his core personality has remained the same.

The squad splits apart in the first episode of the show as each one answers the question of what they will do when the Republic is no more. Tech won’t stay with the Empire since he recognizes early on that it very clearly isn’t the Republic and he doesn’t agree with the direction the Imperial ideology appears to be heading, and with this in mind he unquestioningly backs up Hunter.

Tech, Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo just as quickly find themselves adapting to new responsibilities as the protectors and caregivers of an adolescent clone who, unlike every other clone they have encountered, has not received military training (and doesn’t even know what dirt is). They can no longer “just” be an efficient elite military unit, knowing and trusting each other’s strengths and weaknesses so well that all they have to do is communicate a plan number before charging in with confidence; now, at the same time that they are grappling with Crosshair's departure, they have to learn the extent of Omega’s capabilities and take on the task of teaching and training her to be a part of the team, not only because she wants this, but because it is necessary for her very survival. As noted in previous sections, Tech – along with the others – adjusts relatively quickly and his relationship with Omega blossoms as he embraces his teaching role.

But, while one part of the driving theme - “What do we do when the Republic is no more, the war we were born for is over, and we face the possibility of being decommissioned” - is answered rather quickly, Tech’s answer to the rest of the question – “What are we if we are not soldiers” – is a slow burn. Why? Because being soldiers is so deeply ingrained into their identities that the squad quite literally knows nothing else, and therefore they continue acting and defining themselves relative to the “soldier” framework for months, even years: when they are not soldiers for a cause, they are soldiers who left a cause (deserters), or soldiers for hire (mercenaries). Even the teaching/mentoring role centers on training Omega to be a soldier.

And Tech doesn’t seem to mind sticking to a soldier-like role, even early on in season 2 when he begins to see the possibilities of life outside of being a soldier. This is understandable: the squad is stuck with Cid, who has absolutely no qualms about openly blackmailing them. Besides, Tech’s top priority is and always will be his family, and if continuing to act as a soldier is what keeps them alive and together, then Tech won’t even question it. But when a real opportunity comes to settle down with his squad – his family – into a purpose and place away from the soldier/mercenary life, Tech is one of the first to openly say that he wants to take it. He has been given a different perspective on what “family” can mean, and he quickly sees not only the opportunity for his sister to have friends “her own age and who don’t share her genetic profile,” but also the positive effect this has on her (“I have not heard her laugh like that in some time”). He recognizes that his intelligence and skills can be of value to a community that needs help rebuilding and recovering. He is clearly interested in spending more time with Phee (if anyone doubts this, I invite you to keep track of the number of times Tech smiles specifically at Phee in “Pabu”). After months/years of answering “What are we if we are not soldiers” with a matter-of-fact “The question is moot, because we are soldiers,” Tech now expresses interest in pursuing other roles and purposes on a long-term basis: “I am a soldier, AND I can be more.”

True to form, however, and emphasizing yet again that his family’s safety is Tech’s top priority, when it turns out Crosshair’s chosen path has landed him on the wrong side of the Empire, Tech will push for embarking on another mission for the sake of saving his brother. Tech may otherwise be content staying on Pabu and becoming something more than (or even in addition to) a soldier; but when his family’s wellbeing is on the line, Tech will fight.

And so, while Tech’s character arc is cut short before he can enjoy a life of retirement and newfound purpose with his family and friends on Pabu, the fact remains that Tech did indeed have a character arc in that he had answered the main questions of the show, he had made a choice and was well on his way to following through on that decision. The only consideration that pushed him back into the fight was the chance to bring Crosshair home.

I have said before that I don't consider Tech’s sacrifice as a defining part of his character arc, since this seems to imply that self-sacrifice was a trait Tech had ever struggled with and/or needed to develop. This implication, of course, is patently incorrect: Tech has demonstrated time and again that he will put himself at immense risk – including risk of death – to save his squad (indeed, the same could be said for every one of the Bad Batch members). What I will say here in reference to Tech’s sacrifice on Eriadu is that he died* to fulfill what he had already proven to be his first priority: save his family.

He died*, NOT because he couldn’t stop being a soldier – he had already decided he could be more than just a soldier, that was part of his arc – but because he was and always would be a brother.

*I put the asterisk by the word “died” because I will never stop holding out hope that someone of influence at Lucasfilm will take pity on us poor “please for the love of everything good in this world let Tech live!” souls and allow Tech to be brought back.

^(Also I'm including two more images because I can and because it's Tech 😍)

In summary: Tech’s character development primarily consists of the show re-emphasizing and bolstering his core character traits and relationships, while also subtly expanding his perspective of life outside of war and identity beyond being a soldier. To that end, Tech’s character arc involved him not only splitting from the Empire and becoming a devoted brother and teacher to Omega, but also ultimately deciding to pursue interests, roles, and relationships in addition to his soldier identity.

#the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #tbb tech #tbb analysis #give me time and more snacks and i could literally turn this into a thesis #welcome to another long winded analysis #hope you enjoyed your stay

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