Only Crosshair could have let her go in that moment. Crosshair, who's learned not only to trust Omega but to respect her autonomy. Who knows what it means to be the cause of your loved one's pain for reasons outside of your control. Who's willing to risk everything to honor her wishes.
And only Omega could have convinced him to do it. Omega, the one person who never gave up on him. Who taught him that people can change for the better, even himself. The person for whom his hand doesn't shake when the shot really matters.
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I was devastated when he failed to hit them with the tracker. It's not often that Star Wars shocks me, but I needed to let the credits roll as it sank in that he really missed.
It would have been so easy for the writers to give them the win here. For this to be the culmination of all their character growth this season. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad about it. This is fantastic. I have no idea what's going to happen next. The writers are making some brave choices this season, and I am so here for it.
I need more seasons of The Bad Batch! I can’t believe this amazing series is almost over… what am I supposed to do after? Just live my life like nothing had happened? These characters are part of me, and I don’t want their story to end.
Since when our favorite squad has been in active duty ?
Sharing this to add up to @miss-musings 's very detailed analysis of The Bad Batch timeline. If you haven't read the post, I highly recommand it! See link bellow:
I've had some interesting conversations with folks on Twitter over the last few weeks about the timeline of "The Bad Batch" show: How much t
Thanks to a piece of dialogue between Wrecker and Tech, we know their last detachment lasted 180 days (205, if you adjust to galatic zones change but I'm not gonna consider that because I want the number of days they actually lived)
Wrecker also tells us that during those 180 days, they executed and succeded 11 missions.
Which gives us an average duration of 16,4 days per mission.
During that scene in the baracks, we also catch a glipse of the board where they keep track of their missions. I've counted 11 groups of 5 tally marks, so 55 missions.
There are 2 possible sources of error here, because 1- I'm assuming the shot pans through the whole board but there could be more marks that we don't see, and 2 -Since it's been said they have a 100% rate of success in The Clone Wars episodes, I consider it's stil the case and that all the missions are marked on the board
With the average lenght of 16,4 days per mission, that leads us to 902 days. So roughtly
2,5 years
(Note: it is my understanding that a standard year in Star Wars is 368 days, so really close to our year)
From Wookepedia, I place the event surrounding order 66 and the creation of the Empire and therefore the first episode of The Bad Batch in the middle of the year 19BBY
"The anniversary of the Empire's creation was celebrated yearly, on the twenty-third day of the fifth month using the Great ReSynchronization (GrS) dating system based on Coruscant."
Clone Force 99 would have been promoted and sent in active duty at the beginning of year 21BBY.
To try and place it in the Clone wars timeline, that would be about a year after the battle of Geonosis (beginning of the war) but before the attack on Kamino that lead to 99's death (TCW S3E2 Arc Troopers).
I like that because I headcanon the Domino squad was propably training on Kamino around the same time and that they are close in age. I'd like to think they got to interact together thanks to 99...
Let me know if you think this make sense or if you came up with another number!
Scorpios, being both armored and armed, represent both offense and defense — Crosshair doesn't hesitate to attack others verbally or physically, and is quite guarded when it comes to his own emotions. He shared the tendency to brood and wallow in his hurt the way scorpios like to do and holds grudges, which we see when he doesn't take the chance to join his former squad again on Kamino, sensitive and hurt about them distrusting, and also not wanting to join him. Scorpios place loyalty above all else, and Crosshair is deeply loyal when not giving into physical and psychological torture with Hemlock, and also already when he kills his subordinates to give Clone Force 99 a chance to join him. Even though scorpios often give off an intimidating or mean first impression, they mainly want to protect themselves. Still, they have a sharp temper, cruel and biting, which shows more often than not in Crosshair's pointed comments. Later on, they often feel remorseful about what they said when upset, though struggle to express guilt (Crosshair is uncomfortable when trying to tell Hunter about his time with the Empire, but he ends up trying to find the right words...). Even though scorpios are usually loners, they're very capable of leading, and so is Crosshair; he doesn't mind giving orders to his Imperial squad, and seems occasionally unhappy with Hunter being the leader of the Bad Batch.
✧ moon in cancer (water, cardinal)
Cancers experience many emotions all at once. They're sensitive to their own and others' feelings, can be moody and struggle with criticism, and are often better at listening than at talking. All of these fit Crosshair. Hunter describes Crosshair as being "not much of a conversationalist". Some might argue he's not aware of others' emotions because of his harsh comments to Rex, Jesse, and others, but I disagree — he's extremely aware of just what to say to irritate and hurt. He doesn't challenge Rex's authority accidentally, like Tech accidentally upsets Omega by being too logical and aloof, but does it intentionally to pick a fight. He knows just what to say to make Hunter feel guilty; scorpio's and cancer's perceptiveness and emotional understanding help him be this venomous.
Moon in cancer also has strong caretaker qualities. They only take on those roles if absolutely necessary, but are more than capable, to their own surprise. They're good with children, fiercely loyal and protective, and actually enjoy caring for their loved ones. I don't think I need to mention around who Crosshair shows those traits. Often, because of their unwavering devotion and loyalty, cancers find themselves getting overly attached. They indulge in nostalgia, struggle to let go, and, because they love harder than most other signs, often feel that their love isn't reciprocated with the same intensity. They easily experience rejection and, although they're hopeless romantics at heart, push others away to not get hurt. They're great at keeping their distance and pushing people away, even though it's the last thing they actually want. Obviously, in Crosshair's case, this describes his relationship to Hunter, Wrecker, Tech and Echo — he's deeply hurt by them leaving him, but still holds onto the hope that they'll change their minds and join him, to the point of him staging the capture on Kamino. He yearns for them badly enough to turn against his own subordinates, but gets rejected, and in turn rejects them when they offer him to join their squad again.
In combination with his scorpio sun placement, Crosshair is independent to the point of being a loner, which we mainly see when he interacts with regs, in the Republic, but mainly during his time with the Empire. He struggles to make even superficial friends, even if he clearly seeks connection of some kind, now that he's all alone; he looks defeated when the regs leave the table, just because he sat there. He's self-sufficient and has obvious leadership qualities, which we see when he commands the imperial elite squad, though his placements suggest he rarely actively takes charge — he doesn't have the constant urge to lead the way leo or capricorn do. He's good at commanding, but ultimately accepts Hunter as Clone Force 99's leader and follows his orders.
The combination of scorpio and cancer leads him to repress his emotions even more intensely. Scorpio is secretive and suspicious by nature, and cancer hides behind its shell; Crosshair struggles with letting his guard down and tries, and often fails, to hide his true feelings. (“You trust too much.” — “Maybe you don't trust enough.”) His sarcasm and snark are facades he hides behind, cancer and its shell, when feeling unsafe, such as when talking to strangers and particularly regs. His conversations with Mayday and Omega prove he's lying through his teeth the second the topic shifts to him potentially caring for someone else, therefore being vulnerable; “I wouldn't think twice about leaving you behind.”; “No point carrying dead weight.” Naturally, he uncovers his lies himself almost immediately.
✧ rising in scorpio (water, fixed)
Scorpio risings like to observe. They notice every little change in their environment and immediately size others up; important skills for a sniper to have. While they love to watch others, they themselves hate being paid too much attention to. Crosshair, even though he occasionally starts fights, usually stays in the shadows of his more extroverted brothers. To other signs, this often feels like they're hiding something, or even comes off as intimidating. Crosshair is slow to trust others and is also sceptical of people who are the 'open book type'. As we see with Omega, he has a soft side he tries to hide, and, as scorpio is known for its intensity, he's very intense in his emotions, also seen in his concern and care for Omega, Mayday and even Cody.
Rising signs are also said to influence one's appearance. In Crosshair's case, scorpio gives him sharp eyes, narrow features, high cheekbones, cool undertones, and dark and arched eyebrows, as well as defensive and tense body language in an effort to protect himself, such as a clenched jaw, balled fists, and crossed arms, and the tendency to stare.
✧ venus in scorpio (water, fixed)
Scorpios are known to be sensual, and likewise, one of their primary love languages is physical touch — not necessarily in a sexual way. Crosshair shows a strong affinity for physical touch as a way to express his affection; he places a hand on Echo's shoulder in comfort, concern or praise when they barely know each other, holds Omega's hand multiple times in the show, has a hand on Hunter's shoulder, offers Ventress his hand to help her onto the Marauder, and is one of the first to aid Rex in getting up after he falls, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him upwards. He's too hesitant and tense to actively seek physical touch from others, but practically melts into it when Omega hugs him, and doesn't even consider pulling away when she holds his hand.
Scorpios also have a tendency to be obsessive and jealous. They want to know everything about their loved ones, going deeper than many signs are comfortable with, and demand the same intensity from their partner. They experience their own emotions in similar depths — they're either extremely in love or extremely resentful, as is seen with Hunter and his former squad. Once Crosshair believes they've abandoned and given up on him, he hunts them down persistently. They also struggle with differences in opinions, seeing even slight disagreements as rejection.
✧ mars in pisces (water, mutable)
Mars in pisces shows recklessness and determination, a 'go big or go home' mentality, but also perceptiveness. With Crosshair, this shows in his skills as a sniper; “.. and knowing when you've got eyes on you.”, as well as when he hunts down the Bad Batch and always seems to be a step ahead. He knows Tech's methods and ways of thinking, while Tech doesn't know Crosshair's, as seen in the training room confrontation. Although he struggles with forgiveness, a pisces trait, most likely due to the extreme scorpio stellium, he still acts with the large picture in mind. He's still hurt when confronting Hunter and the rest of his squad in season 1, he's holding a strong grudge in typical scorpio fashion, but he still urges them to join him and the Empire. Mars in pisces knows that resolving a conflict does not mean they'll all heal from it, he himself not most of all, but joining the Empire, both to be together again and for the Bad Batch to not have to live in fear and on the run, is logically their best shot.
Most importantly, however, this placement makes him willing to sacrifice — himself, mostly. Mars in pisces knows when to give up and let go, such as when he tells Omega to escape without him (“Stop wasting time on lost causes. Forget the hound. Forget me.”), when he endures physical and mental torture to protect his squad, and when he insists he'll infiltrate Tantiss on his own to protect Hunter and Wrecker and save Omega. Him hating himself and believing he deserves punishment plays into this, but most of all, he aches to put his own life on the line to protect his loved ones.
(At first, I was thinking about him having mars in aries. It fit because he's a quick thinker, who reacts instinctively to situations that demand it, and who sets aside personal problems to react to a threat. In Kamino Lost, he reaches for his rifle before anyone else acts, saving Omega while even Hunter still hesitates on what to do. Mars in aries is an excellent protector, and Crosshair defends his loved ones often throughout the show — “I'll draw his fire. Get to the rendezvous.”; the interrogations on Tantiss, and many more examples prove that. With mars being aries' ruling planet, it's a particularly powerful placement. While very determined, it also leads to explosive anger if there's no safe outlet, which, for Crosshair, might be picking unnecessary arguments and physical fights with regs. In the end, I did think mars in pisces fits him more, though, and I gave aries to his mercury placement!)
✧ mercury in aries (fire, cardinal)
With his mercury in aries, Crosshair communicates bluntly and prefers a direct approach. He doesn't hesitate to get to the point and instead says what he has to say. He's not afraid of fights or challenges, as is seen when he argues, threatens and picks physical fights with the regs/Saw Gerrera/Hunter. There's also a certain defensiveness and sensitivity to aries in mercury, however; he takes criticism personally, and gets irritated easily when others don't immediately agree with his opinions and ideas, such as when Hunter has a different opinion.
✧ summary:
Summarised, Crosshair has mainly water signs in his chart, and a scorpio stellium, which makes him sensitive, intuitive and secretive. He feels a plethora of deep emotions and has many emotional ups and downs, but tries to hide his feelings to protect himself. Even when undergoing hardships, he attempts to hide vulnerability at all costs. With his scorpio stellium, he also undergoes important transformations, shown in him switching sides multiple times. This also fits with scorpio's ruling planet being Pluto, which is known for strong emotions, a sense of purpose, persistence, and the ability to make a start into a new direction. The one fire sign placement adds further sharpness to his words and personality.
He also has a majority of fixed signs, showing he's dedicated, good at planning and seeing things through, and responsible. He mainly lacks mutable signs, meaning he struggles to adapt and to see the positive in situations.
This is the sixth instalment of my Bad Batch analysis. This character analysis has two parts: innate archetypes and anima. I will be referring to “Gods in Everyman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen for this first part analysis. This innate archetype analysis is split into two parts.
Part 1 | Part 2
Crosshair has two main archetypes: Poseidon and Apollo. His innate archetype is Poseidon, or Neptune as the Romans called him, and he is the God of the Sea. He is linked with tidal waves and earthquakes; hence, he is called Flood-bringer and Earth-shaker. He is bad-tempered, violent, vindictive, destructive, and dangerous, and these characteristics are represented by tempest, turbulence and the raging sea. However, he can also calm the sea – storms instantly stop when he drives his golden chariot drawn by white horses over the waves, and sea monsters play around it. The sea is the realm of emotions and instincts, and it is part of the unconscious. The shallow water is where personal and readily retrievable emotions and memories can be found, while the deep sea is where repressed personal feelings and instincts reside, and it is the emotional realm we share collectively. Underground water represents the deep introverted feelings that are unexpressed and unseen.
All clones have the Poseidon archetype as their innate archetype because their donor Jango Fett is innately Poseidon (Mandalorians generally have Poseidon as their innate archetype). However, this archetype is generally diluted as clones are genetically modified to be more compliant and docile. Besides that, their military training also further dilutes the effect of this archetype. Nevertheless, their Poseidon archetype motivates the clones to seek their individuality. Hence, this archetype is expressed through them in different ways such as having individual names, wearing customized armour, and sporting different hairstyles and tattoos. Even with the desire to be unique individuals, the clones also value honour, loyalty, brotherhood and community, which are all values of Poseidon. Surprisingly, these values are also upheld by most Mandalorians and the people living on Pabu.
Kamino is a remote planet covered by the ocean after the Great Flood. Instead of petitioning aid from the Galactic Republic, the Kaminoans use genetic engineering to adapt their genetic codes, flora and fauna to the new watery environment. They also build their cities in higher land and on stilts. There is an abundance of life in the ocean such as the aiwhas, the Kamoradon Sea Dragon, fish and krill. The planet often experiences heavy rain, and some parts of the year is covered by heavy electrical storms. Kamino is the home of the clones. Their donor Jango Fett did live there for 10 years as he oversaw the training of the clones and raised his unaltered clone as his son, whom he named Boba Fett. Surrounded by the ocean and sea creatures, Kamino is in the realm of Poseidon, and anyone familiar with this planet are usually innately Poseidon. I believe that the Kaminoans are innately Poseidon, especially before the Great Flood. They use science and technology to adapt and survive through the environmental changes. However, once they start using genetic engineering to better themselves, they end up suppressing the Poseidon archetype. They perceive this archetype as no longer beneficial after the Great Flood, and it should be left in the past, submerged in the ocean like their old infrastructure. They become generally expressionless, which can be a sign of being “cut away” from the realm of emotions. The monotone and sterile environment in Tipoca City shows how much they have supressed this archetype. In Legends, the Kaminoans used to be expressive and they had a dance called Nahra where they would display their emotions, which is now frowned upon.
Almost all clones started off with a diluted Poseidon archetype and it is maintained through military training. Of course, there are exceptions like the Domino Squad, whom they have expressed their individuality when they were cadets. Once the clones leave Kamino and join the war, their Poseidon archetype gets cultivated. How much this innate archetype gets cultivated depends on many factors like the environment, the experiences, the people they are surrounded with, etc. For example, clones who are assigned to Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Plo Koon and Shaak Ti have their Poseidon archetype being cultivated positively because they are seen and treated as individuals, not expendables. On the other hand, the clones who are assigned to be Coruscant Guards have a minimal cultivation of the Poseidon archetype as their loyalty to the Republic usually supersedes their loyalty to their fellow clone brothers. Clones who have survived through various battles will have greatly cultivated their Poseidon archetype.
As the god of the sea, Poseidon can plunge into the watery depths and stay under the sea as long as he wants. He can also rise swiftly to the surface by commanding his horses to pull his chariot. This makes Poseidon the archetype of the deep-sea diver. A person who identifies with Poseidon can dive deeply into the watery realm of emotions and stay there as long as they want to. They can feel all sorts of intense emotions that can take the forms of great beauty and monsters of the deep. They can dive so deep to the point that vision must be abandoned and they have to sense the emotions and instincts hidden in the darkness. As deep-sea divers, they have a sense of emotional depth, intensity and complexity. This archetype is expressed through art and literature, music, dance, architecture and psychotherapy when it involves diving into the collective human depth.
The world around us tends to force us to cut off the Poseidon archetype. However, one can enter the realm of emotions and be overwhelmed by it like a drowning person when they drink or when they are consumed by a strong emotion (especially if that emotion is bottled up for too long). Though, there are some cultures that connect well with the realm of emotions and allow their people to be more emotional, irrational and expressive. This is especially true for cultures that have experienced suffering historically, where art, dance, music and literature are valued, and their museums mostly contain cultural artifacts (e.g. coins, statues, artwork, traditional clothing, armour and weapons) and natural artifacts (e.g. fossils, minerals, animal and plant specimens).
Like Zeus, the Empire’s domain is the sky, which is the realm of will and power. To rise upwards, one must “leave the earth” to see the forest not the individual trees. It is a highly competitive workplace and anyone who cannot keep up the pace will be left behind. Those who manage to reach the top ranks in the Empire tend to live in their heads and express themselves through power and words. They are cut off from their hearts, hence, they lack sympathy for others. They are also cut off from their emotions and sensuality. They see their bigger picture perspective as superior, hence, they view the people below them as expendables and are willing to sacrifice them to achieve their goals. However, the clones, being Poseidon, do not share such values. They instead value loyalty, brotherhood, teamwork, creativity and innovation. Unlike the people working for the Empire, the clones are supportive of each other, and they are unwilling to leave their own behind. The Empire looks down at such values, which may explain why they always plan on casting them out after Order 66 is carried out.
The inhibitor chip not just makes the clones to mindlessly kill the Jedi, it also strips away their individuality and values – which is like suppressing their Poseidon archetype. Furthermore, the decommissioning of clones and Project War-Mantle are carried out to replace the clones with Stormtroopers, which consists of people that are willing to strip away their individuality to serve the Empire. Finally, the aerial bombardment being carried out to destroy Tipoca City, the home of the clones, symbolizes the Empire raining down lightning (like Zeus) to destroy the realm of emotions and instincts, and the city being submerged underwater symbolizes the Empire’s values – the suppression of emotions, instincts, sensuality and connections with nature and other people. I also feel that the Empire destroying Kamino could serve as an allegory of the British Empire almost decimated the Māori people and culture because I find that the Māori people’s connection with nature, loyalty and caring towards community, the desire to preserve their traditions, creative arts such as carving, tattoos and performing arts evoke the Poseidon archetype.
On the other hand, Pabu serves as the haven for the clones. It is a remote island surrounded by the ocean, and there is an abundance of life and nature like the moon-yos, fish and fruits. The people living there are refugees who have fled from war and conflict. They understand each other’s sufferings and they treat each other like family. They are also welcoming towards the Bad Batch. The Archium is a museum built to store the people’s cultural artifacts that Phee has liberated. The people respect nature as they acknowledge the moon-yos as the island’s native animals and allow them to roam freely. Despite all its beauty and abundance, the island experiences earthquakes and tidal waves. The people have built an early warning system to alert them when there is a risk of a sea surge, and rescue ladders for evacuation. Although the tidal wave has destroyed Lower Pabu, rendering many people homeless, they are resilient and they work together to rebuild Lower Pabu (with the help of the Bad Batch). The residents on Pabu uphold the values of the Poseidon archetype, which are shared by the clones, making the island as the perfect place for the clones to settle down after the war.
Crosshair has enhanced eyesight. It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul because the eyes reflect our emotions and thoughts. This means that his genetic modification not just intensifies his eyesight, it also intensifies his emotions and instincts. This also means Crosshair has an enhanced Poseidon archetype, which is why some fans think that he is the closest we can get to Jango Fett. As a deep-sea diver, Crosshair is an emotionally intense person. Even as he lurks in a corner and stays calm, his intensity leaks out and can make people feel uncomfortable around him. His eyes depict various emotions like anger, pain and sadness.
Since Crosshair feels intensely, this means that he tends to stay in one emotion for a long time and it takes time for the emotion to subside. This can become a problem, for example, if he is angry, he will stay angry for a long time. To make matters worse, he is likely to unleash his anger towards everyone, regardless it is his target or an innocent victim, just like the saying “get caught in the crosshairs” (hence, Crosshair is a fitting name for him). This is equivalent to the forces of nature destroying everything and everyone on its path without discrimination. Aside from anger and sadness, if Crosshair is in pain, he feels it more intensely than normal people. That is why Dr. Hemlock using the interrogation droid to torture Crosshair is extremely cruel (and it hints that he understands Crosshair well enough to find ways to break him). Normal people will feel intense pain from the torture method, but Crosshair feels it much worse and the pain lingers longer in his body and mind. It is remarkable that Crosshair can still talk, stand, shoot and walk after going through the intense pain.
Of course, the emotional intensity is not all negative – there are some positives. Since Crosshair is accepted and loved for who he is by the Bad Batch, he can be emotionally responsive and physically demonstrative. Besides, being surrounded by people who expresses themselves freely can help Crosshair to develop positive traits of being an emotionally intense person. There are headcanons that Crosshair laughs loudly, which I believe is in character for him – it is just that he only does it in private or with his brothers. I believe that he almost always shows his deep affection to his loved ones in private. In “Aftermath”, Wrecker says that he and Crosshair cry upon seeing the new armoury. Even though Crosshair does not want to admit it, it is in character for him to be so emotionally overwhelmed that he sheds tears. Besides that, Crosshair is extremely loyal and can develop long-lasting ties with other people, even those who are his opposites. He is fiercely protective of his loved ones and will resort to physical fights to protect them. With the access to the deep sea, which is the collective human emotional depth, Crosshair has the capacity to understand other people’s emotions, making him emotionally mature and intelligent. For example, if you feel intense pain from something that is normally not that painful to a normal person, Crosshair will not judge you and instead acknowledges your feelings as valid. If you have an unusual phobia, he will understand you and help you. I do believe that if Crosshair was with the Bad Batch in “The Crossing”, he would understand Omega’s grief of losing Echo and comfort her.
In a romantic context, Crosshair will fall deeply in love. His expressions of love will probably be rough, intense, passionate and dominating, and these may be done consciously or unconsciously. If you try to hide from him, he will still find you. If you try to downplay your beauty, he will still think you are beautiful. If he is in the mood but you are not, he will probably pull you into the same mood as him (as long as you are fine with it). It is like he drags you into the watery depths of his emotions and instincts, flooding your consciousness so you will share his feelings.
Though, it is not out of character for Crosshair to be soft and tender, and this requires him to develop the “dolphin” in himself. In Greek mythology, Poseidon saw the Nereid Amphitrite dancing and he fell in love with her. Jean Shinoda Bolen interprets the love is more than sexual desire, and that Amphitrite attracts his inner image of his beloved, which Carl Jung describes it as “anima”, the unconscious feminine side of a man. Poseidon courted her with how he was used to – dominating and overpowering her with his intensity. This frightened her and she fled to the Atlas Mountains to escape him. Delphinus (or Dolphin) found her, then pleaded his case charmingly, and she agreed to marry Poseidon. In gratitude, Poseidon made the Dolphin into a starry constellation.
It is essential for a Poseidon person to learn from the Dolphin, a creature at home in his own watery realm. Poseidon people must learn to give up the need to dominate, and instead focus on his relationships with others. By developing the “dolphin” in themselves, they can attune themselves to another person (like the dolphin can find Amphitrite although she is hiding), and be sensitive, caring and communicative at a deep level. Since emotions are naturally present in the watery realm, skills such as enhancing rapport, empathic understanding and emotional expressiveness can come naturally for Poseidon people. With encouragement and opportunity for development, they can master their feelings like how people master their artistic and mental skills. If a Poseidon person evolves with the help of the dolphin, their effect with their loved ones will be like “living in a beautiful undersea palace” where they share an emotional depth, which is a beautiful aspect of a relationship. This is a common theme for many soft Crosshair headcanons and fanfictions, and the romantic setting usually takes place at beaches.
The name Poseidon means husband of Da (posis Das), which is a name for the earth. He wields a trident, and he is symbolized by two animals: the bull and the horse (or more specifically, the stallion). The trident, bull and horse are abstract statements of his sexuality, fertility and sexual prowess. As the husband of earth, Poseidon strikes the earth with his trident to bring forth water, which brings life and fertility to the land. I have seen headcanons of Crosshair being a gardener or a cook, and these are surprisingly fitting for him as the life-giving Poseidon. Moreover, being the life-giving Poseidon also means that the clones can be great fathers. As the trident bearer, there are two sides that Crosshair and the rest of the clones have: they have multiple partners with no strings attached, or they are loyal and committed in a relationship. Like Poseidon, their partner preferences are diverse: smart and independent, emotional and sensitive, shy and obedient, quiet and mysterious, bratty and rebellious, funny and mischievous, calm and collected, tough and resilient, caring and loving, etc.
Poseidon is seen as an archetype of the wild man, which is a symbol of masculinity that is filled with instincts and is in touch with nature. Unfortunately, this archetype is disregarded and feared, hence, it is repressed by the patriarchal society. If this archetype is liberated and brought into the consciousness, it can be a source of strength and power, teaching a person to be courageous and loving. We are seeing a rise of male characters who are emotional and sensitive, which are now seen as positive traits. This leads to an appreciation and empowerment of this wild man archetype. The clones do exhibit this archetype to some extent – they are not afraid to fight and die in a war, yet they are loving and caring towards children.
Like Zeus and Hades, Poseidon is an archetype of the king. People who identify strongly as Poseidon desires to “be somebody important” and seeks power, control and respect. However, they lack the impersonality, strategic thinking, and force of will like Zeus to be successful. Due to their intense feelings associated with Poseidon, they are not good losers and can easily be enraged. In the myth, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades drew lots to divide the world: Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the sea, while Hades got the underground. Poseidon was not satisfied with his lot, so he competed with other gods for possession of cities. In one myth, Poseidon and Athena competed for the city of Athens. Athena presented the olive tree, while Poseidon used his trident to strike a rock, producing a saltwater spring. When Athena’s gift was judged to be more useful, the enraged Poseidon flooded the surrounding plains, which might explain why Athens was located next to three separate rivers at that time. Poseidon was also unsuccessful in claiming Argos from Hera, Aegina from Zeus and Naxos from Dionysus. There is also one myth where Poseidon unsuccessfully plotted against Zeus.
Having a strong Poseidon trait, Crosshair seeks to “be somebody important” as he sees himself and Clone Force 99 as more superior than the regular clone troopers. He is highly competitive and is unafraid to challenge for authority. For example, in “The Bad Batch”, Rex decides to take charge of the mission after Cody is injured, and Crosshair questions the legitimacy of Rex’s authority since Cody has called in Clone Force 99 for this mission, which means the authority to carry out this mission should be under Clone Force 99. Moreover, Crosshair is the only one who challenges Hunter’s leadership skills in “Aftermath”, “Return to Kamino” and “Kamino Lost”. He even wants to remove Hunter’s role as a leader and possibly taking the leadership role for himself in “Aftermath”. Crosshair being given the Clone Commander rank by Admiral Tarkin, which is higher than Hunter’s Clone Sergeant rank, probably satisfies his desire of having more power than Hunter.
Poseidon is known as the implacable enemy in Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s one-eyed Cyclops son Polyphemus and escaped from being eaten. This resulted in Odysseus facing Poseidon’s wrath, leading him to spend 10 years trying to return home. This eye-for-an-eye justice is vengeance that takes nothing else into consideration, even going so far as “He who is not with me is against me” (very similar to what Anakin Skywalker tells Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Revenge of the Sith” because Anakin is innately Poseidon). In addition, Poseidon is a grudge holder, and with his emotional intensity, he can hold it for a long time and innocents are not spared from his wrath. This is depicted in one myth where Poseidon and Apollo had an agreement with King Laomedon to build the walls of Troy in return for payment. When the construction was completed, the Trojan king refused to pay, and Poseidon avenged himself “unto the second and third generation”, dragging Priam (King Laomedon’s son), Paris and Hector (King Laomedon’s grandchildren) to face his wrath.
The archetype of Poseidon as the implacable enemy is present in Boba Fett, Dogma and Crosshair. After Boba witnesses Jedi Master Mace Windu kills his father Jango Fett, he becomes obsessed with seeking revenge against the Jedi. He and his mentor Aurra Sing attempt to assassinate Mace Windu, which results in the destruction of the Star Destroyer Endurance and the deaths of many innocent people (though he does not want to hurt others and he does these things reluctantly). Even though his plan fails and he is sent to prison, he still refuses to forgive the Jedi. When Dogma realizes that Pong Krell has betrayed the Republic and the clones, even taking advantage of his blind loyalty, he becomes enraged and kills the Jedi to avenge his brothers. After the Bad Batch leaves Crosshair behind in “Aftermath”, Crosshair holds a grudge against them for the entire Season 1. At the beginning of “Bounty Lost”, the vengeful Crosshair pursues the Bad Batch relentlessly even though he is severely burned by the ion engine. In “Return to Kamino”, Crosshair wants them to join the Empire to have a purpose again, but they refuse. This prompts Crosshair to warn them not to make the same mistake twice and not to become his enemy. In “The Outpost”, Crosshair gets revenge of Mayday’s death by killing Lieutenant Nolan, who refuses to provide medical help and causes Mayday to succumb to his injuries.
Although Poseidon is known for his anger, destructiveness, and otherwise stormy disposition, he also has a peaceful and merciful aspect to his personality. In his calmer moods, he visited his Ethiopian worshippers, who gave him rich sacrifices, and he forgot his pursuit of Odysseus for some time. In an act of mercy and an earthquake, he turned Thessaly, which had been an enormous lake, into dry land. He also changed Ino and her son into sea gods when they threw themselves into the sea, and appointed Castor and Pollux as protectors of sailors who could calm the storms. Moreover, the Ancient Greeks gave Poseidon various titles such as “Saviour of Sailors”, “Averter of Earthquakes”, “The Creator and Tamer of Horses” and “The Leader of Nymphs”. They prayed to Poseidon even in cities where the god of sea was not the city’s patron god to ensure the sailors and fishermen would have a safe journey. With that, it is possible for Crosshair to be peaceful and merciful, though, this is a rare occurrence. The one time we see Crosshair briefly showing his calmer side is in “Aftermath”, when Omega tells him that it is not his fault that he feels angry and that he cannot help it.
Poseidon is treated as a shadow of Zeus because the emotional aspect of the father archetype is being repressed or buried. Hence, this archetype becomes undeveloped and inaccessible to those who have severed their emotionality. This can lead to emotional instability and the tendency to react out of proportion to whatever sets them off. In the social context, there is a need to control how much emotions one can show that is deemed appropriate. Poseidon people can be emotionally expressive, but they can reach to the point when their emotions “take over”. A person who is taken over by their fluctuating subjective feelings, who takes no one else and no situation into consideration is described as self-centered and emotionally inappropriate. They are also viewed as emotionally immature or unstable, and even “out of their minds”. If they resemble a resentful, angry Poseidon, they are likely to be violent and abusive, especially when alcohol further loosens their controls. Based on my observations and my readings of various headcanons, I see that Crosshair can be both emotionally immature and mature depending on how well he controls his emotions.
Poseidon’s mythology emphasizes his resentments and retributions. He represents the dark aspect of the father archetype that seeks revenge – “an eye for an eye”. As a negative emotional complex, Poseidon vengeance can become all-consuming and destructive to one’s personality as well as towards whom the hostility is directed. A person who obsessively fantasizes about seeking revenge is also consumed by this powerful negative aspect of Poseidon.
If a Poseidon person is constantly criticised for being “too emotional” or “not rational enough”, they may internalize the criticism and continue to judge themselves negatively even when the external criticism has ceased. This can lead to poor self-esteem and they are likely to repress their emotionality. Their wellbeing and worthiness will be adversely affected, especially if they harbour powerful negative feelings such as resentment or the desire for revenge. This is common among men, but it can also happen on women.
Poseidon is the bringer of tidal waves and earthquakes. These two natural disasters represent powerful emotions that topples rationality and swallows up reality, causing a person to “go mad”. New construction or reconstruction can only begin after the waters recede or the earth becomes stable again. The calmness for the observing ego comes, allowing the person to understand the experience and reconstruct themselves and the relationships they have at least destroyed temporarily. The “tidal wave” can be interpreted as an amplified version of one’s usual emotional nature. For example, a person may react to a current pain by opening the floodgates to more grief and rage. These feelings are not new, only greater. The “earthquake” can be interpreted as one’s emotions being kept underground. The introverted feelings are like underground water that follows fault lines, and as pressure builds up underground, some mild tremors are felt but they are usually disregarded. Only after a major quake we remember the previous “rumblings” that hinted at the instability and emotionality below the surface. The earthquake represents primitive rage in which a person may irrationally attack others, which may devastate not only others but also (and even more) themselves.
Crosshair has shown to unleash his “tidal waves” and “earthquakes” a few times. In “Aftermath”, Crosshair is angry that Hunter refuses to execute Order 66 and that he let Caleb Dume escape, even lying that he stuns the Padawan and causes him to fall to his death. This causes tension to rise between him and Hunter, but it is eased temporarily by Echo, Tech and Wrecker. Things do not go well for Crosshair, especially when his meal is ruined during the food fight, prompting him to unleash his rage by hitting two clones with his tray. When Hunter disobeys orders for the second time by letting Saw Gerrera and his people go, Crosshair’s anger grows and he begins to challenge Hunter’s authority. Crosshair becomes more annoyed when Hunter decides to believe Omega’s warning and go back to Kamino to save her. As he has expected, the Bad Batch gets arrested for treason and is thrown into the brig. Crosshair’s anger becomes greater as he blames Hunter’s leadership for getting the team into trouble, and that every decision he has made since Kaller has been wrong. Realizing that Crosshair’s inhibitor chip is slightly working, Tarkin asks Nala Se to intensify the chip’s programming. I believe this operation not just intensifies Crosshair’s loyalty to the Empire, it also intensifies his feelings of anger, loss and betrayal towards his teammates. These amplified feelings are eventually unleashed like a tidal wave when Crosshair fires first at Hunter, leading to a gun battle between the Bad Batch and the clones loyal to the Empire.
In “Return to Kamino” and “Kamino Lost”, Tech, Echo, Wrecker and Omega go to Kamino to rescue Hunter, who is captured by the Empire. Kamino is dark and stormy, representing Crosshair’s turbulent emotions towards his old teammates. He is still angry at them for leaving him behind, but he has no intention to kill them despite they are branded as traitors to the Empire. He proves it by killing all four Elite Squad Troopers who refuse to obey his command and stand down. He offers the Bad Batch to join the Empire but they refuse, which angers him. When Crosshair reveals that he already has his inhibitor chip removed a long time ago, and that he willingly pledges loyalty to the Empire, Hunter and the rest of the team are shocked. Crosshair claims that this is who he is, but Hunter refuses to accept it and stuns him. Even though Crosshair is unconscious, his rage has probably reached its boiling point as he remembers his teammates refusing to join the Empire and refusing to accept that he willingly joins the Empire.
As Tipoca City gets bombarded by the Empire, the Bad Batch is forced to flee into the depths of the sinking city. As the city sinks into the ocean, the compartments get flooded, which represents Crosshair’s amplified feelings of rage, disappointment and betrayal finally bursting open, threatening to drown the Bad Batch, including Crosshair himself. Crosshair’s amplified emotions are shown when he rejects Omega’s help to free him, and when he pushes her away after she rescues him. Even as the Bad Batch manages to escape from the flooded compartments, water bursts through the cracks on the tunnels and the Kamoradon Sea Dragon further damages the tunnels as it tries to eat the Bad Batch. These represents Crosshair’s emotional tidal wave still moving to unleash its destructive force towards himself and the Bad Batch. This is evident as Crosshair is bitter that his team has thrown away their legacy, and he blames Hunter’s failed leadership for causing them to end up in a situation where they are going to die. He also blames his teammates for letting Omega (“the kid”) to call the shots and accuses Hunter for taking things personally. Crosshair’s emotional tidal wave finally subsides as daybreak comes, represented by the placid ocean and the clear sky of Kamino.
In “The Outpost”, Crosshair is reassigned to the Imperial depot on the snowy planet Barton IV. When he, Lieutenant Nolan and the clone troopers land there, it is snowing and strong winds are blowing. The snow and strong winds represent Crosshair’s inner emotions. Ever since Commander Cody tells Crosshair that they all make their own choices and they have to live with them too at the end of “The Solitary Clone”, Crosshair is unable to sleep and eat well. Moreover, he is lonely as other regular clone troopers do not want to associate with him, and that Cody later deserts the Empire. Although he seems to be disinterested of the fate of the clones because he views himself as more superior than the regular clone troopers, his inner emotions show how he is really feeling. He is fuming when Rampart refers to Cody by his designation number and he mocks the loyalty of the clone troopers due to the increasing rate of desertion. He probably also feels that the passing of the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill is unfair because it forces the clones into retirement, which is being protested by many clone troopers. Crosshair supresses these feelings and his questioning of the Empire’s actions because he just wants to be “a good soldier”, which is all that matters to him. This is why he is unbothered by the snow and strong winds of Barton IV because his Imperial armour has shielded him from the harsh environment literally and from his inner emotions metaphorically.
Crosshair starts to open up slightly when Commander Mayday extends his warmth and kindness to him. When Mayday gives him a tour of the Imperial depot and its surroundings, the strong winds have subsided and there is less snowfall. This change of weather indicates that this companionship has helped to ease Crosshair’s inner emotions albeit temporary. Moreover, this meeting can be interpreted as Crosshair’s subconscious is calling for help because “mayday” is an internationally recognized radio word to signal distress. When Crosshair steps on a pressure mine that is hidden underneath the snow, it serves as a warning sign to him that his inner emotions and questioning of the Empire’s actions have become a ticking time bomb. The pressure is building up and it will explode any time. Before Crosshair steps on the mine, the tunnel above him and Mayday rumbles, which can be interpreted as an early warning sign of Crosshair’s destructive emotions. Thankfully, Mayday disarms the pressure mine and by slowly lifting his foot, Crosshair is able to escape from danger for now. When facing an overwhelming number of raiders, Crosshair shoots at a power generator, which causes an explosion that takes out the raiders. However, the explosion also creates cracks on the mountain and causes rocks and snow to fall onto the raiders’ hideout, in which Crosshair and Mayday have to escape from. The cracks on the mountain indicates that Crosshair’s inner emotions and questioning of the Empire’s actions are starting to leak out. It is like water starts to leak out from a cracked bottle due to the pressure. Though, Crosshair and Mayday think that the cracks are mild and ignore them, just like most people ignore the mild tremors coming from the earth.
When they go to recover the stolen cargo, they discover that the cargo contains stormtrooper armour for the new Imperial Military. Mayday is upset that he and his brothers are being treated horribly despite their combat service, loyalty and sacrifices. His sentence “We’re good soldiers, we followed orders, and for what?” finally hits Crosshair and intensifies his inner feelings and questioning of the Empire’s actions. Then, loud rumbling sounds can be heard and the ground begins to shake. This indicates that Crosshair has reached his breaking point and he can no longer contain his inner emotional turmoil. An avalanche comes running down towards Crosshair and Mayday. The avalanche (which can be seen as an icy tidal wave) represents Crosshair reacting to his current emotional turmoil by opening the floodgates to more turmoil. The avalanche buries Crosshair and Mayday, which causes Mayday to get injured and Crosshair to lose his helmet and expose himself to the cold. This disaster symbolizes Crosshair’s destructive emotions have devastated Mayday and Crosshair himself. Now, Crosshair, with his helmet off, is forced to face the aftermath of his actions and emotions. Since the emotional floodgates are opened, strong winds and snowfall, which also represent Crosshair’s emotional turmoil, appear as Crosshair brings the injured Mayday back to the Imperial base. They are forced to endure the icy and freezing conditions without proper equipment and supplies. The strong winds and snowfall only subside when Crosshair and Mayday finally arrive at the Imperial base. The clear weather indicates that Crosshair has let go of his ego and his emotional turmoil as he is only focused on making sure Mayday gets medical treatment.
Across the world, many people live in places that are prone to natural disasters such as storms, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis. Some people choose to move away from these places, but many choose to stay. They learn to read the weather or seismological reports. From experience, they learn what to expect, how to prepare, and what to build that is likely to survive a potentially destructive wave or quake. People whose Poseidon emotionality can overwhelm their egos must become conscious of their own susceptibility and must learn as much as possible about its conditions and warnings. They must develop ways to live with this powerful part of them. Similarly, people who are affected by the destructiveness of Poseidon, as lived out in someone else, must learn to detect the warning signs.
In “Pabu”, Hunter is able to sense the incoming tremor before it hits the island, just like the moon-yos quickly retreating before the rumbling comes. He tenses up, and before he suggests that they retreat, a small tremor rocks throughout the island and sea. The residents of Pabu, especially Shep and Lyana disregard the small tremor because it is a common occurrence on the island. Not long after, a larger tremor comes, which concerns everyone. This scene shows that Hunter is extremely sensitive to changes of pressure, and a slight change is enough to prompt him to take quick, decisive actions. By interpreting the tremors as powerful and destructive emotions, it can be said that Hunter is able to detect the warning signs given out by Crosshair’s inner emotions. This is evident in “Aftermath” when Hunter is able to sense that Crosshair is staring at him intensely despite his eyes are closed and Crosshair is wearing his helmet. He probably already knew that Crosshair is going to ask him about the Padawan when he asks “what?” to Crosshair. Thanks to his enhanced senses, Hunter can quickly pick up changes to Crosshair’s emotions. He takes action when he senses even a slight increase of intensity of Crosshair’s emotions.
In the Hyperspace Stories #10, the Bad Batch is sent to Hylanth, a moon in the Outer Rim for a mission involving battle droids. This mission seems to frustrate Crosshair as the words “battle droids” are written in bold, indicating a greater emphasis of these words. Hunter senses his frustration and tells him that they have their orders. Crosshair then explains that he is not questioning the orders, but he just feels that this mission can be carried out by the regular clone troopers. After Tech explains that the battle droids they are sent to investigate have been modified, Crosshair says that “maybe there is hope for this mission yet” because he likes to be challenged. This causes Hunter to tease Crosshair for sounding grumpy. I feel that Hunter does not tell Crosshair to shut his mouth when his words irk Jesse and Rex in the Clone Wars episodes because Hunter does not sense any increased tension from Crosshair’s words and that it is just on brand of his dark, twisted sense of humour. However, in “Aftermath”, when Crosshair starts shooting at Caleb Dume, Hunter quickly orders him to stand down. Furthermore, in “Return to Kamino”, tension rises between Hunter and Crosshair due to the reveal that Crosshair already has his inhibitor chip removed and that he willingly joins the Empire. Before Crosshair can shoot, Hunter stuns him, indicating that his quick, decisive actions are meant to dilute Crosshair’s intense emotions. Hunter’s Dionysus archetype enables him to sense changes to Crosshair’s emotions like the mysterious and uncontrollable tides that flow and ebb in nature, and his Demeter anima motivates him to care for Crosshair’s emotional needs. His Zeus archetype helps him to take immediate action to calm Crosshair down, though, this tactic does not always work because he may not fully understand how and why Crosshair feels that way, which is evident in the comic and the episodes stated earlier.
Besides Hunter, the rest of the Bad Batch have their own ways to handle Crosshair’s emotionality. Wrecker, who has a strong Aphrodite anima, is drawn to Crosshair’s intense emotions. He attends to Crosshair’s emotional needs by annoying him and shifting his focus so his emotions can subside faster, which is shown in the Hyperspace Stories #10, “The Bad Batch” and “Aftermath”. Even when Crosshair reacts angrily at him, he remains loving towards him. Moreover, Wrecker encourages Crosshair to be emotionally expressive, which is evident in “Aftermath” as Wrecker corrects Crosshair that they both did cry seeing the new armoury. Besides that, Wrecker is an explosive expert, which means that he can handle Crosshair’s destructive and explosive emotions as he knows how to disarm it.
Tech, who is Hades the Good Counsellor, accepts that Crosshair is severe and unyielding, and that nobody, not even Crosshair himself can change that. Tech’s subjective understanding enables him to accept Crosshair’s decision to join the Empire and let go of the emotional pain inflicted by him as seen in “Kamino Lost”. In “Pabu”, after a larger tremor rocks throughout the island, Tech warns that the island is vulnerable to a sea surge with the risk ranging from highly probable to imminent. His prediction comes true when the island’s early warning system later comes to life. By interpreting the tremors and sea surge as powerful and destructive emotions, it can be said that Tech is well-prepared in predicting and handling Crosshair’s intense and destructive emotions, like he is the head of the emergency or disaster management. When Crosshair’s inner emotions begin to leak out or show its cracks, Tech takes notice of it and expects the worst outcome. With that, motivated by his Athena anima and his Hermes archetype, he raises his defence and diverts others away from Crosshair before his emotions are unleashed. Once Crosshair’s emotions subside, Tech assesses the aftermath, carries out the recovery process, and implements better preparations to mitigate its destructive forces.
For Echo, who has the Hephaestus archetype, handles Crosshair’s emotionality by being stubborn and being the family peacekeeper. In “Aftermath”, when Echo senses the rising tension between Hunter and Crosshair, he questions why the clone troopers turn on their general Jedi Master Depa Billaba despite they have been serving her for years. This causes Tech to explain about the regular clones’ programming, which distracts Hunter while Wrecker distracts Crosshair. With that, Echo is able to ease the tension temporarily. Later in the episode, Echo takes on a more assertive approach in dealing with Crosshair’s intense emotions. When Crosshair grumbles about the team debating their choices and they need to complete the mission of eliminating the insurgents, Echo tells him to wake up and see that the Empire has sent them to kill innocent civilians. Then, when Crosshair demands Hunter to explain why he has gone soft, Echo tells him to stop it as there is no use of fighting and they should focus on escaping the prison. Moreover, since Echo has a strong Hestia anima, he is usually unaffected by Crosshair’s emotionality, and he is not judgemental towards Crosshair.
Omega, who is highly perceptive thanks to her Persephone archetype, can sense that Crosshair is angry. She reaches out to him and sits beside him. She then pleads with him not to do what he is going to do. She tells him that it is not his fault that he is feeling angry and that he can’t help it, which briefly softens him. In “Kamino Lost”, Omega once again approaches Crosshair and observes that he never liked Kamino. She understands him as she has spent most of her life inside Nala Se’s private laboratory alone until the creation of the Bad Batch, which is why she is determined to find them all again. Her receptive personality makes her kind and compassionate, and it gives her the ability to try to see things from Crosshair’s perspective, so she can reach out to him from the emotional level.
Besides the Bad Batch, Cody and Mayday have shown the ability to handle Crosshair’s emotionality. In “The Bad Batch”, after Crosshair’s words incite anger in Jesse, Cody reminds him that they are all on the same mission and he needs to cut his attitude. In “The Solitary Clone”, Cody specially requests Crosshair to be part of the mission and he chuckles at Crosshair’s humour. Cody’s no-nonsense attitude and authority gain Crosshair’s respect. As for Mayday, he shares a heater with Crosshair and starts a conversation with him, which helps Crosshair to open up. He also gives Crosshair a tour of the Imperial base so he can be familiarized with the new place and the planet’s harsh environment. He even encourages Crosshair to humour him as he disarms the pressure mine that Crosshair has stepped onto it. Although Mayday does not have any proper tools and equipment to disarm the mine, his experience and creativity help him to save Crosshair. I have interpreted that the pressure mine represents Crosshair’s emotionality as a ticking time bomb, and with Mayday’s ability to disarm it without proper equipment, it can be said that Mayday is highly experienced in handling people with intense emotions like Crosshair.
Although Crosshair is cold and rude, he is fortunate to be accepted and loved for who he is by the Bad Batch, Cody and Mayday. His relationships with them, especially with the Bad Batch, help him to develop his “dolphin”, allowing him to have a better understanding and control of his own emotions. It is believed that Crosshair has the habit of pushing boundaries to test people – to see whether they can handle his emotionality and stay, or become disgusted and run away from him. He probably knows how his intense emotionality scares most people away, and he does not want to waste time on people who do not appreciate and accept him for who he is. He also wants to spare himself from the hurt and betrayal. Crosshair is grateful that the Bad Batch chooses to stay with him, and in return, he gives his loyalty and respect to them. Unfortunately, that all changes with the issue of Order 66.
When Order 66 is issued, Crosshair’s inhibitor chip is somehow activated. He becomes adamant in carrying out orders without question. Influenced by the order, he tries to shoot Caleb Dume down. Hunter keeps telling Crosshair to stand down but to no avail. Crosshair later gets angry that Hunter has allowed Caleb to escape and has lied that the Padawan has been eliminated. His anger intensifies when Hunter defies orders to eliminate Saw Gerrera and his people. When the Bad Batch is thrown into prison for disobeying orders, Crosshair blames Hunter’s leadership for getting the team into trouble. Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo do not understand what is wrong with Crosshair. They never have an issue with disobeying orders because they do it all the time. Crosshair also does not understand what is wrong with himself. The inhibitor chip has “tampered his access to the emotional realm” (for regular clones, the chip “inhibits their access to the emotional realm”), thus, hampering his emotional control. Crosshair probably feels frustrated that nobody, not even himself can figure out what has gone wrong. To make matters worse, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo are more focused on trying to escape instead of taking care of Crosshair, which may have frustrated him further because he thinks that they are indifferent towards him. Omega, who notices his anger, is the only person to reach out to him, and she is able to comfort him for a brief moment.
After Crosshair’s operation, the effects of the inhibitor chip are intensified, along with his anger towards his teammates, especially Hunter. His amplified rage is eventually unleashed towards his teammates when he fires the first shot, starting a gunfight. When the Bad Batch manages to leave Kamino, Crosshair feels bitter that they have left him behind. They have always stay by his side no matter how intense his emotions can get, but this time, they run away from him – like Amphitrite fleeing from Poseidon, and some people moving away from places prone to natural disasters. Crosshair feels betrayed by their actions.
The Bad Batch later finds out about the inhibitor chip, and they suspect that it has caused Crosshair to betray them. In “Replacements”, Hunter is angry at himself for leaving Crosshair behind. Omega comforts him and says that they will find a way to bring Crosshair back. Even though they now have the knowledge about the inhibitor chip and how to remove it, they are actively trying to avoid Crosshair, who is hunting them down because they are traitors to the Empire. Due to their last gunfight, they probably think that Crosshair is trying to kill them. When Crosshair manages to catch up with the Bad Batch in “Reunion”, Hunter and Omega try to snap him out of the effects of the inhibitor chip but to no avail. Tech already predicts that Crosshair will not be convinced due to his severe and unyielding nature, so he has prepared an escape plan for the team. After barely escaping from Crosshair’s relentless chase, the Bad Batch is probably aware of his wrath and decides to stay away from him for some time. In “Rescue on Ryloth”, when the Bad Batch spots Crosshair in the city, they step back to discuss their plans for they do not want to be noticed and hunted down again. However, a probe droid hovers above them and Crosshair is alerted to their presence. The team wants to abandon the rescue mission, but Omega manages to convince them to continue on. After the Bad Batch successfully carries out the rescue mission, Rampart realizes that he has underestimated them and gives Crosshair permission to hunt them down. Crosshair’s eyes and smile show his conflicting emotions – he is happy to have a chance to approach his teammates again, but he still harbours anger and sadness towards them.
In “Return to Kamino”, Hunter explains to Crosshair that they did not have a choice when they left Kamino without him, in which Crosshair counters “and I did?”. He probably feels angry and betrayed that Hunter tries to justify his actions for leaving him behind. When Tech, Wrecker and Echo walk into a trap set up by Crosshair, Hunter keeps thinking that Crosshair is going to kill all of them. Although Crosshair is angry that Hunter has betrayed everything they once stood for and is not loyal to him, he is willing to give them a chance because he believes they can be brothers again. He proves his loyalty towards them by killing his own Imperial squad (he even has it planned out by placing the reflecting mirrors to make the trickshot). He offers them to join the Empire, but they refuse. Hunter even counters that Crosshair does not get who they are, which angers him once more. Crosshair’s anger intensifies when Hunter refuses to accept that he already has his inhibitor chip removed and he willingly joins the Empire, even claiming that this is who he is. Even though Crosshair is still mad at the Bad Batch throughout “Kamino Lost”, he still follows them and saves Omega from drowning. However, he notices that Wrecker, Tech and Echo aiming their blasters at him because they think he is going to shoot Hunter. From there, Crosshair knows that no matter what he does, their trust has been broken and there is nothing he can do to regain that trust. Perhaps in the past, he can express his trustworthiness through action (because he finds it difficult to express it through words), but now, it does not work anymore. Hunter offers a chance for Crosshair to return to the team, but this will require him to give up the Empire and his identity as a soldier. Perhaps in the past, Hunter gives unconditional love to Crosshair, but now, his offer is seen as conditional to Crosshair. This may have caused Crosshair to question whether the love he gave in the past was even truly unconditional. Crosshair probably feels betrayed and bitter that Hunter does not fully understand him, which strengthens his decision to not return, making the fallout more severe and tragic.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost for Crosshair. We know that nature is both generative and destructive, just like Poseidon who can bring life and fertility, or death and destruction. After a natural disaster, given the time and space, nature heals itself and the survivors of the disaster become stronger. With that, it is possible for Crosshair to return – we just need to give him time and space. Omega understands this well, thanks to her Persephone archetype. Persephone is the symbol of spring, representing new life appearing after a brutal winter. Before Omega leaves with the Bad Batch, she tells Crosshair that he is still their brother and that he is her brother too. She holds onto hope that he will return, but it must be done according to his time – nobody can force him to come back now.
Although Crosshair is still angry at them, he is saddened to see them leave him on the Kamino platform. Throughout season 1, Crosshair laments how Hunter has thrown away their past achievements and missions. Those memories are of great importance to him and he finds it difficult to let go. People who are like Poseidon are more focused on the past and present, and accompanied with their intense emotions, they may replay their memories constantly or become entranced by what is happening right now. It is likely that Crosshair contemplates his memories with the Bad Batch as he waits for 32 rotations for the Empire to rescue him. With Tipoca City, the home of the clones, have sunk into the ocean, all the memories the clones share have become part of the collective emotional realm. Crosshair likely takes on the archetype of the deep-sea diver as he ventures into the collective emotional realm and reminisces about his time with the Bad Batch.
In the collective emotional realm, Crosshair probably replays all the good and bad times they have shared, including the times where his emotions got the better of him and everyone had to clean up the mess he had caused. There might have been bitter feelings, but they all learned from their mistakes and moved on. Perhaps from here, Crosshair finally understands Hunter’s actions and feelings. He may realize that Hunter feels awful for leaving him behind, and that he blames himself for losing him. After losing Crosshair to the Empire, Hunter is determined to keep the remaining teammates safe, and becomes overprotective towards them (which is motivated by the negative Demeter anima). This may explain why they never try to go after him and get him back. Moreover, Crosshair may also realize that his intense rage has influenced Hunter’s overprotective tendencies. Hunter thinks that Crosshair is trying to kill them, which causes him to prioritize in rescuing his remaining teammates from Crosshair’s wrath. When the Bad Batch and Crosshair reunite in Bracca, Crosshair’s wrath remains intense, which causes the Bad Batch to run away again and attempt to hide.
Furthermore, Crosshair may come to understand why Hunter refuses to accept that he willingly joins the Empire. Hunter wants to believe that Crosshair is being “held captive” by the Empire (like Persephone being held captive in the Underworld) and that they can free him by removing his inhibitor chip. When that belief turns out to be untrue, Hunter’s overprotective tendencies return. He believes that this is his only chance to get Crosshair back, and he is determined to do anything to achieve that. He keeps trying to reason with Crosshair but to no avail. He offers Crosshair a chance to return but this requires Crosshair to give up the Empire and the soldier’s life. Crosshair is disappointed that his love has become conditional, thus, he rejects the offer.
As Crosshair comes to see things from Hunter’s perspective, he learns to understand why Hunter has acted this way, even though he does not agree with him (like Tech’s quote “Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you.”) This helps Crosshair to let go of his rage towards Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch. He also comes to take responsibility for his actions and emotions. After he gets rescued by the Empire, he lies in his report that Clone Force 99 have perished in the bombardment because his loyalty to his teammates remains strong and he wants to protect them from afar. I do believe that Crosshair still holds onto some hope that he can still reconcile with the Bad Batch despite his belief that they will not come back for him. He probably still believes the unconditional love they gave to him in the past is real, and it can happen again. This is hinted in “Tipping Point” when Crosshair sends Plan 88 to tell the Bad Batch to hide as the Empire is after Omega. His message is then discovered by Tech when he checks the team’s old comm channels. If Crosshair believes that the Bad Batch has given up on him and there is no possibility of reconciliation, he will not have sent Plan 88 using his old code and expect that they will find it.
In “The Solitary Clone”, Crosshair seems to have calmed down and becomes slightly mellow. He even tries to join the regular clone troopers for breakfast, which is something the old Crosshair will not do. This change of behaviour makes me believe that Crosshair has made contact with the collective human emotional depth during the 32 rotations on the Kamino platform. However, the Empire rejects the values of Poseidon, and Rampart even taunts the clones for having these values. Crosshair feels unappreciated and lonely, and to make matters worse, Cody does not take his loyalty well. Many people believe that Crosshair only carries out Governor Grotton’s order to execute Tawni Ames because Governor Grotton threatens Cody with the consequences of not carrying out his order, and Crosshair wants to protect Cody. Just like his action of saving Omega was met with hostility from the Bad Batch, Crosshair’s action upsets Cody and causes him to desert the Empire. Losing Cody may have worsened Crosshair’s loneliness and the feeling of being unappreciated, and this causes him to shut himself off from everyone, which is represented by him putting on his helmet and walking away by the end of the episode. His shields are up, and he becomes emotionally detached. By doing so, he is actively ignoring and suppressing his emotions. He loses his connection with his innate archetype until he meets Mayday in “The Outpost”. Mayday’s kindness opens the floodgates and helps Crosshair to truly be himself once more.
After “The Outpost”, I find myself relate to Crosshair immensely, especially on the emotional level. That episode helps me to discover that Poseidon is my main animus, which is the unconscious masculine side of a woman. I am emotional and sensitive. I like to go to museums and learn about history and geography. I am always fascinated by marine life and underwater beauty (especially coral reefs). I have always been drawn to natural disasters because I am fascinated by their destructive forces and the aftermath (a hint of my intense yet destructive emotions). My anger or sadness tend to hold on much longer. I used to hold grudges and they could last for years (I try not to do that anymore). Since I am the only emotional one in the family, I constantly get criticized for expressing my emotions – when I laugh loudly, I am “impolite”; when I start yelling angrily, I am “rude”; when I burst into tears or scream out of fear, I am “weak” and “pathetic”. My family expects me to be level-headed, and every time my intense emotions leak out, I am told that “I cannot survive in this society”. My aunts prioritize being level-headed so much that they cannot comprehend real people and fictional characters acting on their emotions, even going so far as to calling them “stupid” for letting their emotions to flood their rationality. I also do not find comfort in school as I constantly get bullied by others. I remember crying a lot, but nobody came to help me or comfort me. Until one day, I snapped and resorted to anger to defend myself from the bullies. Since then, I became hot-tempered and this is something I am not proud of (genetics may have played a part because my maternal grandfather and mother are both hot-tempered). I remember one teacher described me as “manipulative” because “I constantly cry to get people’s attention”, and I end up feeling that it would be best if nobody cares about my venting so as to not being labelled as “an attention seeker”.
The constant criticisms and judgements received have caused me to develop a habit of bottling up my emotions. I keep ignoring and repressing my emotions until I can no longer hold back. My intense emotions get unleashed in a destructive manner, which hurts everyone, including myself. This has damaged my friendships and relationships. Even some of my friends who allow me to express my feelings and vent my troubles are taken aback by my intensity. Once, they have to remove me from the friend group temporarily and give me a timeout. I do take responsibility for my actions and appreciate the second chance they have given me. To stop myself from further damaging my relationships, I decide to shut myself off from everyone when I find my emotions have become unstable. However, this causes some people to inquire my emotional state and pressure me to tell them. When I refuse to share my feelings, they call me “ungrateful”, “rude” or “selfish”. But when I share my feelings, thus, unleashing its intensity and destructive force, they are taken aback and get hurt. They either become distant and cold towards me or judge me harshly for being emotional. This only make me feel that it is best that I keep my emotions and troubles away from other people, and that I should not share my burdens with others since they usually do not understand me. I isolate myself further from people and resort to carry a heavy burden on my shoulders. I can’t help but to internalize these criticisms and judgements. I feel ashamed to be emotional and I tend to judge myself harshly when I show emotions. I have been rejecting my Poseidon animus until I finally see myself in Crosshair. I am learning to accept that “this is who I am” like Crosshair. I also find it heart-warming that Crosshair is surrounded by people who love and accept him despite his intense emotions. I would love to be part of the Bad Batch because I would feel safe to express my emotions and be myself.
Since Poseidon people are susceptible to be taken over by strong emotions, they need to develop abilities to observe, reflect and think objectively. One method is to develop an observing ego. In Jungian psychological terms, the ego is the consistent, observing, remembering, and deciding element in the psyche—what you mean when you say, “I.” A complex is an archetypal pattern that has become charged with emotion. When an emotional complex has more power or energy than the ego, it can temporarily “take over” or “possess” the personality. For example, a father may become “like a man possessed” and bent on vengeance when his child is hurt. He may become like Poseidon in relentless pursuit of Odysseus – he is so consumed with rage and revenge that he is not available to support or comfort and help heal his child. This same complex may be activated by the same situation in another man with a stronger ego. He may have vivid fantasies of retribution, but realizes that he must struggle with the hatred that threatens him, knowing that his child’s wellbeing is of greater importance.
When an emotional complex takes over, the “I” is put out of commission. The Poseidon person may be unconscious or blind to what is happening, while people around them react in different ways. They may be humoured, avoided, or feared. The emotional complex they are possessed with may provoke an equivalent unconscious complex in others. The Poseidon person may also struggle with the complex, feeling themselves overreacting or behaving in ways that are “out of character”. By learning to observe a complex, the focus and energy are shifted from the complex to the ego. The “I” sees what is happening and resists being taken over by the complex. The complex loses energy and influence, and it recedes. During this process, the Poseidon person and their relationships can grow in depth when compassion is given to themselves and to others who are affected by the complex. Two archetypes can be developed to help Poseidon people to deserve an observing ego, which are the Zeus archetype that enables them to see circumstances objectively and dispassionately (which is an archetype Hunter has), and the Hades archetype that enables them to recognize that their emotions are often connected to archetypal images, which are patterns that exist in the collective unconscious (which is Tech’s innate archetype).
Instead of expressing their emotions in a destructive manner, Poseidon people can channel their emotional depth and intensity into creative work such as drama, poetry, literature, music and art. With that, the Hermes archetype (which is an archetype Tech has) must be developed. As the Messenger God and Guide of Souls, the Hermes archetype can bring forth the potentially disruptive emotions hidden in the depths and turn them into emotionally expressive works. Besides Hermes, the Hephaestus archetype (which is Echo’s innate archetype) can also help Poseidon people to transform their emotions into creative work. Hephaestus, the God of the Forge, is a rejected god; but instead of erupting like a volcano, he channels his intense emotions to create beautiful and useful objects. He expresses his emotions in a creative manner. This difference is shown in how Echo and Crosshair react to the Empire’s mistreatment to the clones. Echo channels his anger through constructive means by joining Rex’s resistance network, rescuing the clones from the Empire, and turning Trace Martez’s repair shop into a refuge for the rescued clones. On the other hand, Crosshair channels his anger through destructive means by killing Lieutenant Nolan to avenge Mayday’s death.
It is important for Poseidon people to learn how to dilute the effects of this powerful archetype. The first method involves them to give up the need to dominate and learn from the “Dolphin” as previously stated. The second method involves the development of other archetypes, specifically those that have the ability to think of the consequences, to become objective, and to achieve some distance. Zeus and Athena are the archetypes commonly developed to dilute Poseidon’s effect, but the most common archetype to be developed is Apollo, which serves as Crosshair’s other main archetype.
Me & @heksahela every time @kimbureh posts new TBB meta basically:
Reading a thoughtful and fundamental analysis of the plot and psychological portraits of the characters is incredibly joyful. Plus, it's nice to see a like-minded person and feel finally understood with our visions of the characters. Very refreshing, really.
I enjoy shipping, and the majority of my ships are non-canon, mostly due to being LGBT, but also because I have a deep-seated hatred towards mainstream media's portrayal of relationships and romance in general.
However, Phee Genoa and Tech in The Bad Batch are one of the few mainstream ships that I can get behind. I think it has a lot to do with how they both bounce off each other really well but also see each other as equals.
Tech is heavily implied to be autistic, and a common downside to that is the fear of him being treated as a child or a cold robot, which can lead to relationships being portrayed more as "I have to be your mother and your significant other." But that never really happens in TBB.
Phee treats him like an adult with feelings and takes into account how he feels about situations and shows interest in making Tech not uncomfortable. While she teases him, she does show an actual interest in him.
