The Bad Batch are iconicStar Warscharacters, and a new comic fromMarvel’sStar Warsline has introduced fans to the Imperial version of the team: Scar Squadron.Fans might be hesitant to embrace this elite group of stormtroopers at first, but the fascinating quality of these warriors is undeniable.
Star Wars: A New Legacy (2025)#1contains the story “For the Love of the Empire”– written by Jason Aaron, with art by Leonard Kirk – in which Scar Squadron returns to Horford, a planet where they used to be celebrated, where they find the citizens are now afraid of them, while the children are cosplaying Rebel leaders.
Scar Squadron realize they have already lost the war, but refuse to go down without a fight, killing everyone that defies them to show the entire galaxy who the true heroes of the conflict are, from their point of view.
Star Wars: A New Legacy (2025)#1, “For the Love of the Empire”– Written By Jason Aaron; Art By Leonard Kirk; Color By Jay David Ramos; Lettering By Clayton Cowles
Task Force 99, better known as Scar Squadron, is a highly independent squad of seven stormtroopers, each specializing in different areas of operation. The squad is part of Darth Vader’s personal Legion of stormtroopers, the 501st Legion.Scar Squadron uses the same model as Clone Force 99, the Bad Batch, an elite group of clones from the Clone Wars, as each member of Scar Squadron has unique abilities and personalized armor to meet those needs. After the destruction of the first Death Star, one of their missions was to hunt down the Jedi, Luke Skywalker.
Star Wars Brings Back Its Most Badass Stormtroopers: “We Are the True Heroes of This War”
Celebrating 10 years of Star Wars comics, Marvel brings back Scar Squadron, the most epic team of stormtroopers who answered to Darth Vader himself.
The unit Scar Squadron was modeled after, the Bad Batch, was first introduced in the unfinished episodes ofThe Clone Warsthat were available on starwars.com. The episodes were later adapted into completed episodes inThe Clone Wars’final season, andthe Bad Batch then went on to have their own animated series. The Bad Bach was made up of five clones with genetic mutations, and operated under the Special Operations Brigade in the Republic. Due to the squad’s modifications, they were able toresist the effects of Order 66, and subsequently went on to fight the Empire.
Comparing/Contrasting The Two Teams
Since their appearance inThe Clone Wars,the Bad Batch has grown in popularity among fans, getting their own show from 2021-2024, and a comic series and novel focused on them is coming in 2025. The Bad Batch is definitely the better known group,but which is the better Force 99 is an open question. Clone Force 99 is made up of six clones. Hunter has enhanced sensory abilities, Wrecker has an enhanced muscular form, Tech has enhanced intelligence, Crosshair has enhanced eyesight, Echo has cybernetic implants, and Omega is an enhanced female clone.
Though Scar Squadron is not genetically mutated like the Bad Batch, the skills of both teams equal out.
Task Force 99 is a bigger group with one more member, led by Sergeant Kreel, a member of the 501st Legion, Vader’s Fist. While operating as the Gamemaster on Nar Shaddaa, Kreel took a lightsaber from Grakkus the Hutt’s collection, and Darth Vader let him keep it, telling Kreel to be worthy of it. The rest of the squad included Aero the engineer, Cav the melee specialist, Mic the slicer, Misty the sniper, Sharp the weapons specialist, and Zuke the muscle. Though Scar Squadron is not genetically mutated like the Bad Batch, the skills of both teams equal out.
The Repulic & The Empire Are Explored In More Detail Through Their Soldiers
For Bad Batch fans looking for more content, Scar Squadron is a perfect group of characters to follow next; they are modeled after the Bad Batch, and have a very similar dynamic with members that have similar skill sets. Kreel and Hunter the leaders, Wrecker and Zuke the muscle, Tech and Aero the brains, Crosshair and Misty the marksmen, and Echo and Mic the slicers. Both teams parallel each other in the war, as Scar Squadron specializes in killing Rebels, and the Bad Batch fights the Empire. Fans of the Bad Batch dynamic will be fans of Scar Squadron.
Untold Clone Wars Adventure Sends The Bad Batch To “The Seediest Corners Of The Galaxy” (Exclusive)
Screen Rant has an exclusive preview of The Bad Batch’s next adventure, on the hunt for a ghost agent during the earliest days of the Clone Wars.
It’s hard to declare one team better than the other. The Bad Batch is hugely popular with Star Wars fans, afterThe Clone Wars, The Bad Batch,and nowGhost AgentsandSanctuary,there has just been so much opportunity to grow to love them. Scar Squadron has only appeared in Marvel’s 2015Star Warscomic run, and nowA New Legacy,but it’s hard to argue that a stormtrooper wielding a lightsaber isn’t awesome. Even though they are lesser known, Scar Squadron’s swagger is hard to top.
Star Wars: A New Legacy #1is available now from Marvel Comics.
