The Bad Batch: Caleb Dume & 9 Other Major Contradictions In Star Wars Canon

Star Wars: The Bad Batch retconned a plot point regarding Caleb Dume. Fans are confused but it's not the first contradiction in Star Wars lore.

Disney+'s The Bad Batch picks up right where The Clone Wars left off, with the sudden and shocking execution of Order 66. The new series' depiction of the cataclysmic event retcons what has been established in Star Wars canon already: the moment Caleb Dume, who would grow up to become Kanan Jarrus, escapes the clone troopers on Kaller.

Lucasfilm decreed everything shown in the movies, television, comics, and books of the Disney era would all be canon, but a number of events and characters have challenged that concept. Caleb Dume is just one of many instances in recent Star Wars entertainment to contradict canon.

10.Caleb Dume's Escape

The Bad Batch begins with a different take on Caleb Dume's experience of Order 66. In the Star Wars: Kanan comic book series from Marvel, Caleb escapes his clone unit as his master, Depa Bliaba, is cut down. The Bad Batch presents the basic bones of the scene but it now includes Clone Force 99, which wasn't present on Kaller in the comics.

In the new animated series, the leader of the squad, Hunter, plays a vital role in Caleb's escape. Caleb grows up to be Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi and member of the Rebellion. The inclusion of Caleb in the new series is one of many callbacks and references to Star Wars: Rebels.

9.Ochi Of Bestoon

The current Darth Vader comic establishes that Darth Vader learns of the existence of Exegol and Emperor Palpatine's ultimate ambitions in the immediate aftermath of The Empire Strikes Back. This storyline has him crossing paths of Ochi Of Bestoon, the figure at the heart of the quest to find a Sith Wayfinder in The Rise Of Skywalker. 

The retcon that Vader knew of Ochi and Exegol contradicts canon, as Luke Skywalker sought Ochi and the Wayfinders himself for years. If Vader had known about them, then his Force Ghost would have been able to provide his son with the information he needed.

8.The Sith Eternal

Details about the Sith Eternal on Exegol were slim in the movie, which led to the books and comics trying to square the circle. The junior novelization of The Rise Of Skywalker by Rae Carson suggests that the Jedi had misinterpreted the concept of the Rule Of Two and there were always more Sith. The comics have complicated this further.

The Sith Eternal are a lower caste of a Sith hierarchy in the novelization, but in Darth Vader #11, which addressed a lot of plot holes in The Rise Of Skywalker, the Sith Eternal aren't actually Sith. They're a cult of devotees who exist to ensure the survival of the Sith and to potentially take the place of any Sith master or apprentice.

7.The Sith Rule Of Two

The role of the Sith Eternal is confusing enough in the current canon, but even more confusing is how they relate to the established canon about the Sith from the movies. The prequels established the Sith Rule Of Two, where there were only ever a master and apprentice at any one time. Whatever the true role of the Sith Eternal, they complicate this fact.

The powerful Sith Lord Darth Bane established the Rule of Two in the ancient past, and that tradition held through the rise of Darth Sidious. The Sith were shown to always have potential recruits waiting in the wings, but never any kind of major army or group that would have made Palpatine's intricate machinations unnecessary.

6.The Xyston-Class Star Destroyer

The Imperial Star Destroyer is one of the most fearsome Imperial starships in the galaxy. The Xyston-Class Star Destroyer, introduced in The Rise Of Skywalker, is even more terrifying with its planet-destroying laser canon. But it has become another contradictory aspect of recent Star Wars canon.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary established that the ships utilized a reactor-fed axial super laser which was based on a different technology than the super lasers of the Death Stars. In Darth Vader #11, the ships are shown to use kyber crystals for their weapons, bringing them into line with the tradition of Imperial superweapons.

5.The Seige Of Mandalore

When The Clone Wars animated series was canceled, many story arcs were in the works, including what would become one of its best episodes, "The Siege Of Mandalore." With no expectation the series would ever be finished, the story was realized in the pages of the Ahsoka novel by E.K. Johnston. When the story arc was completed for the series, many contradictions emerged.

Chief among them is how Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano interact in the series. Maul's capture by Republic forces and his duel with Ahsoka is radically different in the book, where he is trapped by a ray shield. In the series, he is knocked out by a stun blast from clone troopers.

4.Ahsoka's Lightsabers

Another change from the book to the animated series is the color of Ahsoka's lightsabers. In the animated series, the lightsabers that her former master Anakin Skywalker gives her are blue. In the original editions of the E.K. Johnston novel, her lightsabers are green.

This contradiction has been mitigated somewhat by more recent printings of the novel being updated to correct the lightsaber color to blue. Whatever the hue of her weapon, Ahsoka Tano is among the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, as the Siege Of Mandalore showed.

3.Cobb Vanth

Cobb Vanth appeared in the second season of The Mandalorian wearing Boba Fett's armor, and he could potentially appear again in the upcoming The Book Of Boba Fett. His first appearance in canon was in the Aftermath trilogy of novels by Chuck Wendig. But The Mandalorian altered some details about the character.

In the show, he becomes sheriff of Mos Pelgo after an attack by some raiders. In the book, he's sheriff prior to this event. Cobb Vanth comes to Boba Fett's armor through the Jawas, but in the show, he finds it himself. In the books, one of the raiders initially discovers the armor.

2.The Acolytes Of The Beyond

Another set of characters introduced in the Aftermath trilogy of books is the Acolytes of the Beyond. Though no clear connections are made, the implication is that this group of Dark Side users who dress in all black and carry around a variety of weapons eventually become the Knights of Ren.

The Knights of Ren ultimately come to very little in the sequel trilogy, with their backstory being completely disconnected from anything established in the novels. They follow a warrior named Ren and sought to create chaos in the galaxy.

1.Poe Dameron's Backstory

The Poe Dameron comic book from Marvel established that the incredibly skilled pilot was a lifelong member of the Republic and later the Resistance. The Rise Of Skywalker contradicts his pretty straight and narrow backstory by establishing him as a spice runner.

This adds layers to his character but doesn't line up with what had been understood about the character or his past. While this development could certainly be explained by future stories, it's another example of current continuity being very flexible.