Scorch

For other uses, see Scorch (disambiguation).

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"A new specimen will be arriving today. Commander Scorch is departing shortly to retrieve it."

―Royce Hemlock, to Emerie Karr^[8]

Scorch, also identified as RC-1262, was a clone commando who served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars and in the Galactic Empire's Project War-Mantle and Advanced Science Division with the military rank of Clone Commander. Scorch's military service with the Galactic Republic included the time serving with the commando unit, Delta Squad. In 20 BBY, the squad recovered two killed Jedi from the planet Devaron following a massacre there led by Count Dooku's new Sith apprentice, Savage Opress. Delta Squad took the bodies to the Jedi temple on the planet Coruscant and reported to four Jedi High Council members there.

In the period following the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Scorch was involved in the training of the first generation of non-cloned Imperial stormtroopers at an Imperial base on the planet Daro. After fellow clone commando Clone Captain Gregor was captured trying to desert the base, the rogue clone commando unit known as Clone Force 99 infiltrated the base to free him. Scorch engaged Gregor and his liberators and pursued them, wounding Gregor and overpowering Tech before being incapacitated by a flurry of stun blasts by the remaining rogue commandos. He later regained consciousness and joined Imperial troops on an LAAT/i gunship to apprehend the Bad Batch leader, Hunter, taking him into Imperial custody. Scorch then served in the Advanced Science Division under Dr. Royce Hemlock, leading the Imperial royal guard commandos as a Clone Commander.

After Clone Force 99 infiltrated the Tantiss Base in an attempt to rescue Omega and the facility's imprisoned clones, Hemlock attempted to escape off-world with Omega in tow in a CX Dagger vessel outside the base. Scorch escorted Hemlock and Omega to a landing platform, where Hunter and Crosshair managed to catch up to them and shoot down the shuttle. Before he could retaliate, Scorch was shot multiple times in the chest and staggered off the landing platform's catwalk to his death.

Biography

Clone Wars

"There were no survivors on Devaron. Everyone was killed, including Master Halsey and his Padawan."

―Boss reports after Delta Squad returned from Devaron^[5]

DeltaSquad-WOTM — Scorch served during the Clone Wars as a clone commando of Delta Squad.

RC-1262 was created on the planet Kamino as a clone^[1] of the bounty hunter Jango Fett^[9] to be part of the Galactic Republic's clone army.^[10] Nicknamed Scorch, he became a clone commando and part of commando unit Delta Squad—alongside Clone Sergeant Boss, Fixer, and Sev—during the Clone Wars^[1] between the Republic and the Separatist Alliance.^[10] At one point he and the rest of Delta Squad were dispatched into a conflict from an LAAT/i gunship to seize a location of importance to them.^[11]

In 20 BBY,^[12] Delta Squad was deployed on a Nu-class attack/transport shuttle to the planet Devaron, where Jedi Master Halsey, his Padawan^[5] Knox^[13] and their clone troopers had been massacred at the Jedi Order's Temple of Eedit by Separatist forces led by Count Dooku's new Sith apprentice, Savage Opress. The squad recovered the bodies of Halsey and Knox and transported them to the Jedi temple on^[5] the capital planet^[14] Coruscant. After landing, the commandos brought a coffins of the two dead Jedi, Scorch flanking Boss, who informed Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and three other members of the Jedi High Council about how none of the Republic forces had survived the attack on Devaron.^[5]

Imperial Era

Extraction on Daro

"The muster report lists 50 clone commandos and 1,000 TK troopers."

―Echo comments on the Imperial base's personnel, which included Scorch^[6]

Scorch Bad Batch — After the Clone Wars, Scorch served as an instructor at the Imperial Base on Daro.

The Clone Wars ended in 19 BBY with the fall of the Separatists and the transition of the Republic into the Galactic Empire.^[12] The Empire sought to begin to phase out the clone army inherited from the Republic and began training a new conscripted stormtrooper army. On the planet Daro, Scorch was one of fifty clone commandos involved in the training of the first generation of the new stormtroopers at an Imperial base encased in a mountain. One of the commandos, Gregor, became disillusioned with the Imperial cause and attempted to desert, but was quickly captured by the base's troopers. Gregor, though, had activated a distress beacon, and Clone Force 99, a rogue clone commando unit better known as the "Bad Batch," was sent to rescue the imprisoned commando.^[6]

Three members of the Bad Batch, Sergeant Hunter, Tech and Echo, infiltrated the Imperial base and freed Gregor from his cell, alerting the Imperial forces there of the incursion. Scorch and a squad of stormtroopers went to a turbolift, only to encounter Gregor and the three infiltrators. As the Imperial commando and his troops raised their blasters, Gregor and Hunter kicked Scorch back into the troopers and shut the lift door just as the Imperials fired on them. Scorch and two stormtroopers fired on the turbo lift as it descended. The commando and his troops continued to pursue Gregor and the infiltrators, who stunned many of the troopers along the way and utilized a smoke bomb to cover their retreat.^[6]

HunterBeingHunted — Scorch apprehended Hunter with the help of TK troopers and other clone commandos.

To flank his targets, Scorch took a shortcut and jumped across a moving lift. Scorch was quick to ambush Gregor and his liberators, shooting Gregor twice in his chestplate and overpowering Tech. However, Hunter and Echo bombarded the Imperial commando with multiple stun blasts to incapacitate him. After regaining consciousness, Scorch joined a complement of stormtroopers and two clone commandos on an LAAT/i gunship as Gregor and the Bad Batch attempted to escape on their Omicron-class attack shuttle, the Marauder. In the escape attempt, Hunter failed to board the Marauder and fell down the mountain. The LAAT/is deployed Scorch and his troops shortly before Hunter, and the unit apprehended the rogue clone commando.^[6]

Working for Hemlock

"Did any of the villagers see the Zillo?"
"Several. The locals have been detained and will be dealt with. However, one vessel escaped our assault. It was a military-class shuttle."
"Find out who it was."
"Yes, sir."

―Hemlock and Scorch^[7]

Scorch Metamorphosis — Scorch and his men captured all eyewitnesses of the Zillo Beast clone incident.

Some time after, Scorch was reassigned to the Advanced Science Division which was overseen by Dr. Royce Hemlock,^[7] and by that time had obtained the military rank of Clone Commander.^[15] In 18 BBY, when a young Zillo Beast clone belonging to the Advanced Science Division escaped and caused the ship transporting it to crash on the planet Silla, Scorch was tasked with recapturing it and covering up the incident. Deployed from a Venator-class Star Destroyer, Scorch's strike team encountered Clone Force 99 in their ship the Marauder, who were trying to neutralize the beast after they unintentionally released it while scavenging the wreck of the ship that it had been aboard. The Bad Batch was pursued and subsequently fled the system as the Imperials stunned and recaptured the rampaging Zillo Beast clone. Due to the beast being witnessed by the entirety of a local village near the crash site, Scorch and a team of other clone commandos rounded up the villagers and forced them onto shuttles, and had them "dealt with" in order to preserve the clandestine nature of the cloned animal. Following its capture, Scorch returned with the beast to Tantiss Base within Mount Tantiss on the planet Wayland, where he gave his mission report to Dr. Hemlock. He mentioned the skirmish with Marauder, but did not seem to recognize it. Hemlock then ordered him to investigate the ship's owners since they bore witness to his classified experiment.^[7]

Capturing Omega

Later, during a battle in Ord Mantell City between Hemlock's forces and Clone Force 99, Hemlock and his commandos were ambushed in the streets of Ord Mantell by Omega while escorting a captured Hunter and Wrecker, who demanded the return of her brothers. Hemlock cunningly stalled Omega, which allowed Scorch to drop behind the young renegade clone and stun her unconscious, allowing her capture and delivery to Mount Tantiss.^[16]

Stationed on Tantiss

"But sir, they're escaping."
"Stand down. We need her alive."

―Scorch and Royce Hemlock^[17]

Scorch was later present on Mount Tantiss when Hemlock was informed about Shuttle 135's crash.^[18] During Emperor Palpatine's visit to Mount Tantiss to inspect the progress of Project Necromancer and Omega and Crosshair's concurrent escape from the facility, Scorch and Dr. Hemlock became informed of their escape and deployed troops to pursue them. After the two escaped prisoners commandeered a Rho-class transport shuttle to escape, four Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters were deployed to shoot them down. However, before the pursuers could succeed, Imperial scientist Dr. Emerie Karr, who had recently received test results from Omega's blood, approached Hemlock with news of its positive M-count transfer. Hemlock immediately ordered Scorch to call off the V-wings, and though Scorch protested the order, he obliged, ordering the fighters to break off and allow the shuttle to escape.^[17]

The hunt for Omega

"Sir, we have confirmation. The girl and CT-9904 were in the spaceport."

―Scorch, to Royce Hemlock^[19]

After the shuttle crashed on the planet Lau, Imperial forces spotted the shuttle and reported it to Captain Mann, who alerted Hemlock of the two escaped prisoners, and Hemlock travelled to the planet with Scorch. However, a skirmish broke out prior to Hemlock's arrival, in which Crosshair and Omega escaped again in a stolen Imperial cargo transport. Hemlock and Scorch arrived at the crash site of the shuttle, and Hemlock ordered that the stolen transport be tracked.^[19]

During the Empire's efforts to attack and sabotage the Clone Underground, Clone X trooper CX-1 was stunned and captured by resistance member Howzer during a failed attempt to assassinate senator Avi Singh. Following his capture, Scorch ordered another assassin, CX-2 to travel to the hidden resistance base on Teth to assassinate CX-1 and prevent his interrogation. After CX-2 discovered Omega's presence at the base, he contacted Scorch and reported his findings. Scorch then ordered CX-2 to transmit the bases coordinates and await reinforcements commanded by clone commander Wolffe deployed to recapture Omega,^[20] though the ensuing battle sees Omega escape yet again with key members of the underground.^[21]

Project Necromancer

"Your actions were extreme, Commander. He's only a child."
"The specimen attempted to escape. I was following protocol."

―Emerie Karr and Scorch^[8]

As part of the Empire's Project Necromancer, Hemlock enlisted the help of numerous well-known bounty hunters such as Cad Bane, and used them to abduct force-sensitive children suspected of a high M-Count and holding them in containment on Mount Tantiss, regularly collecting blood samples for testing. Hemlock believed the young minds of the children to be more influenceable. However, this did not stop some children, like the Mirialan child Jax, designated SP-32, from attempting to escape.^[8]

Scorch and three Imperial commandos were deployed to contain him, quickly surrounding the child. Still refusing to back down, Jax attempted to rush past Scorch and down the hall behind him, but Scorch stunned him the instant he moved. When Emerie Karr, now promoted to Chief Medical Scientist of the project in Nala Se's place, criticized Scorch for his extreme methods, Scorch stated that he was complying with protocols.^[8]

Not long after, Hemlock assigned Scorch to personally retrieve a newly-captured Tarlafar infant, Bayrn, for the project, as Bayrn was Force-sensitive. Karr volunteered to travel with Scorch to the exchange point at Imperial Station 003 above Coruscant to ensure that the specimen was "handled carefully." Hemlock reluctantly granted her request, and Karr accompanied the commander to the station. There, Scorch, Karr, and a group of stormtroopers met with Cad Bane, who had been responsible for the specimen's abduction, outside of his ship, the Justifier, to make the exchange. Upon viewing the infant subject, Karr was surprised by their young age, though Scorch was unbothered, saying that then they would be less trouble. After the exchange was made and Bane received his payment, Karr took the child into custody, and they returned to Tantiss with their new subject.^[8]

Overseeing Omega's capture

Scorch later oversaw CX-2's actions during the massive Raid on Pabu to find Omega, though he was not present during the event. The raid was successful in capturing Omega and finally returning her to Tantiss.^[22]

The Bad Batch's arrival at Tantiss

As Clone Force 99 traveled to Tantiss, Hemlock spoke with Scorch about an Imperial science vessel's status, while they were stationed in the Tantiss Base control room. Scorch informed him the starship was approaching and warned of a potential security breach from Clone Force 99 as they infiltrated Imperial Station 003 with former Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart. He told Hemlock they fled on a stolen shuttle when the science vessel departed, and they could be monitoring it. Hemlock ordered Scorch to scramble the starfighters and to monitor the airspace. As the science vessel descended through Wayland’s atmosphere, the Bad Batch detached their shuttle, but were intercepted by three Imperial V-wings Scorch sent to pursue them. Simultaneously, Hemlock and Scorch received news of the encounter, confirming there was an unauthorized shuttle en route, that their fighters were now chasing.^[23]

As the science vessel made its final approach on the Tantiss base hanger, Hemlock ordered Scorch to search and scan the entire ship and crew. He and a detachment of stormtroopers arrived at the hanger as the ship’s captain Lieutenant Novitz and his troops prepared to unload their cargo. Scorch told Novitz he was there to search the vessel and check the crew’s clearance as ordered by Hemlock, to which Novitz reluctantly complied. Unknown to Scorch, Echo was on the vessel when it landed, and had stolen TK stormtrooper armor and snuck off the vessel into the base before Scorch and his squad discovered his whereabouts.^[23]

Fall of Tantiss and death

Tantiss base soon became compromised as Clone Force 99 infiltrated the facility. Simultaneously, Omega had managed to free the facility's captive Zillo Beast while Echo rallied Tantiss' clone prisoners, sending Imperial forces into disarray. After a failed attempt by Hemlock to eliminate Clone Force 99 with a squad of clone assassins, the chief scientist attempted to flee the facility in a CX Dagger vessel with a captive Omega in tow. Scorch escorted Hemlock and Omega to a landing platform outside of the facility just as the vessel arrived, though it was quickly shot down by Crosshair, who had caught up with Hunter. As Scorch turned to fire upon the two rogue clones, he was struck several times in the chest by a barrage of blaster fire, causing him to stagger off the launch pad's catwalk and plummet into the jungle below Mount Tantiss to his death, leaving Hemlock defenseless.^[3]

Personality and traits

"My orders?"
"He's been compromised. Track him down and neutralize him."

―CX-2 and Scorch^[20]

As a clone of the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett, Scorch shared his genetic template's basic physiological characteristics, and as such was a human male that stood at 1.83 meters tall^[1] and had tan-colored skin.^[10]

Scorch was a diligent soldier that understood the clandestine nature of the Galactic Empire's secret operations and worked closely with the troops under his command to ensure that the sensitive nature of such dark projects into cloning remained secure.^[15]

Equipment

Scorch wore the standard Katarn-class armor of a clone commando with gray, white and yellow markings and a backpack. He wielded a DC-17m Interchangeable Weapon System^[24] and later a DC-15A blaster carbine.^[6]

Behind the scenes

"And I busted out the original game sound for Scorch's DC17 that I made 18 years years [sic] ago."

―David W. Collins^[25]

RC-1262 — Scorch as he appears in the *Star Wars* Legends continuity

Scorch first appeared in canon continuity in "Witches of the Mist," the fourteenth episode of the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars^[5] which aired on January 21 2011.^[26] He was identified as "Scorch" in the original episode guide for the episode,^[27] and as RC-1262 in the 2021 reference book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!.^[1] Scorch was originally created in Star Wars Legends continuity when he appeared in the the 2005 video game Star Wars: Republic Commando, which was centered around Scorch's unit Delta Squad. In the game, Scorch was voiced by Raphael Sbarge,^[28] who also previously voiced the character Carth Onasi in the 2003 digital roleplaying game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.^[29]

After a clone commando modeled after Scorch reappeared in canon in "War-Mantle," the fourteenth episode of the animated Disney+ series Star Wars: The Bad Batch^[6] which aired July 30 2021,^[30] David W. Collins, who did sound for the episode, revealed that he had reused the original game sound for Scorch's DC-17 blaster from Star Wars: Republic Commando.^[25] Although the Scorch's identity was never outright confirmed during the events of "War-Mantle,"^[6] Collins's Tweet confirmed it was indeed Scorch.^[25] He was referred to as Scorch for the first time in the series itself via credits of the tenth episode of Season 2, "Metamorphosis," where he was also voiced by Dee Bradley Baker for the first time.^[7] Afterward, he was made the subject of his own character poster for The Bad Batch Season 2 poster gallery on StarWars.com.^[31] Finally, the rank and name "Commander Scorch" were finally used onscreen in "Identity Crisis," an episode of season three.^[8]

Scorch went onto be defeated by the Bad Batch in "The Cavalry Has Arrived," the season three finale and final episode of the series overall. Seen taking several blaster shots to his chest and then falling a great height,^[3] this article assumes Scorch was killed in the final battle with Clone Force 99. All the same, after Wilhuff Tarkin and his forces arrive on Wayland to go over the wreckage of Tantiss, a clone commando with armor coloring similar to Scorch can be seen. As it is unclear from the shot alone,^[3] this article does not assume that character is Scorch and will not unless further information is revealed.