The Bad Batch (episode)

Rex, along with the Bad Batch, are tasked with infiltrating an enemy base located on Anaxes.

When the Separatists seize the main production facility for the Republic's fleet, the Republic campaign on Anaxes begins to suffer. Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker are in discussion about how to proceed, while Commander Cody and Captain Rex approach them with a theory concerning their losses. Rex explains that the Separatist Droid Army utilizes analytics to forecast the Republic's strategies. A tactic works effectively initially, but its effectiveness diminishes with repeated use. The droids analyze their patterns and exploit this knowledge in combat. The Republic must consistently adapt its attacks. Windu observes that the setbacks on Anaxes are unusual. Rex suggests that the Separatists' precise counterattacks indicate they have learned his personal tactics. Cody points out that if the Separatists can counter Rex, a highly skilled officer, the Republic faces the potential for even greater losses. He proposes leading a squad behind enemy lines to acquire Separatist intelligence from their Cyber Center. Windu approves the plan, but Skywalker notices Rex's hesitation and inquires if he has anything else to add. Rex denies it.

Cody discovers Rex in the barracks, gazing at a dated photograph featuring them alongside the deceased ARC troopers Fives and Echo. Rex expresses sorrow for their deaths and the Republic's wartime losses, which Cody understands. Rex confides in Cody his belief that Echo might still be alive, citing the Separatists' use of old battle plans they devised together, but he refrained from sharing this with the Jedi for fear of being deemed insane. Cody remains doubtful but acknowledges the need to depart. Rex inquires about their squadmates, to which Cody replies, "Clone Force 99." Rex and Cody, accompanied by ARC trooper Jesse and clone medic Kix, observe the squad's shuttle, the Marauder, making a chaotic landing, causing other clones to scatter.

Rex questions Cody about his unfamiliarity with the group. Cody clarifies that the squad, informally known as the "Bad Batch," comprises clones born with defects who underwent unique and "desirable" mutations. The squad emerges from their shuttle, consisting of Sergeant Hunter, the team's leader; Wrecker, the squad's powerful and aggressive assault specialist; Tech, the exceptionally intelligent tech expert; and Crosshair, the team's cynical and precise sniper. The assembled team boards a gunship and heads towards the Cyber Center.

During their journey, the clones are detected and shot down by a battle droid force, resulting in a crash in a ravine that leaves Cody severely injured and trapped in the wreckage. It is at this point that the Bad Batch showcases their unique abilities: Wrecker effortlessly lifts the gunship off Cody, and he and his squadmates aggressively engage the incoming droids, defeating the entire enemy force singlehandedly. Following the clones' departure, a second droid force investigates the crash site and reports their findings to Trench.

Guided by Hunter's exceptional sensory skills, the clones proceed to the cyber center on foot. With Cody unable to continue, Rex assumes command of the mission. This sparks tension with Crosshair and Wrecker, nearly escalating into a conflict until Hunter intervenes and yields command to Rex. They reach a Separatist outpost near the cyber center, where Rex decides to seize it, hoping to find crucial information. Employing the Bad Batch's previous performance as their strategy, Rex and his fellow clones swiftly overwhelm the outpost's droid garrison and secure its command and communication center. While attempting to hack into the cyber center's computers to assess its defenses, Tech intercepts a message indicating the imminent arrival of heavy droid reinforcements.

Rex divides the squad for a diversionary three-pronged attack on the center's guard force, coinciding with the droid relief forces' arrival at the outpost; however, before Trench can warn them about the clones' assault, the cyber center droids are caught off guard. While Rex, Crosshair, and Jesse engage the guards, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker infiltrate the building and seize its command center. As the other clones hold off the approaching droid reinforcements, Rex joins Tech in the command center. Tech hacks into the computer system and discovers the algorithm, but it is not stored within the center's memory banks; instead, it is being transmitted from another planet, Skako Minor. Upon further investigation, Tech manages to receive an audio signal resembling a human voice. Rex requests a transmission to identify the person, and the voice responds "CT-1409," revealing itself as the voice of a clone trooper.

Meanwhile, the advancing enemy force pushes the remaining clones back into the command center. Rex is momentarily distracted by the voice's revelation, ignoring Hunter's warning to evacuate. The clones fight their way out of the structure and escape aboard a speeder craft secured by Crosshair. While Trench learns about the clones' infiltration of the broadcast, Rex is left contemplating the shocking discovery that Echo is still alive: "CT-1409" was his identification number.

The concept for the "Bad Batch" arc originated with Star Wars creator George Lucas, who wanted to explore the idea of clones with unique enhancements and specialized skills, forming an elite special forces unit. Production of the arc began in 2012 as part of the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with the designs for each member of the Bad Batch finalized a year earlier. The episodes were fully scripted, voiced, and animated up to the "story reel" stage, but the series was canceled by Cartoon Network in 2013 after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm.

Brent Friedman, the series writer who wrote "The Bad Batch" and the other three episodes of the arc, shared information about the episode on his Twitter account in May 2014. The arc's original moral was "The best defense is a strong offense." Jedi General Anakin Skywalker plays a role throughout the arc, though the primary focus is on Rex and The Batch. Friedman mentioned that the "emotional hook" of the arc is Rex's relationship with ARC trooper Echo, a character presumed dead in the third season episode "Counterattack" but brought back for this arc. The episodes are set on Anaxes, a planet from the Star Wars Legends line, and a new world called Skako Minor.

On April 9, 2015, StarWars.com announced that "The Bad Batch" and the other three episodes of the story arc would be released in story reel form on April 17 during a special screening at Celebration Anaheim. On February 21, 2020, a completed version of the episode aired as part of The Clone Wars revival on Disney+.

The final version of the episode contains some differences compared to the original unfinished story reel, including a revised explanation for the algorithm and a private conversation between Cody and Rex in the barracks. The episode also features a different opening moral, Kix now has a full head of hair instead of the partially shaved hairstyle he had in previous episodes and the unfinished version, and Jesse's helmet lacks a rangefinder that was present in the unfinished version. The original newsreel sequence showed an ARC-170 and a Z-95 Headhunter engaging a Hyena Bomber and a droid tri-fighter, with another clip of an ARC-170 being shot down by Hyena Bombers and crashing onto a Venator-class Star Destroyer. The finalized version depicts Z-95 Headhunters dogfighting with Hyena Bombers, with an additional clip of a Z-95 being shot down by Hyena Bombers and crashing into the Venator.

The picture of Cody, Rex, Fives, and Echo that Rex is looking at shows Cody and Rex wearing Phase II armor, most noticeably Cody's helmet, even though the series didn't introduce Phase II armor for all clones until Season 4, after the Citadel arc that showed Echo's presumed death (meaning that the picture must have been taken before that).

During the scene where Hunter, Wrecker, and Jesse are forced to retreat into the Cyber Center, Jesse's kama is absent.

The end credits of the final episode list Matthew Wood as the voice of a "Super Tactical Droid" when no droids of that type appear; only T-series tactical droids are present.

This episode introduces a redesigned version of The Clone Wars' logo that persists for the remainder of the series, positioning "Star Wars" on a single line instead of being separated by "The Clone Wars".