Bad Batch: Why Crosshair Stays On Kamino & Still Sides With The Empire

The two-part first season finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch tragically reveals that Crosshair, formerly Clone Force 99’s sniper, willfully chose to side with the Galactic Empire, and ends with the clone staying on Kamino while his brothers escape. For most of the series, Crosshair was presumably under the influence of his inhibitor chip, but the finale’s first part, “Return to Kamino,” reveals that he removed his implant earlier in the season. This makes Crosshair a rare (and possibly the only) clone who willfully sides with the Empire. But why does Crosshair choose to support a regime so antithetical to the Republic, and why did he remain stranded on Kamino when his former squadmates could have at least gotten him off-world?

All Republic clones, Bad Batch or otherwise, are elite soldiers, grown from the template of Jango Fett. Clone troopers are raised and conditioned to be among the galaxy’s most skilled warriors, though they’ve proved time and again that they possess free will and genuine loyalty to democracy. For this, the Kaminoans and the Sith implanted all clone troopers with mind-control chips which compelled them to kill the Jedi and help establish the fascist Galactic Empire. While Order 66 was largely successful and the Empire supplanted the Republic, many clones avoided or reversed their brainwashing through various means, and some Imperial clones gradually resisted the effects of their implants.

Clone Force 99, aka “The Bad Batch,” was a team of clone commandos whose initial members were mutated by the Kaminoans into clone super soldiers. When Order 66 was activated, Crosshair was the only squad member who followed the directive (albeit unsuccessfully). On the orders of Admiral Tarkin, Crosshair’s control chip was strengthened, making him fully devote himself to the Empire. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad deserted the Empire to become mercenaries, eventually removing their control chips to prevent any possibility of becoming brainwashed or ever enduring anything like the Order 66 programming again. While it’s not specified when Crosshair removed his strengthened implant, a likely possibility is that he removed it sometime during or shortly after his mission on Bracca.

Why Crosshair Still Sides With The Empire

Assuming that Crosshair told the truth in the season 1 finale, he’s made the shocking choice to continue siding with the Galactic Empire. The decision is heartbreaking, as it puts him at odds with his former brothers in arms, but it’s also perplexing for a clone (Bad Batch or otherwise). The clones fought across the galaxy for three years to preserve democracy and end Separatist oppression, and the Empire is blatantly the antithesis of what the Republic stood for. A brainwashed Crosshair ordered his troops to execute civilians on Onderon, an action he’d be aware of, even while under his implant’s control. This action would be unthinkable for most clones, yet Crosshair still chose to remain with the Empire once rid of his control chip.

For Crosshair, the ethics of his actions on Onderon may not be important to him. With or without his control chip, Crosshair seems to believe that “good soldiers follow orders,” as explained by his squadmate Tech. Moreover, the Empire provides him with a structured and orderly lifestyle that he likely finds meaningful. With the Empire being the dominant faction in the galaxy, Crosshair likely wouldn’t want to live as a fugitive like his former squadmates. Crosshair potentially also sides with the Empire as a means of survival. Considering the regime’s sheer size and strength, Crosshair may not believe he or his fellow clones stand a chance against it, making his loyalty partially motivated by pragmatism.

Why Crosshair Stays Behind On Kamino

Throughout The Bad Batch’s first season, the Empire moves quickly to end Kaminoan clone production and replace the elite clones with more common but far more numerous recruited soldiers. With plenty of brainwashed clones and a burgeoning army of conscripted “TK Troopers” under their command, the Imperial military ends their contracts with the Kaminoans and bombards Tipoca City, sending the cloning facility to the bottom of the Kaminoan ocean. Having extracted all essential personnel, Admiral Rampart knowingly abandons Crosshair to the doomed city, and though he survives (temporarily working alongside his former squadmates), he refuses to leave the planet with them. It’s another curious choice, given that the Empire left Kamino after destroying Tipoca City. Crosshair didn’t need to side with the Bad Batch, but they’d have at least provided him with a means to get off-world.

Crosshair’s siblings wouldn’t simply take him to Imperial territory. The Bad Batch clones are fugitives of the Empire, and returning Crosshair to the Imperial military puts them at high risk of capture or death. Crosshair may have elected to stay on Kamino because of this, along with avoiding more attempts from his former squadmates to turn him against the Empire. Moreover, the Empire may have been suspicious of Crosshair’s loyalties if he were brought back to the Imperial military by the Bad Batch. Staying on Kamino without the Bad Batch gives Crosshair a better chance of covering up his brief alliance with the Empire’s enemies. Crosshair’s decision to stay behind further illustrates his separation from his former squad, with him choosing to continue siding with an Empire that abandoned him instead of accepting more assistance from fugitives.

How Crosshair Can Escape Kamino: Bad Batch Season 2 Future

“Kamino Lost” ends with the Bad Batch leaving the ruins of Tipoca City and Crosshair remaining on the secret landing platform, waiting to be found by Imperial scouts. Given that the Empire doesn’t know about the platform, one might wonder how Imperial scouts would find Crosshair and rescue him in the first place. Still, the secret platform isn’t far from the ruins of Kamino’s Tipoca City, where the scouts would be focusing, and Crosshair is equipped with Imperial technology. Crosshair could send out a distress signal from his comlink, tailoring it to Imperial communication channels and likely be found by rather easily given his proximity to Tipoca City’s wreckage.

As far as Crosshair’s future in the second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, there is still potential for a redemption arc. Crosshair may have sided with the Empire willingly, but he still shows concern for his enhanced siblings. Rather than seeking their death or arrest, Crosshair wanted the Bad Batch clones to rejoin the Empire with him, luring the rest of the squad to Kamino in an attempt to re-recruit them. Crosshair also notably cared for Omega’s safety, noting that her travels with Clone Force 99’s Bad Batch put her in constant danger. Crosshair’s affection for the squad could potentially be the catalyst for a redemption arc in season 2, though his decision to stay on Kamino and side with the Empire makes it far more likely that he’ll remain a reluctant antagonist.

About The Author

David Miller
(618 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

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