Star Wars' Latest Shocking Retcon Rewrites The Bad Batch's Origin Story, Making Crosshair Darker Than Ever Before

A new Star Wars resource has retconned a key part of Crosshair’s journey in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which completely rewrites his story into something much darker – though, eventually, also one that’s even more meaningful. Crosshair has one of the best redemption arcs in all of Star Wars over the course of The Bad Batch, going from a loyal soldier of the Empire to one of the Clone Force 99 members responsible for destroying Mount Tantiss and delaying Project Necromancer. The start of his journey, however, has now become the subject of an interesting retcon.




In the brand-new Star Wars Encyclopedia, it’s written that Crosshair, like his brothers, “has enhancements that interfere with the inhibitor chip that instructs them to kill the Jedi. However, Crosshair believes that good soldiers follow orders, so the Empire’s commands should not be questioned.” This seems to contradict the events of The Bad Batch, which make it fairly clear that Crosshair’s chip does work to a degree – as confirmed by Nala Se. It also makes it sound as if Crosshair utters the words “good soldiers follow orders” of his own accord, and not of the chip.

The Star Wars Encyclopedia also confirms that Crosshair fractured his relationship with Clone Force 99 after Hunter tried to save the Padawan Caleb Dume rather than killing him. Not only that, but it reveals that the enhancement of Crosshair’s inhibitor chip by Tarkin only happens “After Crosshair chooses to stay with the Empire.” This is definitely different from what occurs in The Bad Batch, as Crosshair was taken away without choice to have his chip examined. It also confirms that after removing his inhibitor chip at some indeterminate point, Crosshair still decides to remain loyal to the Empire.


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What The Bad Batch’s Crosshair Retcon Means For Star Wars

The Start Of Crosshair’s Journey Is Much, Much Darker

If the Star Wars Encyclopedia truly is retconning the start of Crosshair’s journey, then it makes everything he does in the animated TV show’s first episode even darker. It means that Crosshair, rather than being mostly influenced by the inhibitor chip, wanted to follow Order 66 of his own accord, and that he actively chose the Empire over his brothers and the Galactic Republic that once came before it. Considering this was all supposed to be a side effect of his chip partially activating before, this would be absolutely shocking if it was indeed the intent here.


Crosshair’s Redemption Arc Is Even More Meaningful Now

He Overcame The Darkness

On the other hand, this potential change in the beginning of Crosshair’s journey makes the end of it even more meaningful. It means that Crosshair truly changed through and through as a person, and wasn’t simply coming down from the mental conditioning the Empire had put him through. He already has one of Star Wars’ best redemption stories, but if this retcon really does intend to move away from the chip more, it makes Crosshair’s redemptive journey all the more satisfying. Either way, Crosshair’s story in The Bad Batch remains very compelling, perhaps even more so now.