Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 14 introduces the Empire's new Stormtroopers, and among their ranks is a familiar face from Republic Commando.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 14, "War-Mantle"

In Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 14, the new animated series subtly used a character from the beloved Star Wars video game Republic Commando. In the episode, the rogue Clone Force 99 infiltrates an Imperial base on the planet Daro, where the Empire's new Stormtroopers are being trained by clone commandos of the fallen Republic. While the Bad Batch had been tasked by Captain Rex to rescue the clone commando known as Gregor, they fought through waves of Stormtroopers, including one from the 2005 game.

Belonging to Delta Squad, the Republic Commando game saw players taking control of its squad leader Boss, allowing them to enter the battles and firefights of the Clone Wars while giving orders to the rest of Delta's commandos. The narrative of Republic Commando is no longer canon, Delta Squad made a brief appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 14, "Witches of the Mist." There, they were seen recovering the bodies of two fallen Jedi who had been slaughtered by Savage Oppress (the brother of Maul).

However, thanks to The Bad Batch episode 14, it looks as though Delta was reassigned in the earliest days of the Empire, training the newly recruited Stormtroopers from across the galaxy to replace the Republic's clone forces as part of Project: War-Mantle. At the very least, it re-introduces the character of RC-1262, one of the Delta commandos, better known as Scorch. He can be seen leading a contingent of Stormtroopers to try and stop the Bad Batch and Gregor from escaping the base on Daro. Interestingly enough, his debut in the episode wasn't highlighted with any sort of significance, and his name was never referenced or said. If anything he was more of a walking Easter egg for longtime fans familiar with his distinct yellow and gray armor.

The idea that Delta Squad became integrated into the Imperial machine after the fall of the Republic does track with the old Star Wars Legends narratives where they became an elite squad within the ranks of Darth Vader's 501st Legion. However, having them serve as instructors to train their own Stormtrooper replacements is a new and somewhat dark addition to their story. Despite Scorch being the only Republic commando from Delta Squad seen in this episode, it's likely that the rest of Delta are either on Daro and simply off-screen, or working as instructors on other training bases across the galaxy (provided they all survived the end of the Clone Wars).

While Scorch and his troopers lost Gregor, who was ultimately saved by the Bad Batch, they did manage to arrest Clone Force 99's squad leader Hunter, so this may not be the last time fans sees Scorch as the series nears its final episodes. In any case, getting to see any member of Delta Squad is a pretty epic and noteworthy inclusion to the series, and it definitely elevates the The Bad Batch episode 14 as one of the show's best so far.

More: The Bad Batch's New Stormtrooper Design Pays Off A Very Early Lucas Idea

Star Wars: The Bad Batch airs new episodes every Friday on Disney+.