These are panels for chapter 1 and chapter 2 of my CX-2 Tech fanfic "Return From Darkness". If you like emotionally rich, grounded and character driven stories, please be sure to check it out! It is one emotional roller coaster ride.
Art done by Collophora. Concepts by me.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Second batch of Tech requests! They are: the look of judgment/disappointment whenever someone doesn't listen. "I rather like that." And Tech's little salute at the end of Faster. They were requested by _dancing_with_demons, fpsylla, and katieofsix. Hope you like!
A while back I posted requests for Tech expressions. Those requests are finally getting done! Today's requests are: Tech smiling, Tech smiling at Phee at the end of Pabu, and Tech's reaction at Tay-O destruction 2.0.
They were requested by Jelly-opal, BatBatchBitch, Horseshoecrabmom, sithmich22, and fpsylla
Tech got some bad sunburn. Phee is tending to his injuries.
Believe it or not, I drew this almost THREE years ago. I couldn't draw the faces and kept it in my files ever since then. Three years later and the faces have been drawn! Hope you like!
Hunter is so hard to draw. Final request complete! This request was done for the_little_mandalorian (IG). I will be drawing Tech's facial expressions soon.
With the anniversary of Plan 99 (March 29th, 2023), it has been three years since The Bad Batch changed forever for me. With this anniversary, I thought it would be appropriate to look back at The Bad Batch. See what made it so special and if it lived up to the potential it held. Sit back, relax. Put on your favorite text-to-speech and enjoy this epic essay.
Introduction
Before we get started, I have to state that these are my opinions. They pertain to no one else but me and they are subject to change. Now without further ado, let’s get to it.
What Made The Bad Batch Special
There is very little debate that Season one and (most of) season two of The Bad Batch were a lighthearted, fun time. Sure, there were some serious episodes sprinkled here and there, but at its heart it was what it was intended to be—a kids’ show. A kids’ show filled with good morals, hope, and action. No harm, no foul.
What made the Bad Batch special is that it interwove these adventure-of-the-week episodes with poignant character development, dark truths, and dry humor. There was something so good and noble about its characters. Something that brought out the humanity and humor in all of us. One of my favorite lines is,
Hunter: Why is Omega hanging off the ship?
Tech: It is an unscheduled study break!
Tells you all you need to know about those three characters. Great writing. It also tells you what you’re getting into. The adventures were fun rides. It didn’t need to be gritty and real to be enjoyable. It felt like classic Star Wars with good versus evil, light versus dark, but in a different setting.
There weren’t Jedi fighting Sith and trying to navigate the light and the dark side of the Force. These were rogue clones, trying to navigate fatherhood/brotherhood in an ever-changing galaxy. Gone were the days of taking orders and missions for the Republic. They had to find their own way, chart their own path, and find their place in the vast galaxy, all while raising a little girl.
What made the journey so enduring were the characters themselves and their relationship with each other. We watched as these characters grew from caricatures to actual fleshed-out characters. When the Batch were first introduced, they were Wrecker: the strong one, Tech: the smart one, Crosshair: the mean one, and Hunter the leader. Over the course of the seasons, they became so much more.
We saw Hunter’s struggle to provide for his family while keeping them (relatively) safe from the Empire. We saw the compassionate and caring side of Wrecker. We saw Crosshair struggle with his identity and loyalty. We saw Echo struggle with wanting to do more for his clone brothers. We saw Tech grow from a rigid mindset to a broader one. These struggles came alive in their skirmishes but also in their triumphs.
For such a large cast, the show did a great job with character continuity. Wrecker’s fear of heights. Character consistency. Echo sense of duty. Character consistency. Omega’s moral compass. Character consistency. Tech’s perspective. Character development.
The show was funny when it needed to be. It was smart when it had to be. It was dark when it was appropriate, but it was always careful to bring light back in. Although some episodes were serious, they always felt warranted. There is a difference between when the dark feels heavy and when it feels suffocating. This is only true for the first two seasons, of course. We’ll get to S3 later.
The show also had a level of detail and care that is fun to notice. It had stuff for the Star Wars nerds, such as planets, alien species, and easter-eggs to other materials. It had stuff for newcomers too.
It had stuff for the story lover. For example, the little details that told a story about the characters’ interactions. Such as the Batch having their initials on their backpacks. Adorable. Omega and Lyana’s friendship bracelets. Hunter and Omega wore similar red clothes. In one episode, you can see Tech in the background playing an arcade game. That tracks with the 8-bit skull on his helmet. Little details like that bring the show to life.
One of my favorite (albeit sad) character detail is Phee’s jacket. During Phee’s introduction, she has her jacket on, and her hair rings aren’t gold. However, by the time Entombed comes around, she takes her jacket off and keeps it off. Her hair rings become and remain gold. By this time, she has known the Batch for a while and has feelings for Tech. After Tech’s death, Phee puts the jacket back on and never took it off. That’s why I found it so odd that in her S3 poster she has no jacket… she is always seen with it on in the show.
Part 2: The Oddities of Season 3:
Alright. Needless to say, I once ADORED this show. Although I adored it, it doesn’t mean that I can’t be critical or critique it. The Bad Batch was a good show, but it did have its flaws. And OH BOY. Do I have BIG feelings about the end of S2 and the entirety of S3. So, let’s get into it.
The Show Itself
I’m starting off with this quote. This quote summarizes the sheer anxiety that S3 had about it. People did feel the anxiety of another character’s death throughout S3. It is because of this atmosphere… something felt off. Gone was the joy. Which is fine; tonal shifts happen in shows all the time. However, what was crucially missing was the HOPE. Star Wars is all about hope. Even in the darkest hour, this show just kept taking and taking (I’ll get into it later) and didn’t give much in return. This made the already anxious atmosphere heavier.
It could have been a mixture of internal decisions and external factors, but something was off about S3. We can only speculate. Whatever it was, something just felt… rushed or incomplete about this season. As if S3 didn’t receive the same level of care and details as S1 and S2 did.
Viewership
I heard the rumors corporate wanted to wrap up the Bad Batch due to shrinking interest. Star Wars was done with clones for a while.
Let’s break it down. S1 and S2 both had 16 episodes seasons (that is a LOT by today’s standards, to be honest). S3 had an episode removed, only having 15 episodes. Not a big deal on the surface. However, two things. One; a 16th episode was written but presumably never produced (as seen in the behind-the-scenes screenshot). Two, for whatever reason, the episodes for S3 felt… shorter. When they weren’t. S3 is about 30 minutes longer than S2. I don’t know if it was the darker theme or if there was more stuff to do and less time to do it. The episodes felt frustratingly short, when in actuality they were the same length.
Why was this decision made? Perhaps all they needed was 15 episodes. Or perhaps there were some budget cuts. Perhaps it is because the viewership of the show went down. Let’s look at the numbers we can find online.
I couldn’t find concise viewership numbers; some places reported 77K viewers for the S2 finale and half (38 - 35K?) for the S3 finale. However, on IMDb one can see the viewership engagement via voting on an episode. S1 had an average of 5.1K votes per episode. S2 had 4.9K votes per episode. S3 had an average of 3.5K votes per episode. The engagement shrank over the lifespan of the show. If the trend continued for the theoretical S4 then the show would have had an even lower engagement—maybe too low for corporate to turn a profit or keep interest. Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine.
Writing Choices
Okay, time to get into the meat of S3.
Choosing Which Elements to Emphasize
The end of S2 had massive momentum going into S3. Tech died and Omega was captured, leaving our hero in dire straits. What would they do now? How would they find Omega? Will Tech come back? Who will stop Hemlock and Project Necromancer? What about Crosshair??? There was a lot going on.
Tantiss was built up to be this inescapable, scary, secretive place. They established it as a fortress. The writers had also established that Omega had come a long way. She was no longer the helpless girl asking to come along on Kamino. She had suffered great loss, but her moral compass was still intact.
Here is my first major gripe about S3: which elements to emphasize. With Omega, Crosshair, and Batcher (yes, I remembered Batcher) escaping so easily, it undermined the danger of Tantiss. Omega and Crosshair became creative, but they escaped without a literal scratch on them. This rendered Tantiss harmless. This also removes the tension for Omega’s second escape. It doesn’t matter if she is deeper into Tantiss. We already know she can escape.
When all our heroes return to Tantiss, all its gravity is gone. It’s no longer a scary, mysterious, inescapable place. It is just another obstacle. The show tries to play it up with Wrecker getting scratched and Crosshair trying to Plan 99 himself, but these are character choices. The show even points this out. It is no longer the gravitas and the fear of Tantiss doing its magic.
So why did the writers do this? They did it to show how much Omega has grown. They chose Omega’s growth over the character of Tantiss. They wanted to show she could rescue herself. Which is fine. What is not fine is sacrificing critical story elements for it.
The writers could have shown Omega’s growth in another manner. We see Omega’s resilience and kindness throughout the show with Crosshair. However, it is under the safety of Pabu. Imagine Omega and Crosshair having heart-to-hearts under the unnerving setting of Tantiss. Never underestimate the power of emotional maturity when it comes to character writing.
Omega and the Force
Speaking of Omega, I present to you “Exhibit A.” Now, I wouldn’t have a problem with Omega choosing who she wants to be with her high M-count. However, two things. One: whether Omega was Force Sensitive was never answered in the show. Two: the plot revolved around her M-count. That was the reason Hemlock wanted her in the first place.
I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to find out that Omega had a high M-count from a game card. The show dragged this question along for such a long time. It would have been better if they gave a clear answer, THEN Omega decided what she wanted to do with it. Asajj never told her if she was Sensitive or not — therefore how could Omega decide for herself what to do with it.
Remember when I said the episodes felt short? The show dedicated three episodes trying to find out what an M-count is, only for it not to matter. That was up there with “it was all just a dream” type of time wasted. The characters deciding that it didn’t matter undermines the whole journey they just went through to get the answer. Mind you, pay attention to the language used when regarding this matter in the show.
Cut: All right, out with it. What is with the girl?
Hunter: She is a defective clone… like we are.
Cut: mnnnnot exactly.
Hunter: What do you mean?
Cut: The Kaminoans don’t create without a purpose. You all have one. So… what’s hers?
Hunter: It doesn’t matter. She’s just a kid.
Sound familiar? Sounds like the writers talking through the characters.
Emerie and the Kids
There are a lot of tropes that writers and readers alike are familiar with. Some of them we are told to avoid, such as the prior mentioned “it was all a dream.” Others can’t help but be used, such as “save the cat,” or if you want to get dark, “kill the dog.” Introducing characters toward the end of a project is certainly one we are told to avoid.
For one, it takes away development from the established characters. Instead of working with what one has, it feels like one is creating new elements to solve old problems. This is particularly bad if the established characters haven’t finished or setup to finish their arcs yet. So, what purpose do the Force Sensitive children serve? Well, we go back to “save the cat.”
What is odd is that Emerie did not come to the conclusion that what she is doing is bad via the adults. She came to that conclusion with the children. You know who else could have helped her—Omega and Crosshair. The writers had a chance to reuse elements and progress more character growth but decided not to. Instead, they decided to show how evil Hemlock is by experimenting on children. However, we already know how evil he is—he kidnapped Omega, who is a child. He experiments on and brainwashes clones, who are human beings. It’s already established that the clones are disenfranchised.
The children and Emerie’s character growth were saved for the last leg of the series. At that point in time, the character arcs should be established and be near completion. Not establishing. It felt like forced empathy instead of an earned one. This show is more than capable of earning my empathy; therefore, I don’t know why they felt the need to do this.
Crosshair’s Manifestation of Trauma
We who suffer from PTSD could relate to Crosshair and his manifestation of trauma. Crosshair isn’t exactly a big talker, even when Omega tries to help him. Crosshair kept everything bottled up; therefore, it was no surprise that his body expressed what he was feeling via the tremors in his hands.
At first, this appeared to be an emotionally mature story element. Crosshair is a sniper; he can’t hide his affliction from his family. He must face it eventually. The show does a good job with Omega and Crosshair’s relationship with the start of healing. However, after the second half of the season… that element kind of fell off. Crosshair never fully confronted his trauma, and the show decided to deal with his hand in the most jaw-dropping way ever— by cutting it off. Not only that, but the symptoms never present themselves again, suggesting Crosshair is cured.
PTSD doesn’t work that way. Just because the physical manifestation is gone doesn’t mean one stops feeling the trauma internally. Those emotions still remain. You would think Crosshair has MORE trauma now because his hand is gone. On top of that, the show suggested that Crosshair was “fixed” as if there was something wrong with him having PTSD.
The way the writers handled the “solving” of PTSD was very crude and insensitive. People can’t just “get rid of” their trauma. People don’t need to be “fixed” as if something is wrong with them. The show was on the right track with “healing and understanding.” So, I don’t know why or how it derailed so badly.
Don’t get me started with Crosshair trying to atone for his past mistakes by Plan 99-ing himself. Tech literally died trying to save Crosshair. Tech died because he had to. There was no other way. He didn’t volunteer to do so; he didn’t look for it. It was the ultimate gesture of love toward his family. Crosshair, on the other hand, felt like he was running away from his pain.
His whole “Clone Force 99 died with Tech,” line felt so angry. It did what it meant to do, which was to shock people, but why so angry? Is Crosshair angry Tech died for him? Does Crosshair feel responsible for what happened? Is anger how he grieves? I don’t know, the show literally didn’t get into it.
One big thing I kept asking myself with Crosshair’s remorse is — what is he remorseful of? Is it remorse? All we know as the audience is that he is sad. Crosshair changes after Mayday’s death. We assume his sorrows are because of everything that is going on but Crosshair never showed us this. We never see him grieve for Tech. We don’t even see him receive the news of Tech’s death.
Perhaps the mystery behind Crosshair’s emotions is a symptom of the deeper problem, which is the show’s reluctance to grieve Tech or even show emotions on a deeper level. In an odd way, maybe the characters can’t grieve either? They are keeping it all bottled up inside.
Crosshair and the CX Troopers
Okay, one of the most exciting elements of S3 were the CX troopers. They had this very interesting metaphor of what Crosshair could have been if he fell to the “dark side,” if you will. It appeared that Crosshair was afraid of the CX troopers for that reason. They were a mirror of himself.
Since the writers set up this dialectic dynamic between Crosshair and the CX troopers (particularly CX-2) naturally their fates would be intertwined. The writers even admit they wanted Crosshair to reflect physically and mentally on what he had done. Yes, the Crosshair Omega moments were a great step forward. It is the fate of the CX troopers where they come up short.
Ultimately, the CX troopers were brainwashed into submission—the interview said so itself. Therefore, the CX trooper clones were victims too. How amazing it would have been if Crosshair had saved one. Or showed mercy towards CX-2. Or forgave the CX troopers, that meant he forgave himself. How profound would it have been if there were some form of salvation, a light in the endless dark. Instead, we got annihilation.
In the end, Crosshair doesn’t kill CX-2 — Hunter does. Therefore, we don’t even have a chance to see what Crosshair would have done. Not even the possibility of an internal struggle. Hunter kills Crosshair’s shadow self, which debunks the metaphor and makes no sense. Nothing connects.
CX Troopers
This is a bit of a nitpick, but I find it odd that the CX troopers only exist to be killed. Supposedly, they are the “Worse Batch.” However, the people they are supposed to be mirroring don’t have any emotional significance to them. They don’t have one-on-one fights. They don’t have emotional epiphanies while facing the CX troopers. It is not as if the Batch is facing their evil selves. This is not Link facing Dark Link in the Water Temple.
It is not as if Hunter sees his failure as a leader while fighting his counterpart. Or Wrecker feels like a small, weak brother while facing his counterpart. The CX are a little different, but in the end, they die the same.
Side note: maybe it’s due to them being experimented on, but the CX troopers… don’t look like Regs? Supposedly they are brainwashed Regs. However, they have different physiques. I always thought that detail was strange.
Stripping Away Identity
I understand the importance of breaking down to build anew. I have no problem with that. Sometimes new things come from the ashes of the old. Good stuff. However, what I have a problem with is when things are taken away and nothing is given in their place. What do I mean?
The Batch faced great loss. They lost a brother with Tech. They lost a home with the loss of the Marauder. They temporarily lost their light with Omega being recaptured. They lose the good things of their past by stripping away the armor paint.
Now some of these things needed to be lost. Such as the Marauder, since their new home is Pabu. Fine. Cool. However, aside from Omega being freed (again) nothing else is gained. The Batch didn’t repaint their armor. I get it represents their past selves, and those good times are gone. But they don’t have to stay gone. One can reconstruct after loss and hard times. Find again the beauty in life. Tech may never come back, but the loss could have brought their family closer… which it didn’t.
Part 3: Tech-Shaped Hole
Some Personal Things
I’m going to get my personal experience out of the way so that one can understand where I am coming from. Again, these are my personal experiences, thoughts, and opinions. They apply to no one else but me.
I have suffered great loss in my life. All loss is terrible, but there are some losses that just have no words. One of them is the loss of a child. Another is loss to illness. How horrible it feels to wait for someone to die.
Another is tragic, sudden loss. The feeling of your world just shattering and nothing will ever be the same. It is just overwhelming. The feeling of something inside your heart is ripped away, never to return. The regrets of your (unknown) last interaction come tumbling down on you. I don’t wish that upon anyone, but I know some of us will experience it in our lives.
I was so ready. So ready for this show to show its skill in emotional writing and take us to those dark but realistic places. So ready for a story to see my pain and communicate it through visual media with Tech’s death. Surely, I thought, even if he doesn’t come back, the show would handle it in a mature, grounded way. What a beautiful story of loss and grief the ending could be. That didn’t happen.
If Tech came back, I would have been over the moon. My loved ones can’t come back; therefore, seeing this family together after great suffering would have been liberating and satisfying. But that didn’t happen either. So, what on earth did we get? A surgically cut Tech-shaped hole where Tech should have been.
Tech and the Walking Dead
Ever wonder where the trope of a side character suddenly getting development meant they are going to die came from? It’s the Walking Dead, or at least they made it popular. This is what happened to Tech. To be honest, the tropes were there. It is like a red-shirt in a video game or someone saying they are “two days from retirement.”
Perhaps it is due to the tone of the show, but very few fans were expecting a major character death for the finale of S2. Tech had become a beloved character. Everything was going for him. He had amazing character development. He had some great heart-to-heart moments, especially with Omega. He had a budding love with Phee. Out of all the Batch, it was Tech that got the love interest — not Hunter. And I was excited to see Tech and Phee navigate their relationship. Everything was going for Tech. He went from a nerdy side character to a beloved main character in S2. And thus, his fate was sealed.
How S3 Made Tech’s Death Worse
I wouldn’t have minded Tech’s death if they had handled it well. With respect and care—not only for the character but for the fans as well. In real life, after a while Tech’s death was mostly played up as a joke. In the story, Tech’s death wasn’t mentioned at all. It was as if he was erased from existence. Which is probably worse than death.
Not only did the show not mention him—it felt like they went out of their way not to mention him. Natural moments that Tech would have come up with were stirred away from. His skill set and assets were the only things that were missed, and even they were replaced rather quickly.
This lack of empathy or even acknowledgment is what made Plan 99 so much worse for me. Remember, this family has never faced a loss this major before. They are used to success. They are used to winning. This death should have been a major emotional blow to everyone.
Instead, all the inconveniences it caused were related to Tech’s usefulness. Which feels so hollow and bitter. We got: Tech would have cracked the Imperial tablet. Tech would have known what an M-count is. Tech would have known how to track Omega. Tech would have known who Asajj was.
Those were all solvable problems. We didn’t get: they missed Tech. Everything reminded them of Tech. Nothing can replace the hole Tech left behind. The Batch didn’t touch those subjects, let alone work through them. How would this family function and work now that a key member is gone? That could have been a good question to pose. Great opportunity for character development and interaction. Instead, we only got a vague sense of how the Batch handled loss.
The Batch and Loss
Speaking of working through—season 3 truly is what one makes of it. There is enough given that it feels like they are acknowledging major character emotions, but they are so vague they can be whatever you want them to be. Either that, or they just miss the mark completely.
Let’s take Hunter as an example. He is understandably very angry this season. One would think it is because he has lost both Omega and Tech. However, we are only ever shown his affection towards Omega. This proves he is capable of showing emotions. Therefore, why won’t he show his emotions towards Tech’s death?
Mind you, Hunter had no plans of saving Crosshair. Tech gave his life to find out where Crosshair was. If Crosshair was in a separate facility than Omega, Omega probably would have forced Hunter to go rescue him. Hunter wasn’t doing that of his own free will. He was about ready to hunker down on Pabu right after Tech died, all the while Crosshair was still captured. If it weren’t for Omega’s capture, the plot probably wouldn’t have moved forward.
Back to Hunter’s anger. One would think this would be a great element to show grief. After all, everyone grieves differently. Hunter never utters Tech’s name throughout the entire season. But Light what if that is him grieving? We are never shown that. He never struggles to say Tech’s name. Hunter never stops himself from saying Tech’s name. Seeing that tangible struggle would have been amazing, but we never got any of that.
I don’t know why, but the show became very skittish about expressing itself in S3. Not only did NONE of the characters openly mourn. Not one of the characters (except Phee and Omega) express their feelings. We would get vague clues or open-ended dialogue about a character’s internal conflict. It honestly became what you wanted to see because there was no clarity. Take this exchange, for example.
Hunter: Start talking, Crosshair. What did you do to finally get on the Empire's bad side. Betray them? Like you did to us?
Crosshair: …
Hunter: You thought we'd take you back and not ask questions? I don't think so. Tell me what changed. What happened, Crosshair?
Crosshair: I killed an Imperial officer. So yes, I did betray them, after they betrayed me. Oh, don't pretend this is all about me. I tried to warn you, Hunter. I risked everything to send you that message. You ignored it. You let Omega be taken to Tantitss. She went through what she went through because you failed. You are angry she escaped with my help. Not yours.
Hunter:…
Hunter, you’re not going to talk about one of the hardest sacrifices in your life? No? Okay? What about you, Crosshair? Anything? Surely you know why Tech died? Please, someone?
I was on the edge of my seat. I thought we were going to get emotional catharsis – or even just an acknowledgement of Tech’s death. Anything. We are five episodes in, people. ANNNNDD nothing. It just ends. Well, a giant creature explodes out of the ground, but that is beside the point.
Here is another one — same episode.
Crosshair: Hunter, I... I thought I knew what I was getting into with the Empire. I thought I was being a good soldier.
Hunter: Nobody really understood what was happening back then
Crosshair: I've done things, I've made mistakes
Hunter: I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is try to be better, and who knows there might be hope for us yet.
It looks like we finally got somewhere… until you think about it. Hunter doesn’t specify his regrets. One assumes Hunter is talking about Tech here. However—HOWEVER, he also could easily be talking about Omega. Maybe he is talking about both Omega and Tech. Don’t know the show never tells us or shows us anything about Tech. Therefore, it is most likely he is talking about Omega because at least we know he loves Omega.
That is the thing; in S3 these characters just never felt like they loved Tech at all. Which we know as fans, that is not true. The brothers had such great chemistry when they were together. This lack of empathy is just odd and out of character. It didn’t sync up with what the fans were feeling. The fans loved Tech. The fans missed Tech. I for one, was hoping that it would be echoed through the characters that supposedly loved him.
On surface level these interactions make sense. The pattern goes, a conflict comes up and it is easily solvable in a line or two. These interactions feel incredibly safe. Emotions don’t get ugly, they don’t get complex or deep. We never see emotional sides to these characters. Having strong emotions doesn’t make one a bad person, it makes one human. However, the show avoids anything that will tarnish these characters as if they cannot be redeemed, mature, or express something different later. These characters have gone through a lot, but their monk-like understanding makes it seem like major development happened off screen somewhere, if it happened at all.
Declared DOA
Most of us watching probably consume a lot of media. Regardless of whether it is books, video games, movies, or shows. We are all familiar with tropes in stories. Sometimes tropes are used and abused, and most are plain bad and lazy. However, not all tropes are bad or lazy. Some tropes are effective ways to communicate a concept.
Take the love interests seeing each other in formal attire for the first time. They see each other in a new light and often see the potential together, etc, etc.
Star Wars has its own tropes; vague character death and not seeing a body are huge ones. Unless you see a body, they are not dead. Sometimes it seems that Star Wars wants to get away from this, and other times they seem to double down.
Tech fell through the clouds, and his body was never recovered. In cartoons water doesn’t act realistically. In real life, hitting water is like hitting concrete due to the surface tension, but in cartoons it is a safe bet that the character will survive if they hit water. Eriadu has large bodies of water. If anything, Tech had the railcar to break his fall.
With everything going for Tech to survive, I just find it odd that nothing was ever done to confirm his death. The Bad Batch whole motto is “Never leave their own behind.” A mad scientist showed up, told them their brother was dead and they took his word for it.
This is another trope: never trust the villains, especially a mad scientist who is known to manipulate people. Yet somehow, he was telling the truth. I wouldn’t have minded so much if the Batch debated it and came to their own conclusion. Such as they couldn’t go back to Eriadu because the place was probably locked down. Or Tarkin would have killed Tech. Or would have Hemlock have taken Tech’s body for his own sick experiments?
This internal debate never came up. Neither the effort nor the talk was made. If the Batch found something, anything to confirm Tech’s death on their own, I would have believed it. However, they uncharacteristically and very conveniently just believe Hemlock.
Hemlock
Man, oh man, was I rooting for Hemlock to be an amazing villain. He was interesting. His mannerisms were just so peculiar. He was so soft-spoken, yet he grabbed your attention. He had this mysterious connection to poison and plants (because he is Hemlock, lol). There was this odd thing going on with his gloved hand. Like… how did he get that? What is under the glove? And most importantly of all, what was going on with his relationship with Emerie?
At first, I thought it was like evil Hunter and Omega. That Hemlock raised Emerie and Emerie is submissive because she grew up in an “abusive household” type of situation. How interesting would that have been that Hunter had an evil counterpart? Again, we got none of that.
None of the mysteries surrounding Hemlock were ever expanded upon or answered. In S3 he became a run-of-the-mill evil scientist who had a cool way of speaking. However, the biggest letdown was his death.
I was really hoping his death would have been satisfying. Something poetic and justified. I mean, the way he canonically died was warranted. Being shot to death was… expected. It just didn’t scratch the itch of just-dessert. He was responsible for experimenting on hundreds of clones. He brainwashed and created the CX-Troopers. He kidnapped children. Killed and disposed of thousands of living beings like tools.
Imagine if his own machines killed him. Or his CX troopers turned on him. Or his death echoed Tech’s death by him hanging by a thread and Hunter or Crosshair shooting the cable and he fell into an animal enclosure of something. Something more poetic… It’s like poetry, it rhymes.
Tech and Representation
Tech meant so much to so many people. For many of us, he was the first positive representation of an ND character ever. Not just in Star Wars. He was a man of color, that was in a biracial relationship (almost, we were so close). Tech was this unique, complex character that wasn’t limited to a single “note” if you will.
He was ND, but he wasn’t defined by his ND-ness. He was smart and funny. His dry humor was so quotable. He cared in his own way, either by showing interest or asking questions. He freely gave out compliments and had a love for the retro. His mind was open to new perspectives and new introspective. Tech was always learning and growing.
He was brave, even going against logic and reason to do the right thing. Such as jumping after Omega in the caves. Or even Plan 99. Tech was very aware and self-reflective of things. Tech understood Crosshair’s nature. He understood why Crosshair and Echo had left. He wasn’t a big communicator of his feelings, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel. He just expressed it differently.
Tech: I may process thoughts and emotions differently, but that does not mean I feel any less than you
Tech’s eyes were so expressive. Tech info dumped when he was comfortable. For all other situations, he didn’t say much but one could tell what he was thinking through his facial expressions. The show creators designed his mask so that one could see his eyes. It was such a great choice for his character because he had very expressive brown eyes.
Tech easily could have been this robotic ND character that everyone would have forgotten about. However, the show did a great job of making him a three-dimensional character. Due to S2 Tech was beginning to go from existing to thriving. He was beginning to think about a future. He was beginning to see there was more to life than his datapad. There was more to life than war and being a soldier. Thanks to Phee, there was even a budding love just waiting for him.
Phee and Representation
I am of color, so this one hit a little closer to home for me. The writers once stated that Phee was created to be a foil to Cid and the Bad Batch themselves. If Cid gave the Batch guff, Phee gave guff to Cid. Which is fine and dandy under normal circumstances. When one deals with a character of color, there is another level of care that has to go into it. Why may you ask? Here is a quote from a book editor named Clara Abigail.
“As a writer, you are not responsible for every single possible interpretation of your work. BUT, you are responsible for whatever personal bias or prejudice you are bringing into it. Consider why you write what you write. Are you intentionally making a point? Or are you unintentionally reinforcing harmful stereotypes? Or worse. Intentionally reinforcing harmful stereotypes.”
One of the reasons is that one may accidentally reinforce stereotypes. Once those stereotypes were reinforced—that is all the fans saw. Due to Phee being tough at first, a lot of people had an issue with her. Especially when she became a love interest for our beloved Tech. Three years and a book later, people have warmed up to Phee. However, I still remember the problems the show caused.
Phee is this rare, strong woman of color that has the potential to be a fantastic, well-rounded character. She is smart and independent. She cares about people and children. She loves knowledge and adventure. It is thanks to her that the Bad Batch had a future on Pabu. It is thanks to her that Tech had a chance of a future beyond being a soldier.
As the book Sanctuary mirrored, it is thanks to Phee’s love for Tech, that they have a chance at a future together. Of children. Of adventure. Of love.
Unfortunately, most people will remember Phee for being a stereotype, and honestly that is due to how the show portrayed her in S3. The writers were aware of how they introduced characters, as stated in the interview. So, I have no doubt that Phee’s reintroduction, being reduced to a taxi driver, and disappearing during the last act was intentional.
Phee had no screen time to develop further. She did show she missed Tech, but we didn’t see the depth of that grief. It really could have been something so profound and beautiful, trying to cope with a lost love. It could have transformed her from the adventurous pirate to… well, more than that.
My Worries for Phee
For those of you who don’t know, in 2025 a TBB book came out called Sanctuary written by Lamar Giles. It widely received positive reviews; praised for capturing the characters’ likeness and further developing them in a fun action adventure. Many people agreed that it was like episodes of The Bad Batch but in book form. If you haven’t read it, go read it. It’s not perfect (nothing is) but it is really pretty good.
If Lamar Giles is put in charge of future stories for the Bad Batch—I think we are in good hands. If corporate is put in charge of future stories for the Bad Batch, especially after S3, and they don’t bring back Tech. I think we are heading for a rough ride when it comes to handling characters.
I truly hope we don’t see Phee end up with one of the other brothers. That will take away what made Tech and Phee special. She is not a toy to be passed around. Also, I kind of don’t want her to be with anyone else either. All the other ‘widows’ in Star Wars never ‘remarry’ per se. They never get with anyone else, staying loyal to their deceased loved one. If Phee (a black woman in love with an ND man of color) is the exception and she does get with someone else. I will be very upset.
Now, I am not saying that corporate suggested any of this. However, just because they haven’t done it doesn’t mean they can’t do it. After what happened to Tech, I wouldn’t put it past them. Truly, anything could happen if they wished it to be so. For better or worse.
Alternative Routes
There were a few alternative routes the show could have taken. 1.) Tech remained dead, but made his mourning a plot point. 2.) Tech remained dead but was one of the CX troopers. 3.) Tech lived and was made one of the main plot points.
Okay, so what would number 1.) have looked like. The family finds closure. We still get the whole Tantiss plot point. During this adventure, Hunter mourns. Crosshair faces Tech’s sacrifice for him and eventually finds peace. Phee can say her final goodbye to Tech. Wrecker cherishes what he has left. Omega takes in all the suffering and challenges and realizes the impact of consequences. She is ready for the galaxy, but a little more careful and a lot more hopeful. We were so close to getting that.
Number 2.) If Tech remained dead, but was one of the CX troopers. The show could have gone more into the CX troopers and that they were victims too. Crosshair would have had to face his fears. Maybe he would have had to find mercy or forgiveness through fighting the troopers.
Imagine if the Batch found out that CX-2 was Tech—what would they have done? Crosshair is the only one who knows more details about them. He would have to come clean. He would have faced his fears. In order to save Tech, Crosshair had to find mercy and forgiveness within himself. It could have been a powerful moment between the brothers.
Now, number 3.) If Tech came back. The family would finally have had peace. The Empire came close to shattering them but failed to do so. The family would have worked together. Say, Omega and Crosshair escaped, they still had to save the other clones and take down Hemlock. Imagine, them fighting together and their theme song played one last time.
Tech and Phee would have gotten their happy ending. That would have been so special because it is almost unheard of that Star Wars couples to not end tragically. Tech and Crosshair could have made amends; they haven’t talked since Kamino. Crosshair could have thanked Tech for going back for him. Hunter finally expresses his emotions and is happy that his family is back together again. They were tested; they were even broken for a while. But their bonds were strong; they overcame impossible odds. They came out at the end of it all together as one.
Okay, so what do all these alternative routes give that the Canon falls short of? For the most part — well-earned bittersweet or happy endings. In Canon we don’t see the Batch prosper after the fall of Tantiss. We are told the Batch can be whatever they want to be. We don’t feel it. We don’t experience it.
In the alternative routes, Tech would have been the perfect example of experiencing “getting to choose who he wanted to be.” He would have gone beyond being a soldier. If he came back from death, he would have gone beyond his sacrifice. He was the unlikeliest of people to find love and start a family. If he came back, he would have been the perfect person to do just that with Phee, furthering his development.
In the alternative routes, Crosshair would have explored his emotions, faced them, and learned to live with his trauma. Not chop it off. Hunter would have witnessed his family grow and prosper. He would have watched them go well beyond being soldiers. By leaving Kamino, Hunter saved his family and would have a chance to rejoice in their freedom with or without the grief. Wrecker and Omega would have the choice to stay or go. It would have been a more personal choice to stay verses feeling obligated to after Tech’s death. At least Echo got to help his brothers in Canon, that is something.
Part 4: Conclusion
Will Tech Come back?
Probably not. Is there an opportunity for Tech to come back? Absolutely. Will they bring Tech back? Currently, no… corporate seems pretty set on keeping him dead. However, the setup for the comeback is there.
He ambiguously disappeared into the clouds. The terrain is shown to house large bodies of water. If you want to follow some soft logic, water is never treated realistically in Star Wars, plus Tech had the sky-rail car to break his fall. What would have happened to Tech after his fall? I don’t know, but that is where a new adventure begins.
Truthfully, unless the outcry is great and consistent, maybe Tech might come back. Corporate is a business after all. If there is an opportunity that bringing back Tech will bring in money, then I am sure he will be back in a heartbeat. Until then, he is in death-limbo, as in he is dead until it is no longer convenient to have him to be so.
Would I like to see Tech come back? Absolutely. I would love to see him come back on a meaningful adventure. I would love to see the brothers closer than ever and finally have some closure. Perhaps close some of those character plot holes I mentioned earlier. If anything, it is a great excuse to get more Bad Batch episodes.
I do have to point out there is still hope that Tech might come back. Since the end of S3, all the materials concerning The Bad Batch have been pre S3. Meaning, they all include Tech. Perhaps, corporate has seen the interest people have in keeping the Batch together. Perhaps they are seeing the value in Tech. Perhaps over time, their minds will change and bring Tech back. Again, imagine a post S3 adventure concerning the return of Tech. The possibilities are endless and the hype would be enormous.
Big Feels
Fiction impacts reality. What made The Bad Batch so special to me was this dynamic between brothers, which was so funny and so caring. I loved seeing people relate to them. I love seeing people fall in love with these characters. I love the emotional maturity the show could express. I love that it took risks for better representation.
When Tech died, everything went down the drain. They traded this heart-felt story for edgy and gritty. The harshness and darkness were not satisfactory; it wasn’t the darkest hour to ride out or to overcome.
Not only that, it felt like the show was saying we (the people Tech and Phee represented) did not matter. We are meant to be used. Only worth something when we were useful. Since Tech died and was not followed up on, our use as viewers was done. This story was no longer for us.
The death of Tech was the death of what made this show so special. It was the beginning of its downfall. I mourn that deeply because I loved this show with every fiber of my heart. I mourn something that could have been so special. I mourn something that could have been for me. It saw me. It spoke to me. But… not anymore.
I think that is the most frustrating thing about the Bad Batch. It had such great potential to be an amazingly satisfying show, but ended up being… middle of the road. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad. It was okay. A nice, safe “okay.”. There is nothing wrong with that.
Since Tech’s death and the end of the series, I have been writing and writing and I won’t stop writing. I know I can never bring Tech back with fanfictions. I can’t make things feel better, but… I do want to create satisfying stories. Someday I hope to create my own stories. My own well-earned happy endings. My own tributes, reflecting reality and reflecting where it all started. An amazing story about family in an ever-dangerous universe.
I leave you with an abridged Alex Warren song. I often think Phee sings this to soothe herself after Tech’s death.
