Star Wars: The Bad Batch is officially bringing back Captain Rex, and his return could help finally show what happened to Commander Cody after Order 66. The upcoming Disney+ series from The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels’ Dave Filoni will take place directly after the events of Revenge of the Sith, when clones still make up the majority of the Imperial military. Though some clones, like Rex and the members of Clone Force 99, managed to escape from Palpatine’s control, most did not.
Among the thousands of clones forced to participate in Order 66 is Commander Cody – officially designated CC-2224, leader of the 212th Battalion of the Grand Army of the Republic, and close friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unfortunately, without any way to free himself from its control, Cody fell victim to the inhibitor chip implanted in all clone minds and opened fire on his former general on Utapau after Palpatine gave the order to eradicate the Jedi. Different ancillary Star Wars media have said that Cody continued to serve in the Imperial military for years after the end of the Clone Wars, but he’s never received a proper conclusion to his sad story.
The Bad Batch can finally change that. Trailer footage for the series has shown that the members of the Bad Batch – who seem to have been unaffected by Order 66 due to their genetic differences from normal clones – begin the show as agents of the Empire. They quickly leave, likely disillusioned with Palpatine’s regime, and go on the run as soldiers for hire. Somewhere along the line they meet up with Rex, who’s also hiding from the Empire.
Because the Bad Batch briefly serves under Tarkin in the Imperial military, they’d likely know what happened to other prominent clones like Cody. And since Rex and Cody were particularly close – having served side-by-side on numerous campaigns when Obi-Wan and Anakin brought the 212th and 501st together – he’d surely like to know what became of him. Obviously, the tragedy of Order 66 would be heartbreaking for any clone who escaped it, both because of what happened to the Jedi and because of the knowledge that the other clones were forced to comply.
There’s no version of that story that ends happily for Cody, but he still deserves some proper onscreen closure, and The Bad Batch can give it to him. Some fans have theorized that Cody could appear in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and a reference in The Bad Batch could set that up. Whether or not he appears in the new series, Cody deserves a proper conclusion, and the return of Rex in The Bad Batch is a perfect opportunity.