What Does Tech’s Fate Mean for the Future of The Bad Batch?

This article contains spoilers for The Bad Batch Season 2.

The credits have rolled on The Bad Batch Season 2, and after some typically Star Wars-esque foreshadowing, the dysfunctional family has seemingly lost one of its own.

The two-part finale saw Omega (Michelle Ang) Echo, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) try to uncover Doctor Royce Hemlock’s (Jimmi Simpson) plans for the decommissioned Clone Troopers and save Crosshair (also Baker) from his clutches. 

Things didn’t work out for the Bad Batch. In addition to failing to rescue Crosshair, they were betrayed by Cid (Rhea Perlman) and lost Omega to Hemlock. If that wasn’t enough, the second episode featured a heroic sacrifice from Tech that has rocked the Bad Batch and changed the show forever.

Is Tech Really Dead? 

As a refresher, “Plan 99” had the clones trying to escape Wilhuff Tarkin’s (Stephen Stanton) on Eriadu. With the group trapped on a sky rail, Tech enacts said plan, which is a Clone bro code for “sacrifice.” In a final act of defiance, Tech falls from the sky to his death.

It’s true that we don’t see his body, and even if we had, characters being sliced in half by lightsabers doesn’t mean you’re necessarily dead in Star Wars. There was also an ominous tease that the only remains that Hemlock was able to uncover were Tech’s smashed goggles. If anyone from the Bad Batch has the smarts to fake their own death, it’s Tech. 

Still, Tech’s final speech and noble (potential) end are fitting of other big names like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. If The Bad Batch was going to bring him back, a Season 2 post-credit scene similar to Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in The Book of Boba Fett would’ve made perfect sense.

There’s not much time to explore the ramifications of Tech’s death in the remainder of the finale, but Omega was the most devastated by Tech’s apparent demise. The two shared more than one touching scene in Season 2, and the death of her begrudging father-figure likely means that, moving into Season 3, she’ll likely have to grow up. 

Omega won’t be the only one affected, though.  Tech’s death will force everyone to grow in their own way. 

Who Can Fill Tech’s Shoes?

Although Crosshair was always likely to rejoin Clone Force 99 at some point, The Bad Batch Season 2 also set up several other recruits to fill that Tech-shaped hole. The legendary Captain Rex has now appeared in both seasons, (though was off on a mysterious mission in the finale). Rex is arguably the most famous clone, and considering he’s confirmed to fight in the Battle of Endor. So, fleshing out his story between The Clone Wars and Rebels with The Bad Batch would tie things together nicely.

The Bad Batch Season 2 also saw Commander Cody make a welcome return, while Episode 14 bringing back Howzer from Season 1 means the series isn’t short of clones. If we were going to place a bet on anyone being a full-time replacement for Tech, it would be Emerie Karr (Keisha Castle-Hughes). The finale delivered the jaw-dropping reveal that Emerie is a female clone, and even though she’s seemingly working alongside Hemlock on Mount Tantiss, she’s an obvious choice to save Omega and join Clone Force 99.

If Tech’s Dead, Should He Stay That Way?

Despite seeming like a show for kids, The Bad Batch Season 2 finale can raise the stakes if it keeps Tech dead. Since Clone Troopers are few and far between past this point in the timeline, there’s been plenty of speculation about whether any of Clone Force 99 will survive. Crosshair seemed a likely candidate for an early swansong because of his morally grey stance, whereas Tech makes for an altogether more shocking death by catching viewers off guard just when they were warming to him. 

Using some Tech-inspired logic, the writing was on the wall thanks to his emotive Season 2 arc leading up to the finale. Meanwhile, Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker are largely the same as when they started the season, while Crosshair and Tech went on their own journeys. Tech was pushed out of his comfort zone with the Riot Racing episode. The Tech-centric Episode 9 was criticized as filler but gave the usually cold clone a heart. 

This fully-formed Tech makes his death even more harrowing for Omega and the viewers, leaving questions about what a miraculous resurrection would bring to the series. If Tech were to return, there’s a chance to explore a romance with Phee (Wanda Sykes) after the adventurous pirate made goo-goo eyes at him in the first part of the finale. As we never saw Tech’s body, The Bad Batch Season 3 could also continue the tragic Dark Trooper theory, but with Tech facing the terrible fate rather than Crosshair — leading to an equally dramatic twist at the hands of Hemlock.

All that said, it’s hard to argue any of these fanciful returns are a worthy reason to pull Tech from the surface of Eriadu and into a bacta tank. Sometimes what’s dead should stay dead, and once the dust settles, it may be easier to look back at Tech’s death and see why it’s for the best in terms of developing The Bad Batch (Omega in particular). Then again, we can’t help but feel we’ve potentially lost an important part of the machine ahead of the unconfirmed Season 3.