#Imperial Cloning Program

[calebjorgens2024]

when I fell asleep at 3:00 in the afternoon and awoke at 8:00, I dreamt that Scorch is actually a deep-cover agent for Rex. And being a trained clone commando, he hides his intentions very very well. What I can recall is that Scorch has hidden guilt about taking Omega away but he had no choice but to do his duty and that he was secretly glad she and Crosshair had escaped Weyland and Mount Tantiss. What I can recall is that, as Omega escaped; Scorch would mutter to himself “stay safe sister. Run away and never look back. It’s a dangerous galaxy out there.”

this could be the start of an idea of mine of which Scorch plays his role as a seemingly subservient clone commando very well!

[calebjorgens2024]

This has promptly started me on further continuing on my own Imperial!Tech AU on top of already having an idea where Royce Hemlock coerces Tech to work for the Empire’s Advanced Science Division. To Hemlock in that idea, turning Tech into an assassin would be a waste, as his enhanced intellect is more important; as a result. Tech would be an unwilling Imperial Scientist up until to the time of the Return of the Jedi; This idea would be loaded with tragic angst regarding Tech encountering this fateful position! And so with that idea, Tech becomes an unwilling Scientist for the empire without the need of a chip and is always on guard as to not let any higher ranked imperial know what he plans to do.

Imperial Tech

[redbean-nom]

kind of funny that 80% of star wars media released after the sequels has been dedicated to explaining the "somehow" of palpatine's return

[tychee123]

does anybody else think about how that as rex aged he became less and less recognisable because clones never lived long enough to get old

[copalcetic]

I think sometimes people forget just how old Alexsandr Kallus is.

Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide, which came out during season one, refers to him as “late 30s.” Season one of Rebels is set 5 BBY; if Kallus is 36-39 then, that puts his birthdate at 41-44 BBY, and makes him about a decade older than Kanan.

The Republic fell in 19 BBY. Kallus would have been 22-25 years old. The Clone Wars started in 22 BBY. Kallus would have been 19-23 years old. Academy service starts at age 16. Unless Kallus was a very late bloomer, it is extremely likely his recruitment and training happened not under the Empire but under the Republic.

I know Wookieepedia says “Kallus attended the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant, the main campus of the new regime's military training program,” but its source for that is the comic “Kallus’s Hunt,” and I have the comic right here and it never says that. Kallus talks a lot in the comic about what it means to serve the Empire and Imperial justice, but when he’s discussing his backstory with Jovan, it’s “We arrived on Coruscant and graduated from the main academy at the same time.” 

Not “the Royal Imperial Academy”; “the main academy.” We know from the High Republic books that there has been an academy on Coruscant since at least the High Republic era. There is no particular reason to believe from this comic that the academy was under Imperial control at the time Kallus attended it, and in fact his backstory with Jovan (they were friends at the academy, then had a philosophical difference later in life about what it meant to serve the Empire) makes a lot more sense if the “serving the Empire” part comes after their time at the academy together.

The other time Kallus references his academy days is in “Through Imperial Eyes,” when he asks Yularen if he remembers him “from the academy,” and Yularen says “Of course… I keep tabs on all my star pupils.” Again: “the academy.” Not “the Imperial Academy.” And we know from Clone Wars that Yularen’s career starts as a Republic Navy officer; why assume he was teaching Kallus under the Empire? Given how busy Yularen was in the early days of the Empire, it makes a lot more sense if his time teaching at the academy predates the Clone Wars. You know: back when Kallus was the right age to be at the academy.

Tl;dr: like Yularen and Tarkin, Kallus is probably a former Republic officer who stayed to become an Imperial officer after the change of regime. His intensely pro-Imperial feelings in early Rebels don't come from being indoctrinated from childhood; they come from having served under both the Republic and the Empire and concluding (or convincing himself) that the Empire is better. And I find that much more interesting as character backstory.

[trixree]

The brain worms are ON ONE tonight folks I am thinking about Cody/Maul/Obi-Wan post order 66 living on tattooine together

like what if Maul sought out Obi-Wan's Commander shortly after O66 to get obsessive freaky closure about how Obes died (feels robbed of the kill, generally mentally ill about it, etc.) and is like "he is useless to me with all this fucking Imperial programing in the way" and does Force Stuff to break Cody's chip and what if Cody Wakes Up and goes "I can use this fucked up little guy to get to my General, who I believe survived, and then I'll just kill him easy peasy and live happily ever after with my husband" so he tells Maul that Obi-Wan is probably alive, actually, and cue a really violent road trip of them retracing Obi-Wan's steps in the hours after O66 via Imperial intel and hyper competence on both of their parts and

OH NO WHAT IF THEY START TO FALL IN LOVE like the forced proximity of it all...LISTEN TO ME. the intimacy of fighting alongside someone and having a functional partnership that's turned Dependency on both of your part's because you were both Traumatized in surprisingly similar ways (raised as a tool of violence for someone else's purpose, same guy actually!) and also have a similar goal via your mutual obsession with this one guy and actually, he's not that bad for a sith/clone, and by the time they get wise to Luke's existence and gun it for Tatooine, Maul is like "if I kill Kenobi this is going to upset Cody. That is Unideal. Can i live with not killing Kenobi?" and Cody is like "I cannot kill him afterall, I like him too much, how the FUCK am I going to explain this to Obi let alone any of the mind control & sorry i tried to kill you shit"

and what if Obi-Wan kept Luke because Reasons and is just so goddamn thankful for some extra childcare help (Luke's in his terrible 2s and he's force sensitive -- Obi's more sleep deprived than he ever was during the clone wars) that he really doesn't give a shit at all that it's his ex that tried to kill him for some mystery reason and motherfucking Maul on his doorstep. help is help 🙏 and they bang and stuff of course okay I'm only human

[adh-d2]

There's a sentiment I've been seeing a lot of in critique of The Bad Batch (especially season 2): why do the Batch keep returning to Cid when she's clearly taking advantage of them and treating them so poorly?

And yeah, I get the frustration. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be frustrating. I also agree that it causes some pacing issues with the show. But if you think it's out of character, implausible, or just a lazy way for the writers to maintain the status quo, oh boy do I strongly disagree.

Not only are these men genetically engineered and programmed since birth to be obedient, they've literally never been socialised outside of the military cult they grew up in. Sure they must have interacted with sapients other than the Kaminoans and the Jedi when they were on missions, but never without oversight or standing orders. Never long enough to learn the type of instincts and autonomy most of us develop as children. Of course they latched onto the first 'ally' who gave them orders. It's all they've ever known.

As much as this show explores the utter fucked-up-ness of how Order 66 and Imperial rule affected the clones, it's also showing us how fucked up their treatment was under the Republic and the Jedi Order. We're watching them deprogram and integrate into society for the first time, and we're seeing how vulnerable they are while doing so. Of course it's a bumpy road.

[lightwise]

WHY MAYDAY IS A MIRROR OF REX (AND ALL OF CROSSHAIR’S BROTHERS)

AKA How Crosshair predicted his own redemption arc.

There have been many comparisons made between Mayday and Rex/The Bad Batch, but I have kept myself from ranting about The Outpost for too long and I figured I should get this out there before this week’s new episode hits. 

Crosshair is cynical and snarky when we meet him in The Clone Wars (as is the norm for his personality, but there’s a special edge to it in S7 E1). The first words out of his mouth are “we don’t usually work with regs.”

(I am not sure who first posted this image set, so if you know who to credit please reach out).

Now in TBB E12, the episode opens with Crosshair watching regular clones being told about the retirement bill by an imperial officer. His helmet is off and they have no armor on. He’s face to face with them. He seems interested in their conversation but is still removed, separate. He still thinks this doesn't affect him.

Once he ships out to Barton 4, we meet Mayday by hearing his voice before he rounds the corner into our view. The immediate thought that flew into my mind was, “that’s Rex’s voice.” Other than Rex himself, we as the audience and especially Crosshair as a character have not heard that warm, snarky, calm tone that signifies that commanding officer’s “regular clone voice” much this season. Mayday’s voice is a little deeper than Rex’s, but he has the same commanding yet casual tone and demeanor. As weary and frustrated as he is at the lack of support from the Empire, Mayday chooses to express it with a level of snarkiness that would have made Tech, Echo, or Rex himself proud. 

Or as Rex once said, "It's Captain, sir."

"Experience outranks everything."

Mayday and his squad are wrapped in mummified cloth strips, and he states that his men are all “dead. We’re all that’s left.” Three of them, to mimic the three troopers being forced into retirement that Crosshair had seen before arriving. They are dead men walking. And so are the rest of the clones. 

Mayday brings the light to Crosshair. And starts talking to him, man to man, like a friend. Like a brother. He asks him his name. Crosshair’s first encounters with Rex were Rex going after Echo, pulling him free from mindless programming and reminding him what his name really was. 

“What brought you here.” “Just lucky, I guess.” Luck isn’t a word that Crosshair typically uses to describe his experiences. He usually relies on and points out his superiority, his skills, his uniqueness. He knows he hasn’t engineered this meeting, and yet Mayday’s mannerisms are already starting to find the chinks in his metaphorical armor. 

“I’ll give you the lay of the land.” Like Hunter would. “Conditions have degraded our equipment.” Like Tech could have helped with. “I’m not an explosives expert.” Wrecker is. 

Mayday lays out the helmets of his fallen squad in a memorial, the same way Rex and Ahsoka do after order 66. Reverence and respect for the dead, even when it seems meaningless. Crosshair has let himself be deadened by the Empire, yet Mayday treats him with interest and respect, drawing him back out of himself. Mayday even shows the same respect for the raider who had been attacking his base, saying that he was bothered that his men had left him there to die. 

Crosshair is still throwing up his shields, like he did at the end of season 1 when he tried to convince his brothers to join him. “We’re not like the regs, we never have been. We’re superior.” 

And all of a sudden, Crosshair will die if Mayday doesn’t save him. If he doesn’t fully trust him to disarm the pressure mine he has gotten himself into. He has continued to choose to step in places that are a pressure mine waiting to go off, waiting to swallow him whole. And until now he has made enemies of anyone who has tried to help him.

Mayday saves his life, and now they’re working as a team, silently and in unison. They realize that all this effort and loss of life has been for mere equipment (that’s for their replacements, no less). Their lives really are worth even less than the epithet "used equipment" that Nolan spits in Crosshair’s face when they first meet. 

Hunter had tried to tell him on Kamino: “Can’t you see they’re using you? We’re loyal to each other, not some empire.”

Crosshair: “YOU weren’t loyal to me. I was one of you. You may have forgotten, but I haven’t. I’m going to give you what you never gave me–a chance.” Only now, after Mayday gave him that chance, is he willing to admit that Hunter was right.

How many times have those words haunted Crosshair’s thoughts?

Now this was interesting to me. Crosshair incidentally causes an avalanche by targeting a group of explosives in order to end their shootout, cracks fissuring up the mountainside. Once before he was maneuvered into a situation not of his own free will (when his chip is enhanced on Kamino), yet he stubbornly pursued that scenario when he chose to stay on the platform at the end of season 1. Once again, he is put into a situation against his will by being brought to Barton 4, but this time, he ends up creating a scenario where his choices from this moment will now have the opposite effect.

Mayday shoves Crosshair out of the way, saving his life once again. A pile of snow rips Crosshair’s helmet off of his face, and as Mayday is buried, Crosshair re-emerges his true self. 

“We have to move.” Rex’s words throughout almost all of their Clone Wars arc. Rex is selfless, telling Echo to go with the Batch if that was the best place for him. Letting Echo leave him behind, essentially. Mayday begs Crosshair to leave him behind and save himself. They both want what’s best for others. And their examples rub off on the men they save. Echo constantly does what he can to help his brothers escape the Empire. Crosshair’s sheer stubbornness that up until now has kept him tethered to the Empire, refuses to leave Mayday behind. He can’t watch another brother die in front of him. Not anymore. 

"You're still their brother, Crosshair. You're my brother too." Omega's plea to him.

So Crosshair risks his life to carry Mayday back. A REG. He refuses to let go of him the whole journey. He lets him use his sniper rifle as a crutch. All of his defenses are finally down, and he not only cares, but is willing to show he cares, BEGS ON HIS KNEES to his commanding officer for help, to show that he DOES CARE.

Finally, this struck me. We almost never see Crosshair using a hand blaster. He’s a sniper. Yet both in his encounter with his brothers on Kamino in season 1, and his confrontation with Nolan here, Crosshair picks up a regular blaster. He’s not being the sniper, distant and removed, making a kill from afar with his own rifle. This is up close, personal, a messy choice. With a hand blaster, a regular clone’s weapon. 

Crosshair’s conversation with Hunter on Kamino reads back as though he is pleading with himself to not make the same mistake twice, to stop running from his fears, to finally embrace who he is–a clone. To embrace his real purpose–protecting his brothers.  He’s made his choice. He doesn’t expect to survive. The vultures are circling both of them. In season 1 Hunter stuns him and he falls to his knees and then to the floor, passing out. Here, he snarls “Lieutenant,” in a sarcastic tribute to how Mayday had first addressed Nolan, and becomes an Angel of Death. He avenges Mayday and redeems himself, and once again falls forward and passes out with the last of his strength gone.

[freesia-writes]

TBB S3 Trailer Screencaps to Analyze

Go to town, peeps. ;)

Who's in the top left? Wrecker? And who's he carrying?

There's speculation that this is imperial Tech but it also might just be another "Clone X" specimen? Same as this guy below?

Is Crosshair's armor white or is that just a glare of sorts?

Do you see Omega (middle) and Crosshair (right) in their Tantiss suits?!

Where is this?

What's this, what's she programming?

This scene (where Hunter's getting eaten, no thank you!!) has similar fog coloring to this scene below (damn you writers)

Have fun! ;)

[melymigo]

I find Rampart a funny addition to the last episodes, and I love Noshir Dalal and his interpretation of him, but I think it's important to not forget who Rampart is. The War Mantle program to replace Clone Troopers for the TK troopers was his initiative; he only saw Crosshair as a tool to help him convey his objectives; he targeted the Syndullas, sent Howzer to prison; he always despised the clones and even tried to murder Senator Chuchi, sending one of those X Clone troopers (he knows about that program too); He killed Wilco, He mocked Crosshair when he returned to the Empire after being stranded on Kamino for 32 rotations and possibly lied about Cody's AWOL status; and finally, he made clear his stance in that short conversation he had with Crosshair in the last episode. So, I don't think he is trustworthy. Not yet. Like Senator Organa said to Senator Chuchi, "Rampart is skilled at saying all the right things, especially when he doesn't want anyone looking deeper.".

He is not getting the Kallus arc, and I do not believe the writers are trying to give him one.

Also, I have seen a lot of people say that Crosshair might sacrifice to prove Rampart is wrong about him. But in my opinion, that is bullshit. Crosshair doesn't need to prove anything, and less to that Imperial hydrosnake who Rampart is. 

I'm just begging that the writers don't go that route. And if Crosshair is going to die, better not be for Rampart or try to do something for him.

btw I love Noshir and how he engages with the fandom on X. This is not a hate post to Noshir.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Omg I had an idea and now I need to share it

@inkstainedhandswithrings and @saturn-sends-hugs you're being dragged into this too :)

Do we think that there is a possibility that Echo's chip worked a little stronger on him than his brothers?

Echo was a rule-follower, to a higher degree than a lot of his siblings, and we know that the chip influences behaviour and prevents clones from being too disobedient, so do we think that there is a chance that Echo's just worked a little stronger on him? We know the chip works to varying degrees in different clones, so it wouldn't surprise me if Echo's chip was a major factor as to why Echo was so stringent about regulations (even Cutup jokes that he got left in his growth tank too long and that's why he is the way he is).

Now, I do think part of it is just Echo and his personality, but also, Echo's absolute battshittery and chaotic behaviour seems to become very prevalent after Skako Minor, which was when his chip's programming got wiped. We know the chips didn't work in most of the Batch because of their defects and that probably explains a lot of why they just don't do anything that they're supposed to.

Echo before Skako would read reg manuals for fun and following Cutups unfortunate end to a Rishi eel was like "well that's why we don't go outside!".

But Echo after the chip was removed? Jumping on winged beasts with no question, hijacking AT-STs, going up droid chutes to infiltrate Imperial ships, being proud of Omega for releasing the zillo BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING.

Part of it was being around so many chaotic siblings, but I think part of it may have been influenced by the fact that the thing that was designed to stop him from being a complete menace is no longer working.

[calebjorgens2024]

Star Wars: Imperial Shadow

in light of the third season of the Bad Batch, this is how I will think how Tech potentially operates as the shadow clone assassin known as CX-2, I must remind you there will be angst in this.

After his fall to his near death on Eriadu following his noble enactment of Plan 99, Clone Commando CT-9902 “Tech”, the brains of the Bad Batch and second in command to Hunter is rescued by Dr. Royce Hemlock of the Empire’s Advanced Science Division

however, Tech will have to feign compliance to Hemlock’s wishes!

He is taken to Tantiss on Weyland where he will undergo some reconditioning, however due to Tech’s brilliant exceptional mind it doesn’t work the way Royce expects. Scorch knows this, as he and Delta Squad had history with Clone Force 99 during the clone wars

instead, the reconditioning just made Tech more cunning and smart.

like Tech, Scorch has no choice in what he does and it’s something Scorch really regrets, he doesn’t want to hunt down his rogue brethren but he has no choice.

normally, Tech would leave the handling of knives to Hunter and Wrecker, but with his rigid training to be a Shadow X assassin operative, Tech will find this in handy so that he can know and understand how Hemlock’s Clone X program works and operates

And so, Tech and Scorch will navigate their roles all while masking their true intentions from Dr. Hemlock, Emperor Palpatine and the rest of the Empire!

[momojedi]

— ROUTINE

topic. hunter x gn! jedi! reader

**

type. loss, pt 4 note. you start to feel exhausted from your imprisonment when you hear talk of an upcoming guest … warnings. imprisonment, medical blood, slight creepy scorch, tantiss, jedi shit talk :( word count. tag list: @ooostarwarsfandom501st @shadow-rebel-223

star wars masterlist || pinned post

The pinch of the needle in my skin isn't what makes my stomach churn, but rather the squelching noise as my blood is drawn from my veins.

"There," Dr Karr declares with her eyes glued to her datapad once the droid pulls back from me and I'm left rubbing the back of my hand, "thank you for your cooperation." I grit my teeth, biting my tongue yet the words slip my mouth before I can hold them back. "Not like you're leaving me much of a choice."

She hesitates and for a second I notice her gaze swiftly glancing toward me before looking back at the screen. Then she steps out of the cell, letting the door slide shut behind her. This time and much to my dismay, the little girl isn't accompanying her but rather another droid programmed to serve the Empire. I gulped when I noticed the blonde shock of hair missing in Karr's trail, immediately forcing my head to fill with worrisome thoughts at where she might be. An imperial research facility isn't exactly the safest place for a girl her age to be, let enough one under the lead of a sociopathic scientist such as Hemlock.

Whether Karr had noticed my surprise or not, I'm not sure as she didn't exactly react to it. Instead, she immediately went for the daily procedure of taking my blood samples for whatever the scientists are testing now and asking the usual questions.

I pace up and down the small room, letting my thoughts roam free in my head when the distant noise of statics catches my attention. I lean again the cell door, narrowing my eyes to make out the distant silhouettes down the corridor. Two commando troopers, their armour a polished white and grey, stand guard with their blasters readied. They're so engulfed in their small talk, neither of them pick up on the hiss escaping my lips when the door shoots a shock into my veins as soon as my fingers graze the metal.

"So, he wants to see the Jedi?" "That’s what the commander’s been saying," the other trooper responds in his modulated voice, "Don’t even know why he’s coming specifically for them. I figured the Empire would want all of them dead." "Yeah. Jedi scum."

I bite my cheek. A guest on Tantiss isn’t exactly a common occurrence, let alone one that seems to be so vastly enthused about seeing me. My thoughts drift to various imperial names before I shake my head free from those thoughts. The fear I hold for these figures is tense enough, and as Master Yoda liked to say, fear is a direct path to the dark side.

So, I suck in a sharp breath and settle down, kneeling on the cold floor and shutting my eyes to assume my standard meditation practice. An hour passes in a silence — or well, as silent as it can be with comms chattering down the hallway — when I’m interrupted by heavy footsteps.

“Up.” The clone commando’s order leaves little room for discussion, and so I hesitantly get up. The yellow and black markings on his armour make him stand out from the others, clearly pushing him to be higher ranked than his brothers. With a raised brow I trail my eyes over his form, letting the gears function in my brain. This wasn’t an average sampling procedure; where was Dr Karr? What is going on?

The commando locks my wrists with a pair of binders. “Move,” he bites from behind me before leaning closer, so close I can feel the cold plastoid of his armour on my cheek. “And don’t do anything dumb.” I gulp. Then, I stumble forward, scanning my surroundings with every step.

[gnomewithalaptop]

Hmmm.... Young Justice '98 Star Wars AU? Yes? Is this anything?

Look. Just. Hear me out. They all fit in so well. We got:

- experimental Kaminoan Clone-of-a-Jedi-Master Kon-El (who may or may not have an Order 66 Chip stuck in his head)

- Pre Clone Wars Era Padawan Bart Allen, who spontaneously time traveled to the future one day because he fucked around a little too hard with Lothal's Time Cave and then immediately found out (in his defense it was at least 30% Max's fault)

- Rebels-Era Padawan Cassie Sandsmark, who's off doing espionage shit for the Rebellion under the spotty tutelage of the top-secret spy master known only as Troia (she keeps hearing whispers about some kind of new weapons program -- something the higher-ups have been calling "Project Stardust")

- Just-Some-Guy New Mandalorian Tim Drake who stole his dead neighbor's armor and has been wreaking havoc on Imperial shipments ever since (he claims it's more complicated than that, but it really isn't)

Like. They're all off living completely different plots that shouldn't intercept at all, except somehow they keep on running into each other

[countessofbiscuit]

man, there's just something so powerful about Wolffe letting Rex's cell go with so many witnesses (even if they are all clones). Even if he doesn't quite buy the reconditioning story, Wolffe knows he is now looking at a one-way-ticket to someplace out of the Imperial army.

I see this going one of two ways.

happy town: Wolffe and that shuttle of clones go rogue and eventually desert en masse.

angst city: Wolffe is arrested and put into the shadow reconditioning program; as with the other defiant character (Crosshair), it doesn't take but it does fuck him up enough to explain his erratic mental state in Rebels.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

BB Season 3 Title Speculations

Just my theories as to what could happen based on the episode names.

"Confined"- This will be strongly Omega and Crosshair centric. I think a lot of clips, including the ones from the trailer where they see each other and the leaked clip, will take place in this episode. It's clear that Crosshair is at his all time lowest so it can only go up from here. We probably will see a glimpse of Hunter and Wrecker, but the name suggests a strong focus on Omega and Cross. This is pre-time jump btw based on Omega's hair. We might also get that Palpatine scene of him saying how important Hemlock's work is as well.

"Paths Unknown"- this gives me strong Hunter and Wrecker vibes. I think it's safe to say that this episode will focus on what the two have been up to since Omega's capture and Tech's "death." Hopefully, we'll see a bit of Rex and Echo as well. However, I feel like this will be more of the boys trying to pick themselves up and find out any info on Omega. We might also see the scenes of them talking to Rex.

"Shadows of Tantiss"- again, this sounds very Omega and Crosshair centric. The use of the word shadows indicate dark times for the pair as Hemlock's control tightens and Cross presumably retreats even further within himself. Maybe this is the episode where we get the time jump since the word "shadows" could mean that time has passed since we last saw the pair.

"A Different Approach"- This could mean two things: either Cross and Omega try a new way to escape or Hunter turns to bounty hunters to help. In the trailer, Fennec is visible with Hunter and Wrecker when they take that boat in the swamp.

"The Return"- this episode name could have a double meaning like the last one. The most obvious one is that it's the return of Crosshair. We know that he and Omega potentially escape and crash land in a ship. I have a theory that they'll both make it out, however, Omega gets captured again, sacrificing her freedom for Crosshair's. Another meaning could be the return of Ventress. It makes sense since she's a pretty big character within the animated shows. I think that we'll meet her on Teth. However, I'm unsure.

"Infiltration" and "The Extraction"- these two episodes seem to go hand in hand. I'm not sure what could happen based on the trailers. Maybe the Batch has to go somewhere to retrieve information or an item for a mission. Maybe that turbo tank chase is during these episodes because Phee comments "not exactly a stealth exit boys." However, I think that could actually be the episode "Juggernaut." Since this is a two-parter, I speculate that we might also see bounty hunters after the Batch.

"Bad Territory"- this episode feels more mission-y based because of the name. It sounds like the Batch are going to a planet where hijinks ensue and they wind up in trouble. It could also mean the return of bounty hunters like Cad Bane or clone assassins but who knows.

"The Harbinger"- now this is where things get interesting. At its most basic definition, a harbinger is person or thing that signals the arrival of something, a herald so to speak. I think this is the episode where we see the mysterious imperial take front and center. Maybe he's a harbinger of doom that the Batch have to out maneuver. Or maybe the Batch receive a warning that Omega's life is truly in danger and they need to act fast. It could also be the episode with CX-1. He does warn (the Batch I assume) that they're being hunted.

"Identity Crisis"- my theory for this episode only makes sense if Tech is the one under the mysterious imperial's mask. This episode could very easily apply to Cross and Ventress as well. However, if it's Tech that's under the mask, then it this title makes perfect sense. He's fighting the imperial programming while the others try to bring him back. But Tech's survival is controversial so I can't confidently say that this will happen

"Point of No Return"- this feels like an ultimatum type of episode. The Batch know that what they're going to do will lead to their demise or survival, including Omega's. On the other hand, this could be the episode where Pabu gets invaded. If that happens, then it tells the Batch that there's no turning back for them; they have to save Omega and stop Hemlock or else they will lose more of what they care about. The Empire took enough from them; now, the clones prepare their final stand.

"Juggernaut"- I think this is episode where we get the turbo tank chase. We know that Cross, Hunter, and Wrecker are together again along with Phee. Alternatively, someone suggested that Wrecker dies in a giant explosion based on the name "juggernaut," but I'd rather not think about that.

"Into the Breach"- according to Google, this phrase means that a person steps up to do a task when someone is unable to do it or there's no one else available. This raises questions: who's stepping up? What task is being conducted? I hate to be that guy, but it's possible we might see Echo or someone die. Think about it: one of the Batchers or an ally gets badly hurt trying to do something and someone else steps up. The episode is a big fanfare of things that go boom and epic music as the task is completed but at a grave cost.

"Flash Strike"- this feels very action heavy. There are many clips near the end of the trailer showing the Batch hijacking ships and troopers fighting/being shot at. On google "flash strike" can refer to workers going on strike without notice. This episode is probably where we see the clone rebellion truly begin to act out against the Empire and Tantiss.

"The Cavalry has Arrived"- the grand finale of it all. It's poetic that the final chapter in the story about a group of special clones is titled after their very first line in their very first appearance in Clone Wars. Like the Batch arriving on Anaxes to help the Jedi and Rex, I think this episode will be the full culmination of the clones' stand against the Empire. We will see the Batch reunited and Omega will be saved... but at what cost? If this show parallels the OT (which I think it is), then we probably will get a happy ending. However, I'm leaning more towards it ending with just Crosshair and Omega left.

Anyways, these are just my theories and speculations. Feel free to share any theories about the episode titles down below. And one quick note about the poster: Hunter's helmet kinda mirrors Jesse's in the final episode of Clone Wars. It's probably symbolizing the end of an era for the clones as a whole. Spooky.