Voice Actor Dee Bradley Baker Discusses the Return of Commander Cody in ‘The Bad Batch’
The following article discusses events from the latest episode of The Bad Batch, The Solitary Clone, and may contain spoilers.
Dee Bradley Baker, the voice behind Commander Cody and every animated clone, recently discussed the return of this beloved Star Wars character in an interview for the official Star Wars website. In the third episode of The Bad Batch season 2, Cody is faced with the harsh truth of his place as a soldier serving the Empire.
In the interview, Baker refers to Cody’s plight as “fascinating” and reflects on his difficult position as a soldier in a “fighting force for good”:
“Well, it’s fascinating, isn’t it? Cody’s a beloved character… We know since Order 66 played out, we’ve all seen that he was part of that horrible moment, and his place in that. But then you wonder what became of Obi-Wan’s right-hand clone, what happened there. And so it turns out that he’s still in with the Empire and he still thinks that this went the way it should — that they took out the bad guys and they’re here to bring order and to make the world work, and they’re a fighting force for good.”
Until now, fans have only been able to speculate about what happened to Command Cody after Order 66. The Solitary Clone addresses this question exceptionally well. It’s interesting to see two very different soldiers like Cody and Crosshair pairing up on a mission that ultimately pushes them to question their place in the Imperial machine. Their opinions and views on their roles as clones are almost black and white. Baker further discussed this:
“He is faced with the reality on the ground of what’s actually transpiring of what’s unfolding. Well, as the fans know, and I think love, about the clones, is that the clones exist in a moral universe. They know right and wrong and fair and unfair, just and unjust, and they want the best. And when they see it, they have the humanity and the intelligence to start to inspect the contrary of what may have always been said or believed. So here we have Cody, coming face-to-face now with the reality of what he has signed into, or what he stayed loyal to, as well as Crosshair… And so both of these guys are starting to see, very directly and movingly, what’s up, in a way that cannot be denied, excused, or turned away from.”
Baker also thinks the fans will enjoy episode 3 of the second season of The Bad Batch because it’s a “compelling and interesting story”. Here’s hoping we see more of Baker as both Cody and Crosshair in future episodes.
Meet Julie Gray, a passionate pop culture writer from Aotearoa, New Zealand. A lifelong Star Wars fan, her love for the franchise runs deep, with Luke Skywalker being her all-time favourite character and Anakin Skywalker coming in as a close second. Her outlook on the Star Wars universe is simple yet powerful - "All Star Wars is good Star Wars", a true testament to her undying love for this iconic franchise.
