Will We See A Clone Rebellion In 'The Bad Batch?'
There Is A Precedent
Even though many stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe are now rendered non-canonical and relegated to Legends, elements of them are making their way into the current Star Wars canon. We now have the appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Rebels, and mentions of Sith Lords of old like Darth Revan and Darth Bane. With The Bad Batch filling in the time period immediately after execution of Order 66 during Revenge of the Sith, there will be opportunity to bring Legends elements back into canon.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR BAD BATCH EPISODE 11 AND 12
In episode 11 of The Bad Batch, “Devil’s Deal,” we came to the Twi’lek planet of Ryloth, where the Empire was just beginning to take control. We saw the young Hera Syndulla (from Rebels) and her father Cham Syndulla, the Twi’Lek freedom fighter during the Clone Wars. We also had a glimpse of an active duty clone trooper outside of Kamino in Clone Captain Howzer. His behavior in episode 11 brought up much discussion and speculation among viewers. Why did he not act as robotic as the other clone troopers we had encountered thus far post-Order 66? Was it because the inhibitor chip was losing potency? Did Order 66 never activate because there were no Jedi nearby on Ryloth? Other active duty clone troopers appeared to follow Imperial leadership without question. On the other hand, Howzer was willing to “look the other way” at Hera’s gathering intelligence on the secret Imperial refinery out of respect for his allies during the Clone Wars.
RELATED: What If There Was No Jedi Present When Order 66 Was Given
He further demonstrated his individuality and lack of blind obedience to the Empire in episode 12, “Rescue on Ryloth,” when he made the decision to help the Syndullas escape from the holding cells. His action was more than just “looking the other way.” He informed the Bad Batch, and the escaping Syndullas of the Imperial trap set up outside. Instead of running with the group, he decided to return to his squad.
In a surprising act seen in an active duty clone trooper thus far (as Rex, Cut Lawquane, and the Bad Batch were now considered deserters), Howzer did not simply put his hands up and surrender to the waiting Imperial forces. He spoke to the clone troopers, his brothers in arms, and reminded them that they had come to Ryloth to free its people from Separatist control, and the Empire was now ordering them to target the people they have sworn to protect. He threw down his blaster, saying that he would no longer be a part of this, and asked if anyone would stand with him. Unexpectedly, several clone troopers laid down their weapons. Captain Howzer, and the mutineers were arrested and led away.
At the writing of this article, the next episode of The Bad Batch has not been released yet. We are not sure if “Infested” will still spotlight Howzer and Ryloth. After all, the end of “Rescue on Ryloth” saw Crosshair requesting permission to hunt down the Bad Batch. We could surmise that the focus will shift to a different part of the galaxy. The story of Howzer and the clone rebels will be on pause, for now.
Now, the story of a clone rebellion is not new, especially to those who have played the 2005 game Star Wars: Battlefront II. Around 12 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), a group of Kamionoans went rogue, and grew a clone army using Jango Fett’s DNA with intent of rising up against the Empire. The Empire hired bounty hunter Boba Fett to lead Imperial forces, namely the 501st Legion, to infiltrate and sabotage the cloning facilities on Kamino. In the aftermath of what became known as “Kamino uprising,” the 501st became the last remnant of the Grand Army of the Republic, fully made up of clone troopers, as opposed to the more diverse Stormtrooper Corps.
With the Kaminoan prime minister Lama Su seemingly opposed to the Empire’s current opinion on their clone operations, and possibly formulating a secret plan against the Empire, we could see a rebellion of some sort brewing on Kamino. When we add in Howzer’s actions on Ryloth, an event similar to the clone rebellion from Legends is even more likely. Only time will tell. The Bad Batch is beautifully contributing to the lore post-Order 66.
READ NEXT: 5 Ways Star Wars Legends Influenced The Current Canon
Written By Apinya Wong
Source(s): Screen Rant, Wookieepedia
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