At the end of the most recent episode of The Bad Batch, it is revealed that Trace and Rafa Martez are working for someone and that’s why they were after the head of a tactical droid. We don’t know much, but there are a few clues. In this article, I’ll look at the clues and then offer a few possibilities, ultimately giving my guess.
What clues do we have?
- When Trace shares about who they’re working for with the Bad Batch, she says, “Our contact needed that information to fight back against the Empire. They’re trying to help people and make things better.” This is the biggest statement we have to go on, and taken at face value – which the Bad Batch does – it means that they’re working with someone sympathetic to the rebellion against the Empire (even though the formal Rebel Alliance isn’t around yet). Of course, it should be noted that in The Clone Wars we saw Rafa take on some shady jobs and not always tell Trace about all of that, so it could be noteworthy that this is coming from Trace. But it seems safest to assume this is true.
- As Rafa says goodbye to Hunter, she says, “Take it from me: In the end, we all choose sides.” Which, obviously, suggests that the Martez sisters have done just that. This is totally me making an assumption, but I think it would make a lot more sense if, after their encounter with Ahsoka, they choose the good side. It seems to me that it would make a lot more sense and make what they learned in the Ahsoka arc actually matter quite a bit more if they learned from her that they’ve got to choose a side and choose to fight for good.
- Their droid is R7, which shares the same name and looks identical to R7-A7 – Ahsoka Tano’s droid in The Clone Wars! I’m sure this isn’t a coincidence; the Martez sisters have Ahsoka’s droid. That, to me, seems very noteworthy.
- When preparing to contact their client, Rafa says, “Patch him through R7.” Now, again, I don’t want to make too much of a grammatical note, but they mentioned patching HIM through. Though sometimes in common speech in America people can say “him” as a sort of catch-all statement for someone else, it seems pretty clear that they’re talking to a male figure.
- In Rafa’s message to their client, she says, “We acquired the tactical droid data from Corellia. And we had help. It was a squad of rogue clones, and I know where to find them. Thought you might want to know.” This doesn’t tell us much, but it’s still worth noting. Whoever it is would obviously be interested in a squad of rogue clones – but I suppose that doesn’t really narrow it down.
- The client is seen, but it’s only his shoulder and part of his tunic. This doesn’t reveal much, but it also gives us a visual clue at least. You can see the image at the top of this article.
So who might it be?
Taking all of that data I just listed, there have been plenty of guesses as to who this might be. And a big factor in this is whether you believe what Rafa was saying about their client wanting to fight back against the Empire – and I think it’s safe to do so (especially because they have R7!).
The tunic suggests that it could be a Jedi, but there aren’t many around any more. Obi-Wan Kenobi is in hiding and presumed dead, as is Yoda. Caleb Dume has ran away and isn’t involved in the fight yet. And though other Jedi survived, I’m not sure if it’s one of them. Well, there is one Jedi who would make a ton of sense, but the appearance didn’t look like her, and Rafa refers to their client as a “him.” So that means it’s probably not Ahsoka Tano. However, given the presence of R7, the sisters’s apparent sympathy to the fight against the Empire, and a few possible subtle allusions to Ahsoka in this episode, I would not at all be surprised to learn down the road that they’re still connected to her and that she’s a part of this somehow. I just don’t think this figure is Ahsoka.
It also wouldn’t surprise me if this is how Rex is introduced in the show (since we know he’s going to make an appearance), as if this really is someone connected to Ahsoka it would be really natural way for him to learn where the Bad Batch are – and that they didn’t execute Order 66. This person could contact him and inform him of this, which in turn would help explain the significance of the location of clones. And, well, if Rex shows up, there’s a traitor who defied Order 66 for Wrecker to go after… if that’s the direction they decide to take it. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Rex is connected to this somehow, but this figure doesn’t look like Rex at all. There’s no reason to think that Rex has ditched his armor in favor of robes, especially since we know from the trailer that he’s still wearing his armor when he meets the Bad Batch this season.
So who could it be? I think by far the most likely option is Bail Organa. The tunic looks like something he wears, he’s very connected with the Jedi, he’s opposed to the Empire, and he would surely be very interested in clones who seemingly have defied the Empire. It all really lines up, and it could also easily create avenues for Bail to already be connected with Ahsoka and/or Rex (even if that would change some things from the Ahsoka novel…). In The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith (and especially deleted scenes from the film) it’s made very clear that Bail Organa is already one of the leaders of the seeds of rebellion being sown against Palpatine, and Organa of course will become one of the most notable and important founders of the Rebel Alliance. If I had to guess, he’s the one whom Trace and Rafa are working for.
But the communication, from the dialogue to the music, is intended to get us to wonder. It’s a mystery. Is this person good or bad? Is this a good thing for the Bad Batch, or not? It’s not only the identity of this person that remains a mystery, but so too their allegiance.
Star Wars Thoughts 