Near the end of the first episode of The Bad Batch a surprise reveal suggests that former Clone Force 99 member Crosshair is the first-ever death trooper. This comes after an entire episode teasing that Crosshair would defect from his clone brothers and become loyal to the newly formed Galactic Empire. Could this be the moment that death troopers were born?
Death troopers were first introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as the film’s opening scene shows them accompanying Director Orson Krennic to aid in the abduction of Galen Erso, the architect of the Death Star. From that scene on, they have been depicted in various Star Wars media as the most elite force of the Empire’s military, though they are absent from the original trilogy despite being set in the same period. Much more highly skilled than the average stormtrooper, death troopers are trained in various forms of combat and sent on the highest priority missions. Their armor also varies significantly from standard armor worn by stormtroopers. Not only is it all black, but it offers far more protection and technology. Death trooper helmets are equipped with a variety of sensors and monitors to help aid them in stealth missions. In addition to that, they are provided with far more sophisticated weaponry, befitting of their unique and elite skill sets.
The timing of Crosshair’s arrival as a member of the Empire strongly indicates that he was the original death trooper. When he makes his final appearance in the episode, Crosshair has ditched his old Bad Batch armor in favor of a new all-black Imperial armor. It is still not an exact copy of the death trooper armor seen in Rogue One but is likely a prototype. Order 66 occurred 19 years BBY, and the abduction of Galen Erson in Rogue One, happened some six years later, meaning there were likely several alterations to the death trooper armor over that period of time. Crosshair’s new armor may very well be the first edition of the armor that in the near future would strike fear into anyone who saw it.
Prior to joining the Empire, Crosshair was the sharpshooter of Clone Force 99. His genetic mutations gave him the ability for incredible eyesight and marksmanship. This can be seen clearly on display in this first episode of The Bad Batch when he is able to accurately shoot a knife out of the air (thrown by his former team leader Hunter) and at the same time, direct it into the head of an enemy droid. That is the type of unparalleled fighting skill that would later become characteristic in death trooper soldiers.
One of the hallmarks of a death trooper is their sharpshooting ability. While many jokes have been made at the expense of stormtroopers’ bad aim while shooting, the opposite is true for a death trooper. If a stormtrooper couldn’t hit a Bantha from 20 yards away, a death trooper would be able to trim its nails from 100 yards away, they are that deadly. Who better to be the template and perhaps even the future teacher of this type of shooting mastery than Crosshair? It makes sense that his skill set played a big role in the traits looked for in future death troopers.
It’s no coincidence that the first canonical appearance of death troopers occurs not long after Crosshair defects from his old team to the Empire. Having an elite soldier of his caliber was a priority in order to help maintain control post-Clone Wars. As the episode progresses, Crosshair’s loyalty and compliance to this new cause are actually able to be increased by the Empire, via the inhibitor chip in his brain, and he leaves behind his teammates from The Bad Batch‘s Clone Force 99. This combination of skill and loyalty made Crosshair the perfect soldier, one who required unique armor to set him apart and enhance his already considerable skills. And his in It appears this was in fact the first arrival of a death trooper in Star Wars.
