After the success of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch has big shoes to fill. Although some episodes are lackluster, as a whole, the new animated series is very successful and highly regarded. Set in between Revenge of the Sith and a New Hope, The Bad Batch’s purpose is to connect the prequels to the Original Trilogy, and it does that by following Clone Force 99 through the aftereffects of Order 66 and Palpatine’s subsequent takeover of the entire Star Wars galaxy.
As with any new project, The Bad Batch’s opening episode leaves fans with plenty of questions and mysteries to theorize about. Omega's origin was a huge talking point for weeks, but that question was eventually answered. Likewise, the ins and outs of the inhibitor chips were addressed in detail. However, Episode 1, “Aftermath,” posed another looming question that was hardly given a second thought.
During the episode, the Bad Batch return to Kamino after Order 66 is executed, and as they arrive, they see a dead, female Jedi being carried out on a gurney and covered by a sheet. Although there was speculation about the Jedi’s identity at the time, it was overshadowed by the changes to Caleb Dume's backstory and Depa Billaba's lightsaber.
Many people’s first reaction was that it had to have been Shaak Ti. She was stationed on Kamino for much of the Clone Wars, and the body looked like it could have some kind of montrals or head tales hidden beneath the sheet. And given that Shaak Ti died multiple times over the years in various media, some fans thought this was a tongue-in-cheek way for Star Wars to add to her ever-growing list of deaths.
But while that theory was a valiant attempt at identifying the deceased Jedi, it can not be true. For one, Shaak Ti was killed on Coruscant by the newly anointed Darth Vader, and that fate is now considered her only canon death. Additionally, the lightsaber that fell from the gurney wasn't Shaak Ti’s, and the hand that was holding it wasn't red.
There was one other theory that actually did hold some weight, however. A Star Wars ComicsYouTube video postulated that the dead Jedi could be the Halaisi Rig Nema, the Jedi doctor who tried to heal Yoda in The Clone Wars episode “Voices.” Her headdress could have looked like montrals, and her yellowish skin perfectly matched the hand that fell of the gurney with the lightsaber. More importantly, her role as a Jedi doctor might have given her cause to have been on Kamino.
While the theory could be true, it has never been confirmed or denied. Maybe the Jedi was Rig, and maybe she was supposed to be identified. But leaving the Jedi nameless and faceless underscored just how much the status quo had changed in the Clones’ personalities. Throughout the conflict, the Clones were close with their Jedi leaders, and Clone Force 99 still had that mindset, clearly rattled at the sight of the dead Jedi. However, the Shock Trooper acted like nothing was out of the ordinary and asked, "Is there a problem?" as he casually picked up the dead Jedi’s lightsaber
All of that notwithstanding, it felt like a significant moment, so it is odd that it was never referenced again, especially given how even the most minute features in Star Wars are normally fleshed out in great detail. Sadly, the window for identifying the Jedi has likely passed, meaning their death will never get the proper recognition it deserves.
To see if the Jedi is identified, Star Wars: The Bad Batch will return for Season 2 on Disney+.
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