“ | CX-2: Why have I been activated? Scorch: One of the other operatives has gone dark. His internal homing device remains intact. So, we know he's alive. CX-2: My orders? Scorch: He's been compromised. Track him down and neutralize him. |
„ |
~ Scorch ordering CX-2 to kill CX-1. |
The Clone X Troopers also known as Clone Assassins are major antagonists in the 2021 Disney+ animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
They are clone troopers reprogrammed by the Advanced Science Division for covert assassination and infiltration missions.
They are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who also voiced the other clones.
Description[]
According to Crosshair, the Clone X Troopers were clones who were forced to underwent Dr. Royce Hemlock's top secret conditioning program on Mount Tantiss. The few who survived the conditioning were left with no trace of an individual personality or identification number. Aside from that, very little is known about the Clone X Troopers other than that they are fanatically loyal to the Empire and are often tasked with highly classified missions. These include assassinating Imperial senators like Riyo Chuchi or capturing valuable targets like Omega who were critical to the success of Project Necromancer. Clone X Troopers have no qualms about eliminating decommissioned or rogue clone troopers despite the fact that they are brothers.
They wore unique black armor and were equipped with a variety of weapons. Their armor protected them agains stun blast. In the event of possibly being captured, they were provided with a suicide shocker/electro capsule which was implanted on one of their teeth. As revealed by Crosshair, all of the assassins are equipped with a homing beacon that is undetectable by conventional scanners.
Clone X had a 773 Firepuncher sniper rifle with a scope, a large wooden stock, and a grappling cable built on the bottom barrel, as did CX-1 and CX-2. Both assassins sometimes had the rifle in it compact stock. CX-1 carried magnetic thermal detonators and a data puck which contain a encrypted target registry. CX-2 was also equipped with an RK-3 blaster pistol, as a backup weapon. The assassins were also skilled in close combat. CX-2 used a superheated vibro-knife from one of the clones on Teth. The other weapons each assassins had was one known as Sniper CloneX3 had twin vibroswords, another as Sniper CloneX4 an speared-electrostaff, another known as Sniper CloneX5 had powered brass vibroknuckles and used electrified bolas which he can used as a whip. The last one presumably called Sniper CloneX6 had vibro-knives in his boot and used a pair of double-barrel blaster pistol but also used DC-15A blaster carbines, a standard clone weapon.
The Clone X trooper wore specialized armor, painted black for stealth missions and lack the T-shaped visor. Their helmet was pressurized and possessed a mechanized visor that would retract and protract as needed. Similar to clone trooper armor, a comlink built in the helmet and a rangefinder attached to the helmet. A backpack was also given to the troopers; used contain thermal detonators, datapucks with encrypted target registry, a computer spike, and to store their rifles. CX-2 also had a small arm brace that acted like a small computer-like control panel, on one of the arms of their armor, that has a direct control to their CX Dagger vessels for long-range communications. Clone X, CX-1, and CX-2's armor was easily subdue by stun blasts and provided limited protection but the armor from the other Clone X troopers (plus their enhancements) were resistance to stun blasts, Hemlock's own toxin gas, and physical damage as it took a headshot to kill the rest of the assassins.
History[]
Working for Rampart[]
One of the assassins codenamed Clone X shoots a clone named Cade when he was about to confess information about Vice Admiral Rampart's plan for the clones to a fellow clone named Slip. Next, he shoots Slip before Riyo Chuchi could use him to testify. Finally, he attempts to kill Riyo Chuchi on Admiral Rampart's orders, successfully taking out her guards, but was stunned by Captain Rex. While being interrogated, he committed suicide. He is then replaced with another clone assassin codenamed "CX-1".
War with Bad Batch[]
Months later, CX-1 was deployed with assassinating Senator Chuchi as she is meeting with former Separatist Senator Avi Singh. The assassination attempt is foiled by Captain Howzer and the captured CX-1 is subsequently taken back to the Clone Underground's base on Teth. After his electro capsule is removed, Howzer and Captain Rex interrogate CX-1 who remains silent. They then discover that the Clone girl Omega is among the assassin's targets and contact Clone Force 99 to rendezvous with them. At the same time, Commander Scorch activates another Clone Assassin codenamed "CX-2" and orders him to neutralize the captured CX-1 before he divulges valuable intel.
As CX-2 infiltrates the Clone Underground's command center, Crosshair reveals the truth about Hemlock's secret program and how he survived the conditioning. When Rex reveals that they had captured one of the assassins, Crosshair is alarmed as the Empire tracks their assassins using undetectable trackers. CX-2 sees Omega and alerts Scorch who tells him to wait for reinforcements. The rogue Clones again try to interrogate CX-1 who taunts his captors by telling them that Crosshair is still hiding secrets and that the Empire will soon come for all of them. Almost immediately after, he is shot by CX-2 and a firefight breaks out in the command center. CX-2 is knocked out by an exploding detonator that provides cover for the surviving clones to escape.
Commander Wolffe arrives to take charge of the operation and berates CX-2 for using excessive force, reminding the assassin that their mission is to capture Omega alive. CX-2 pursues the surviving Clones down the tunnels below the base while exchanging shots with Crosshair. When the rogue Clones escape the base on a shuttle, CX-2 shoots them down which earns him another reprimand from Wolffe. CX-2 again disregards Wolffe's orders by pursuing the rogue Clones by himself. Crosshair buys time for his allies to escape by fighting CX-2 by himself with the fight eventually devolving into a fist fight in the river. After the two clones fall down a waterfall, CX-2 taunts Crosshair for choosing to betray the Empire instead of becoming a fellow assassin. Before he can drown Crosshair, CX-2 is stunned by Howzer and falls down another another waterfall. The rogue Clones are eventually able to escape Teth after Rex convinces Wolffe to let them go. Wolffe's forces also depart with the bodies of the slain clones, unaware that CX-2 had survived yet again.
CX-2 later tracks down Ciddarin Scaleback and forces her to divulge information on the pirate Phee Genoa, a known contact of the Bad Batch. After reporting to Hemlock, CX-2 sneaks aboard Genoa's ship as it is refueling and steals the ship's navigation logs. He then travels to the planet Pabu after identifying it as a place frequented by Phee. Upon identifying Omega and reporting his findings to Scorch, CX-2 destroys the Bad Batch's ship with rigged explosives. Several Clone Commandos and TK troopers arrive shortly after and begin ransacking the town. CX-2 orders the soldiers to search every building for Omega and threatens to destroy the town entirely if the people do not turn her over. He then shoots down one of the Imperial Gunships after it was compromised by Hunter. Omega ultimately decides to turn herself in to protect the people of the town. After handcuffing and scanning her for trackers, CX-2 chastises Omega for coming to Pabu and departs with her as a captive.
Hemlock later activates four more Clone Assassins to prevent the Clone Prisoners from escaping, but although they prove to be dangerous opponents and kill several of the Clone Prisoners. While Hemlock unleashed his special gas, to knock out the prisoners, one of the assassins was affected due to Echo taking off his helmet. The rest surround Echo, although unknown to them, Omega manage to free Wrecker who tackles one and districts the others so Echo can take them out. They are all ultimately one by one with CX-2 suffers a particularly violent death when Hunter impales him with an spear-electrostaff, killing him by the electricity. The sword assassin manage to recover from the gas and tried to sneak up on Echo although Wrecker manage to shove his head in a nearby wall with the last assassin being shot to death by one of the surviving clone prisoners.
The destruction of the Tantiss-Base also led to the disappearing of the Clone Assassins, not only because all known members were killed but also because Hemlock's records of the methods he used to rob the clones of their identities were lost. At the same time, this also prevented the Empire from turned normal Stormtroopers to become assassins (if the conditioning had worked for them too) and the later retirement of the remaining clones from imperial military service finally ensured that the Clone Assassins were dissolved.
Members[]
- Clone X - Died by suicide after being captured by Captain Rex
- CX-1 - Killed by CX-2 after being captured by the Clone Underground
- CX-2 - Killed by an electrostaff from Hunter
- CX-3
- CX-4
- CX-5
- Several unnamed members
- Crosshair - Initiated into the program but was unable to be conditioned
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- There was a theory among fans that Hemlock might have lied about that he only finding Tech's goggles at the end of season 2 and that he had actually found Tech, who was still alive, and brought him to Tantiss to force him through the conditioning program. A clue to this possibility was the fact that CX-2 took on a larger role in the second half of season 3, that up to the point he was the only CX-trooper never seen without his helmet, and that he refused to take orders from higher officers, a trait that was discussed again and again throughout the series with the Bad Batch. This are even Tech's last words that gave rise to the theorie that CX-2 was actually Tech. However, CX-2 ultimately died without his original identity was ever being revealed, leaving the fan theory unconfirmed.
External Links[]
- Clone Assassins on the Star Wars Wiki
- Their Legend counterpart on the Star Wars Wiki
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