Blackstar

My take on Hunter below the spoiler mark. TBB SPOILERS

WE DID IT BAD BATCH NATION WE GOT WET HAIR HUNTER

Dave Filoni and Jennifer Corbett can have all my money, and all I want is a scene where Hunter and Wrecker are teasing Tech about Phee:

Wrecker: Phee and Tech are sitting in a tree, c-i-s-s-s-i-n-g…

Tech: that is NOT how you spell “kissing,” Wrecker

Hunter: he can’t spell it, but at least I bet he can do it better than you can

Wrecker: yeah!! You been practicing on your pillow, Tech?

Tech: absolutely not!

Hunter: then how are you gonna get any good at it?

Tech: *adjusts goggles* with the proper amount of research, I’m sure I would be GREAT at it

Phee: *walks in* great at what???

Tech: *chokes*

Hunter: hey Phee, you wanna do some RESEARCH with Tech??

THE BAD BATCH ☆ 1.04 CORNERED

i can’t believe i never posted this here but here’s old man hunter with a sexy beard ✨

“Just one more before you go,” he said.

It became common, and Hunter beat himself up every time he forgot to give her one. It became a thing for them, especially when she started being away from home more frequently.

They served as reminders for her, how much he loved her, but for him, too.

A reminder of the life he was given. The life he chose to have—as a father.

She smiled, blowing air out of her nose. He raised his arms as she approached him, laying each of them on her shoulders. He raised his left, bringing it to the back of her neck and pulling her forehead to him.

He planted a kiss to her head then, holding them there briefly. He didn’t want to keep her for long. Plus, he gave her one when she got home hours prior.

But another never hurt. He pulled away and laid his hands on her shoulders, admiring her.

The newest pilot for the Rebellion. She grew up to be beautiful and strong—not like Hunter ever doubted it. She held qualities from all of her brothers, and Hunter never failed to smile with pride and grief when she practiced her tech-turn for him.

He was so proud of her, but their goodbyes never got any easier. No matter how many times she returned or left, the weight in his chest never faded. Their salutes never felt lighter, the last look that he always gave her before she turned her attention to the cockpit was always taken for granted.

The habit was built up over years, and it now acted as the silent mediator between them to tell her everything he’d reiterated to her year after year, though never losing their importance.

Please be safe.

If you need us, we’ll be there.

I’m so proud of you.

I love you.

-

hey @mroddmod im crying thanks i fell down a rabbit hole of insane emotions from your recent i hope you dont mind

do you think theres a brief period on pabu where omega just. Cries all the time. She cries when she gets up. She cries when shes in town and walks past a house damaged by the imperial invasion. She cries when she gets a glimpse of crosshairs stump. She cries at dinner, because tech should be there. She cries when shes looking for hunter and cant find him.

and she’s doesnt KNOW why shes SO SAD. Everything is okay now! Hemlock is gone! Theyre on pabu! No one is going to take her away again! Echo has promised to look into finding crosshair a prosthetic! Tech has been gone for what feels like ages, why is she suddenly crying about that!

But shes just. So sad that all of it happened. That they took her away from her brothers TWICE. That hemlock was trying to take her away AGAIN. That he hurt her brothers so badly. Why couldnt he just leave them alone???

It helps to just. Curl up close to hunter, under the big tree or overlooking the sea. Let him put his arm around her. She tries to stifle the tears for him, but he just squeezes her and says, its okay to cry, kid. Youve been through a lot. Picks her up and sets her in his lap like a little kid and holds her and strokes her hair until the tears decide to stop. Sometimes wrecker and crosshair will sit nearby, rubbing her back or telling old stories. Sometimes it takes a long time, but hunter swears he doesnt mind. Theyve got the rest of their lives.

I wanna know how Hunter became the leader of the Bad Batch. Like, not saying any of the others would have been better, I just mean, there were only four options: a sassy little iPad kid, a trigger-happy man bear, the problematic guy with the toothpicks, and Space Rambo. We can’t assume it was because he was the least chaotic, because nothing could be farther from the truth. In TCW season 7, Anakin asks him who they report to and he’s just like “idk man, if I knew how to fill out a report maybe I’d try and find out” and when Anakin gets snatched up by that lizard dragon thingy, the first thing his brothers do is get set up so that Hunter can windsurf behind it like a maniac because apparently that’s something he tends to do. In TBB S1 when Omega starts that food fight, Hunter tries to de-escalate the situation for approximately 3 seconds before throwing hands. All of his interactions with any sort of leadership involve a minimum of 70% sarcasm. The man has a blaster to shoot droids and chooses to stab them with a knife instead. He left cadet training and the first thing he did was get a massive face tattoo of a skull.

Like, I’m trying to imagine how that conversation went and all I can think of is, “Sir, it’s time to promote one of the members of Clone Force 99 to sergeant.” “…*long sigh*”

^Two very valid points. Might I suggest a third/combination of the two?

During Cadet training there was some stipulation put on them: "You can't go get dinner in the mess until you get this training course down in 5 minutes." The four of them have been getting it under 7 minutes (the time expected of the regs, but the bounty hunters training them are being dicks about it 'enhanced clones and all' - probably Brick that brain guy from the Domino cadets arc). Wrecker is just complaining that he's hungry, Crosshair is complaining that Brick is being a bantha's ass, and Tech has 80% mentally disengaged. Hunter is a combination of all three, he's just over it. He's hungry and tired and his head hurts and Crosshair is breathing in that really annoying way that makes his bones feel itchy. But Hunter doesn't vocalize it. Up until that point the four brothers operated on even ground, but this time Hunter squares up and gives them some kind of speech "Alright you bozos, let's get this done."

Crosshair snarks back "Who put you in charge?" Hunter just gives him a death glare (hangry Hunter is not a pretty sight). They line up and 0.005 seconds after the light turns green, Hunter is off like a blaster bolt. It takes his three brothers a couple seconds to catch up to him. Crosshair comes up beside him "What in the kark are you thinking, Hunter?"

"I'm thinking about what I'm getting for dinner and I swear to Sith's hells if that shiny from last week tried to swipe the good rations out from under me again..."

He immediately barks orders to his brothers who are all 'ohhh shit, Imma just shut up and do what he says.'

At one point in the simulation both of Hunter's training DC-17s are knocked out of his hands, so he just picks up a piece of debris that's remotely blade-shaped and just attacks one of the training droids screaming bloody murder. His brothers sort of fall into that 'just try to keep up with Hunter and make sure he doesn't get himself killed.' routine.

The team clears the simulation and turn to look at the timer -

4:59.5

"Not good enough. Again." Brick barks at them from beside the board.

Suddenly, a piece of debris digs itself into the wall next to the timer.

"You said in under five. I'm going to get dinner. If you want us to do the simulation so badly, bring the droids to the mess." Hunter growls.

He turns around and walks out with his middle fingers up, his brothers straggling ebhind them.

Crosshair appears at Hunter's right shoulder and chuckles, "Nice job, Sergeant."

The nickname sticks for the rest of cadet training, especially since Hunter starts training with blades the very next day. Nothing like some hypoglycemic rage to sort out the hierarchy.

Any time someone asks "How the hell did Rambo over there come to be in charge, he's just as bonkers as the rest of you." The rest of the team just shakes their heads. "One- you haven't seen him hangry. Two- we're just trying to keep up and make sure he doesn't get his head blown off. Three- He's the one brother that has the most beef with everyone, we just kinda let it happen. Four- He actually does work hard and manages the team well, makes sure we're okay after missions and that we're eating or whatever (don't tell him that).

Also I have no idea at what age where this would have happened, but I think it's so funny imagining like a bio-age 7 batch having Hunter go feral raccoon-in your walls mode just because he's hungry and the rest just go 'yup, I'm following him.'

We are going to get her back.

miss the way tech would always look to his big brother during missions

RIP to the skinniest waist in the galaxy

loving the dad bod tho

I have some semi-coherent thoughts now. I want to specifically analyze that final scene and why that in particular had me bursting into tears. (I still can’t watch it without tearing up.) I use the term “analyze” loosely and really mean stick around and listen to me emotionally ramble.

FIRST of all, they hit us with grown up Omega, which automatically hits you in the feels because this is the naive, bright-eyed child we’ve watched be amazed by dirt now getting ready to head off and fight in the Rebellion.

Then, they hit us with her exchange with old man Hunter. We got that bittersweet ending in the best way possible.

This is the payoff. The Bad Batch has raised her well. She has grown up into the type of person who sees the injustices in the galaxy and wants to do something about it. It’s time for her to take up a cause and fight.

Hunter’s response. “And we want to keep you safe.”

Omega: “You have. But I’m not a kid anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Hunter: “You’re our kid, Omega. You always will be.”

Admittedly, this exchange here hit me deep on a personal level as someone who’s going to be moving out very soon. It’s time to grow up and I want to do this to step into who I am meant to be. But I also know in my parent’s eyes, I’ll always be there little child. And that both warms and breaks my heart just as it does theirs.

My personal life aside, from a storyline perspective, it is adorable how Omega reassures Hunter that they have kept her safe. I mean, just look at her! Look at the bright young person you’ve managed to raise, Hunter. The father genes are strong in this one.

Omega tells him: “Hunter, you’ve all fought enough.”

This in it of itself is heartbreaking. The clones have all fought enough for a Republic that ultimately failed and discarded them. Clone Force 99 was fortunate to end up fighting for something worthwhile. For them, they fought for family and they ultimately won. And now, it is Hunter’s turn to lay down his arms to let the next generation take up the fight. And that stings because while he managed to eventually raise Omega in peace, he cannot fully shield her from having to bear the burden of war.

Honestly, I often think of Thrawn’s lines when talking to Hera and I think it’s applicable to Omega as well. “War is in your blood… You were forged by it.”

Here is Omega telling Hunter that it’s her fight. As a clone, it’s in her blood, in her genes, to fight. As a child raised on the tail end of the Clone Wars, it is her fight because she inherited it. As a person, it is her fight because she’s not one to stand aside while others are oppressed. Once again, a sign of how well-raised she is.

Hunter acknowledges Omega’s readiness, “I know you are… but I’m not.”

Oof. His admittance is a double edged sword. He knows she’s ready, he helped train her himself after all. It’s obvious he is so proud of her, but he doesn’t feel ready to let her go. Listening to his perspective really makes me tear up because it really gives insight on how my parents are handling my move. They don’t necessarily want to say goodbye but they are willing because they know I can accomplish what I set out to do.

THE HUG.

Yeah, I’m drowning in a sea of tears. This is so wholesome!

Before Omega boards her ship, Hunter is sure to tell her, “If you ever need us,

Omega need only say the word and you best believe her brothers are crossing the entire galaxy more than five times to be at her side.

And yeah, that makes me cry all the harder because I know my family will do the same.

And the goggles scene was such another bittersweet punch in the gut.

She’s definitely older than Tech was when he died, but the life she got to live on Pabu and what she’s going to do in the future is exactly why he sacrificed himself. She can live and live well. She’s forever going to be carrying a piece of him with her and carry on his legacy by utilizing the knowledge that he bestowed upon her. I’m definitely sobbing even harder. Tech girlies, I think denial is no longer an option.

Omega takes off in her ship and her theme swells in the background and it a scene of pure art and emotion. Batcher whines as she departs and I am so sad that Omega didn’t get to take Batcher with her because it parallels how I have to leave my fur babies behind!

The Bad Batch has showed us how change greatly affected everyone’s lives and how they learned to adapt to such changes. Yet, there was the constant that no matter what happened, family is still family and you can find a way to carry on to a brighter future.

Hunter’s final lines really get me, “It’s all right, girl. She’ll be fine.”

To me, I can almost take it as a message for myself. As the Bad Batch draws to a close and Omega steps into a new chapter, so must I. It’s rather daunting, but you know what, I’m gonna be fine and I’m gonna make it.

Whatever you are going through, just know you’re going to be fine as well.

I have no words to describe the feeling I get seeing free and happy clone boys wondering around being free and happy and eating ice cream. This is all I ever wanted for them. They deserve to be free and happy and to eat ice cream on a sunny beach island. This makes me happy. I want to see more of this please filoni

The Bad Batch 1.07 Battle Scars