After Hunter is captured by the Empire at the end of Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 14, Crosshair visits him in his cell at the Imperial military base on Daro, but it may not have been with the intent to kill. While Crosshair has used lethal force in the past to make Clone Force 99 answer for deserting the Empire, such as when he almost burned the Bad Batch alive inside a functioning Jedi cruiser engine in episode 8, one theory suggests that Crosshair likely won’t kill Hunter during the last two episodes of season 1 of The Bad Batch in order to give himself a strategic advantage.
Ever since Nala Se amplified the effect of Crosshair’s inhibitor chip in episode 1, Crosshair has wanted to hunt down Clone Force 99 for defecting from the Empire. In episode 14 “War-Mantle,” Crosshair gets one step closer to achieving that goal when Hunter is apprehended by the Empire during a mission to save Clone Commando Gregor from his imprisonment in an Imperial military base on Daro. Made evident through his brief encounters with the Bad Batch, Crosshair clearly has no qualms harming his former squad members, since he attempted to eliminate them with his marksmanship skills on both Bracca and Ryloth. While Crosshair and Hunter’s encounter on Daro marks the first time the two have met one-on-one since Crosshair deserted Clone Force 99, essentially setting up the showdown fans have been anticipating since the beginning of the series, the end result likely won’t include Hunter’s death for a few reasons.
Crosshair likely won’t kill Hunter because he wants to capture the entirety of Clone Force 99. Throughout season 1, Crosshair’s number one priority has been following the Empire’s orders ever since his inhibitor chip was activated in episode 1. Despite considering Clone Force 99 to be traitors to the Empire, Crosshair doesn’t actively attempt to hunt them down until after he receives orders to do so from Admiral Rampart in Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 12. The first words that Crosshair speaks to Hunter in episode 14 show that his priorities haven’t changed when he states, “I was hoping for the whole squad, but you’ll do.” While Clone Force 99’s leader may have been captured, Crosshair's directive to arrest all of Clone Force 99 still hasn’t been completed. With this in mind, Crosshair will probably use Hunter as bait and set a trap to catch the entire squad when they inevitably try to rescue Hunter from Imperial custody.
Based on the arc developed throughout season 1, Crosshair’s possible plan to use Hunter as bait to capture Clone Force 99 likely won’t result in the showdown fans expected. Many of the earlier episodes of The Bad Batch showed the squad embarking on odd jobs commissioned through Cid’s business unrelated to the series’ main conflict; while the episodes initially appeared as filler, they may have actually been developing Clone Force 99’s ranks. At the end of each mission, Hunter usually makes a friendly gesture toward their new allies, such as when he provides Rafa with the data rod containing the tactical droid’s intel or refuses to accept payment from Hera Syndulla’s parents. Once they learn of Hunter’s capture through their mutual contacts Cid and Rex, all of the new friends the Bad Batch has made since Crosshair left Clone Force 99 will likely unite to save Hunter, creating a strategy Crosshair won’t be able to predict.
Additionally, Crosshair likely can’t kill Hunter because he still feels a kinship with him as his former squad member. After Wrecker’s inhibitor chip is temporarily activated in episode 7, he confesses to Omega that he tried to fight the urge that caused him to attack his friends. Using Wrecker’s Star Wars experience as a template, Crosshair is likely having a similar experience. Throughout Star Wars: The Bad Batch, there are small registers on Crosshair’s face that suggest he’s conflicted by his actions, such as when he asks Rampart's permission to hunt Clone Force 99 down. While Crosshair's genetic mutation makes him an exceptional marksman, he often misses whenever he shoots at the Bad Batch, which could be further evidence that he’s fighting the impulse.
