The Bad Batch Has A Darker Legacy Than You'd Ever Believe, & I'm Desperate To See Them Confront It

Although they were some of the few clone heroes operating during the earliest days of the Empire's reign, The Bad Batch has an incredibly dark Star Wars legacy that wasn't shown in their animated series. The Bad Batch season 3 ended with the survivors of Clone Force 99 presumably living out their lives on the remote world of Pabu. However, there wasn't any mention of Task Force 99, the dark Imperial unit that would come to take their place.

Originating during the Clone Wars as a unique special forces commando unit operating outside the typical structure of the Grand Army of the Republic, "The Bad Batch" were some of the most effective soldiers in the entire Republic. Likewise, they also made great strides to protect and rescue their fellow clones during the days of the early Empire, offering assistance to those who eventually chose to defy the Imperial regime. However, I do believe there are more Bad Batch stories to be told, including one where they could be confronted with the Imperial task force that took their place: SCAR Squadron.

The Empire's Task Force 99 Was Inspired by Clone Force 99

SCAR Squadron Became The Imperial Bad Batch

Handpicked by Darth Vader himself, the stormtroopers that made up Task Force 99 were a unique group of soldiers from the 501st Legion with varying skills and specialties. Directly inspired by the Republic's Clone Force 99, SCAR Squadron also operated outside the normal hierarchy of the Imperial Navy, taking their orders directly from Admirals and often Darth Vader himself. To that end, Vader's Task Force 99 became one of the Empire's deadliest units that was often sent to take out key pockets of rebellion before they could take root.

Debuting in Marvel's canonical Star Wars comics, Task Force 99 originally consisted of six members: Aero, Cav, Mic, Misty, Shrap, and Zuke. Each trooper had a unique set of skills and proficiencies. For example, Aero served as the task force's primary engineer, Shrap specialized in heavy weapons and explosives, while Zuke was the unit's heavy muscle armed with a mortar on his back.

Scar Squadron was led by Sgt. Kreel, a former Imperial spy who worked for Darth Vader and wielded a green lightsaber he'd claimed while "serving" Grakkus the Hutt in his fighting pits. The stormtrooper leader even helped train Luke Skywalker in the art of lightsaber combat in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, wanting the boy to become a worthy sparring partner every time they crossed paths. While Scar Squadron was active during the Galactic Civil War, their ultimate fate has yet to be revealed, and the same goes for their origins beyond the fact that they were inspired by The Bad Batch.

I Want To See The Bad Batch Take On SCAR Squadron

Facing Their Dark Legacy

Hunter looks angry, edited over the rest of Clone Force 99 standing on Kaller.

Without a doubt, I'd imagine that the Bad Batch would not appreciate Task Force 99's existence by any means, especially considering that they inspired the creation of a deadly stormtrooper unit. As such, I would love to see a moment in the Star Wars timeline where the two squads encounter each other. Although older, The Bad Batch season 3 did feature an epilogue that confirmed Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair were still alive when an adult Omega leaves Pabu to become a pilot for the Rebellion.

This means that a confrontation could theoretically happen at any point between the end of The Bad Batch and just before the start of the original trilogy of Star Wars movies. Assuming some initial version of Task Force 99 was formed during the Dark Times, it stands to reason that The Bad Batch and Scar Squadron could have crossed paths at some point, with Clone Force 99 having to face what their legacy became in the Star Wars timeline. Likewise, it doesn't necessarily have to happen in a fourth season of TheBad Batcheither (which feels unlikely).

I Know The Perfect Place For This New Bad Batch Story

During Captain Rex's Clone Rebellion

Captain Rex from Star Wars The Clone Wars

It's worth noting that there are still some key clone trooper stories that have been teased and not yet shown in the Star Wars timeline. Case in point, The Bad Batch season 3 ended without providing any closure for Captain Rex and Echo and their growing network of clones resisting the Empire. Keeping that in mind, it would be very exciting to see a new animated miniseries like Tales of the Jedi or Tales of the Empire, though this time focused on the clones.

A new clone series could fully reveal Captain Rex's initial efforts to fight the Empire. It would explain how he went from actively defying the Empire to retiring with Wolf and Gregor on Seelos before he met the Spectres and joined the Rebel Alliances in Star Wars Rebels. However, it could also serve as the perfect backdrop to get The Bad Batch back into the fold for one last adventure, one that could perhaps see them facing the Empire's special forces unit of stormtroopers who took their name.

All episodes of The Bad Batch are now streaming on Disney+.