What else is in the Defence Recruitment Bill?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch season two episodes seven and eight showed audiences how Palpatine replaced all of the clones with the stormtroopers, using provisions in the Defence Recruitment Bill (henceforth referred to as the Defence Recruitment Act, since it’s passed) to create a new military. They’re two of best episodes the season. Both episodes (rightly) focus on the clone troopers and their fate, but it’s constantly mentioned that a new military will be created. A military is more than just men. So, it begs the question, what else is the in Defence Recruitment Act?

We might best figure this out by looking at two components of the Imperial Military, the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy. Starting with the army, stormtroopers got a shoutout in episode eight, but it’s probable that the Act contains funding for the regular Imperial Army trooper, since the Stormtrooper Corps was a specialised branch in the Empire. Both require funding for training schools, equipment, armor, not to mention food and water, to name a few.

Another big area of the military, and the more interesting part, is the funding of new walkers. Of course, we know the Empire most commonly uses AT-ATs and AT-STs, which were made by Kuat Drive Yards. Funding would need to be allocated for design and production (though the first iteration of the AT-AT saw action in the Clone Wars). This would be hugely expensive.

Moving to the Imperial Navy, the most obvious thing that will need funding is the new Imperial Star Destroyer (ISD), made by Kuat Drive Yards. The Venators in use are undergoing an Imperial refit, but even by this time they were being replaced by the Victory-class (a ship introduced in the Clone Wars), which look very similar to an ISD. But the Victory won’t last.

Starfighters are something that change between the Republic and Empire. While the V-Wing is now the most common Imperial starfighter, this won’t last. Funding will need to be provided to Sienar Fleet Systems for them to design and construct the TIE line of starfighters and their many variants, something that won’t be cheap. And, an often forgotten part of this, funding for flight suits and Navy uniforms will need to be provided.

Organising this funding would have likely been complex and a delicate balancing act between the Imperial Army and Navy, so it’s perhaps unsurprising this task was entrusted to Vice Admiral Rampart, someone who holds a naval rank despite his spot in the army. His unique position allows him to understand the concerns of both branches, and work solutions to the benefit of the Imperial Military as a whole.

All of what’s outlined probably was included in the Defence Recruitment Act, so it’s reasonable why some Senators would be apprehensive to green-light this likely gargantuan increase in military spending. But this is probably just the tip of military spending, and would include many more aspects.

What does this mean for the future for The Bad Batch? Well, it’s likely that audiences might start to see an increase of more familiar Imperial ships, weapons and armor in the show, depending on how quickly Palpatine can roll them out. Troops are probably the easiest to sort, and then ISDs would be probably the last thing, as it would likely take a while to construct such huge ships.