Also, Crosshair Stands With An Imperial Shuttle While The Others Stand With The Maurader. And Wrecker

Also, Crosshair stands with an Imperial Shuttle while the others stand with the Maurader. And Wrecker and Omega stand closer to Crosshair, while Hunter is further back perhaps symbolizing that Hunter will take longer to forgive Crosshair than the others.

I love the attention to detail. Two islands of light. Crosshair on one, the others on the other. They perfectly displayed the huge gap that was created in the first season by Cross. Now he needs to regain the trust of his brothers after almost a year of living apart. From now on, the arc of Crosshair's correction begins in the eyes of the rest of the squad, his rehabilitation begins now and it is not known how soon he will be able to become a full-fledged part of this family again. When they trust him again and accept him as their own.

Omega will most likely help him with this. She was generally a ray of light, a supportive sister who you want to protect. She's the only one who believed in Cross, who trusts him even after all this time. Now that her brother has stopped listening to his demons and has begun his redemption, she must help him become Clone 99 again.

I sincerely hope that his story will not end with his death, otherwise we have already lost one.

Episode 12 open discussion under the cut 👇🏼 BEWARE SPOILERS.

The loss of Crosshair’s helmet is so significant. The fact that he didn’t even bother to look for it, even more so.

The animators have always used helmets to represent a dichotomy. Pre Order-66, it was a symbol of a soldier’s individualism, as most troopers opted to paint their helmet to their liking; something to make them easily distinguishable from their brothers. Post Order-66, helmet-wear was used to signify the loss of a soldier’s autonomy. Yes, obviously for cranial protection as well (keep the melon safe during battle, you know), but once Order 66 was issued, aside from Batch members, seeing a clone trooper without their helmet on was a very rare sight.

In Season 1 Episode 1, Crosshair opted to keep his helmet on during the flight back to Kamino after Order-66 on Kaller, and through the halls of Tipoca city until they reached their barracks. I think the writers and animators were trying to symbolize that he had lost a large portion of his control.

Through the rest of the first season, Crosshair was largely hidden behind his new imperial helmet; one that was completely lacking resemblance or connection to his past as a member of CF-99. I think his Imp helmet was something that, at least in the beginning, he wore proudly; it was a symbol of his new role, his new rank, his future, his new ideology.

But in The Solitary Clone (S2 E3), after a poignant discussion with Cody, we see Crosshair look at his helmet with implied contempt, regret, and even possibly, repulsion. This was new.

In the first minutes of Season 2 Episode 12, we see him reprimanded by an imperial superior officer for not wearing it, which I found interesting. Keep in mind, Crosshair was also helmet-less when he met with Cody before their mission to Desix. Same scenario: waiting by the ship for a debrief from his commander before leaving for the mission. But this time, the writers opted to emphasize that his face was exposed.

Now, his helmet is completely gone. In a mission gone sour, it was eaten by an avalanche. And I found it very interesting that Crosshair’s first thought after emerging from the snow, was to find and save Mayday, a reg commander who he’d met only hours previously, and who took all of Crosshair’s imperial ideology and challenged it. He carefully puts Mayday’s helmet back on him, but doesn’t even spare a thought for his own.

In the final minutes of E12, we see Crosshair, and his face in all its glory, shoot his Lieutenant. An angry murder noodle move, yes... but also a desperate, frustrated one.

The presence of Imperial Crosshair feels diminished. The reemergence of Bad Batch Crosshair feels imminent.

*pls note that I used the term “reg” to reference Crosshair’s previous intolerance for regular clones, and was not meant in any derogatory sense*

Also, when Hunter is looking at Crosshair only the skull half of his face is in the shadows, and when they start arguing later, his face is completely engulfed in Crosshair’s shadow. But when they make up, they both face towards the sun shadows behind them.

Perhaps symbolizing they've only been half of Clone Force 99 with Crosshair’s shadow looming over them, but now that they've made up they can look towards better times.

Oh my gosh...how did I not notice this??

Y'all remember the lighting Joel Aron (one of the guys that makes the Bad Batch) mentioned regarding Hunter and Crosshair? How symbolic it was gonna be?

The shadows on their faces look like each other's tattoos!!!! 😭💜

I can't even with this!! I'll never recover 😭💜 I love this so much!!

And the episode’s called ‘The Point of No Return’ 😥

guys we only have 4 more episodes, how the hell are they ganna do this??

I have a theory that maybe Omega isn't force-sensitive but more like compatible. They said the blood accepted the thing, so maybe Omega isn't force-sensitive but a Template (that can accept midichlorinians) which is why they needed her in season 1

okay thoughts on the premiere because i DID wake up at 2am to watch it but i'm kinda drowsy from the allergy medicine i'm taking so i couldn't really multitask

"you're not a prisoner" emerie says as she come to retrieve omega from an unfurnished room that is also locked from the outside

crosshair's particular brand of self-depreciating concern/encouragement is kinda sweet but mostly concerning. you need a therapist sir

i've been looking through the tbb tag and everyone else is referring to the lurker hound as "batcher" so i'm guessing that's how it was spelled in the subtitles but i heard it as "betcha" and refuse to let that go bc i think it's cute

side note: for hunter's sake i hope he's okay with pets lol

emerie isn't completely terrible. kinda hope she gets a redemption arc

using lula as a symbol of omega's distance from the batch is really clever and also going to tear my heart out

seriously the "i belong here" comment. crosshair wins saddest wettest cat of a man this season

he's also just so tired of everything, which. same

baby regs!!!!

once again we get to watch hunter vibrate out of his corporeal form at the sheer proximity of adoptable children. he has a mission though so he will have to come back and parent them later

i think the kaminoans may have accidentally also enhanced the fett Fatherhood Gene(TM) when they were working on his senses

ngl the design for roland's mom slaps. hope they use it again

WHAT is with crosshair's shaky hand???? are they implying the gas from last season did that? is it from testing? interested to see where it goes though. quite the disadvantage for a literal sniper

from all this talk of genetic m-counts and such, what i'm gathering is that omega isn't necessarily force-sensitive but clones of her could be depending on your views on midichlorians

One of Those Days

(Bad Batch Pirate AU)

Also posted on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53673571

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Hunter emerged from below deck sweaty, as usual, but today was hot, like sunburn in 2 hours hot—and that's saying something for a Fett. Yeah… it was one of those days.

The Maurader was small by battleship standards, big enough to do some damage but still manageable by a crew of 5. The Marauder lived up to its name, and that's all the Bad Batch really needed.

Hunter let the Seawind blow his hair majestically for a blink before the winds receded. He glanced up at the Crowsnest unsurprised to find it empty, no matter how much Crosshair likes that thing, nobody wants to be closer to the sun on these days, Hunter thought. He looked back down to see Crosshair under the gangway getting sprayed by seawater periodically, nice spot. Hunter had gone below to raid the water barrel, and rations only to find the barrel nearly empty and all his meilooruns gone. He'd still spent some time looking around but found no trace of the treats.

“What's the crow doin’ out of his nest?” Hunter teased

Crosshair growled softly but remained unmoved.

Hunter smiled slightly running his hand through his gorgeous but sweaty hair and looked around once again. The others were splayed around the deck similarly, Wrecker sittin’ shirtless in the biggest slice of shade around next to a bucket, (probably for a bucket bath), Tech seated closer to the bow (for Seawind?) wearin' only loose pants and his crimson vest he’s so fond of, and Echo placed in between Wrecker and Tech’s spots—but still wearin’ his worn 501st blue coat, he must be dyin’ in that thing.

Hunter brisked over to Echo’s spot.

“Ahoy,” Hunter said

“Ahoy,” Echo responded

He was positively drenched in sweat and his face was a slight red.

“What brings ya here?” Echo asked

“Ya can't be wearin’ that coat in this heat, it's hotter than Mustafar’s seas out here.”

Echo’s face instantly turned from relaxed to cold. Hunter couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, what's up with him?

He hasn't taken off the coat since he got it from Rex, but he can't be wearin’ it in this heat.

“Aye,” Echo said cooly

They both paused staring. Echo made no effort to move.

“Echo…” Hunter said “You’ll get heat stroke in that, just take it off and you can have it back later”

Echo’s face then laced with sorrow, and he faced away staring at the deck. Hunter stood there for a moment waiting for him. Why’s this coat got him in such a ruffle?

Echo silently shrugged off the coat, then clenched it in his good hand. He wore a long-sleeve wool shirt underneath, Hunter raised another eyebrow to that.

Echo sighed pulled out a canteen from one of the pockets and reluctantly handed Hunter the coat. He lurched slightly from the weight of it. Wait a minute…

He padded the coat pockets.

“It was you!” Hunter accused

“What?” Echo said defensively

“You took all my meilooruns and hid them in your coat!”

Echo shrugged and smirked slightly.

“Is that why you refused to take it off?”

Echo’s barely playful manner evaporated again, and he scowled and turned to look at the sea.

“Take them, there were only 2 left,” Echo said bitterly “Wrecker ate the rest”

Hunter eyed him carefully, this was strange, even for Echo.

Even so, Hunter turned and walked over to the barracks coat in hand. Which was barely a few meters away, the Maurader was small and saw the others eyeing him from their spots on the boat. Wrecker was the first to approach him.

“Hey Cap’n, What's up with Echo?” Wrecker asked glancing at Echo

Hunter shrugged, “I can't say, it's got somethin’ to do with this coat though”

“Aye,” Wrecker agreed softly “Do you know why he’s wearin’ that thing in this heat?”

“Don't know that either, but it's drenched in sweat” Hunter commented “he also took my last meilooruns, but I don't think that's the reason”

“Maybe we should dunk him in the sea to cool him down”

“Actually that could drown him,” Tech declared walking over “his metal legs would haul him down and though I have developed countermeasures for said disaster, I would not recommend testing it”

“And I don't reckon he’s in the mood for such antics at the moment” Hunter added

The others nodded glancing at Echo.

“Do you reckon a bucket would work?” Wrecker asked mischievously

Hunter chuckled at that, “If you do try such a thing, be sure to do it smartly, or he might actually shoot you this time”

The others smiled at that memory, good times.

“I'm serious lads, you should leave him be”

With that Hunter spun and entered the barracks, a dark and smelly place, but that's a privateer’s life.

Though Crosshair was given the gift of impeccable eyesight, Hunter had been blessed with fabulous hair and the ability to see in the dark so he walked effortlessly to Echo’s hammock.

Since Echo had joined they'd worked to make a space for him, and anyway, Echo wanted to be further away from them for his reasons. Echo’s hammock was in the far corner next to his personal storage chest.

Echo would probably stab Hunter with one of his own knives if Hunter ever tried to learn the 501st pocket space trick—Hunter once saw Echo pull three pistols, a canteen of water, a dictionary, a whole meiloorun, and an entire toolbox out of his coat while the thing looked completely normal. But Hunter’d still like to know what stirred Echo so much. It was a pretty regular coat, worn, with patches and stitches here and there, but other than that, well cared for. He studied it a moment longer flipping open the collar—that’s strange— a single number, 5, was embroidered in it. Maybe it's a worn-out rendition of 501st? Hunter shrugged pulling out one of the meilooruns and tossing the coat onto Echo’s hammock making his way back on deck.

Hunted walks back up the stairs, and immediately gets dunked by a whole bucket of water. He yelps,

“Wrecker!!!” Hunter exclaims

To which Wrecker responded with roaring laughter. Okay, that was actually pretty refreshing, plus now the sweat is out of his hair. But that won't stop him from getting Wrecker back somehow.