How many Easter eggs did you discover in the latest installment of Order 66 thanks to their unique programming, but Crosshair chose to side with the newly-formed Empire, cleaving a division in the tight-knit squad. With young clone Omega in tow, the Bad Batch caught up with Cut Lawquane and his family on Saleucami in last week's "Cut & Run," and witnessed first hand how the Empire's grip was tightening around the galaxy.
In "Replacements," Clone Force 99 are sidetracked making ship repairs, but the detour serves to bring Omega closer to her new family. Elsewhere, Tarkin appoints Crosshair as commander of an elite unit of fresh, organic recruits, hoping to find out once and for all whether Kamino's soldiers are worth keeping on their books.
"Replacements" includes a number of Rogue One.
Clone Force 99's Gonk Droid
Ignoring all kinds of health and safety regulations, Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7. Before Omega started using him as a makeshift chair, Gonky was seen serving as a barbell for Wrecker, proving that Clone Force 99 certainly has a versatile (if unconventional) range of uses for their resident droid.
Hunter's Lunchbox
Time for lunch, and while the Bad Batch's current predicament forces them to ration supplies, the food container itself might be of more interest to Star Wars fans. Hunter picks the food from a gray, metallic, rectangular case, complete with a small handle, and the inside is divided into convenient compartments. The exact same item can be seen in The Empire Strikes Back, while Luke is taking a break from looking for Yoda on Dagobah. The budding Jedi's lunchbox is the same model as Hunter's, suggesting it's either some kind of standard issue kit, or an especially popular brand.
Fusioncutter
For much of "Replacements," the Bad Batch are stranded on a remote, unspecified moon repairing their damaged ship. Before the crash, we see Tech working on a device that'll test the influence of the clones' inhibitor chips, and the tool he's using in this scene is a Fusioncutter. Although this multi-purpose item has appeared throughout Star Wars lore, the first appearance came in The Empire Strikes Back, when the Millennium Falcon was also downed and making repairs.
"Get Off This Rock"
Colloquially referring to planets as "rocks" isn't exclusive to the Star Wars franchise (Third Rock From The Sun, anyone?), but one of Hunter's lines in this week's episode can't help but hark back to one of Mark Hamill's earliest quotes from 1977. After the Havoc Marauder crash lands and Clone Force 99 are discussing the best course of action, Hunter says, "we need to find that capacitor, and get off this rock." In the original Star Wars movie, Luke Skywalker replies to C-3PO's offer of assistance with, "not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest or teleport me off this rock."
Project War Mantle
Undoubtedly the most intriguing pick from The Bad Batch's latest Easter egg haul is Tarkin name-dropping a "Project War Mantle" to Rampart. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jyn Erso infiltrates the Empire base on Scarif and accesses their most top-secret data files. Searching for the fabled Death Star plans, Erso rifles through various other schemes including a Project War Mantle, but the nature of this operation remained unknown... until now. When Tarkin asks about the initiative, Rampart replies with an update about new, non-clone recruits into the Empire's ranks, revealing what this mystery project was all about.
Tarkin's Rank
The Imperial rank of Grand Moff will forever be associated with Tarkin thanks to Peter Cushing's iconic performance in A New Hope, but when the villain first appeared in The Bad Batch, he was just a lowly iral. In "Replacements," however, Tarkin's Imperial plaque has been adorned with yellow, bringing the badge in-line with the movies. Rather than a plot hole, this design change indicates a subtle off-screen promotion for Tarkin, who now holds the rank of Governor (since Grand Moff isn't a thing yet). Tarkin promoting Rampart to iral is further proof of his own new status.
Crosshair's New Team
As part of Project War Mantle's implementation, Tarkin conducts an experiment, putting Crosshair in command of elite human recruits. After The Bad Batch's premiere, many fans pointed out how closely Crosshair's armor resembled prototype Death Trooper gear. Apparently, his new team received the same makeover, and speculation continues as to exactly what this pioneering near unit could turn into. Death Troopers remain a possibility, but a comparison could also be made to the Shadow Troopers of Star Wars Battlefront. Also worth considering is that Crosshair's team are a precursor to SCAR Squadron, otherwise known as Task Force 99 (an interesting inversion of Crosshair's previous squad).
Several of the team are later seen wielding flamethrowers during the Onderon mission, potentially setting up the future use of Flame Troopers and Incinerator Troopers also.
"Other Ways"
Rampart is rapidly becoming one the most hateful characters in The Bad Batch, and that's no mean feat with Tarkin prowling nearby. Speaking with his boss and the Kaminoans in this week's offering, he argues with the clone specialists and champions the cheaper alternative of conscription over breeding more Jango Fett copies, ominously claiming, "there are other ways of producing loyal soldiers." Through canon novels such as Lost Stars and Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy, we know that the Empire eventually came to rely on propaganda and conditioning from a young age to ensure the compliance of their Stormtroopers - the so-called "other ways" Rampart refers to. However, Rampart's line could also foreshadow the First Order, who took the idea one step further by recruiting children as young as possible, and brainwashing them into obedience.
The Empire Strikes Back's Asteroid Scene
In The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo parks the Millennium Falcon inside an asteroid to hide from Imperial pursuers. While fixing up the vessel inside a foggy cavern, the Falcon and its occupants are assailed by huge bat-like creatures, before discovering the cavern itself is actually the mouth of a monster. Clone Force 99's latest adventure is virtually a love letter to the aforementioned Millennium Falcon sequence, borrowing various elements from the movie. Both ships are forced to land in dark, shadowy locales and enact repairs after close shaves with the Empire. Venturing outside, Han's group and the Bad Batch both use respirator masks due to the uncertain environment, and Tech's Fusioncutter originates with Leia fixing up the Falcon.
Lastly, Tech and Echo mending their ship and becoming aware of unknown beast-like threats in the darkness mirrors Han and Leia being beset by the Mynocks in The Empire Strikes Back. Mind you, at least the Bad Batch weren't parked inside a giant worm.
Ordo
Tech describes the creature that steals the Havoc Marauder's capacitor as an Ordo Moon Dragon. This is the creature's debut in Star Wars mythology, but the planet Ordo has been referenced before. Dating back to Knights of the Old Republic, Ordo is a Mandalorian setting made canon by Pablo Hidalgo's Scum & Villainy reference book. Although unconfirmed, it's highly likely the Ordo Moon Dragon has roots to this as-yet-unseen world.
