In last week’s episodes, we learned what happened to Clone Force 99 and Omega after the events of Kamino. “The Solitary Clone” shows us the fate of Crosshair after he was left alone on the planet. You can read the recap for the previous episode here.
Warning: Spoilers for “The Solitary Clone” below!
Rebellion on Desix
An Imperial ship is approaching the Separatist planet Desix. A siren can be heard; people are panicking. The ship lands and reveals an Imperial officer and clone troopers. Governor Tawni Ames asks the Imperial named Grotton what he is doing on the planet. He tells her that he is the new governor of Desix. Ames denies him saying the planet is not part of the Empire, and calls her droids to capture the Imperials.
Meanwhile, Crosshair is shown having survived the events of Kamino, where he was stuck for 32 rotations before being rescued. He seems to have been affected by his ordeal. At the mess, two clones are discussing a Defense Recruitment Bill, which would greatly impact their lives. When Crosshair sits down next to them to eat, the clones leave looking distrustful of him. His meal is interrupted by a summon from Vice Admiral Rampart.
Now that the clone is cleared for duty, Rampart is sending him to Desix to free the newly appointed Governor Grotton. Crosshair will not lead this mission and will be under the orders of a new commander. At the Battle Memorial, the commander for the mission is revealed to be Commander Cody, who we last saw trying to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau during Order 66. Cody requested him for the mission. They talk about the rest of the Clone Force 99 and their desertion. Cody has heard that more and more clones are questioning the Order, wanting to know how Crosshair feels about it. The clone answers that these clones are traitors like the Jedi.
Later on the ship, the clones discuss their plan for the upcoming attack. They will go on Desix under the pretense of a diplomatic mission, destroy the droids guarding Governor Grotton and free him. When the ship arrives on the planet, Ames is not fooled by the supposed diplomatic mission and gives orders to her droids to shoot the ship.
Taking control of the planet
After the crashing of the ship, Ames orders the droids to go check for survivors. At first, it looks like nobody survived, but it was an ambush to allow Cody and Crosshair to eliminate the droids. Half of the clone troopers have been injured in the crash. They decide to attempt entering the city, which is defended by a droid tank. With the help of his fellow clones, Crosshair is able to destroy the tank with a direct shot into the barrel.
More and more droids arrive, and the clones are under heavy fire. Still, they are able to make it inside the city. Crosshair remarks the enemy probably has a tactical droid because their troops move into coordinated waves. They decide to attack from two fronts to divide the droids. While searching a way into the Governor’s palace, the clones are attacked by Droidekas. After an intense fight, they manage to destroy them, and Crosshair localizes the tactical droid in the bell tower.
After entering the tower, Cody and Crosshair are stuck at the bottom of the stairs, and they fight for their lives against the droids. Thanks to a few well-placed mirrors and with Cody’s help, Crosshair is able to take down the tactical droid. Just after that, the second clone team informs Cody that they have the control of the city.
Ames is now holding Grotton at point and still wants the Empire to recognize Desix’s independence, not realizing it’s too late. Cody tries to reason with her and tells her peace is still possible, but the former governor doesn’t believe in the Empire peace. The clone promises her again a peaceful resolution, and she finally releases her prisoner, who immediately orders her execution. Cody hesitates, and it is clear he is not going to do it; Crosshair kills Ames to save Cody’s life.
Back to the base
Crosshair and Cody are back at the Imperial base, and the Commander seems weary, wondering if they are making the galaxy better. Crosshair answers that they do what needs to be done. For Cody, the fact that they are able to make their own choices ultimately makes them better than battle droids, even if it means that they also have to live with it.
Crosshair lays on his bed, preoccupied. Later at the mess, he is eating alone again when he is summoned by Vice Admiral Rampart, who assigns him a new mission and orders him to report to CC-1226. After asking why he can’t report to Cody, Crosshair is informed by Rampart that the Commander has deserted.
What happened to Commander Cody? Did he leave the Empire willingly or was he punished for not obeying orders on Desix. Crosshair also seemed to be conflicted at the end of the episode. Is he starting to regret staying faithful to the Empire? Hopefully, we will soon have answers to these questions.
A new episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is released each week on Disney+. Stay tuned for more recaps of season 2 on Nerds and Beyond!
