Star Wars may be hinting at the origins of Darth Vader's elite stormtrooper unit known as SCAR Squadron. In the new Star Wars: The Bad Batch animated series on Disney+, the Empire is rising from the ashes of the fallen Republic, and Clone Force 99 has fled the new regime as fugitives. Meanwhile, the Empire's Governor Tarkin is determining the future of the Imperial army, and he seems keen to transition the Empire's military might to recruited troops as opposed to continuing the production of clones of Kamino. As a result, it's possible that the future elite squad of stormtroopers dispatched by Darth Vader during the Galactic Civil War may hold their origins during the events of The Bad Batch with Project War-Mantle.
SCAR Squadron was first featured in Marvel Comics' 2015 Star Wars flagship series from Jason Aaron and John Cassaday during its first run set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Also known as Task Force 99 (which is quite telling), the stormtroopers of SCAR were highly specialized soldiers led by the lightsaber-wielding Sgt. Kreel, who took direct orders from Darth Vader himself. Other members of the squad included Aero (engineering), Cav (close-quarters combat), Mic (slicer/hacker), Misty (lethal sniper), Shrap (explosives), and Zuke (heavy muscle). During the Galactic Civil War, they were instrumental in hunting down Rebels for the Empire, including Luke Skywalker.
Given the squad's "99" designation combined with their unique skills and names, it's not hard to assume that their unit was largely inspired by Clone Force 99's Bad Batch. Furthermore, the events of The Bad Batch, season 1, episode 3, "Replacements" may be hinting at SCAR's very first iteration. In the episode, a squad of elite troops was recruited by Vice Admiral Rampart to prove the value of enlisted troops over clones. Rampart also believed that current clones such as the Bad Batch's Crosshair (who stayed loyal to the Empire) could train these new troops to make them just as effective. It's entirely possible these are the predecessors to Sgt. Kreel's SCAR Squad years prior in the Star Wars timeline.
If Crosshair's new squad of proto-stormtroopers are indeed serving as the originators for SCAR Squad, it would certainly be a dynamic piece of connective tissue connecting the prequel and original Star Wars trilogies together in a pretty impressive way. While the final fate of the Bad Batch is unknown at the moment, a dark legacy may have already been formed for their unit with Task Force 99 within the Empire. It certainly seems as though they were the inspiration, and viewers may be seeing SCAR's predecessors with Crosshair's dark new squad.
Clone Force 99 and Task Force 99 are two of the galaxy's most formidable squads in the galaxy, separated by decades in the Star Wars canon. However, it would be very exciting to see their connection confirmed rather than just implied as The Bad Batch continues on Disney+. Additionally, Rampart's new elite squad led by Crosshair doesn't yet have a name. Here's hoping it will be revealed to be Task Force 99 by the series' conclusion, serving as a dark mirror of the Bad Batch for years to come at Darth Vader's command.
