WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the series premiere of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, "Aftermath," now streaming on Disney+.
Because of its place in the Star Wars timeline, positioned in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars, some fans speculated Star Wars: The Bad Batch would depict Clone Force 99 hunting down the Jedi survivors of Emperor Palpatine's Order 66. Instead, the series premiere reveals the team's role in aiding in the escape of one Padawan, Caleb Dume, and in the process rewriting the established backstory of Star Wars Rebels favorite Kanan Jarus.
Marvel's 2015 comic series Kanan: The Last Padawan, written by Greg Weisman and illustrated by Pepe Larraz and Jacopo Camagni, flashed back to the last days of the Clone Wars, as Jedi Master Depa Billaba led Republic forces against Separatists on the planet Kaller. But as General Billaba and her fresh-faced Padawan, Caleb, settled in for the night, their once-faithful Clone Troopers turned against them. It was only through the sacrifice of his Master, and his own surprising ingenuity, that Caleb was able to evade his pursuers and escape Kaller.
However, The Bad Batch's premiere, "Aftermath," inserts Clone Force 99 into those events. The action remains on Kaller, where General Billaba's troops are hopelessly outnumbered against Separatist forces, and await the arrival of Caleb (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr. of Star Wars Rebels) with reinforcements. Instead of the battalion Billaba was hoping for, Caleb brings only five soldiers, the genetically altered squad known as Clone Force 99 (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker). They're more than enough for the job, of course. However, as they leave, with a starstruck Padawan on their heels, to pursue Separatist stragglers, they look back to witness the other clones turn their weapons on Billaba and execute Palpatine's order to exterminate the Jedi.
It's at that moment when the future of young Caleb Dume, who later changes his name to Kanan Jarrus, becomes intertwined with that of the Bad Batch. As in the original backstory, Billaba futilely fights the attacking Clone Troopers, but only so she can give her Padawan a chance to escape. However, Caleb now doesn't view the bewildered Clone Force 99 has heroes but as enemies, and flees into the snowy woods. Sergeant Hunter follows with Crosshair, not to apprehend the Padawan but to help him, as Wrecker provides cover, and Tech and Echo see what they can find out about Order 66 from the regular troops.
That's the plan, anyway. Unfortunately the sharpshooter Crosshair is determined to carry out Order 66, despite being unaware of its nature -- "Good soldiers follow orders," he says, in a familiar refrain -- signaling problems for the Bad Batch less than 10 minutes into their series. Even as Hunter seeks to help Caleb, Crosshair aims to kill the frightened Padawan, leading to a furious confrontation that showcases the boy's already-impressive skills as a fighter and leaves the sharpshooter unconscious.
Hunter's efforts to gain Caleb's trust fail, and the Padawan leaps across a ravine to safety. Hunter then lies to cover his escape, telling Crosshair that he stunned the boy as he made the leap, and the young Jedi plummeted to his death. However, Crosshair doesn't buy the story, and neither does Admiral Tarkin (Stephen Stanton). It's a pivotal moment that sets the gears into motion not only for the remainder of the premiere, but for the entire series.
But the changes to Kanan's backstory don't ultimately matter that much. Fans determined to smooth out any wrinkles in canon can probably even fit the Bad Batch into an imagined "deleted scene" from Marvel's Kanan #2, between pages 10 and 11. The presence of Clone Troopers in red-and-white armor, just like that of Clone Force 99, makes it that much easier.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. The second episode airs Friday on Disney+.