The Bad Batch is doing great things by bringing characters from other Star Wars shows. While all the characters in the Batch originally appeared in The Clone Wars, there are a few who didn’t. But with the new season of The Bad Batch, the show brings back a popular character from the past and reveals their fate to us. Finally. In a show about special clones who go rogue and embark on adventures, their paths cross with a few other clones in similar, if not drastically different situations. Just like that, one of the episodes of season 2 brings back The Bad Batch Clone Wars character, and in a way, redeems them from their last appearance.
Disclaimer: Please note that the following will contain spoilers for The Bad Batch season 2 episode 3 titled ‘The Solitary Clone’.
The Bad Batch Clone Wars Character Everyone Loved
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The Bad Batch characters originally appeared in The Clone Wars animated show. That is not news to anyone. But the show as a whole, almost acts as a sequel to The Clone Wars. As shown by the first ever episode’s opening credits that began as ‘The Clone Wars’, and then scratched away to reveal ‘The Bad Batch.
Similarly, the first season of The Bad Batch saw a lot of Clone Wars characters appear. Most notably, the most famous Clone Trooper, Captain Rex. An older Rex became a regular character in Star Wars: Rebels’ later seasons. However, we saw Rex in The Bad Batch right after the events of Order 66. Rex was instrumental in convincing the Batch to remove the chips in their heads. But Rex is not the Bad Batch Clone Wars character we’re discussing today.
How Commander Cody Became A Very Memorable Clone
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Commander Cody was the second in command to General Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars. The clone was one of the very few clones who stood out as someone who worked side by side with the Jedi during the Clone Wars. Both the actual war and the animated series. However, the last we saw of Commander Cody, was not in the best light.
Appearing in Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith, Cody was the Clone Trooper who ordered the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi following Order 66. It was right after Emperor Palpatine sent out the galaxy-wide command that triggered hidden programming within all Clone Troopers to kill all Jedi. Despite being such a trusted ally of the Jedi who worked along with Kenobi for years, Cody’s programming took over and he mercilessly ordered his troops to open fire and kill Kenobi. While that was the last we had seen of Cody, The Bad Batch brings back this Clone Wars character.
Crosshair Meets Bad Batch Clone Wars Character Commander Cody
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In episode 3 of The Bad Batch season 2, we finally see what happened to Crosshair after the events of the season 1 finale. Apparently stranded on Kamino for weeks, Crosshair later rejoined the Empire, but removed from active duty. After his clearance he gets saddled with a new commander for a new mission, instead of leading it himself. His new commander? Commander Cody, of course.
When the two first meet, it seems very casual, even though they’re both here because they betrayed the ones they were closest to. Cody with Kenobi, and Crosshair with his brothers in the Bad Batch. But they both justify it as, ‘following orders’. On their new mission though, they have to rescue an Imperial Officer taken hostage by the government of a separatist planet. While Cody and Crosshair bond as they storm the place, Cody is faced with a difficult decision. The governor pleads that all she wants is peace. Not to be part of the Empire. Just peace. Cody promises to hear her out and take her case up the chain. But the Imperial Officer commands her execution. Cody hesitates, clearly having a crisis of conscience. Crosshair does not, as he shoots her dead.
How Commander Cody Questions Himself And His Mission
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The experience changes Cody, as he begins to question everything the Clone Troopers are doing. It’s also a significant moment in the legacy of the Clone Troopers. The Clone Wars series spent seven seasons proving to us how individualistic, intricate and unique each Clone Trooper was. So taking Order 66 at face value would mean that the programming took away everything that made them so distinct from one another. But that’s not the case. It didn’t just activate a switch that made every Clone Trooper evil or a villain.
It just wiped away their loyalty to the Jedi and forced them to act in the perceived best interest of the then-Republic, now Empire. But as Vice-Admiral Rampart (Noshir Dalal) informs Crosshair at the end, many clones seem to have had second thoughts and question their continued service to the Empire. Many, have gone AWOL. Just like Commander Cody does at the end of this episode, leaving Crosshair, alone once more.
What Does This Mean For The Clones
Image via Disney+.
The implication of this new information and Cody’s actions is that the Clones never thought that Order 66 was the evil act that we all did. They thought they were doing their jobs. But they were still logical and empathetic soldiers who fought side by side with the Jedi. So their sense of right and wrong, and moral compass are still determined by those experiences. Even though the Jedis aren’t around anymore.
So when faced with situations that conflict that that sense, Commander Cody, and it seems other Clone Troopers, are waking up to the fact that the Empire itself is evil. And abandoning it accordingly. It’s an interesting concept that we haven’t seen explored in any other Star Wars canon on screen before. What does means in the long run, and how it affects these Bad Batch Clone Wars characters, remains to be seen.
Episode 3 of The Bad Batch Season 2 is now on Disney+.
What did you think of Commander Cody’s appearance on The Bad Batch? Does any of this new information change your mind about him, or is he still a bad guy in your eyes because he tried to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi? Let me know in the comments below.
