#KRELL!

[tangents-within-tangents]

Personally, I tend to interpret it as the other way around (bc of how reg clones treat 99, and bc the Batch themselves are pretty insensitive to Echo). But I think it can really be both. It's a compounding problem, a vicious cycle that over time comes more from confirmation bias.

Maybe originally "Crosshair's superiority complex was a defensive reaction to being shunned by (most of) the other clones" but maybe now it is the cause of the friction. As we see with Jesse and Kix, who were unsure of the Batch but didn't really have a problem with them until Crosshair acted superior. He is the one who drew a divide between them by calling them "regs", not the other way around. But if the Batch did grow up being shunned they probably interpret any hostility as confirmation of a divide, even in cases like this when it's in response to their own actions/attitudes. Maybe all the "good regs" who don't treat them differently are just the exception to them, even though from what we see they're actually, now at least, the majority (like Cody, Rex, Echo, Cut, Howzer, Gregor, Cody's squad on Desix, Mayday and his squad, the network clones, the prisoners in Tantiss... that's a lot.)

"You want to sit with us? That's never happened before." Can be true, yes, but we don't know all the reasons why it's true (and it can change over time). And the Batch probably has assumptions about those reasons, from both experience and just the fact of their creation which probably has made them hyperaware of their differences. I find "no reg ever made any effort to openly associate with them" pretty unlikely (since it's actively untrue of veteran clones at least). But if a reg ever did try how do you think Crosshair would have responded to that? He certainly didn't give Jesse and Kix a chance. Even if it's understandably defensive and coming from a place of hurt, he still pushes people away and then that just confirms it for him and continues the cycle.

We canonically see regs treat 99, a clone who is 'defective' and different, with respect. And we also see reg clones argue and tease each other too (the 501st on Umbara, all the friction in Domino squad (the og "bad batch") including a fist fight between Hevy and Echo), and honestly "Another member added to the Sad Batch" isn't really much worse than "Time to watch the Dominos fall."

Yeah there's a lot that happens off-screen that we can only infer and speculate about. But from what we do see, with both Jesse and Kix on Anaxes and the rookies on Kamino, the Batch are the ones to make it physical (specifically Wrecker who has an enhanced advantage in those situations).

Idk I rewatched the fight scene in s7ep1 recently and it's honestly kinda messed up. Crosshair openly insults his commanding officer and denies his authority, Jesse defends Rex, and then Wrecker immediately strangles him! It's hard to see bc the scene is dark, but Wrecker literally picks him up by the neck. And he's smiling and laughing while doing it! Then he groans disappointedly when Hunter tells him to stop and throws Jesse to the ground. It doesn't matter if they were mistreated growing up or not, Wrecker and Crosshair are the bullies in that scene.

With the food fight too, Hunter had diffused the situation but Wrecker chucks metal trays at the reg clone's head as he was walking away. That's not defense. Throughout the whole scene they bring random bystander clones on the sidelines into the fight for no reason. And again Wrecker is smiling and laughing and cheering. He at least is not hurt by any of this, he's enjoying it. Later he says he found it "amusing" when in the background there are regs literally in the infirmary (most likely) because of it!

The only other fight we see is when Rex punches Crosshair, but I think we can all agree that was clearly provoked. And it shows how the Batch's superiority complex (I don't think it's just Crosshair) is fundamentally hurtful to the clones. "I would have left him for dead too. Besides, he's just another reg" is saying that Echo's life does not matter because he is replaceable. To them all regs are the same, and that makes them expendable. And that is the very antithesis of everything the clones fight for!

When we are first introduced to Clone Force 99 in The Clone Wars, the "regs" make several notes from the get-go of the fact that these commandos are different ("They're clones? They don't look like clones"), but the open animosity starts with Crosshair (Wrecker backs him up, but Hunter and Tech seem more inclined to try keeping the peace). So it would be easy to assume that any issues between CF99 and the regs started with CF99.

But then, in "Aftermath," Tech (one of those who didn't cause any issues with the regs in the intro story, I'll say again) is genuinely surprised by Omega's choice to stay with them in the mess hall, and says:

"You WANT to sit with us? That's never happened before."

And given that Tech isn't one for exaggeration or misrepresenting the facts, I'm inclined to take Tech's word for it that none of the regs ever wanted or made any effort to openly associate with his squad.

Now, I love the regs too, and I'm not saying all the regs went out of their way to pick fights with the Bad Batch when growing up on Kamino; but being ignored and passively dismissed can be very hurtful, especially when it occurs your entire life.

All this to say that I am convinced Crosshair's superiority complex was a defensive reaction to being shunned by (most of) the other clones his entire life, rather than this complex being the original cause of the Bad Batch's friction with the regs.

Also really speaks highly of Cody's and Rex's characters that they have the honor of being regs the Bad Batch actually like.

[ahsarah-tano]

[sweeneydino]

Krell shared fears.

Mirage turts being incredibly terrifying for others in turtles forever and the 2012 crossover ep will never not be funny to me.

[rexxdjarin]

this is commander wolffe and you cannot change my mind

[stealthetrees]

Thorn, Stone, and Thire hold an intervention for Fox because his obsession with his supposed conspiracy about the war has gotten to unhealthy levels again so they force him to take a vacation somewhere he can’t disappear to fight gangs and assassins for days on end without sleeping.

They send him to the 501st because Cody can keep an eye on him and Rex, as the batch baby, may have some luck getting him to sleep. Fox decides to make this everyone else’s problem by getting into screaming matches with Anakin over his ability to make battle plans, terrorizing logistics officers, abducting shines into his “spy network” (aka cult, also known as being adopted), and ranting to anyone who will stay still long enough about how palpatine is secretly a sith and is controlling both sides of the war.

Fortunately he calms down a bit when they let him out of the ship onto a battlefield. He’s used to being able to run around Coruscant, which is a giant parkour playground, and doesn’t do well cooped up too long. Unfortunately the battlefield is Umbara.

When Krell gets there Fox tells him he’s shit to his face and pulls out his spreadsheet to prove it. (The spreadsheet is a meticulously crafted document ranking every Jedi general and commander based in multiple factors like casualties, treatment of troops, how the chancellor feels about them, ect. Number 1 is Plo Koon and 2 is Mace Windu. Krell is last, Anakin is second to last.) Rex keeps trying to get Fox not to pick fights with commanding officers and reminds him he’s supposed to be on vacation, but Fox doesn’t listen cause he’s too busy radicalizing the ARC troopers.

Krell dies of a heart attack because he drank Fox’s caff, which had enough caffeine to kill an elephant.

[magicandmundane]

Watching the Darkness On Umbara arc, and because I still have Bad Batch brain rot, I’m thinking about how they would have reacted to Krell’s bullshit, so here’s what I’ve got:

Hunter: Sir, with all due respect—

Crosshair, flicking a toothpick: Which is none

Hunter, trying not to laugh: —we’re not doing that. Bad Batch, plan 43, let’s go!

Krell: Sergeant, you can’t—!

Wrecker: Too bad!

Fives, smacking Rex: Why can’t we be like them?!

[trashy1turtle]

Absolutely

[moreclonesplease]

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

okay okay, pardonne moi, I am currently rewatching umbara for fic writing purposes and I have a lot of other things to say but the first thing is highly inappropriate and only funny if you have mental health issues BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WE WERE ROBBED OF???

When the clones first turn on Krell and he jumps out the tower? The clones down there attack him, but Rex and some others are still in the tower. THAT ELEVATOR RIDE??? I WANNA FUCKING SEE THAT ELEVATOR RIDE DOWN. GIVE ME HARDCORE ACTION INTERRUPTED BY *robotic voice* “you are on the top floor” “you have selected bottom floor” *generic elevator music that lasts way to fucking long* “you are at the bottom flo—“ and then it cuts off because Fives shot the sound system

[lothcat-lothcat-lothwolf-run]

they (pong krell) hate to see a bad bitch (clones) winning (creating a culture and unique sense of self to combat the notion that they are purely disposable)

[singsofecho]

[keef-a-corn]

Tech steals lightsabers

That’s a non-negotiable

This man has looked Jedi in the eyes as he slips their main weapon into his pocket

[redbean-nom]

kind of funny how fanon tup is always The Baby but also he shot two jedi (one w intent to kill and the other to stun) and was successful both times

[sweeneydino]

Leos are banned, except for '87.

[69gayfrog69]

[stealthetrees]

“No, it’s impossible”

“I’d be pretty easy actually. Just swap the transponder codes on the ships and send a false message from the seppies that they’re all dead”

“Ok but what about after”

“Break them up by company, one here, and the other three deployed as needed”

“We don’t have the money for that”

“We don’t have the money for what we do now, yet we still have funding”

“Stealing from the rich doesn’t solve all your problems”

“No, but the rest can be solved with blackmail”

“What are you even going to do about General Krell”

“Kill him

“FOX YOU CANT JUST KILL A JEDI BECAUSE YOU WANT HIS BATTALION”

“Have you seen his stats? He’s a horrible leader!”

“JUST BECAUSE YOU DONT LIKE HOW MANY CLONES HE GETS KILLED DOESNT MEAN YOUR GET TO-“

“I out rank you, Thorn. I don’t have to listen to you”

“Fuck you Fox”

“Ok I’ll be back in a few days”

Sigh “see you later, have fun”