If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, it’s this—when a clone says they have a headache, something bad is about to happen. And I don’t mean a little stress from battle. I’m talking about a deep, eerie sign that something inside them is going wrong—something they don’t understand, but we do.
Clones were implanted with inhibitor chips, designed to activate during Order 66. But every now and then, we see those chips start acting up early. And every time we hear a clone mention a headache, it’s the beginning of a complete breakdown—mentally, emotionally, or physically.
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Tup – The First Clone to Break
During the battle over Ringo Vinda, Clone Trooper CT-5385 “Tup” is fighting alongside Jedi Generals Tiplar and Tiplee, as well as Anakin Skywalker and the 501st. Everything seems like a standard assault—until Tup begins to act strangely. He’s confused, distracted, slow to respond. When asked what’s wrong, he says quietly, “I don’t feel well… something’s wrong with me.” He places a hand to his head, clearly in pain. The other clones chalk it up to stress or fatigue—but it’s not that.
In the middle of the battle, Tup walks up to General Tiplar and shoots her in the back without hesitation. Not under orders. Not during a fight. Just a cold execution. No one understands what just happened—not even Tup himself, who seems to slip further into a blank, trance-like state. He keeps repeating:
“Good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders…”
Anakin immediately detain him and tries to figure out what went wrong. What follows is a tense tug-of-war between the Jedi, the Kaminoans, and Chancellor Palpatine. The Kaminoans say it’s a virus. The Jedi suspect it’s something more. And we, as the audience, know exactly what it is—the first sign of a malfunctioning inhibitor chip.
Wrecker – The Headache That Turned Him Against His Brothers
Wrecker’s breakdown in The Bad Batch hit me hard—not just because of what happened, but because we saw it coming. We’re talking about the most fun-loving, loyal, protective member of Clone Force 99. The guy who jokes around, looks out for his brothers, and treats Omega like his own little sister. So when he starts complaining about a headache? We already knew something was wrong, and we could feel the tension building.
It starts around Episode 5, when Wrecker begins rubbing his head after missions. He says stuff like “ugh, must’ve hit it again”, brushing it off like it’s no big deal. But we keep seeing it—after every fight, he’s wincing in pain, holding the same spot on his head. By Episode 6, it’s clear this isn’t just a bump. The others notice it too, but no one realizes what’s really happening.
And then we get to Episode 7: “Battle Scars”—and everything explodes.
That headache finally hits full force. Wrecker collapses, clutching his head, groaning in pain—and then he stands up, eyes cold, voice different, and calls his own brothers traitors. Watching him turn on the squad, especially Omega, was heartbreaking. The guy who gave her snacks and promised to protect her tried to kill her. And we knew it wasn’t really him—this was the inhibitor chip, and it had finally taken control.
What hit hardest was knowing Wrecker felt it coming. He tried to hide it. Tried to stay strong. But in the end, the chip still won—at least for that moment.
Thankfully, Rex shows up just in time to help them remove it. Wrecker survives, and so does Omega. But that whole sequence? It was one of the scariest reminders in the entire series of just how vulnerable the clones were. It didn’t matter how strong, funny, or kind Wrecker was—once that chip activated, he became a weapon.
Fives – The Clone Who Almost Saved Everyone
After Tup’s breakdown, ARC Trooper Fives investigates what happened. He eventually discovers the truth: clones were implanted with inhibitor chips, designed to force them to carry out Order 66 without question.
But the deeper Fives digs, the more pressure he’s under. His mind starts to fracture from the stress, the betrayal, and the fear that he’s being hunted. While he doesn’t openly complain about headaches the way Tup does, we do see him suffering from mental strain, dizziness, and confusion—which many fans interpret as possible side effects of his own chip reacting, or even beginning to break down under the stress.
Fives ultimately tries to expose the truth to Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex, but before he can finish, he’s shot and killed. His death ensures that the Republic never learns about the chips—until it’s too late.
Fives didn’t collapse like Tup, but his unraveling shows that even knowing about the chip can lead to tragedy. And just like Tup, his symptoms started with disorientation and possible neurological pain.