Ciddarin Scaleback

Ciddarin Scaleback, a Trandoshan female nicknamed "Cid," was born on the planet Ord Mantell, situated in the Bright Jewel sector of the galaxy within the Mid Rim Territories. During the latter years of the Galactic Republic, a democratic union that governed much of the galaxy from its capital on Coruscant, she worked as an information broker and smuggler. In Ord Mantell City, Cid owned and ran an underground parlor, which served as a cantina and gambling establishment. She worked behind the bar, denying entry to anyone who appeared troublesome or lacked the credits to spend. Among her regular customers were Bolo, an Ithorian, and Ketch, his Weequay friend, who spent their free time there. Scaleback also managed her mercenary operations from the parlor, utilizing her extensive network of contacts throughout the galaxy to whom she passed on information.

One of her contacts was the Jedi Order, an ancient religious organization of Force-sensitive individuals who acted as peacekeepers and guardians of justice in the galaxy. She had a "good thing" going with them, as they valued her insights and trusted her, and she, in turn, was valuable to them. During the Clone Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict between the Republic and its splinter state, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which occurred between 22 BBY and 19 BBY, the Jedi continued to use Cid's services, visiting her in person.

Another contact of Scaleback's was Phee Genoa, a human female pirate who preferred to call herself a "liberator of ancient wonders" and was the most trustworthy pirate she knew. By 18 BBY, the two had known each other for a long time, and Cid considered her a friend, though Genoa knew her as someone you wouldn't want to cross. Grini Millegi, a Dowutin gangster and gambler who oversaw the Safa Toma Classic riot race on the Safa Toma Speedway located on Serolonis, was another contact. The two were well-acquainted and typically had a side bet whenever one of their racers competed. However, their relationship deteriorated, and Millegi began to distrust Scaleback due to her inconsistent loyalty. They separated, and a period of time passed since Scaleback's last visit to Safa Toma.

In 19 BBY, Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, issued Order 66, initiating the systematic extermination of the Jedi Order by turning the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic against the Jedi Generals who commanded them. He then reformed the Republic into the first Galactic Empire, declaring himself Galactic Emperor, and dispatched Darth Vader, his apprentice, to eliminate the remaining Confederate leaders, swiftly ending the Clone Wars. With the Jedi nearly extinct and the Empire hunting down any remaining members, the demand for Scaleback's services declined. To protect herself under the new regime, Scaleback concealed her previous connections with the Order and focused on more lucrative assignments in the face of the new government.

Early in the Empire's reign, Scaleback came into contact with Bib Fortuna, the majordomo of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, who controlled one of the galaxy's most extensive criminal networks. He hired her to recover Muchi, a young rancor for whom he had placed a bounty. Cid's intelligence indicated that Muchi was in the custody of a group of Zygerrian slavers led by Raney, operating out of Old Ord Mantell City. Meanwhile, Clone Force 99, a genetically altered clone team also known as "the Bad Batch," became fugitives after escaping the planet Kamino with Omega, a young female clone. Their inhibitor chips had malfunctioned during Order 66, preventing them from executing the order. Consequently, they refused to assassinate Saw Gerrera's militants when the Empire tested their loyalty. While on the run, the Batch had an encounter with a human female targeting Omega on the moon Pantora. Despite initially planning to remain hidden, they decided to uncover the identity of their mysterious attacker. Echo, also known as "CT-1409," a member of the Batch, suggested they seek out Scaleback for assistance. Despite reservations from Tech and Wrecker about her trustworthiness, the team traveled to Ord Mantell, mistakenly believing Cid was male.

Inside the parlor, Scaleback was working on one of her slot machines while Hunter, the group's leader, asked Echo if either Bolo or Ketch, who were fighting, was Cid. Echo admitted he had never met her and did not know what she looked like. Hunter then approached her and, unaware of her identity, asked if she knew who Cid was, which she denied. When Hunter persisted, Scaleback angrily told him he was in the wrong place and should leave unless he intended to spend money. She watched from the bar as the Batch discussed their next move, while Omega observed her while playing with a holotable. Omega then approached Scaleback and stated that she was, in fact, Cid. The Trandoshan wryly remarked that Omega was smarter than her friends, and Omega informed her team via comlink that she had found Cid.

Scaleback took the Batch to her office, expressing surprise that clone deserters had come to her. She cut off Tech when he tried to explain their situation and asked them to get to the point. Without a word, Echo plugged his scomp into her holoprojector and displayed a hologram of the human female they had encountered on Pantora, much to Cid's displeasure. Hunter asked if Scaleback knew who she was, and she quickly identified her as a bounty hunter, although she did not recognize her. Hunter asked if she could find out who hired her, to which she replied that it depended on what they could do for her. Annoyed by the Batch's confusion, Cid clarified that she would provide the information they wanted if they completed a job for her. Echo expressed concern about being called a "mercenary" by Scaleback, who quipped that Omega seemed to be the brains of the outfit. At Hunter's prompting, Cid explained that the job was to rescue Muchi, whom she did not identify as a rancor, and that they would split the bounty 70-30 in her favor. The Batch agreed, and Scaleback tossed Hunter an intel stick containing the details of the bounty, warning them not to mess up as they left.

After the Batch left, Scaleback learned from her contacts in the Bounty Hunters' Guild that the human female pursuing the Batch was Fennec Shand, a rising bounty hunter known for being dangerous and skilled. She also discovered that Shand was working on a direct commission from Nala Se, the Kaminoan Chief Medical Scientist, who wanted to protect Omega from Lama Su, the Kaminoan Prime Minister, who sought to retrieve her. Omega was one of two clones that were pure genetic copies of the original Jango Fett template used by the Kaminoans, and her blood yielded a high M-count replication. While Cid was eating, Fortuna contacted her via hologram, informing her that Jabba was impatient and wanted to know why the rancor had not been returned. She explained that such a mission required planning and asked Fortuna to assure Jabba that he would be reunited with Muchi soon. When he threatened her, Scaleback explained that she had her "best people" on the job.

Soon after, Fortuna visited Cid in person, accompanied by two Gammorean guards. Surprised, she joked about being graced by the presence of "Jabba's right-hand man," and he demanded an update on behalf of Jabba. Scaleback tried to reassure him by pointing out that she always delivered on her promises and that the mission was delicate, after he threatened consequences for failure. Cid asked Fortuna to tell Jabba to be patient, but before he could respond, they heard a roar from outside. Recognizing it as Muchi, Fortuna left to see her, with Cid following.

Pushing the Gammorean guards aside, Scaleback watched Fortuna excitedly greet Muchi and gloated to him that all was well. She then asked about payment, and Fortuna had the Gammorean guards pay her. After Fortuna, the Gammorean guards, and Muchi left, a satisfied Cid admitted she was not sure the Batch would be able to complete the job, prompting Echo to criticize her for not mentioning they would be going after a rancor. Wryly, she said it must have slipped her mind and told Hunter to come to her office, which he did.

There, Scaleback displayed a hologram of Shand and informed Hunter of her identity but could not say who had hired her. She added that, with Fennec pursuing them, the Batch would need both friends and money, especially money. Hunter replied that they lacked both, and Cid responded that it was a good thing they had met. Turning off the hologram, she handed Hunter his share of the payment, adding that there was more where that came from if they were looking for work. Hunter replied that he would think about it and turned to leave. However, Scaleback mused that the Batch must be quite valuable if someone had hired someone of Shand's caliber to go after them, causing Hunter to pause and frown. Cid assured him that she was good with secrets, to which Hunter scowled.

Later, Echo taught Omega how to use her Zygerrian energy bow inside the parlor. Omega had obtained the weapon from the Zygerians during the Batch's mission to rescue Muchi. During the training session, Wrecker commented that Omega was not exactly a natural, only for Scaleback to appear and declare that "playtime" was over. She then told Bolo and Ketch, who had been watching Omega train, to leave and asked the Batch if they knew what a tactical droid was. Tech tried to explain what a tactical droid was, but Scaleback cut him off. She then shoved Wrecker aside, pulled up a hologram of a tactical droid, and explained that she had a new job on Corellia: recover a tactical droid before they were all destroyed.

Although Hunter reminded her that they had not agreed to work for her, Scaleback insisted they would do so regardless, reasoning they would both profit. Noting that she would help watch the squad's back, Hunter reluctantly agreed. Turning her attention to Omega, she told her the flaw with her handling of her new Zygerrian energy bow was that she wasn't building up enough strength before releasing. She briefly borrowed Omega's bow to demonstrate by shooting a target dead center thrice before handing it back.

Unfortunately, the job did not go as planned, as another party, Trace and Rafa Martez, was also after the tactical droid head, though their motives were to aid their client in fighting the Empire rather than simply profit. After escaping the decommissioning facility that resulted in the droid head being destroyed, Hunter chose to turn over the copied data to the Martez sisters and returned to Scaleback empty-handed.

Scaleback was later hired by Roland Durand to steal a creature Omega named Ruby from the Rhokai, a task she assigned the Bad Batch. Upon their successful return, Scaleback dodged Echo's inquiries on what her client wanted with Ruby and was impressed with Hunter correctly guessing she only cared about getting paid. As Wrecker and Omega went out to buy Mantell Mix, Scaleback dealt with the other clones in her office, providing a pittance for the job. When asked by the outraged clones why they were being cheated, Scaleback stated that the fact they were still alive was rather generous due to the debt they owed her; the amount involved their shuttle's docking fees, port charges, gear, fuel, rations, and twenty cartons of Mantell Mix. She then admitted as fond as she was of the clones, she wasn't running a charity and suggested they find a big score to square their debt before they saw her "ugly side." Before Scaleback could respond to Tech's quip about her appearance, they heard blaster fire go off in the parlor. Rushing out to investigate, they found the instigator was Captain Rex, who scared off Scaleback's frequent patrons, Ketch and Bolo. Annoyed at the presence of another clone, Scaleback made it clear she was not taking him in and stormed off.

The Bad Batch soon left Ord Mantell after Rex realized they still possessed their inhibitor chips, heading to Bracca to have them removed. Subsequently, they contacted Scaleback for information on Cad Bane, who had abducted Omega on Bracca. Though aware of Bane's reputation, Scaleback had no clues as to his whereabouts.

Upon the Batch's successful rescue of Omega, Scaleback offered the group a job to rescue Senator Avi Singh from Imperial prison on Raxus Secundus. Hunter initially refused the mission, and when Scaleback reminded him of their debt to her, Hunter told her he would not bring Omega to an Imperial-occupied planet, to which Scaleback responded that he should leave the child in her care. Hunter said that he did not exactly trust Scaleback, to which Scaleback laughed and agreed. Nonetheless, she reasoned that if Omega's safety ensured more money in her pocket, then it'd be in her best interest to do so. In the end, the group left Omega behind with Scaleback while they went on the mission, and Scaleback set Omega to work cleaning. As Omega sulked throughout the parlor, disappointed she had been left behind, Scaleback eventually approached to ask what was troubling her. When Omega complained, Scaleback scoffed and told her that life was not fair.

Later, Scaleback played a dejarik game against Ketch and Bolo. Omega offered her advice on a move, but Scaleback rolled her eyes and ignored her. However, when her move got her into trouble, she asked Omega what she would do, and when she played Omega's move, she quickly won the game. Surprised that the youngster was skilled at dejarik, she asked if she was good enough to make her any money. Offering her thirty percent, Scaleback was surprised to see Omega negotiate her way to sixty percent. The pair won enough games to make up the Bad Batch's debt, and although Hunter was not pleased upon returning from their mission that Omega had drawn so much attention to herself, Scaleback was delighted and told the clone to lighten up.

Scaleback was later contacted by Gobi Glie to acquire weapons for Ryloth, as the populace was forced to disband the resistance and surrender their arms while the planet was under Imperial occupation. Scaleback sent the Bad Batch to deliver the weapons, which indirectly led to Gobi's arrest.

While the delivery mission occupied the Bad Batch, the ambitious criminal Roland Durand, a member of the notorious Durand Crime Family, sought to establish his reputation within the galaxy's criminal element. Recognizing Ord Mantell's strategic value as a hub for hyperspace routes and a prime location for illicit activities, Durand seized control, displacing Scaleback from her parlor due to its central location. Upon the Bad Batch's return and their discovery of Durand's takeover, Scaleback met them aboard the Marauder, outlining Durand's motivations. After she proposed they reclaim her parlor, Hunter questioned their involvement. She reminded them that her financial losses would affect them, and also subtly blackmailed them. Thankfully, Omega supported Scaleback, reminding her brothers that Scaleback had aided them in their time of need, and now it was their responsibility to reciprocate.

As they navigated the streets of Ord Mantell City, Scaleback detailed her strategy: stealing a shipment of spice from Durand to provoke the Pyke Syndicate. Scaleback guided the Bad Batch to a manhole that accessed Ord Mantell's abandoned mining tunnels. Scaleback cautioned them about an infestation within the caverns, urging them to maintain silence. During their passage through the tunnel, Wrecker disturbed the mysterious creatures, earning a disapproving look from Scaleback. Simultaneously, Ketch and Bolo created a distraction for Durand by stealing Ruby. Scaleback and Omega loaded the spice onto mining transports as Wrecker brought them down. Just as Durand entered the office, the crew ducked into the tunnels to make their escape. As they fled, Durand's henchmen gave chase. The ensuing blaster fire awakened the irlings, which then overwhelmed the carts. Scaleback expressed frustration when the irlings destroyed the spice on the second cart. They successfully reached the other side of the cavern, and Wrecker secured the door behind them.

Upon the crew's return to the Parlor, they found the Pykes arresting Durand. However, the Pykes demanded that Scaleback return the stolen spice and held Omega captive while the Bad Batch retrieved the spice shipment. Scaleback assured them she would do everything possible to rescue Omega. The Marauder positioned itself over the chasm, and Wrecker and Scaleback descended below to find the missing spice. Scaleback began securing crates of spice for Hunter to tow up. With the final two crates secured, Scaleback and Wrecker rode them as Hunter pulled them to the surface. While ascending past the mining rail, Scaleback and her crate bumped a lonely cart, sending it tumbling into the depths of the hive. Once again, the irlings swarmed the cavern. Tech dropped a flash grenade down the chasm and frightened the swarm. Scaleback and Wrecker continued their journey safely to the ship. Scaleback and the Bad Batch delivered the shipment to the Pykes, who returned Omega, according to their word. Durand faced death, but was spared when Omega and Scaleback reasoned with the Pykes, warning them against starting a potential war with his mother crime boss Isa Durand and knew that heat was something they didn't want to have at the time since their leader Marg Krim just brought the Syndicate out from hiding. One of Durand's horns was sliced and the Pykes exited the hangar. As thanks for saving his life, Durand returned the Parlor to Scaleback's ownership. Grateful for the Bad Batch's assistance, Scaleback treated the crew to their first round of drinks.

Subsequently, Scaleback assigned the Batch a new job. However, during the mission, Rex contacted the team, requesting their assistance in rescuing CC-5576-39, known as "Gregor," from the Imperial base located on Daro. Despite Tech's reminder that deviating from the assigned task would result in no payment, Omega argued that saving Gregor was more important than financial compensation. The team agreed to undertake Rex's mission, but Hunter was captured by the Empire and taken to Kamino, the Kaminoans' homeworld and the birthplace of the Grand Army of the Republic. To prepare for their new rescue mission, the Batch returned to Ord Mantell, and while Echo, Omega, and Tech repaired the Marauder, Wrecker went and left Gregor with Scaleback, who expressed displeasure at this.

During the course of the mission, the Empire launched an atmospheric bombardment on Kamino's cities and facilities, but the Batch managed to escape with the help of CT-9904, known as "Crosshair," their former teammate who remained loyal to the Empire. In the months following the attack on Kamino, the Batch continued to work for Scaleback, and Kaminoan medical droid AZI-345211896246498721347, known as "AZI-3," whom the Batch had brought from Kamino, began working at Cid's Parlor.

Following a crab heist, Scaleback introduced the Bad Batch to the pirate Phee Genoa. She revealed that the Empire was present on the planet Serenno, seizing Count Dooku's war chests from his former castle, explaining that if the Bad Batch could acquire one of these chests, they would have enough wealth to settle their debts and leave Ord Mantell. Hunter initially declined, arguing that after the destruction of Tipoca City, the group needed to avoid attracting Imperial attention. Scaleback countered that the Empire would eventually expand everywhere.

On one occasion, Scaleback took Tech, Wrecker, and Omega to the desert planet of Serolonis, renowned for its racing circuits. She announced her bet on the ringer TAY-0, a racer droid piloting a modified 12 series speeder repulsorcraft. Upon introducing the clones to Tay-0, they encountered the Dowutin gangster Grini Millegi. He menacingly declared that his team, particularly the Nosaurian Jet Venim, would win the upcoming race. Tech then inquired whether Scaleback had any prior conflicts with the gangster, which she denied. During the race, Tay-0 entered the left tunnel of the Gambler's Gulch despite Scaleback's warning, as it was known to be a death trap. Ultimately, Tay-0 was destroyed, resulting in their loss. While the clones attempted to salvage the droid and speeder, Millegi returned, demanding payment, which Scaleback could not provide. As the situation escalated, Omega proposed a third race with altered conditions: if their team won, Scaleback would be freed from her debt. If Millegi's ringer won, he would be paid double. The Dowutin agreed but took Scaleback as collateral until the race concluded.

Scaleback was then escorted to Millegi's suite above the stadium. When Scaleback tried to explain she had given up on her questionable past, Millegi answered that people would eventually get to know the real Scaleback. Before the third race, Millegi and his hostage visited the Bad Batch, noticing that Tay-0 had been destroyed for the second time. Millegi explained that Safa Toma was a dangerous place and proposed Scaleback's team to forfeit. Eventually, Tech volunteered to replace Tay-0. Reluctantly, Millegi accepted but with the thought that Scaleback's team had little chance to win the race.

Tech started the race in last place, which frightened Scaleback. Eventually, with different strategies involving using the dangerous shortened track called "Nellis Express to Lotho Minor," Tech ended up winning the race. Millegi was upset but honored the deal and freed Scaleback. While leaving Safa Toma, Scaleback declared that she owned the clones a favor. However, shortly before they walked away, Millegi reminded the Bad Batch that Scaleback was not someone they should trust and recommended they stay vigilant.

On one occasion, Scaleback purchased an ipsium mine on a desert planet known as Ipsidon. Due to the high value of the mineral, Scaleback tasked the Bad Batch with extracting some from the mine. However, during the mission, the clones had their ship stolen. They later managed to contact Scaleback through an abandoned settlement but the latter explained that she could not help them find a way back to Ord Mantell and that they had to find a solution themselves.

After the Bad Batch managed to recover their ship from the enslaver Mokko, Scaleback gave the clones the coordinates to a crashed ship and asked them not to come back to Ord Mantell until they had found something valuable. However, the Bad Batch never contacted her after the mission and did not answer her messages for twenty rotations, which resulted in the Trandoshan threatening the clones to reveal confidential information she had gathered during their partnership.

Shortly after, the clones went on a mission to Eriadu to rescue their former squad-mate CT-9904 "Crosshair", during which Tech was killed and the others were injured. They returned to Cid's Parlor in an attempt to hide from imperials. However, Scaleback ultimately followed through with her prior threats and informed the Empire of their presence, which resulted in Omega being captured by Imperial Doctor Royce Hemlock and the three remaining clones fleeing the now-occupied planet with the droid AZI-3.

After Omega escaped captivity from Mount Tantiss alongside Crosshair, Clone X trooper CX-2—who was working under Hemlock's orders to recapture the young clone due to her recently discovered usefulness to Project Necromancer—tracked down Scaleback in order to discover leads about Omega's whereabouts. He managed to pull information out of Scaleback, who gave up Phee's name as someone who had contact with Omega. After securing that intel and reporting his actions to Hemlock, CX-2 tracked Phee's location and accessed her ship's navigation computer, discovering Pabu and deducing that his target was hiding on the planet.

Scaleback, a Trandoshan female characterized by her [green](/article/color] skin and golden [eyes](/article/eye], possessed a shrewd business acumen despite her short and stout build. In contrast to the often savage and primal nature of most Trandoshans, Scaleback typically displayed a composed, calm, and professional demeanor, though she was also prone to being temperamental and abrasive. She maintained an extensive network of contacts, including Jedi Knights and influential crime lords, and remained unfazed by any of them. Nevertheless, Scaleback understood the importance of avoiding conflicts with powerful individuals and organizations, such as the Pykes. She readily employed deception to achieve her goals, such as misleading the Bad Batch about the juvenile rancor Muchi being a child in danger.

Scaleback adopted a no-nonsense approach. She quickly assigned nicknames to the members of the Bad Batch, referring to Tech as "Goggles," Hunter as "Bandana," or sometimes "Dark and Broody," Omega as "Tiny," Wrecker as "Muscles," and Echo as "Killjoy." Scaleback harbored a fondness for Omega. She consistently sought opportunities, and upon discovering Omega's exceptional skill at dejarik, she partnered with her to generate income and developed a newfound respect for her. Despite betraying the Batch to the Empire for slighting her and drawing unwanted attention to her operations, she exhibited visible signs of regret before departing.

Scaleback was a capable and skilled individual, demonstrating proficiency with a Zygerrian energy bow by accurately firing three shots to instruct Omega on its operation.

Ciddarin Scaleback made her debut in episode 5, "Rampage," of the first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Her voice is provided by Rhea Perlman. She was initially revealed in a trailer for the season, titled "For Hire." Scaleback's full name was first disclosed in the second season episode "Faster," which premiered on Disney+ on January 18, 2023.

Concept art of Scaleback specified that her jacket needed to be rigged in a similar manner to that of Star Wars Resistance character Kazuda Xiono.