After making his long-awaited return to the galaxy far, far away in season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, many believed that the fate of Clone Commander Cody would be addressed in season 3. While fans were hoping for answers, the series finale left us guessing … but here’s why that might be a good thing.
CC-2224, better known as Commander Cody (Temuera Morrison/Dee Bradley Baker), is without a doubt the O.G. clone. Say what you will about Captain Rex, but you can’t deny that no trooper is as important to Star Wars lore as Cody. I mean, the man fought in the Battle of Christophsis, the Second Battle of Geonosis, and even saw Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) plow down General Grievous (Matthew Wood) on Utapau—even if he immediately Order 66’d his Jedi general afterward. Good soldiers follow orders, after all.
Although Cody has roughly three lines of dialogue in Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, he’s become a fan-favorite character, receiving his very own Funko pop, LEGO sets, and merch. His story was further fleshed out in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, where he led the 212th Attack Battalion to victory time and time again—a loyal trooper in every sense of the term. However, his fate post-ROTS remained a mystery in Star Wars canon until last year.
Commander Cody’s Bad Batch cameo, explained: is he alive?
Star Wars: The Bad Batch, as it says on the tin, follows the story of the Bad Batch, a group of genetically modified clones forced to hide from the Empire after their inhibitor chips fail. Their journey is made all the more dangerous by the addition of unaltered Jango Fett clone Omega (Michelle Ang), who joins their crew after escaping Kamino—and happens to have a high M-count. The show, created by Dave Filoni, just wrapped its three-season run on Disney+ and featured The Clone Wars cameos galore.
Before then, Commander Cody popped up in the sophomore season of The Bad Batch. His appearance in episode 3, titled “The Solitary Clone,” marked the first time viewers had seen him in nearly 17 years (chronologically, that is) and finally addressed what happened to him after Order 66. Now an obedient soldier of the Empire, the episode sees Cody teaming up with ex-Bad Batcher Crosshair (Dee Bradley Baker) for a dangerous mission to Desix, where Cody begins to realize the consequences of Imperial rule after he’s ordered to shoot the planet’s rightful governor.
After completing the mission, Cody confides in Crosshair, questioning the Empire’s motives. Cody leaves his fellow clone with a chilling line: “You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions. Our own choices. And we have to live with them too,” implying his regret about “killing” Obi-Wan on Utapau. The episode ends with Vice Admiral Rampart (Noshir Dalal) revealing to Crosshair that Cody has gone AWOL—a surprising break in character for the typically by-the-books commander.
We’ve seen plenty of clones defect from the Empire before, including Captain Rex, Gregor, Wolffe, and Howzer. However, Cody’s rebellion marked the first time (to our knowledge, at least) a clone had actively defied Order 66 without having his inhibitor chip removed, meaning either the chip’s effects have worn off since the fall of the Republic, or he’s just got a seriously strong will—maybe both. Either way, when a third and final season of The Bad Batch was announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2023, many fans were hopeful that showrunners would continue Cody’s story in the remaining episodes.
And … yeah, if you’ve watched The Bad Batch season 3, you know that wasn’t the case. Without spoiling too much, Wrecker, Hunter, Omega, Echo, and Crosshair manage to destroy Mount Tantiss (R.I.P. Tech) and all research relating to Project Necromancer—a.k.a. Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) cloning contingency plan. Clone Force 99 gets their happily ever after and retires on Pabu, but perhaps more questions than answers remain. What happened to Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman)? What about Phee (Wanda Sykes)? And most importantly, what happened to Commander Cody? Is he safe? Is he alright?
Well, unsatisfying as it may be, we don’t have an answer. Although Star Wars Legends paints a different picture, the fate of Commander Cody remains a big fat mystery in canon. What we do know, however, is that he’s not chillin’ with Wolffe, Rex, and Gregor by the time Star Wars Rebels comes around (circa 5 BBY) and that Rex has a nightmare (or war flashback) about Cody in the season 3 episode “The Last Battle.” Does this suggest that Cody is dead?
Not exactly. While there’s not much concrete proof, Cody’s fate could be hidden in scrapped scripts for the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries. Per The Direct, screenwriter Stuart Beattie, who was tapped to write an early draft when the show was imagined as a movie, revealed that Cody was supposed to be the wayward Jedi’s “secret buddy” on Tatooine. Is that what we’re calling it these days? Ultimately, his role in the series was axed due to what appears to be scheduling conflicts, though nothing has been confirmed.
Cody not being in The Bad Batch season 3 is a good thing, actually
While it might be a stretch to claim that Cody is alive because of his cut arc in the Kenobi show, it does suggest that Lucasfilm execs are, to an extent, keeping him on the backburner, and seem aware of his popularity with fans. Bringing the character back for season 2 of The Bad Batch proves that he hasn’t been forgotten yet, even if his time in the series was brief. There’s certainly potential for Cody to pop up in future Star Wars stories, like a Rex-centric spinoff show, a Tales of the Clones anthology series, or even a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi—if it ever comes to fruition.
As for The Bad Batch, the show has always been about, well, the Bad Batch. Showrunners had an obligation to Clone Force 99 and Clone Force 99 alone, tying up their story without getting lost in the many side characters and their respective fates. It would’ve been a disservice to the team we’ve spent three seasons getting to know and love if the series finale took a sharp left turn by ending things with, say, a scene showing Rex recruiting Commander Wolffe for his underground clone movement, or Cody getting his inhibitor chip removed.
Even I can admit that Cody’s role in the series served its purpose, showing Crosshair the cracks in the Empire and proving to his fellow clone that it’s never too late to do the right thing. And that’s coming from a self-proclaimed Commander Cody stan who nearly punched a hole through the wall when she discovered that Cody’s planned role in the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries was cut. Yep, that still stings! Plus, if Cody’s absence in The Bad Batch season 3 means the door is wide open for his return in future Star Wars projects … who’s complaining?
At the end of the day, The Bad Batch was never Commander Cody’s show. The series is a contained, intimate take on the “found family” trope, meaning the focus always had to return to Hunter, Wrecker, Omega, Echo, and Tech—even if we got to catch up with some fan-favorite Clone Wars characters along the way. With that being said, here’s hoping we get to see Cody onscreen again, and soon—just in a project better suited to his plight.
(featured image: Disney+)
Published: May 4, 2024 05:39 pm