Bad Batch: Crosshair and the meaning of the ice vulture
The Bad Batch episode “The Outpost” was spectacular this week as the rogue member of Clone Force 99, Crosshair, finally reached his breaking point and crossed the point of no return with the Empire. There was one constant throughout the episode which was the silhouette and the shadow of the ice vulture. What is that creature and what does it mean for Crosshair’s story?
In our real world, vultures are birds of prey that hunt to survive. Vultures are a specific part of this group as they eat dead animals and are a vital part of the ecosystem. They’re scavengers and incredibly adaptable creatures. Throughout history, vultures are a constant sight on battlefields to cleanse them of the dead.
Vultures are also incredibly interesting creatures when it comes to real-world mythology. Depending on the culture, they have different statuses and meanings. According to storycrossroads.org, the vulture is “the king of birds much like the lion is the king of beasts in West Africa.” In Assyrian, Persian, Ancient Egyptian, and Greek Mythology, vultures were a symbol of royalty and were the symbol of some of their Gods. In some of these stories, vultures were a symbol of rebirth as they ate the dead to further life. According to the Vulture Conservation Foundation, even early Christian writers compared the bird to the Virgin Mary. Though on the opposite side, many Native American cultures viewed vultures as a symbol of death and decay. The Mayans and the Aztecs also viewed them negatively in their myths and fables.
Crosshair is very much the symbol of the vulture. Like the climate this Star Wars creature lives in, his very icy demeanor pushed away everyone he loved to protect himself from being rejected. But like the vulture, he’s finally starting to adapt. He can see how the Empire is treating the clones and phasing them out. He must change to survive.
He is also starting his rebirth as a character. This man who is so good at taking life fought hard to help preserve Mayday’s life in “The Outpost.” While some might still see him as a negative character and it will probably take time for the rest of the Bad Batch to erase the pain he’s caused, Crosshair is changing and starting what looks to be a redemption arc.
The vulture is a great symbol for Crosshair. Like this bird of prey, he’s seen as a positive and negative by both fans and in the universe as a character. This man who has brought so much death looks to be changing to fight for life. As he shot Nolan at the end of “The Outpost,” the mountains in the background framed his body like dark wings as he fully took on the symbol.
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