The Bad Batch Subverts A 44-Year-Old Star Wars Trope In The Most Perfect Way

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for the Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 finale.

There’s one common Star Wars trope that Star Wars: The Bad Batch has just subverted in its series finale, and it has done so in the most perfect way. The Bad Batch season 3 ending is full of all kinds of twists and turns, which ultimately lead to a happy and peaceful ending for Clone Force 99. Along the way, however, are not only some dark and dangerous moments, but also some head-nods to Star Wars movies and shows of old – particularly with the implementation of one iconic Star Wars trope in Crosshair’s storyline.

Crosshair has struggled with a tremor in his right hand all season, which is a result of the trauma he endured while being experimented on at Mount Tantiss. His hand has become a major focus for his character, and in The Bad Batch season 3 ending, it’s cut off completely by one of the mysterious CX clone assassins. Still, Crosshair was able to make the most important shot of his life with no problem later on, which proves that this iteration of a Star Wars tradition is a perfect subversion of what’s usually seen.

Crosshair Losing His Hand Continues A Star Wars Tradition

Hands (& Other Limbs) Often Get Cut Off In Star Wars

Crosshair having his hand cut off repeats the Star Wars trope of characters losing a hand, though this happens most often as a result of a lightsaber blow. The tradition began with Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back and continued with Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, amongst other characters. Though losing a limb to a lightsaber technically started in A New Hope, Luke’s run-in with Darth Vader is what made it focused specifically on the hand, which is also the case for Crosshair in The Bad Batch.

This Hand Severing Is Actually A Good Thing, Not A Bad One

Crosshair Losing His Hand Makes Sense Within His Greater Story

While the thought of Crosshair losing his shooting hand is devastating, especially given the fact that sharpshooting is what he was made for, it makes sense within the context of his character’s journey – and it promises a brighter future for him. The focus on his hand this season has made it clear that it’s a tie Crosshair had left to Tantiss, as the trembling would get worse the more Crosshair thought about his trauma and the experimentation. This always would have followed him, even after this mission, as a reminder of what he went through.

Instead, its severance represents a literal severing between Crosshair and Tantiss. The Imperial facility is no longer, and now that Crosshair won’t have to live with the reminder of the experimentation that was done to him, he can fully move on from it. Losing his hand also foreshadows his peaceful future, proving that it’s the right time for him and his brothers to move on from being soldiers and instead seek a life of rest and whatever else they please.

Crosshair’s Shot Got Better After Losing His Hand

This Proves That Crosshair Has Left Behind His Final Tie To Tantiss

In a way that might sound counterintuitive, Crosshair’s shot actually got better after losing his shooting hand. While he wasn’t able to make the shot on CX-2’s ship to track Omega to Tantiss earlier in the season, he’s able to make the shot to free Omega from Dr. Hemlock in the finale, which occurs after he’s lost his hand. There’s no doubt that Hunter’s encouragement, as well as Omega’s fierce trust in him, is partially responsible for it, but nevertheless, the fact remains: Crosshair’s accuracy improved.

The hand loss in general is a very important part of the end of Crosshair’s character arc in The Bad Batch. It certainly serves as a sacrifice he has to make for the bad things he did while he aligned himself with the Empire, but it also shows that he really is more than his abilities – and that he has an identity with his family that goes beyond being a soldier. Crosshair losing his hand in The Bad Batch thus subverts the usual iteration of the hand-loss trope in Star Wars, depicting a more compelling story behind why it happened.