WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 8, "Reunion," streaming now on Disney+.
In "Reunion," the eighth episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Clone Force 99 is not given much time to bask in the relief of the successful removal of their inhibitor chips. Instead, the team is found on Bracca by Crosshair and his Imperial soldiers. What ensues is a cat and mouse chase where the team's former member uses their own tactics against them. However, even at The Bad Batch's darkest moments, there may still be hints of hope for Crosshair.
The episode begins with Crosshair reporting to Lama Su and Admiral Rampart. He informs them that Clone Force 99 has been spotted on Braca, providing a hologram of Hunter as confirmation. While Lama Su tries to convince Crosshair to bring the team in alive, Rampart wants them all eliminated, and the Clone leaves to execute his former team without hesitation.
Once on Braca, Crosshair uses his time on Clone Force 99 against his former team. He's able to predict most of their moves precisely because they worked together so long. After Crosshair corners the team on the Jedi cruiser's Artillery deck, Hunter pleads with Crosshair to "wake up," and informs him of the inhibitor chips. Omega reminds Crosshair of their conversation in Kamino's brig, reiterating that he "can't help it." In response, Crosshair orders his troops to fire on Omega. While this moment is particularly cruel, it also shows that Crosshair views Omega as the biggest threat to him, which could indicate that she has the ability to break through his programming.
At this point, Tech brings the deck crashing down, and Crosshair is knocked out the first time. When he gets back up, he briefly clutches his head when the inhibitor chip is. While this gesture was a major warning sign for Wrecker that he might fall under the chip's influence, it has a different meaning for Crosshair. A more morbid option is that the chip could malfunction and kill him, which has happened before in Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Clone Trooper Tup. However, since Crosshair is already under the chip's influence, any issues with the chip might have the opposite effect and help him regain control.
Crosshair eventually shakes off this injury and almost annihilates the entirety of Clone Force 99 by activating the engine of the Jedi Cruiser while they are inside. But his plan backfires, and he's seriously injured by the blast. With Crosshair's injuries being particularly gruesome, his troops cover him in bandages at the episode's end, and he'll likely need to be transported back to Kamino.
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If Crosshair does indeed head back to his homeworld, his injuries place him in an advantageous position. Despite his failure, the team still loses Omega when Cad Bane, hired by Lama Su, arrives and kidnaps her, presumably returning her to Kamino as well. With the two of them in the same place, Omega may be able to reach Crosshair in a way nobody else could to this point.
Throughout "Reunion," Crosshair proves to be a formidable foe for the team. However, even though he seems firmly entrenched in his role in the Empire, there remains a sliver of hope that he could be reached.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. The new episodes air Fridays on Disney+.
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