yellowbricktoad

crosshair sideplot:

I like how Crosshair's chip situation is still left kinda ambiguous as of s01e16. he says it's removed but is it? if it was removed, was it fully removed surgically or did the ion engine blast damage it? he still makes the same "I have a horrible headache" gesture in the finale

as he did when it first activated

but his burn scar is approximately in the same place as the others' bandaids, or close enough (especially since his whole face got burned, not just the area that has the scar):

(left out Hunter cos his bandaid is barely visible under the bandana and all the hair)

is it because of the chip, because of the injuries, or because the Kaminoans intensifying the chip caused some lasting damage even if it was removed/burned off later? like to me, that heavily implies that he's still either partially under the influence and lying about it or suffering aftereffects the way others aren't.

and the fun part is: does any of the above even especially matter? as he says himself, not really!

because it's also clear that post whatever happened, whenever it happened (I personally subscribe to the ion engine theory, but YMMV) he is, as of the last few episodes, making an active choice to stay with the Empire and go along with the war crimes.

(I was going to say contrast him with Howzer in s01e11-12 but Howzer's chip situation and how it relates to his retained ability to resist or work around orders - an ability Rex and Jesse notably didn't have in the TCW finale and neither did Wrecker in s01e07, (though I gotta wonder, is Howzer dealing entirely with civilians instead of Jedi or rogue clones at all a factor?) - is even more unclear and I have Questions. since he's not dead, hopefully that means an answer in s2?)

anyway. Crosshair, after the point where he's able to choose and has been given options. it's pretty clear he's actively, absolutely miserable. being evil isn't fun for him. he's isolated and lonely, he feels betrayed that his siblings didn't try to rescue him until it was too late, I don't think it's a stretch to say he hates himself for what he's done under the influence of the chip either, but at the same time, feels like there's no other way than go fully down the slippery slope because his pride won't let him admit he fucked up quite yet or that he's not a special princess, and his black and white thinking doesn't really lend itself to easily accepting that he's not ruined and evil forever or that his siblings aren't his enemies or that you're not either superior or inferior.

given how he saved Omega and AZI, I do think he actually cares. I do think he has integrity regardless of how much he chooses to suck and go against it and pushes it down and denies it like Echo pushes down and denies his trauma (that's another essay right there). even pre-Order 66 he was an asshole, he was abrasive, he would rather lash out than admit he cares. even if he makes an effort to change, he'd still be an asshole, he'd still have pride as his fatal flaw, he wouldn't be any less difficult.

and that's fascinating, isn't it?

I think he'll spend at least a couple more episodes in s2 being fucked over and over and over and being put through the absolute wringer by the Empire because he clearly won't learn that he's not special and the Empire doesn't care until it bites him in the ass again, but I do hope he'll get a redemption arc. because killing him off at any point either before or after is the coward's way out. it's narratively easier to get rid of him than having this difficult, severe, unyielding asshole admit that he can do better and struggle with it and choose to keep living with what he did day after day. it'd suck for him, he'd be miserable with guilt, but he wouldn't be alone. which is again, the harder and more interesting choice here. I hope the writing stays competent enough to do it justice.

I know I should just continue watching and move onto season 2 because Howzer definitely feels like a character that will return since he was "only" arrested, but this is making me feel like a conspiracy theorist. what exactly is this guy's chip situation? is that an old scar I see? or is his chip simply less active? is that he deals exclusively with civilians at all a factor? because he doesn't act like any clone with a fully active chip we've seen, he gets to make choices to protect the Syndullas and interpret orders creatively, and it's driving me insane trying to figure out why

I thought at first the it was just a cool way they were trying to get more powerful clones and they were hiding it all because of how unethical it is, especially with kids involved. Then I realised that absolutely wouldn’t matter to the higher ups of the Empire, like, Tarkin is all about blowing up some planets, he doesn’t give a fuck about a few magic kids. Literally only Palpatine is allowed inside to see what they’re doing.

Also, he doesn’t give a fuck about clones and wants them gone. We see in season 2 that he will find a way to just get rid of them so they’re not his problem anymore. He wants natborn soldiers so he can control the masses easier by having them rely on the Empire for work, the clones are counterintuitive to that. And making clones more powerful by giving them the Force? Absolutely not, that would just be a threat to him. He already has/will have the Inquisitor program, he doesn’t need to make more Force wielders, his whole thing is getting rid of competition, not creating more.

The only reason I can think of that he’d be so interested in the possibility of cloning midichlorians is so he can be cloned in the event of his death. That’s why it’s called Project Necromancer, it’s what brings him back from the dead. I know we see Tarkin shut the project down at the end of the show, but why the fuck would that stop the literal Emperor? He’ll just start it up again extra secret. It all being destroyed could also be why it’s so half baked when we see him return