Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 15, "Finale Part 1."
Part one of the season finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch has revealed that Clone Force 99's former sniper known as Crosshair is no longer under the influence of his inhibitor chip. Essentially, this means that for the last few episodes or so he's been serving the Empire of his own free will, working against his former squad and brothers in the Bad Batch. That being said, when did Crosshair take his chip out and why would he still choose to serve the Empire afterward?
In previous episodes of The Bad Batch, it had been revealed that Crosshair's inhibitor chip, of the kind placed within every Republic clone trooper, was more effective than the ones in the heads of his likewise enhanced squadmates, leading to him following the Order 66 directives "like a good soldier." This led to a falling out between Crosshair and his brothers, especially when they fled Kamino while Crosshair stayed, deciding to remain loyal to the new Empire. Later, he was taken to the medical bay where Admiral Tarkin and Vice Admiral Rampart amplified the chip's effects to increase his Imperial loyalties even further. As a result, Crosshair's allegiance was believed to have been purely the result of his chip, and not his own free will.
However, "Finale Part 1" has revealed that Crosshair at some point had his chip removed, meaning that his loyalty to the Empire has been the result of his own choices. While the squad's leader Hunter naturally wanted to know when his chip had been removed, Crosshair countered that it didn't matter: "This is who I am." That being said, Crosshair most likely removed his chip after the events that occurred on the planet Bracca (first seen in Jedi: Fallen Order). In the episode "Reunion" Crosshair sustained injuries and burns to his head from a Venator-class cruiser's ion engines, and a strong guess would be that he found an opportunity to remove his chip while receiving medical attention off-screen. In any case, no chip means that Crosshair truly believes in what the Empire is doing, and genuinely wants to have a role within it going forward.
Additionally, Crosshair gives his brothers a chance to join him and the Empire in the finale's first chapter, seeing as how he's always believed that they're far superior to the regular clones. Because the Empire values strength, he believes that they won't be discarded in favor of the first stormtroopers like the rest of the "regs." Unfortunately, it seems as though Crosshair has well and truly lost his way from his brothers, though that doesn't mean the Bad Batch is ready to give up on him just yet, taking him with them in their attempt to escape Kamino after they knocked him unconscious.
While Crosshair has freely put his faith in the Empire of his own accord, it seems as though it was definitely misplaced. The Imperials opened fire and destroyed Kamino's primary facility at the end of the finale's first part (knowing full well Crosshair was still inside). As a result, it's going to be interesting to see how Crosshair reacts to this new development when he wakes up after most likely being saved by his former squad. Will he rejoin the Bad Batch, or will he remain a loyal soldier to Empire that clearly carries no loyalty for him in return? The answers will soon be revealed as Star Wars: The Bad Batch heads into its final episode of the season.
