Artwork for
by @fanfictasia
When Hunter awakes on the Havoc Marauder, in the past, he learns of their new mission to Kaller. But this time, he knows what will happen, and he will do whatever he must to keep his squad together. This time, he will not let Crosshair be lost to them. This time, he will not let Tech die. This time, he will not let Omega be taken. No one will ever be left behind again.
Cover art for the wonderful story "Mavericks" by the lovely Wolfiefics
“Qui-Gon has finally agreed to take on a squadron.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi heard the words coming from Master Mace Windu but almost didn’t believe them. For nearly a year now, Obi-Wan had all but been begging his old master to see reason, to not turn his back on the Order nor be a conscientious objector. He reasoned that the Order, the clones, and the Republic needed Jinn’s experience and expertise.
Even since i saw crosshair’s armor design i always imagine a situation where he is on his absolute limit after a day of continuous annoying events. But just when he’s going back to his barracks, he gets his shoulder thingy stuck on something and he goes absolutely berserk.
#it is 1am#and i am crying over this image#the rage#the cussing#the absolute insanity#hunter thinks something is actually wrong and goes running for him#tech saw it happen in real time on the security cams#wrecker got woken from a dead sleep and goes in fists raised#crosshair is just screeching like an angry tomcat#rage punching the wall (via @thisistheendtimes)
That is a glorious mental image, thank you.
Rough sketch of an upcoming project.
The clones never had any choice at all?!!!
This is the worst excuse I've heard to date. Again, the chips work whenever the plot needs them, too. Giving an excuse of "They're wearing off" is a cop-out. Let's pretend for a moment that Palps hasn't executed Order 66. You're telling the LONG NECKS created a product that was so deficient it just randomly stopped working after like 13 years. THE KAMINOANS????!!!
Fine, we'll dance down that road. So, let's say in year 14 Palps decides to execute Order 66. This means that many of the clones would not turn on their Jedi which means Palps, who ORCHESTRATED THIS WHOLE THING, would be up the creek without a paddle. Lost in space. Whatever you want to say. I guess that's REAL convenient Palps ordered this when he did.
I am for the chips not ALWAYS working, but this season they were willy nilly after establishing no one can fight the chip and it's rare that it doesn't trigger. I could believe the BB didn't react to the chip the same. (Although after all Echo had been through Rex was ADAMANT about removing his chip as well) But we receive no reasoning for Cut, there's suddenly Howzer and all those men, there's Gregor (maybe I could buy his chip not working, but see Echo's chip above). They work whenever and wherever the plot needs them to.
Effectively, we've made Fives sacrifice, Tup's death, and Rex's attempt to fight so much less impactful. It also negates pretty much the entire bar scene in episode seven with Rex (and pretty much the plot of the episode). "You're all ticking time bombs". Apparently not. Only when the plot needs you to be. And that means there are no stakes in this show. It's just whatever.
One last thing. Both Jennifer and Filoni are writers (every episode). They are creators. They are effectively the showrunners which means this is on both of them. They decide where they want to go with the show. Which way the horse turns by pulling the bit. They've both done a very poor job of doing that after all this hype and excitement. They need lessons in story telling.
Fourteen and a half hours later and my frustration over the bullshit that was the “season finale” of the Bad Batch burns hotter than ever. I posted a warning last night for people to use filters because this post is going to be anti-Omega and severely critical of the Bad Batch writing.
Scroll by now if you somehow didn’t heed that warning…
…
…
…
Filler.
That’s what this episodes was. Thirty minutes of no stakes, no consequences, no emotional impacts or investment in the outcome (because you could telegraph they were all going to survive), little actual drama, and a massive copout in the end (which I predicted weeks ago).
There’s no build into season two (yay more of the sane aimlessly plodding along and working for Cid shit we have gotten all this season), no hook to keep us interested (Nala Se working for the Empire was predicted back during Fives arc), the characters learned nothing and are essentially left as they were in the beginning of the season.
We got tweets hyping the hell out of this episode…
And that’s all it was: hype.
From episode one the characters of Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and especially Crosshair have been de-characterized, pushed aside for a child character that makes no sense (and who was also hyped up and fallen flatter than a pancake), sent on missions which were really cameo appearances to lead to Rebels (hyping that disaster in hopes of getting more people to watch it), wasted time on things that went nowhere (Omega being hunted as a prime example), and rehashed and repeated plotlines from other shows and movies.
Bad Batch did nothing but flatter the egos of Dave Filoni and Jennifer Corbett by highlighting characters from Clone Wars and Rebels. Characters that were unnecessary and best held for season two or three of BB to have worked in the larger scheme of things.
Rex was all but wasted in his few appearances. His only real purpose was the first of many glaring plot holes the show suffers from: the inhibitor chips.
Gregor and Howzer both were also wasted. Chekhov’s Gun, folks…. “details within a story or play should contribute to the overall narrative.” The purpose of this is to keep writers from making false promises by including details, events or characters that do not play a crucial role in the outcome of the story.
Cody, Wolffe, even Kix were kicked aside for the Martez Sisters, Hera and her parents, and the also wasted Cad Bane (who was bested by a child).
Cody especially should have been included in this show at some point since a) he was kriffin Marshal Commander and b) had a connection to Clone Force 99.
Folks, I’ve read over a thousand pieces of fan fiction in my time on the internet. I’ve seen better from the worst fan fic writers than what we got in Bad Batch. Those writers have passion for their fandom and the characters.
The writers of Bad Batch produced a soulless, aimless, plot-hole riddled mess that left me empty, cold, and unsatisfied by seasons end.
No big questions were asked or answered.
No big moments of revelations that changed lives occured.
No development of any of the characters.
No epic battles.
What we got was lied too.
The Bad Batch wasn’t about The Bad Batch.
It wasn’t even about the clones.
It was about one character and one character only: Omega.
The child created before the Bad Batch but who nobody, least of all Clone Force 99 saw until their magical return to Kamino following Order 66.
Omega who saved the day not once this episode but three times.
Omega who clearly wasn’t part of the original plans for the show and who was painfully shoehorned in just to pacify the Couch Warriors.
Omega who took up episode space and scenes needed to develop and cultivate an actual plot.
Omega who knows everything, can do everything, is loved by everyone she meets, has no flaws, is a pure genetic copy of Jango, learned no real lessons (outside of what dirt feels like) or experienced any real growth in sixteen episodes.
Omega who has thicker plot armor than even Ashoka Tano (who was also shoehorned into many episodes and arcs she wasn’t needed in).
When you remove Omega, the show flows in a way that almost makes it work. The finale would have functioned better if she wasn’t involved because it would have forced the BB and Crosshair into a higher stake situation. The element of fear about their survival actually comes into play and there’s an emotional investment built to see them find a way out of their predicament.
AZ was also a copout. It was the one character defining moment this show had to give Omega something to actually grow and learn from next season. Instead, he’s saved and the BB fly off Kamino in the midst of sunshine while leaving Crosshair behind (again).
Speaking of, a stronger finale would have had Crosshair go with them. Why? Because their struggles to overcome their differences, Crosshair struggling with his chip and choosing his brothers or the Empire sets up season two.
Lazy, inconsistent writing.
That’s all this season has been.
I will continue to say it despite the hate it inspires.
We got robbed, folks.
Again and again and again.
We should be blasting dear ole Dave and all the writers on Twitter for lying to us. They promised us Bad Batch, hyped up epic moments that’d leave us in tears and gave us a show that was anything but.
If you have no expectations, there are none to ruin and that's how this filler week went for me.
I'll keep this simple because I see a lot of similar feelings, but the main thing for me is this isn't the show promised. We were promised The Bad Batch. You can rewatch this season, but this show wasn't about either of them. There was no character growth. It all promoted Omega and her rinse and repeat storyline. Instead of going into that, I'll give you things I had hoped for.
An actual reunion with Rex.
Growth for each Bad Batcher. Examples? Echo dealing with his changing world (and ever more changing after Order 66). Echo dealing with Fives' death. Tech's quirkiness and his love for recording things being shown or used in an episode or two. Wrecker and his demolition prowess. Knowing what Hunter's powers mean as he leads the team through the ups and downs of this new galaxy. (Not just sort of doing whatever each week)
I want the Inhibitor chips explained. They seem to change whichever way the wind blows from the plot. At one point, every clone was susceptible. I could understand The Bad Batch at the beginning, Echo. Now it's just whatever they need to progress the plot. Sometimes the chips works. Sometimes in part. Other times not, but there's no consistency and this is the Kaminoans that created them so there should be some foundation there.
A storyline for Crosshair. Feelings on him are mixed, but I think that's more in part because he was tossed aside (all the boys were). We could have shown what was going on in the fledgling Empire with his perspective. Instead, we traded that for worthless cameos.
I've seen a lot of "Clone Wars had a rough first season". Well, you had Yoda explaining that each clone was individual in the Force. We had some Grievous and Ventress moments that introduced and showed their cunning skills. (I'll gladly skip Jar Jar) Then there's Obi-Wan, Anakin and Dooku's episode where they just continue to roast that "elderly" man alive (and his comment "I would kill you both right now if I did not have to drag your bodies" is my absolute favorite to this day) which is amazing. There's episode 16 with Slick and we see a clone betray his brothers because he sees the Jedi as enslaving them. We see how the clones are really bred to die in Blue Shadow Virus where they accept their fates.
Then the first season has the battle for Ryloth and the soft moment with Waxer, Boil and Numa. An episode arc that showed the harsh realities of the war by leaving a child lost and how two clones could come to adore a little child.
They ended the first season on high stakes with Cad Bane going after the senate. Sure, we all knew Anakin would probably save the day, but there was a lot at stake. We'd seen clones die, we knew there was a cost and that the rent came due.
All things BB didn't seem to want to give us.
Overall, there's nothing memorable from this season. There's nothing worthwhile. I'm not left wondering how things are going to resolve. Instead, I'm left sad that I didn't even get to see a Kamino uprising. Boba against his brothers? That would have been great.
Instead, I had to hear about how Omega Sue was older than the others and how she was there when they were being created. What a way to keep me intrigued. Not. Also, I firmly believe this entire show was plotted without her character, and then she was shoehorned in. If you remove her, the story arcs make more sense and we can use that empty space for more development of the clones.
Lastly, if they jump the shark completely in second season, they could salvage this. I just don't have any faith in them to be that smart.
The Bad Batch is a show about a bunch of characters who were never meant to be main characters and it just doesn’t work
Except for Echo. Echo could be a main character because he actually has character depth (that seems to be forgotten by the writers unfortunately), but the rest of them are just lackluster characters with no depth and nothing to actually make us emotionally invested in them. They look like they could be interesting on the surface but there’s just nothing underneath to actually support that
So, as this show has progressed, this has become a very true fact. However, it didn't have to be this way.
When Bad Batch debuted in season seven to save Echo, they had a lot of interesting aspects about them. Hunter was some mysterious tracker, Tech was all about tech (and recordings he loved to make) Wrecker had to be intelligent in order to be a demolition expert despite his big oaf demeanor, and Crosshair was the silent sniper who really cared for his brothers. Each had their own place. Each were interesting on their own and had plenty of room to be explored. (That's another post for another time I could make, if there's any interest at all at this point)
However, what we got was anything but and the writing team didn't care enough to develop these characters. They couldn't even be bothered to show Rex and Echo having a proper reunion. They were focused on... I'm not quite sure, honestly. Though, perhaps the answer is they thought Omega Sue could make the show. As my coworker says, however, "Did they really think that blonde girl was going to be their Christmas toy sales?" (When her Funko Pop is going for 99 cents on ebay where as Rex is $500.)
It's just sad that they wasted these characters and that will be the excuse. No one had any real interesting in them when in reality the writers never had any real interest in them.
Can someone explain the inhibitor chips because currently they just seem to work or not work based on plot convenience.
What batch?
Short, sweet, to the point.
I wouldn't have an issue with the show if it was titled something else. Star Wars: Empire. Star Wars: Rise of the Empire. Star Wars: Descent into Darkeness. Pick your poison.
But this show is titled Star Wars: Bad Batch and was marketed with the premise of this being about Clone Force 99.
This show is about anything but and I think that is their biggest problem. Don't market something that it's not.
I want to see growth in Hunter, Wrecker, Echo and Tech. I want to see them in action. (I was so thankful for last week's ep when they were doing team things!)
I want to see Crosshair's arc and if he lives or dies. How the Empire is treating him. How he deals with these other recruits.
Instead, we're left with whatever this show is.
Which it's not The Bad Batch.
I hope at least the Hunter and Dad!Hunter fans are happy now, because I am certainly not. I mean seriously. It is not against you.
BUT COME ON!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
We already have a dad’n’foundling (and bounties) show it is called The Mandalorian. And it is a great show really. It was a success I get it. Is it really necessary to make another?
Tbh I’m curious about everyone else, but Hunter and Omega. Wrecker wasn’t really interesting for me at the beginning of the show, but I would be much happier if they showed us a whole episode about him. I’m this desperate. I love Tech and Echo, they have so much potential in them. Let them show more of their personalities. And last but not least, show us Crosshair. What is he doing? How serious are his injuries? He is a base member of the Bad Batch. Isn’t the show about Clone Force 99?
At this point I’m not sure what’s the plot, so help me out on this.
Some Bad Batch Spoilers ahead.
You've been warned...
So now that we’re ten episodes in I thought I’d give a bit of food for thought.
I really actually liked this episode…when it was focused on SOLELY the Bad Batch. It was interesting to see them working with the Seppies they were battling against. I found the premise of seeing another side to the Seppies and how they’re not so different from the other senators we saw on the Republic side really intriguing. Also, seeing them work with a droid was really amusing. In addition, they were working as the team we bet back in season seven of Clone Wars. (About time!)
Aaaaand that’s where the buck stops.
This type of episode should have been done earlier on, and by type, I mean action and focus. Instead, we’ve been treated to week after week of the Omega Sue Show cameoing the Bad Batch. I get it, that’s a controversial comment for all the Sue-stans out there. (To each their own as Cut would say) At this point in the show, however, there should be stakes and there are none.
We all know the plot is somehow going to be focused on Omega Sue and her getting into trouble and then they all rush to save her which results in a dues ex Omega as she saves the day yet again. We get glimpses of beloved characters like Cad Bane or Rex who are outshined by Omega Sue.
In honesty, everyone’s outshined by her. These characters who were well established are dissolving into nothing in order to promote her character arc and that’s just not how writing works.
Now, I know people will be like, “But Blue, you’re just hating on children.” I could tell you that I’ve been in education for most of my life so that’s null in point. You could say, “Blue, you hate females” to which I’d say I am one.
Nevertheless, it’s important to point out that the entire show the Bad Batch is centered on this unrealistic, perfect, one-of-a-kind female child. When a character has to tell the audience “Maybe if you weren’t so helpless” about said one-of-a-kind after the entire show has been about showing how that said one-of-a-kind always saves everyone, there’s a MAJOR issue. Especially when she’s shooting Crosshair, climbing into tunnels to get power converters, and besting two bounty hunters and a droid to escape. (And yes, she did best them since she escaped both)
And let’s not even touch on how she said she knew Rex was a generation one clone by just looking at him. (Which I will argue he is not, but that’s not a topic for this post. Perhaps another) Let’s not get into how we’ve changed Boba Fett entirely by saying he’s not the only unaltered clone. Let’s not hint that she’s probably a Force user with the way she does things. (A Force user who’s never trained)
I digress, however. Back to my original point of children and females. Literature and films are littered with well-written characters in both. Trixie in Lucifer is a perfect example. She’s curious, mischievous, doesn’t always follow the rules, and compliments every character by never overpowering the scene. She makes her presence known without the need for domination of all the characters and the scene she’s in. Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon is another great example. That whole movie involves child characters, but she never dominates. She is simply a strong female who’s well-rounded as her arc progresses (within the first movie alone).
All 13 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events showcase children (mostly female) in such a spectacular way in such a devastating series of events and none of them overpower the other. In addition, the stakes are high because they LOSE. Time and time again the Baudelauire Orphans are on the wrong side of winning and there is nothing Violet, Klaus, or Sunny can do about it.
The best example to pull from are the films of Studio Ghibli, especially Spirited Away. Throughout the course of the film 10-year-old Chihiro went from a bratty, whiny, scared, little girl to one who was ready to face any challenges all within 125 minutes. In two hours, there was an entire arc in not just her development but every character around her whether it was No Face, Haku, Lin, or smaller characters like Boh and the harpy.
In Bad Batch, we’ve had 312 minutes and if anything, we’ve lost any characterization that’s been done in the Bad Batch arc of season 7. The boys are simply there to make Omega look fantastic. That is all. (And at the expensive of Crosshair who's been replaced by her)
In addition, this last episode shows she's flawless (as a Sue is) with how she's just magically amazing at yet another thing (Dejarik) she's never done before, and once again saved the boys.
This time from Cid’s debt.
Anyway, just a bit of food for thought.
I keep seeing comments in regards to criticism about the Bad Batch that suggest that because it is a “cartoon” that it is somehow exempt from criticism. That we should blindly just swallow whatever given because “it’s a kid’s show.”
I have one thing to say in regards to that:
Batman: The Animated Series.
This was a series marketed to kids, premise was for kids, and is hailed as being one of the best animated series to date.
Why?
Because the writers cared about the characters and they cared about the product they were putting out. They didn’t slap together any ole story. They created an entire animated world that benefited the cast of characters they were portraying.
Know what else they did?
They created a character, one who was supposed to only be in the show for one episode but who proved so popular that they ended up bringing them into comic canon.
Know who that character is?
Harley Quinn.
The episode was titled “Joker’s Favor” and debuted on September 11, 1992. A clip of her debut is here: https://youtu.be/W8Tyya3ozUI
Harley was an original character designed simply to play as the moll of the most iconic Batman villain: The Clown Prince of Crime. Her first comic appearance was in The Batman Adventures #12 in 1993 (still credited as non-canon). She became an official canon character in Batman: Harley Quinn #1 in 1999.
Harley has since become one of DC’s most popular characters. She has tons of merchandise featuring her in her various depictions. She’s been in video games. Comics. Movies (animated and live-action). She even has a current animated series about her on HBO Max.
ONE episode and she gained a fan base.
ONE.
Let’s switch to the Bad Batch. Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair became favorites after one episode, as well. Everyone remember this part of season 7, episode 1: https://youtu.be/pcWtU7Wvstg
They were cool, unusual, and instantly likable because of how different they were from Rex, Cody, and the other clones we knew. By the conclusion of the Bad Batch arc I wanted to know more about them. I also went out and bought Wrecker’s Funko and a Lego miniature because I love the big guy that much.
Flash forward to the announcement of the Bad Batch series. I was stoked. I was excited. I thought we’d be getting the Bad Batch content that we didn’t get in season 7 (back story and the like). Following Order Sixty-Six was an interesting take because it would delve into the time following the end of the Clone Wars and how the Clones went from Clone Troopers to Stormtroopers (and how they became recruits instead of clones).
Than came the announcement about a new character: Omega.
Was not excited but was willing to give it a chance. Ashoka got on my nerves but by and large I didn’t mind her character.
Following Omega’s introduction, I was less excited and started seeing how the show promised was absolutely not the one we were going to get. Omega is 9 episodes in and has yet to really have much in the way of character development. Her revelation about having pure Fett DNA undermines Boba’s entire storyline and Lama Su ordering her termination effectively renders it a moot point. She has no discernible flaws, has learned no real lessons, and effectively takes away from the other characters with a storyline that is thin at best.
Unlike Harley who was given enough depth and characterization in ONE episode of Batman: The Animated Series to turn her into a beloved character. Harley accentuated and complimented the Joker.
Omega is not beloved nor does she compliment or accentuate the Bad Batch.
Why?
Because she’s a flawed character in an animated series.
And many people, not just myself, see that. I also see the accusations of ours being “hate” blogs. Incorrect. We don’t hate the character. We hate the writing of her. We hate we haven’t been given enough of a reason to like her. We hate the forced narrative and how it diminishes the characters that the show is being marketed about. The title card of every episode lays out who Disney is marketing as the headliners.
Omega is NOT the headliner.
I’d argue that they chose to include her in the Bad Batch simply because they knew they couldn’t sell the show without title characters like the Bad Batch or Rex.
In closing, the argument about it being a “kid’s show” falls flat when one looks at Batman: the Animated Series (and other Batman shows like Brave and the Bold and Batman Beyond even), Spider-Man, X-Men, Transformers (the 80s version), Ninja Turtles. All are kid shows with adult followers because the shows were written in ways that kids and adults could enjoy them. I also know the next argument this will get: different companies, different eras, blah blah blah. Animated shows like Batman, Spider-Man, and Star Wars all follow the same formula: market to kids but make it accessible so both kids and adults will like it (and buy merchandise).
Bad Batch is not as appealing as those other shows (as Clone Wars was even).
It has its moments… but they come when Omega is NOT the center focus and when the narrative is NOT about her. Sadly, those moments are too few and far between. Which is a shame because the show has great potential to be up there with the shows I listed above. There is a rich galaxy to be explored in Star Wars. One that Filoni and his writers have chosen not to explore in favor of creating a show that essentially is the Mandalorian in animated form.
And if I wanted to watch the Mandalorian… I would just watch the Mandalorian.
Tumblr has an issue with links lately, so the videos are here:
What I think is interesting about this is that it all brings up a good point. There's nothing against new characters. (Personally, the older Harley Quinn stuff--90s and the Arkham games--I adore. She's badass) If characters are written well, they are loved and adored for generations with Harley just being one great example.
I hear whispers of Omega support (though it's more like bashing with the way they voice her support by degrading/cursing out/etc others), but the majority of people I talk to are watching this show for the Bad Batch (as it was marketed) and tend to find her just shoehorned in. Everyone has different experiences, but for the most part, people came for the clones. The boys we all tended to fall in love with in The Clone Wars.
What's curious is not one person I've talked to has disliked her for being a female or a child. The major issue is the way everyone centers around her. She automatically knows how to shoot Crosshair in the first episode or she saves the Bad Batch in every episode (normally after she's gone off and gotten in trouble and asked to be saved). She floats through the show with no real threats (since it took them less than an episode to get her back from Cad freaking Bane) and I can't be the only one thinking the majority of the Bad Batch will die just to keep her arc alive.
Because Omega Sue is the sole focus of the show, there's not a whole lotta room for development for anyone else. Anyone else being the main reason people were excited about this show.
Also, I will state again, we've all but forgotten about Crosshair.
this is an omega hate blog. do not talk to me about omega.
Not quite hate, but I wish she wasn't the center of the plot every week. I'm tired of her deus ex machina, Mary Sue powers. Omega Sue is a boring story line.
I want the clone boys like they marketed.
“Dumbed down Wrecker”. How exactly do you dumb down someone who was already a meat-headed idiot in his introductory story arc? That’s like getting to the center of the earth and still digging.
Hi Anon!
Hope your week is going well!
So, I personally love this because, honestly, I felt the same way for a really long time. Wrecker is not my favorite Bad Batcher. He will never be my favorite. I do still appreciate what he brings to the group as a whole, however.
What might that be?
The Bad Batch arc in Season 7 of Clone Wars gives some great subtle examples. I'll highlight a few and if you happen to catch this post, maybe it's food for thought. Maybe someone else catches it and gives it a look. Whoever does, I totally understand if you want to consider him a meat-head afterward, because that's the stereotype he was given.
So, without further ado (and forgive me for the length), we're introduced to this massive tank who takes off his helmet and has clearly been given a cybernetic eye because he's had some war damage. He's big and loud and immediately it's just "Here we go" *eye roll* with even Kix and Jesse being all "Oy vey..." Wrecker makes his presence known and by telling them about fighting Yalbecs or about how he likes to demolish things.
It goes further when he starts laughing like a maniac as the transport's going down. (Which is surprising because he's afraid of flying in BB???? Anyway)
By this point, he had already annoyed me and I wanted nothing to do with him because his meat-head character annoyed me.
When I watched it again, however, things start to change when he saves Cody.
Wrecker knows what he's capable of and what his responsibilities to his team are which he gladly participates in. He easily moves the LAAT/i, saves the Marshall Commander, and has enough knowledge to know exactly when the LAAT/i will explode. He knows exactly how long he has before an explosion goes off. Right after this, he picks up a piece of the LAAT/i and protects his team. He swiftly follows orders and does so with a bit of finesse at times. Wrecker is dutiful to his place within the team even when it loses him a fight in the command tower. It's him who stays at the bottom to clean up and while he's understandably sad (because ALL the clones are shown to love killing clankers) he still follows the orders Hunter gives. He puts his team's needs above his needs, desires, or wants. He knows what he has to do, and he does it as the anchor position he's been given. He doesn't question or wonder, and though he may seem like a meathead when he overrides Tech trying to hack a door by breaking it down, he tells Tech he's taking too long. There is a platoon coming, they are on limited time and they can't wait around for Tech to hack in. Wrecker knows there's urgency and he steps in to help where and when he can. He makes sure that his team (and Jesse as the story progresses) are behind him as they infiltrate the cyber center. He knows where they are at all times and he places himself as a barrier between the incoming droids and the rest of his team as they escape. (This he does a few times. When Crosshair shows up with the ship at the Cyber Center, Wrecker's the last one on. As they go into the containment room where Echo was kept, Wrecker's last. Later on, he's the last one down, putting out bombs after they save Echo)
When Tech is flying the ship onto Skako Minor, it's Wrecker that charges headfirst to the cockpit to help Tech navigate and land in tricky weather. (Again, he's strangely not afraId of crashing like he suddenly is in BB)
Once on Skako Minor, and once they've freed Echo, it's Wrecker who comes up with the plan to get everyone up into the ventilation shaft (by throwing them). It's Wrecker who comes up with the plan to destroy the Segway crew's science experiment by blowing it up. (Which again, he has to know explosion times and the only reason he's pulled up so quickly is the purple lightning attack)
Lastly, there's what I consider the best parts of Wrecker: his concern and care for his own brothers. You see his little rivalry with Crosshair begin in the previous episode, but it's in the second episode that you see how much Wrecker loves his team. When Clone Force starts hinting they think Echo is a trap and Crosshair gets under Rex's skin so Rex punches him, it's immediately Wrecker who steps in and protects his brother. (Grabbing Rex by the scruff and all) He knows his size, and he knows it's his job to protect his brothers (being the tank/anchor he is.)
Also, I tend to think that it's Crosshair he's the closest two. Sure, they banter, but that's what siblings do. In much of the four episodes, it's Wrecker and Crosshair that seem to be near each other (like when he stopped Rex from attacking him, or in the hallway in the Techno Union facility) More to this point, when they're on the pipes and Crosshair falls, despite his acknowledged fear of heights, Wrecker jumps to save Crosshair.
This is further encouraged by how they're counting kills later on. (Like Legolas and Gimli in LotR or an earlier CW episode where Mundi also participates) Crosshair wins the round (by showing he likes to show off his skills just as much as Wrecker's "Wrecking Ball") and teases how Wrecker won't top him. At the same time, Hunter says Wrecker will top Crosshair next time (which seems to imply this is a normal game where they continue to one-up each other as siblings do). Anyway, my running theory Wrecker is closest to Crosshair and vise versa.
With all these things in mind, it's good to take a last look at the term meathead. In every dictionary (including Urban) it has to do with a dull, stupid, large jock, with emphasis on dull and stupid. While Wrecker is definitely child-like, he is in no way dull or stupid. Season 7's Bad Batch arc showed in so many ways how he's not.
Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post or if something might seem confusing, I didn't mean for it to end up this long. I just wanted to make sure that I covered a good chunk of the subtly they weaved in back when they were trying to tell stories.
Now, he's basically just a meat-head who's afraid of most things for some reason. But apparently he can eat popcorn and that's fine.
Spoilers Ahead
...
Again, there's been a disservice to Crosshair. This could be-would be-shoulder be spectacular sniper.
He's been left behind by his team in exchange for Omega Sue.
He's been burned.
Forgotten about.
Discarded like Empire scum.
Hunter cannot bear to leave Omega behind and the plot is ALWAYS about saving her before the flip and switch of her saving the day every.
Single.
Time.
But Hunter can't be bothered about Crosshair?
His teammate. Someone he was responsible for. His BROTHER. He can't be bothered to try on any occasion to save him?
I get the excuses about they need money, they need to protect Omega Sue (who continually dues ex machina's her way through everything), but at this point, this is not the show promised.
We were told Bad Batch.
We were not told the Omega Sue show.
We've lost out on Echo's development. Hunter's development. Wrecker has been dumbed down. Tech's thrown to the wayside. Rex was all but a ghost just to get us hyped.
And all along we've got MAYBE five minutes of Crosshair (and that's being generous). Not only has his team forgotten he exists more or less, but so have the writers. They can't be bothered by him. They turn a blind eye unless it comes to Omega. They don't want to write what's going on in the Empire because they don't care. They have no plot for the Empire bits, and what they do have will continue to focus and revolve around their little sunspot, Omega Sue.
Making Crosshair nothing more than a plot device whenever it's convenient.
That is the worst writing ever. The writers have abandoned every last character from The Bad Batch, especially Crosshair, in order to promote this waste of space Godling.
What a pathetic excuse for writing.
We deserve better.
Crosshair deserves better.
They should have made show about Rex instead of TBB. This would be the best solution. Because everyone loves Rex. Rex’s perspective on the transformation of the Republic into an Empire would be more interesting. Rex’s glimpse of how his brothers became alive droids because of the chips and how he and Ahsoka met Rafa and Trace, how he became a rebel and went to work for Beil Organa. How he found allies and how he once met TBB (if Filoni so wanted to show them again) and how TBB became permanent characters in the background. Rex cares about his brothers and his friends, which is why he is so interesting to watch.
TBB doesn’t care about anyone but themselves, expecially about other clones. They even killed some of them without much thinking. I still like Omega, but she is constantly draws attention to herself and turning TBB into an Omega show. It shouldn’t be like that if they really tried to make TBB a succesor of The Clone Wars. Maybe the remaining episodes will change that for the better. Who knows.
^^^ this is absolutely what real fans wanted to see. They wanted Rex, Commander Cody, Fox, Wolfe, Gregor, and how about Kix?
Yanno, the clones?
The ones who are the backdrop of the Clone Wars and who were sacrificed so that Filoni’s other lovechild could have multiple episodes dedicated to her (and which served NOTHING in the larger scheme of things).
Some nitwit said Clone Wars was about Rex.
I dare you to prove it.
Cause Rex took a backseat to Ashoka, Anakin, and even Jar Jar. He had ONE arc: Umbara. By far the best arc because it actually focused on HIM and his brothers.
You can argue the Bad Batch/rescue of Echo arc was about Rex because he absolutely believed Echo was alive and all but it wasn’t so much about him but about rescuing Echo and taking Anaxes.
Give me another arc where Rex was the dominant focus and the narrative meant to develop his character in a significant way.
Much like TBB, the CW was the Ashoka show with a few episodes here and there not about her. Those episodes were also not about the clones. It was Anakin and his melodrama with Padme, Obi-Wan and his with Satine or Jar Jar getting into some shit.
If you pull the scenes featuring Rex, they amass maybe a half hour to an hour in total.
Across 7 seasons.
But yeah, CW was about Rex.
If you buy that, you’re a twatwaffle.
CW was the Ashoka Tano show and The Bad Batch is the Omega Sue show.
Period.
