Star Wars Fans Debate Whether A Certain Bad Batch Character Should Stay Dead

09.02.2024 - 22:23 / gamerant.com / Disney Plus / Dan Conlin

The following contains spoilers for the season 2 finale of The Bad BatchStar Wars: The Bad Batch featured one of the most heartwrenching deaths in the franchise's recent history. But some fans aren't ready to say goodbye, setting off a rather heated debate on whether certain characters should stay dead.

Star Wars fans are nothing if not passionate, a quality scarcely more evident than when the fandom joined together in shocked mourning as The Bad Batch season 2 ended with the genuinely surprising death of Clone Force 99's resident smart guy, Tech. It was one of those cherished moments when certain fan groups got loud about something that truly mattered in the franchise rather than complaining about women and Black people existing. But even this tender moment was short-lived, as now some fans have begun wondering, what if Tech isn't dead?

That's what user iowajaycee on the Star Wars Speculation subreddit posed to their fellow Star Wars faithful, and it immediately set off some hot discussions on the subject of death in the franchise. The idea here is that, in a franchise where characters are rarely actually dead if viewers don't see the body, Tech's long plunge from the elevated gondola after he cut himself away to save the rest of Clone Force 99 offered plenty of time for him to catch himself as he fell. Whether it be from finding a parachute or «surfing» the falling car on his descent, it seems there could have been any number of ways he could have survived. But the question is, should he?

Other fans immediately began commenting, with some pointing out their weariness at Star Wars for essentially faking deaths so often. Despite many genuinely tragic deaths in the Star Wars franchise, it's difficult to deny that so many others have seemingly cheated the Grim Reaper to the point where it's become a trope. This includes everyone from Darth Maul to Boba Fett and, notoriously, Emperor Palpatine, whose baffling resurrection in The Rise of Skywalker remains a meme among fans. But while some can accept certain cases, most would prefer Tech stay dead.

One user pointed out that, while they don't mind the resurrections, they draw the line where the character in question has no more story. For characters like Mace Windu and the underutilized Captain Phasma, it could be argued that they have a future in the franchise if it's ever decided to bring them back. But Tech had a pretty satisfying character arc, not needing redemption like Mace after he failed to save Anakin from the Dark Side or revenge like Phasma likely would want. Tech died on his terms, saving his squad. Bringing him back would cheapen that sacrifice.

Despite the arguments to the contrary, some fans seem to think that Tech will join Asajj Ventress in