WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 12, “Rescue on Ryloth,” streaming now on Disney+.
In The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 11, “Devil’s Deal,” the Empire continued to make good on its demand for absolute loyalty on Ryloth. Following Admiral Rampart’s efforts to solidify his forceful request, General Cham Syndulla, a freedom fighter and the peoples’ champion, is locked up in an Imperial detention center. It’s not just him, however, as his daughter, Hera, is left on the run.
While all of this is happening, the Empire encounters resistance from an unlikely source. Clone Captain Howzer has repeatedly vocalized his displeasure with the Empire’s tactics, and by the end of “Rescue on Ryloth,” he seals his fate. Howzer was one of the Republic's most loyal soldiers, and if his actions are a sign of things to come, some big problems could be on the horizon for the Empire.
As “Rescue on Ryloth” begins, Admiral Rampart has a task for Captain Howzer. Since Crosshair has been sent to track down Hera, Howzer draws the assignment of rounding up Cham’s supporters. From a practical standpoint, this is a difficult assignment because just about everyone on the planet is a Cham supporter, and to make matters worse, no one had done anything wrong. Howzer knows that if he keeps locking people innocent people, there is going to be a rebellion. However, Rampart doesn't care and takes the opportunity to flex his Imperial muscles.
Howzer has tried to be a good soldier and follow orders, but his past loyalties are getting in the way when Rampart starts treating innocent people, including Cham, poorly. So, when he sees that the Bad Batch is there to rescue Cham, he seizes the opportunity. He disobeys direct orders by not sounding an alarm or trying to stop them. In fact, he warns Clone Force 99 and the escapees about a trap that Crosshair had laid for them, which allows them to get away.
Like many Clones following the Clone Wars, Howzer appears to still be on the planet he had been fighting on for years. He made a promise to liberate and protect Ryloth’s citizens and has a personal friendship with Cham Syndulla. When he is told to act against those obligations, he is understandably hesitant. Even when he has repeatedly been given direct orders from a superior Imperial officer, he chooses to oppose them by letting Cham escape. In fact, Howzer is so steadfast in his decision to oppose the Empire that he stays behind on Ryloth and successfully convinces some of his squad to take his side before getting arrested.
While Star Wars has shown multiple Clones opposing the Empire, including Cut Lawquane, Rex, Gregor, Wolf and the Bad Batch, Howzer is the first to voluntarily disobey direct orders while retaining his inhibitor chip. The Clones’ chips were designed to allow Palpatine to give specific orders to his troops, which is why they killed the Jedi without a second thought. The problem is that there isn’t a specific order to make the Clones follow generic assignments, so even with their inhibitor chips, they still have a touch of free will.
That’s the root of the Empire’s problem with Howzer -- he made a commitment to Ryloth and was fighting to liberate it for years. Likewise, Howzer’s troops would have been loyal to the planet and even more to the commander they had been serving under. Since the Empire is turning into everything the Grand Army of the Republic stood against, Clone opposition could start becoming more and more common, which spells trouble for their immediate future.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.