Crosshair’s season 1 character arc in Star Wars: The Bad Batch is complicated, but hints at the possibility of redemption. The former sniper of Clone Force 99, a.k.a. “The Bad Batch,” Crosshair was the only enhanced clone commando to be controlled by his inhibitor chip implant and follow Order 66. Although his control chip was strengthened in the pilot episode, Crosshair removed his chip sometime before the season finale, willingly serving the Empire and imploring his former squadmates to do the same. With no choice but to work with the fugitive Bad Batch in the season finale, Crosshair has a complicated, messy, redemption due to a variety of factors.
The original four members of the Bad Batch are enhanced clone super-soldiers, given specific mutations that render them even more formidable than their standard (but elite) brothers. The squad is later joined by Echo, a standard clone with extensive cybernetics, and Omega, an unaltered Jango Fett clone. While Omega was never given a control chip, the rest of the squad avoided brainwashing due to their enhancements (and, in Echo’s case, cybernetics). The lone exception to this was Crosshair, whose chip was less active than the standard clones, but still compelled him to attempt to kill a young Kanan Jarrus.
The revelation that Crosshair removed his chip and but continues to serve the Empire willingly was shocking and tragic, given his previous service to democracy and bond with his brothers in Clone Force 99. What this shows is that Crosshair prioritizes obedience over ideology. In Crosshair’s own words, the Empire values strength, so naturally, a clone super-soldier will always have a place within the Imperial military. There may have been a bit of pragmatism mixed in as well, given the Empire’s power over all other factions in the galaxy. Despite his genuine loyalty to the Empire, Crosshair still cares about his fellow Bad Batch members.
Crosshair’s internal conflict over serving the Empire and supporting his former squadmates makes his brief redemption and future in the next season of The Bad Batch complicated. While Crosshair was brainwashed for a time, it would seem that his implant didn’t drastically change his behavior. Clones are aware of their actions while under their chips’ control, meaning that Crosshair is content with executing civilians on Onderon, among other atrocities. Despite this, Crosshair cares enough about the rest of the Bad Batch to offer them a place in the Empire. Crosshair also rescued Omega and AZI-3, and while he dismissed this action as a response to Omega saving his life earlier, he does care about her like the rest of his siblings.
In his mind, Crosshair is being a good soldier by blindly following orders. This is a surprisingly rare sentiment among clones, who normally only adopt this mentality while under their control chips’ influence. Crosshair also seems to be the only clone who feels that the Empire is protecting the galaxy through its brutality and “strength.” The Empire itself, however, is quick to leave Crosshair to die in Tipoca City when he fails to imprison, kill, or recruit the rest of the Bad Batch. Crosshair seems not to not take this abandonment personally, but it may grow on him in future appearances, leading to defection and a more definite redemption arc.
Crosshair didn’t have a traditional redemption arc in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1. His internal conflict over remaining loyal to a regime that so easily discarded him and reuniting with his family of Bad Batch clones put him in a dilemma, and his working alongside the squad to survive Tipoca City made matters even more complex. Crosshair will likely spend most of season 2 as a reluctant villain, hunting his family members in the name of an Empire that sees him as expendable. There is, however, room for a true redemption arc, though Crosshair’s personality and experiences will make it complicated.