#the crossing

[charnel-grounds]

Ken Currie (b. 1960), “The Crossing”

etching, 2025

[echoflora]

No but it's...

the way they naturally fall into eachother's roles when the other isn't there.

the instinctual head-tilt when Crosshair stabilized his rifle on Tech's shoulder, as if they'd done it a thousand times before.

It's the fact that Tech clearly told Phee all about his brother.

It's the sad, fond smile on Crosshair's face when Omega said Tech made her memorize all the plans ("of course he did").

It's the way Tech knew exactly where to look for that mirror.

[amandamadeathing]

Tech and Omega social media post

[losthavenmine]

Russell Crowe Filmography Series || Crying

[azertyrobaz]

It does not mean that I feel any less than you.

[gorlicberd]

environment study from the crossing!

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

"The Crossing" is one of my top 3 favorite episodes of the Bad Batch, and has been since it first aired. Here are a few highlights that always stick out to me:

> For one thing, it was nice as a Tech fan to have clear evidence that I had, in fact, been pretty much on point in my interpretation of his character the whole time leading up to this episode 😅 It's perfectly fine to have one's understanding of a character evolve over time, of course - that happened to me with Crosshair, Cid, Emerie, Phee, Nala Se, and several other characters in this show - but after having spent about 1.5 seasons wondering why some other viewers were consistently describing Tech as emotionless, cold, "redundant" given Echo's skill set, and having little connection with Omega, it was kinda a relief to watch Tech's actions in this episode and, frankly, be unsurprised that he did miss Echo (because of course he did!), jumped after Omega (because of course he would!), and explained in the kindest way imaginable that he does, in fact, have feelings (because OF COURSE HE DOES!).

> Much has been written by various fans (including me) about that conversation between Tech and Omega. It is, quite rightly, one of the most famous scenes of the show. I appreciate the fans who have stated they are autistic and who have described what the conversation means to them as representation for the autistic community. While I am not autistic myself, I was deeply touched from the first time I watched this scene by the applications it can have for everyone, especially given experiences I've had growing up in a large family. I find that we all as individuals have such varying communication styles and coping mechanisms and methods of processing our feelings and adapting to change that we may frequently misunderstand each other and may label others as "cold" or "unfeeling" or "distant" or "hysterical" or "too sensitive" or any manner of descriptors, simply because they process and adapt differently than we do. So, Tech's assertion that just because he processes things differently doesn't mean he feels any less is a lesson I think we can all apply to ourselves and to others.

Again, different doesn't mean less.

> As an aside, another one of my favorite parts of that scene is Tech's line "I am not sure how I should care about change. It is a fundamental part of life." I think this perfectly encapsulates the root of the issue between Tech and Omega here (and, so often, relationship issues in real life): it's not that Tech doesn't care, it's that Omega doesn't yet recognize that his way of "caring" about change is different than hers. And I love how Tech, rather than getting defensive at Omega's accusation ("of course I care!"), instead responds in a way that digs a little deeper into finding the root of the misunderstanding while also managing to explain himself.

> I also love the depiction of Tech and Omega's relationship. This episode is a turning point in their relationship, but not because they weren't close before - quite the opposite. Tech has always been supportive and protective of Omega as much as any of the other brothers, and in return she has always trusted his judgment and known he has her back. This, in my opinion, is one factor for why she is so upset with Tech this episode: since they ARE so close, she doesn't understand why he doesn't understand why she's so upset - because, to her, if he doesn't understand why she's upset, that must mean he doesn't care that Echo is gone and other things have been changing. This is a misunderstanding they thankfully soon resolve, and it's so heartwarming to see how their sibling bond is stronger than ever after this.

> On a slightly different note, I've always lowkey adored that Tech takes Omega at her word when she says she wants to be alone (I mean, who else has asked to be given some alone time to process something only to be interrupted or pressured into talking before we're ready?). I know he didn't pick up on the subtle cues that he should actually go initiate a conversation once some time had passed; however, this obviously wasn't malicious. He thought she wanted to be alone because she said so, and he decided to respect her wishes - and I love him for it! And as soon as Hunter and Wrecker correct him, he doesn't hesitate to go talk to her - and he even lets her lead the conversation and where it goes.

> A lot of what I love about this episode revolves around Tech and Omega; but I also have to put in a few words for Wrecker and Hunter. I love that, while Wrecker and Tech do get more tetchy with each other than we've yet witnessed, they also still don't hold grudges for very long and allow the conflict to blow over. I love that Hunter remains so calm and understanding with everyone, which also contributes to the conflict eventually blowing over. I like the detail that Tech was concerned about the ipsium because his top priority was to ensure they didn't all get blown up (and we see what happened when the ipsium case was left behind), while Wrecker's priority was getting Tech to shelter from the storm over retrieving the case: all of them might have slightly different ways of meeting their priorities, but their top priorities are ultimately still the same in that they are looking out for each other and the team.

Anyway, I could go on and on about this episode for a while, but I'll go ahead and stop here 😆 Suffice it to say that this episode is exceptional and I absolutely love it!