#the bad batch theories

[zaptrapp]

no bcause what are we going to do with all those CX-2 Clone assassin theories on "Tech got Winter Soldiered" or "That's Crosshair's clone" or even "Cody got brain washed" when we'll be revealed in 2 or so episodes it's this little shit:

[celestial-specter]

Me 🤝🏻 being obsessed with Star Wars animals

[motherroam-rs]

S3 SPOILERS BELOW FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN IT!!!!!!

So… at 1:21 into episode 3 we get the reveal (along with some dramatic music) of the clone assassin from the trailer - and I’m sorry but NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME THIS IS NOT TECH?!

[anthrotulip]

May the Force be with us all.

[rhiannon-taken-by-the-sky]

I’m rewatching the Batch’s intro arc in The Clone Wars and noticed this poster in the background of the Marauder:

(pardon the quality, it’s a picture of a screen)

And after some translating of the clearest words, I’m led to believe that Tech subscribes to a history magazine or academic journal of some kind (because of course he would, why else would the boys have a blown up shot of a history magazine cover taped onto the walls of their Tech’s ship?).

The title reads “ [untranslated word possibly ending in -ARY] HISTORY MONTHLY” with the subtitle at the bottom of the page reading “GEONOSIS THE LAST BATTLE”

I couldn’t get a good look at the whole poster in one shot and I had to zoom in during different parts of the scene I was referencing (the one in episode four when Echo is with Anakin, Rex, and the Batch trying to sneak past the Separatist ships at Anaxis) but this was what I was able to make out so far -

So, based on my translation, the wording, and the general layout of the poster, I think it’s fair to assume that it’s some kind of periodical cover. There are three different colored subsections with descriptions at the top above the title that are reminiscent of magazine cover blurbs that further lead me to believe that this isn’t just an average poster but possibly something custom based off of pre-existing material. Maybe Tech contributed an article or had some kind of interview published about him or the Batch in general?

I think something about all of them would be the least likely since they’re supposed to be underground/lesser known commandos and the cover looks like it’s professionally done and more widespread, but let me know what y’all think! I can personally see this being the cover of a magazine or journal that published Tech’s first paper. He’s not only intelligent enough for that to be a possibility for him but he’s also very confident in himself and would likely want to remind himself of that accomplishment and use it to prove a point when he’s arguing with his brothers.

If anyone is able to get their hands on a clearer shot of the poster (it’s in earlier episodes of their Clone Wars arc but I’m too excited to share this right away to look for it again in other scenes), please share with the class so I can translate the rest of it!

Edit (4/17): The magazine’s title is “Military History Monthly” ✨

[bri-the-nautilus]

The Omega in the Room

Spoilers under the cut for the Bad Batch Season 3 trailer. All of this is my personal theorycrafting.

So something I haven't really seen talked about all that much is this shot of Omega from the new trailer.

She's flying a ship, clad in her Tantiss prison jumpsuit. The haircut is new, but her hair/eye color, clothes, and facial structure are indicators that it's her.

Now am I going crazy, or does Omega in this picture look markedly older than she does in Season 2 and in other shots from the S3 trailer? Take this one.

Maybe it's just the angle and the expression being different, but the top Omega looks somewhat older to me, and not just because she's changed her hair. See how she comes up to the clone commando's elbow in this one?

In this shot, she has her haircut from the cockpit scene. It's tough because she's standing in front of him, but she might be taller relative to the clone commando in this shot. And her face looks different. I really think this Omega is older than the one in the second picture by a not insignificant amount. Which is deeply worrying, because our girl is a Boba Fett-type clone. She doesn't have accelerated aging.

There's one other shot in the S3 trailer that people think is her, and it's the one of the downed Nu-class shuttle.

From the little we can make out, it looks like the two figures limping away from the crash site are Crosshair (rightmost, under a pointy rock) and Omega (on the slope just under the front of the dorsal fin). The first shot of Omega with her new hair is in the cockpit of a ship, which looks like it could be from a Nu. I couldn't find any good pictures of the inside of a Nu's cockpit, but from the canopy/size it looks similar enough. A fan theory I've seen floating around for this scene is that this is the aftermath of Omega and Crosshair escaping Tantiss, with Omega's flying lessons paying off as they narrowly escape before being forced to crashland.

The last thing that's relevant from the trailer is Hunter's line that Omega's "been waiting for a long time." Hunter doesn't strike me as someone who speaks in hyperbole, so if he's saying it's been a long time, we're definitely talking months to years. If I'm right, Omega has been on Tantiss long enough to noticeably age by the time she escapes. With her being in the 10-13 age range at the beginning of the show, she's at an age where it doesn't necessarily take a really long time for her to start looking older, but this doesn't happen overnight either. I think we're talking at least a year, and very possibly more, since the end of Season 2 and the time she escapes.

In the shots we have of younger Omega in the trailer, we see her looking surprised to see Crosshair and staring sadly out a window. Older?Omega looks grim and determined as she is escorted through the Tantiss facility and flies a Nu-class shuttle before bailing out with the aforementioned Crosshair. I think she's definitely older and harder in these scenes, and the fact that it's been so long and she's changed so much is going to be some great angst when they rejoin the Batch.

I also think there's amazing fluff potential for Emerie bonding with Omega and doing her sister's hair, but I digress

[smolbean-17]

Additional Theories for Season 3

Hunter

Hunter will use a lightsaber

Omega and Hunter REAL HUG

Hunter finally discovers his purpose and resolves his arc

Hunter finally loses it and goes Joel Miller on everyone’s ass

Hunter will make riskier decisions since Omega isn’t around. He won’t be playing it safe. He might even make some morally questionable choices.

Hunter will have a hard time trusting Crosshair when he comes back to them.

Cad Bane and Hunter rematch (neither will lose/it will be a draw)

Fennec and Hunter banter

He will be the only main character to die (the more and more I hear about season 3 and the more I think about it, him being the only death besides Tech makes a lot of sense. They’ve been leading up to it a really long time)

He will tell Omega he loves her

He will hand off responsibility for Omega to Crosshair, showing that he finally trusts him again. Mutual forgiveness between them.

Omega will take his bandana/helmet

Tech

Tech will return in a way we don’t expect (if he returns at all)

Tech is not the mystery soldier

Tech’s goggles will have a tracker in them (put there by Hemlock. It will be how he finds Pabu)

The team will visibly struggle without him there

Lots of callbacks to Tech

Phee will be shown missing him

Crosshair

Crosshair will continue to struggle with decision making, Omega will serve as his conscience

He will struggle greatly with PTSD

He will reunite with his fam mid season

Crosshair and bros HUG

Crosshair will be sassy with his bros again

Crosshair will grow in his relationship with Omega

Sickest Crosshair sniping yet

He’ll compliment Omega on her shooting skills

Hunter will hand off caring for Omega to Crosshair (which will be such a great resolution to both of their arcs)

Wrecker

Wrecker will showcase more of his emotional intelligence

Wrecker will be desperate to not lose anymore of his family

He will blow up so many things

Wrecker more subdued/sad/thoughtful

Origins of Lula revealed

Either Lula is left with Omega or at Hunter’s grave

Echo

Echo will leave with Rex for good

He will get his handprint back (I’m thinking in the red blood of someone he loves this time…)

Echo finally gets a normal arm

Echo survives, fate unknown so he can be in other Star Wars content (Echo base etc)

Callback to Fives

Echo SURVIVES (he won’t die. They would be showing him in trailers much more if they were planning on killing him off)

Omega

Confirmation that she is Force Sensitive

Omega’s purpose revealed

Omega tied to Rey somehow (?)

Flashback of Omega meeting TBB as babies

Omega being strategic and getting herself and Cross out

She will have a bond with Emerie and change her for the better (like Omega always does. She just makes people better)

Ventress will take interest in her and vice versa

Omega will help resolve the tension between Crosshair and Hunter

She will survive to the end of the war. She will be in future Star Wars content.

Asajj Ventress

Asajj will force choke the boys (that’s a given)

She’ll probably flirt with them too

She will team up with the boys (after she tries to kill them first, and she will almost succeed because they honestly don’t stand a chance against her)

She will have a particular relationship/role to play with Omega

Quinlan Vos cameo (he will be with Asajj)

Others

Cody will return

Cody’s fate won’t be revealed in TBB so they can use him for other content

TBB get a dog

Flashbacks of TBB Clone Wars Era

One of the boys will actually cry actual tears

Someone will get a life-threatening injury

Galen Erso appearance

More Director Krennic

Pabu will be compromised and destroyed

Pabu will be revealed to be Scarif

Bad Batch family shot mirroring that scene on the Kamino landing platform in Season 1

Force sensitive clones

Darth Vader cameo (albeit brief)

Nemec and Fireball will die

Fennec teams up with and leaves on good terms with the boys

Fennec gives the boys a hard time

Snoke reveal

Death Star references galore

Final Clone War/Uprising

[seven-oomen]

What if the real plot twist along the way is that BOTH Cody and Tech are actually Clone assassins, but we've only seen one of them.

[tired-night-owl]

The freaking theory that the shadow clone is somehow a clone of crosshair bothers me so much you have no idea.

I understand that people try to find the answer that is not the most obvious but like isn’t it impossible to clone a clone ? Wasn’t there an arc in the clone wars that implied that they would run out of jango’s DNA eventually and the clone production would stop bc of that…

I guess it would be cool to have crosshair face an evil version of himself but it doesn’t really make sense to me because of what I mentioned above but also bc like the whole point of these series is to prove that every clone is a unique individual… idk it would feel wrong to me if they went into crosshair copycat mode :/

The theories I do like tho is :

if it was Cody that went under the reconditioning program and ensues a tragic death with Rex or something. It will break me but I do believe there’s something big like that that needs to happen for Rex to go into hiding and let go of the rebellion with his old geezers gang like we see in rebels.

Dogma because that would be a cool use of his character after all these years and because I do believe in the fact that the Star Wars team likes to reuse old characters that haven’t really had that big of a spotlight on them. We got to know a bit about him with the Umbara arc and it ended with a good character development but we never heard of him again like not even a mention… suspicious if you ask me or more like an opportunity for a « plot twist » that I could totally see.

Tech because I cannot accept that he would just die like that without having any kind of presence in the batch/the marauder like crosshair’s bretrayal did. We legit only had a small name drop and a glimpse at his googles which leads me to : why would hemlock look for him and only recover a personal item that means nothing to him ? If the techno union held on to echo’s body for years the empire and most importantly, a mad scientist hellbent on research and testing on clones, would definitely keep an individual with such a exceptional mind as tech’s for who knows how long.

Anyway I’m probably wrong because I usually am not that good at predicting stuff that happens in shows but I really don’t think it’s a coincidence that the shadow clones have voice modulators even after we got to see that these « assassins » are always clones. Also, some merch dropped with wrecker’s CT number implying that tech is ct-9902 and apparently it’s been confirmed that the shadow clone is the last episode is identified as cx-2… Coincidence, I think not !!! Merch has never lead me astray from guessing who dies and who’s important before so I will cling to this little bit of info until I am proven wrong XD

[shield-and-saber]

wait oh my god you guys, we've had it wrong the whole time

cx-2 isn't tech and it isn't cody - it's mayday

[chaotic-kitty]

Where is CX-2 Tech? Is he safe? Is he alright?

[forcesavetheclones]

okay I have to tell you something.

so as we know our current state is rather horrific. there is one episode left, there's like shit ton of BARELY OPENED threads, Cody's still missing, like I told you I think there are plans for Scorch, Wolffe - generally, zillo beast and many other things.

but what I'm trying to get to is that in my opinion CROSSHAIR STILL HAS HIS CHIP.

yes I know he said in s1 he had it removed, but don't you think he's too big of a character not to show us the actual removing, or at least actually connect it with something, for example his scar? which I still think wouldn't have much sense becouse the scar is from a burn, and burns are superficial, so no way it could affect his skull, let alone brain. beside that we're missing the fact that he had no knowing that he had a chip, the batch is informed that they have them in the second episode, reminding - Hunter was confused, so I assume they rather thought it was their entire being that was controlled becouse as clones they are genetically altered. Crosshair also says to Wrecker that lying was never his strong side, so if Crosshair can always tell when Wrecker is lying, we can assume he's a good liar (becouse he understands the psychology and the body language of lying). so he probably lied, not knowing what chip is, trying to defend himself and indicate dominance over Hunter to shut him up.

there is a few scenes where we can see Crosshair experiencing headachec, and also through what do you think did the empire created the X assassin clones if they already had a very useful tool for that?

[celestial-specter]

Clone Armor and Poster Symbolism in The Bad Batch Season Three

(Brace yourself, loooooong discussion under the cut).

So I’ve long been fixated on the symbolism of the clone’s appearance in Star Wars - it first began in The Clone Wars, with each clone discovering their own individuality and decorating both their bodies and their armor accordingly - think of the Republic crest which decorates both Jesse’s face and his helmet, and becomes a hard-hitting symbol of the end of the Republic which accompanies his death.

In The Bad Batch, clone armor has always been used to symbolize the character’s moral position- initially the main colors of the batch’s armor are black and red, showing both their power, and the element of mystery and otherness that they hold in comparison to standard clone groups. Crosshair’s turn to the empire is shown by him shedding his own armor, and donning a new, entirely black set, with no individuality at all.

In season two, the batch began removing certain sections of their armor and added pieces of a more civilian nature, such as Hunter’s scarf. The pieces of armor that remained were painted a lighter colour, showing that they were gradually leaving their lives as soldiers, or at least those of members of an elite squad, behind them.

In contrast, if you look at a character like Rex, he is still wearing the same armor from his service in the GAR, with only a few minor yet still currently unexplained modifications. He is the one holding onto the past and his service in the army, and it is his identity which drives him to save as many of his brothers as he can.

All of these ideas are particularly apparent in the new season three character posters which have just been released.

Now, while I have previously discussed the idea that the clone assassin is Tech, these posters have me equally convinced that it could actually be Cody.

I believe that Cody has the longest history of any clone in the franchise, being the only clone of any significance in the live-action films, and being prominent in both canon and legends material. As a standard clone, he would most likely have started his commission in the GAR with the general, all white trooper armor, and then decorated it himself as he gained individuality after leaving Kamino. In Brotherhood, the novel which takes place in 22BBY, Cody is described as wearing yellow armor, but, as we see in The Clone Wars, which takes place slightly later, his armor, along with that of the 212th, is more of an orange/gold. This small change could symbolize Cody’s own choice of armor paint being subtly darkened by his experience of war - he is still a loyal soldier of the GAR, but his experiences have changed him.

The orange armor quickly became synonymous with Cody, which is why it was such a shock to audiences to see him with grey armor in The Bad Batch season two. It is a sign that his individuality has been stripped away from him by the empire, but Cody himself still retains the capacity for individual thought and decision making, as shown by his actions in the episode. I also believe that clone armor colors not only symbolize the clones themselves, but also their Jedi generals - the 212th orange symbolized the positivity and energy which came alongside serving under General Kenobi, just as the 501st blue symbolized the freedom and fresh viewpoints of General Skywalker. Therefore, Cody’s grey armor also symbolizes his grief for what he did to Obi-Wan - the man who first provided him the space to discover his own individuality is now ‘dead’ at Cody’s own hand.

I have also long believed that there is a high chance that Cody did not end up escaping at the end of this episode, and was instead captured by the empire for use in experiments.

The release of these character posters seems very deliberate - Star Wars has always been about the battle between light and dark, but due to it’s association with the force, I don’t think we have ever seen clones portrayed in posters in such a manner. The cinematography staff of The Bad Batch have been very vocal recently on the importance of lighting in the show, and I believe that the posters are no exception.

If we look at these poster in order, it is interesting that Wolffe’s seems to be darker than the one featuring Hemlock and Emerie, especially considering how stable he appeared in the past episode.

I believe that this symbolizes that there will be consequences for Wolffe for his decision to let Rex and the others escape, and that he will be subjected to the same treatment which was used in an attempt to change Crosshair, which will leave him the unstable individual we first meet in Rebels.

This idea of placing the clones on a scale from light to dark has me concerned that this season will show the end of Cody’s arc, shifting from the bright white armor he first began with, ending with him wearing the dark armor of a clone assassin.

This idea is only furthered by Rex’s group referring to the clone assassins as ‘shadows’. The reason behind the name is obvious- the clones are shadows of their former selves, having been stripped of all identifying information and individuality.

Considering that Cody’s bright orange armor has long been thought to represent the sun, it would be devastating to see him reduced to an operative with no name and no personality, his only identifying feature being dark armor he would never choose to wear himself. Though I hate to think of it, it does make sense to portray Cody in this way to truly highlight the rise of the empire in the same way Jesse symbolized the end of the Republic - if this theory does turn out to be true, Cody’s arc may have always been intended to show his progression from sunburst to shadow.

[icelynia]

Chekhov’s Guns in TBB Season 3 (as of E11) *SPOILER WARNING*

What is Chekhov’s Gun?

Tech’s Goggles: Why keep them and make sure they are out of the Marauder before the big boom? Something needs to happen with them.

Lula: Wrecker’s plushie he gave to Omega. Also taken out of the Marauder before the explosion. Is this supposed to represent that both Tech and Wrecker are MIA/incapacitated at the moment? Important to note- there is also the Hay Lula that Omega left behind and Emerie ended up giving to the one force-sensitive child. Maybe Lula represents comfort? Whenever Omega is without Lula something bad happens to her. She creates one to bring her comfort on Tantiss. When Lula is put in the museum is right before Wrecker gets exploded. Emerie gives the child Faux Lula to bring her comfort.

CX-2: That’s it. Why is he so durable and everywhere??? Who is he?? (Tech probably). His identity is important.

Rex’s Clone Rebellion: This has to die and fail. We only see three clones in Rebels, so how do the poor boys get wrecked (ha!) by the Empire?

Nala Se: As the last of the Kaminoains she has to die right? At least sacrifice herself to save Omega.

Emerie: Her development is going to lead her to trying to rescue the kids, probably. Just how and what is her fate? Does she also save Nala Se?

Omega(credit to @clonebrainrot for this): Omega and her M-count blood. Something has to come of this. Whether she is injected with the high M-count blood, or hers is used for something else, she and her blood is important.

The 30,000 Credits: The 30,000 credits that Crosshair and Omega got in Ep4. They must use this for something important right? Since Ventress, Cad Bane, and Fennec Shand have already shown up with their trailer clips, who is left? Could they pay Sid for something? Use the money to get a new ship? Give Phee the money? Throw it at Crosshair for loosing Omega? Pay Wrecker’s medical bills? *Insert other use of Credits here.*

These were all of them that I could think of! If you have any more, feel free to comment/reblog them.

[crazypostobject]

It's Time For a Bad Batch Theory. Part 1.

This is my first theory on here, so bear with me. I don't know how to do this lmao.

Spoilers ~

Chapters:

Who Is The Assassin, Clone X?

Starting with Tech: Is he Alive?

Reasons for why Clone X could be Tech

Reasons for why Tech might not be Clone X

Full Theory: Tech Returns as Clone X

Conclusion and Thoughts

With Season 3 in mid-swing there has been a lot of talk about Tech.

More specifically: Theories about Clone X possibly being Tech (or Cody).

So, I figured I should give my thoughts on this as a Writer and avid Star Wars fan.

Who Is The Assassin, Clone X?

Well, first we need to consider who it would make the most sense for him to realistically be.

Tech

Cody

Crosshair Clone

A New Clone

An Old Clone (from Clone Wars?)

Now that I've made a list of possible subjects, let's begin.

Starting with Tech:

Is he Alive?

This is a widely debated subject among the Fandom. Some people want him to come back while others wish he would stay dead. But, we still haven't seen a body. And this is Star wars.

But, from a writing standpoint he should stay dead for the emotional impact. Otherwise, what was the point? Unless the show is ending as a tragedy where the whole squad ends up dying. (Excluding Omega.)

As much as I would like them to all get back together and live, I don't think that will happen.

If Tech is Clone X, that means he must surely have survived, was found by Hemlock, and Brainwashed. It was Hemlock who brought Tech's glasses/goggles to Hunter after all.

Which means... Hemlock must have investigated the area Tech fell. So, the possibility of him having survived exists. And Hemlock could have taken him. Or Tech did die and they're using his DNA to alter other clones (but that's a whole other conversation).

Reasons for why Clone X could be Tech

There are similarities in their armor, movements, and possibly their voice. Tech is well known as the only Clone to have a hint of a British accent. And the voice modulation overlay for Clone X is noticeably much stronger than any of the other Assassin Clones.

(Also, I must note: We've seen fakeout deaths in the past. Specifically I am referencing Echo.)

Similarities include -

Armor details

Voice (possible accent?)

Movements

Aparent knowledge of technology

Use of hand-held grenades

Weaker than an average clone, obvious by his fighting style. It seems to be more martial arts based than what a regular clone would use.

There are also a lot of mirrored things from previous seasons. Like Tech having a limp from an injury. And Clone X getting a limp from an injury as well.

Of course we can't forget the mirrored scenes of Tech and Clone X climbing out of the water. Minor things, but still notable.

Now, let's move on to the unfortunate negative parts for this theory.

Reasons for why Tech might not be Clone X

It's simply too good to be true.

Why bother killing him off in the first place if they're just going to bring him back?

We can't ignore the height difference between Tech and this Assassin Clone.

Tech is supposedly taller than the average Reg. Although, like Echo the Empire could have experimented on Tech and made his legs mechanical?

Of course, it doesn't make much sense as to why they would do that.

Another reason why it might not be Tech, is that it doesn't make sense to bring Tech back unless (in my opinion) the rest of the Batchers, including Tech, end up dead in the end.

We also have Echo as part of the squad. So, it's highly unlikely that the writers would include two characters so closely related with both having fakeout deaths. That just feels weird.

Full Theory: Tech Returns as Clone X

After Tech sacrificed himself on Eriadu, Hemlock sent troops down to look for him. He knew that Tech was an essential part of Clone Force 99, so by capturing him the Empire would have access to his modified/Enhanced DNA. (That could be useful)

Dr. Hemlock proceeds to give Hunter 'proof' of Tech's death. When in reality, he's been captured. As to not have his Squad go in search of him or suspect that he may be alive.

Now, because Tech is able to make calculations as quickly as a computer, he already knew the odds of surviving the fall were slim... But not impossible. Therefore, he took the chance to save his squad. (Maybe his backpack had a rocket booster similar to the one Rex had in the Clone Wars.)

He sustained severe injuries to his legs when his jet pack failed to fully break his fall, rendering them useless which made it easy for him to get captured. (He also has a habit of getting easily injured in the show, so this feels very in character for him.)

Once he was taken by the Empire, they replaced his legs with robotic ones similar to Echo. (which decreased his height?)

The Empire then began the process of brainwashing Tech to use him as a special operative. They also took DNA samples from him to experiment with enhancing other clones in case the brainwash didn't work.

Unfortunately however, it did work and Tech became Clone X.

In Episodes 6 and 7 we see the Assassin Clone track down the Bad Batch. When landing his ship he made his landing with a possible 'Tech Turn' which I don't believe we've seen anyone else use besides Omega.

We also saw Clone X display multiple different fighting styles. His use of a Sniper-Riffle and Knife are most notable. In the Season 2 Finale Tech displayed his aiming skill, so it's possible that he could effectively use a Sniper.

Conclusion and Thoughts

Do I think Clone X is actually Tech? No.

Am I delusional and really hope that he does end up being Tech even though it wouldn't make sense and probably be a poor decision on the writers part? Yes.

Anyways, Thank You to anyone who took the time to read through this. I'll do my best to come up with a Part 2 talking about Cody.

I'll see y'all in the next post!

[clonegirlie]

My theories on the next two episodes of the bad batch

So in a few hours we’ll get the next two episodes, and seing that they are called “infiltration” and “extraction” I want to share my theories with you, cause I will not be able to see them until the next day more less

I think this episodes will be about how the empire finds Pabu (yes cause I believe in Imperial Tech and he knows where it is, and he definitely knows they’ll hide there with Omega) so maybe we’ll see more of Tantiss and how the Hemlock operation is going and all, and then well, you know, how they’ll try to capture Omega, again

And the second one (and please let me be wrong 😭) I think is going to be about Omega being taken again, and that’s why Hunter is so fucking feral (I’m gonna love that part tho 🥵) cause he just got his kid back and the empire is trying (and I think they’ll succeed) to take her away from him again

You know what clip I’m talking about

I mean that last episode was way too comforting and beautiful and in Star Wars that’s never a good sign, something bad it’s going to happen I just know it 😭

I just really hope I'm wrong and it's nothing like this, although, if it doesn't happen in these episodes I'm sure it will happen in future ones :(