Summary
“Infiltration” pulls in some peripheral characters and maybe nixes a popular fan theory.
“Infiltration” is a sneaky title for Episode 6 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s final season. It being the first of a two-parter – Episode 7 is titled “Extraction” – implied that Clone Force 99 was heading on a complex mission, perhaps the eagerly-anticipated raid on Mount Tantiss. But our preview was wildly wrong, and Season 3 continues to surprise. Clone Force 99 aren’t going on any mission at all here – they’re the targets of someone else’s.
The episode opens with Rex and his men, including Howzer and Greer, working a protection detail for a pair of senators who are clandestinely meeting to broker an anti-Imperial agreement. One of them is Senator Singh from the planet Raxus, the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. The other is Senator Riyo Chuchi, who has appeared in multiple episodes of both The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, including the Season 2 double-bill “The Clone Conspiracy” and “Truth and Consequences”, and “Tipping Point”.
What are Clone X Troopers/Shadow Troopers?
The meeting is being observed by a Clone X Trooper, referred to by Rex as “Shadows”. These are Doctor Hemlock’s secret division of brainwashed double-agent assassin clones, created in Mount Tantiss. This one breaks into the facility, takes out Greer, and almost does more damage until he’s apprehended by Rex.
This early scene is a bit of a tease for the hook of the episode. The titular “Infiltration” is being carried out here by an enemy, and that idea recurs throughout the episode. The hostage’s belongings contain a highly encrypted data puck which is later revealed to be a target register, and along with Senator Singh, Omega is on it. This prompts Rex and Howzer to summon Clone Force 99 to learn more about Mount Tantiss, and it also means that another Shadow is dispatched to take out the captured one. Throughout, we see the Shadow infiltrate the base undetected, with the others none the wiser.
Who is Scorch?
Clone Commander Scorch | Image via StarWars.com
The Clone X Troopers answer to Clone Commander Scorch, a character originally created in the Legends continuity who debuted in the (excellent) non-canon video game, Star Wars: Republic Commando. His first canonical appearance was in the Clone Wars episode “Witches of the Mist” and he has appeared in a few episodes of The Bad Batch since.
The Shadows have an electro capsule in their tooth that they can use to kill themselves, as spies do with cyanide in old spy movies, but Rex and Howzer know to remove it. However, they don’t realize that the Empire can track the Shadows in a manner undetectable by the usual scans. They don’t figure this out until it’s too late, when Crosshair tells them. By this point, the new Shadow Trooper is already in the base.
Is Tech a Shadow Trooper?
A popular fan theory is that Tech, presumed dead, is secretly one of these Clone X Shadow Troopers. The identity of the infiltrating assassin is kept secretive throughout the episode, but dialogue seemingly disproves this theory.
Howzer is extremely suspicious of Crosshair, for understandable reasons. After Omega tells Rex about the M-Count experiments that are being conducted on Mount Tantiss, Crosshair contributes by explaining that the Clone X Troopers are brainwashed there. He also reveals that he was a candidate, but that his defective genetics rejected the experimentation. All of Clone Force 99, including Tech, had these same defective genes, so the implication is that Tech cannot be a Shadow Trooper.
At the end of the episode, the Shadow has a clear shot on Omega but doesn’t take it. Instead, he confirms her presence to Scorch and is ordered to take her alive. All Hell breaks loose, while the Empire sends backup to the coordinates of the base, provided by the Shadow.
The backup team is led by Clone Commander Wolffe, recognizable from several episodes of The Clone Wars and Rebels.
What did you think of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 6? Do you think the Shadow trooped might be Tech? Let us know in the comments.
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