In season 1, episode 11 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, “Devil’s Deal,” the commandos of Clone Force 99 are hardly seen, despite being the show’s protagonists. The Bad Batch follows the escapades of Clone Force 99, a team of clone commandos with unique mutations that make each member a clone super-soldier. With their sniper having been brainwashed by the Galactic Empire and the squad now joined by the unaltered clone, Omega, the Bad Batch struggle to survive as fugitives in an increasingly subjugated galaxy. “Devil’s Deal” hardly features the clone heroes, focusing on the Empire’s occupation of Ryloth, the site of a major battle during the Clone Wars.
Instead, the Twi’leks of the Syndulla clan are the focus of the episode, with Cham and Eleni Syndulla gradually seeing the oppression of Imperial occupation after a hard-won victory against the Separatists during the Clone Wars. While Cham is, surprisingly, trying to work alongside the Empire for the greater good of his people, Eleni, a young Hera, and Gobi Glie secretly work against the Imperials, smuggling blasters onto the planet for the Twi’leks to defend themselves with, if need be. The episode ends with Imperial Admiral Rampart framing Cham Syndulla for the assassination of Imperial senator Orn Free Taa (who was blasted by Crosshair, on Rampart’s orders), justifying Imperial hostility towards the Syndulla clan and Ryloth.
Clone Force 99’s only appearance in “Devil’s Deal” was during Hera and Gobi’s smuggling mission. On one of Ryloth’s moons, the Twi’leks meet the Bad Batch, who deliver blasters and thermal detonators. After a brief and friendly interaction between Hera and Omega, the clones depart. Although The Bad Batch is their show, it’s understandable why, in this case, the clones have such a small role in the episode’s plot. The Bad Batch, in addition to focusing on Clone Force 99, is also showing the state of the galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars, and how the Empire, in some cases, uses the bygone Republic’s good reputation to begin their autocratic oppression of the galaxy.
While the members of Clone Force 99 had only a brief appearance in the episode, their former squadmate, Crosshair, had a fairly large (albeit antagonistic) role. In a sense, this does keep Clone Force 99 relevant to the story. Bad Batch's Crosshair tracked Gobi’s shuttle to Ryloth’s moon, blasted its engine, and killed Orn Free Taa as part of Rampart’s plot against Cham Syndulla. Crosshair may not appear in every episode of The Bad Batch, but he played a pivotal role in episode 11.
“Devil’s Deal” brings The Bad Batch closer to its predecessors, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels by having some episodes focus on the state of the galaxy rather than its ensemble cast of heroes. This happened often in The Clone Wars, giving Jedi and clones other than the Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex story arcs, as well as showing the political side of the Republic and Separatists. Rebels occasionally did the same thing, giving the Ghost ship's Rebel crewmembers smaller roles so that the focus could be on other Rebels or occasionally Imperials. “Devil’s Deal” showed the increasingly ominous Imperial occupation of Ryloth so soon after its populace repelled Separatist oppression. Star Wars: The Bad Batch also explores the lives of Hera Syndulla and her parents in the early days of the Empire, though Clone Force 99 was hardly in the episode as a result.