Tech’s tragic fate inStar Wars: The Bad Batchhas long since been regarded as one of the franchise’s most heartbreaking yet heroic moments, and now I finally understand why it always had to happen.The Bad Batchseason 2’s endingsees Tech sacrifice himself to help the rest of his squad get away safely, and as someone who has always regarded Tech as a favorite amongst this bunch, it hit me hard - as it did with many others. After Dr. Hemlock went through the trouble of getting Tech’s goggles, I held out hope that maybe Tech had survived.
I carried that hope intoThe Bad Batchseason 3, and I became a firm believer in the theory that the clone assassin CX-2 was actually Tech, in a “Winter Soldier” twist. This, however, ended up not being the case, and I came to terms with Tech’s sacrifice as it stands. Still, I found myself grappling with the why; of course, this decision raised the stakes for the end of the series, but they wouldn’t have killed off a character as beloved as Tech solely for that reason. It was during a rewatch that I stumbled across an astonishing realization.
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Tech Could Easily Get Around Imperial Encryption
Even Just A Few Months Into The Empire’s Reign
Given the fact that Tech was quite literally created to be a master of technology, it’s not surprising that he finds a way to get around Imperial encryption, even in the earliest days of theGalactic Empire. Though it’s a challenge for him at first, as seen in “War Mantle” when he accidentally sets off a security alert in the Imperial base on Daro by using an old clone code, Tech - like his fellow brothers - easily adapts to the Empire’s changes. By the end of season 2, he’s able to break Imperial encryption with little to no problem.
In “Tipping Point,” Tech is tasked with taking data provided by Echo and decrypting it to find out where the Empire had intended on taking Captain Howzer and his men. While the Mount Tantiss coordinates are never recorded, as revealed inThe Bad Batchseason 3,Tech still manages to get plenty of other key, and no doubt secure, information - including Hemlock’s identity and a prisoner registrythat includes Crosshair. In season 3’s “The Return,” Echo even outright states that Tech could have broken through the encryption on Nala Se’s datapad with no problem, had he survived.
Tech Would Have Accessed The Empire’s Secrets
He Did it Once & Could Have Done it Again
Tech’s work in “Tipping Point” proves that he could have continued to work through Imperial encryptions with no problem, especially the more familiar he became with the Empire’s new systems. The Empire was still in its infancy when Tech broke through the Tantiss encryption, and I have no doubthis enhancement would have allowed him to break through just about anything with the correct amount of time and practice. Given how secretive information about Tantiss was already, I strongly feel as if Tech could have even located Tantiss if he had been around to do so.
Tantiss, however, would not have been the only Imperial secret Tech could have accessed. Tech’s ability to recover key data from the Empire by breaking through their encryptions would have given him access to just about anything he got his hands on. If the early rebel cells, particularly Captain Rex’s, continued to get encrypted data from the Empire, they could have easily kept giving it to Tech, who would have been able to gain whatever information they were looking for. This very well means Tech could have eventually accessed the Empire’s biggest secret.
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If Tech Lived, He Could Have Discovered The Death Star Plans
Project Necromancer Would Have Been Just as Protected as Project Stardust
Details about Tantiss were no doubt kept under heavy protection, seeing how importantProject Necromancerwas to Emperor Palpatine himself - who even told Hemlock that “nothing is of greater importance to securing the future of this Empire,” including the Death Star itself. If Tech broke through encryption containing data about Tantiss, then, it stands to reason that he could have done the same with data pertaining to the Death Star. In fact,Tech probably could have found out about it many years before theRebel Allianceeventually did.
Tech had a mind like no other in the galaxy, and that would have given him the ability to do what no else ever could when it came to the Death Star plans.
Tech had a mind like no other in the galaxy, and that would have given him the ability to do what no else ever could when it came to the Death Star plans. It’s possible that Tech could have even identified the thermal exhaust port weakness on his own, simply given his lifelong ability to swiftly identify weak points in various weapons, structures, and more. Tech could have done this the moment that information about the Death Star fell into his hands, as he could have broken through the encryption and analyzed the data like no one else.
Tech Was Always Doomed By The Narrative
The moment I heard Echo mention Tech’s ability to break Imperial encryption while rewatchingThe Bad Batchseason 3, I fell upon all the above realizations, and it made me finally understand why Tech specifically always had to die. Because Tech likely could have broken through Imperial encryptions regarding the Death Star and could have helped the Rebel Alliance to destroy it well before the events ofRogue One: A Star Wars StoryandA New Hope,Tech couldn’t survive to make that happen. He had to die, and he had to die early on in the Empire’s reign.
It still hurts, as Tech was and always will be such a fan-favoriteStar Warscharacter, but this conclusion has at least helped me grapple with the reasoning behind Tech’s death. His sacrifice still carries heavy significance either way, withThe Bad Batchseason 3 ending proving that he was able to help his family earn a lifetime of peace, but this at least makes it easier to digest why it had to happen. If Tech had survived inThe Bad Batch, then it’s very likely that the entireStar Warsstory could have had a very different ending.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Cast
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an action-adventure animated series set after the events of The Clone Wars, following Clone Force 99 (a.k.a. the Bad Batch.) Finding themselves immune to the brainwashing effects of Order 66, the Bad Batch become mercenaries for hire while outrunning the empire, now seeing them as fugitives of the law.
