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Executive Order 66 was a military directive central to the plot of the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and, hence, to the entire fictional Star Wars universe. It was a pre-arranged command directing that all the Jedi have rebelled and should be killed with extreme haste, thus beginning the Great Jedi Purge. It was rumored that Order 66 was a directive ingrained in the clone troopers during their training. This rumor was debunked by George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars universe, in an interview with Star Wars Insider, who stated that it was simply an order. Fans have expressed bafflement that the Jedi were unable to sense duplicity on the part of the thousands of troopers with which they had contact over the course of the Clone Wars. However, while a Jedi can detect lies in the Force, nobody ever thought to ask a clone if there was an order to destroy the Jedi. Order 66 was not a "plot" to the clones, it was simply an order that they may be asked to carry out. Additionally, as stated by Lama Su, the minister of Kamino and its cloning facilities, clone troopers are "totally obedient, taking any order without question." However, there are exceptions to these like the null-ARC clone troopers and Ion Team
Reasons The order was issued by Chancellor Palpatine, not long before he proclaimed himself Emperor at the end of the Clone Wars. It was justified as a military response to what was portrayed by the Emperor as a rebellion by the Jedi. After the attempted arrest of then-Chancellor Palpatine by Jedi Council members Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, Palpatine claimed that the Jedi had planned to overthrow the galactic leadership and kill all the members of the Senate. However, as Palpatine was Darth Sidious, this was a pretext. The Jedi began searching for clues of the second Sith, up until they were betrayed by their clone troops, who were conditioned to follow any and all orders given. The true reasons the Emperor had were much darker; being the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, he had meticulously orchestrated his final move against the Jedi. In fact, the Senate did not trust the Jedi Order. The key to the order's demise was the spreading out of the Jedi—keeping them away from the core worlds by assigning them to distant battlefields. By doing this, he ensured that they were absolutely unable to save themselves from the massive number of clone troops attacking them. The order, sent to clone trooper commanders across the galaxy, dictated that all Jedi were to be killed. Thousands of troopers turned on their Jedi generals, beginning the Great Jedi Purge. Palpatine was able to master his final stroke against important Jedi masters renowned for their ability to detect traps by utilizing the absolute devotion of his army to the Republic and its Chancellor. As clones were incapable of deceit, most Jedi were not able to sense the deception in advance (only Yoda was shown to have become aware in time to save his life). The soldiers were completely loyal to the Chancellor instead of the Jedi and had no reservation or feelings on the morality of Palpatine's commands whatsoever. In the novelization, for example, Commander Cody's only regret upon receiving Palpatine's holo-message was: "Would it have been too much to ask for the order to have come through before I gave him Execution Order 66 began with Darth Vader's march to the Jedi Temple with the 501st Clone Trooper Legion, led by Commander Appo. Vader and the 501st Clone Trooper Legion killed all the Jedi in the Temple; Vader personally killed the younglings. As his new apprentice led the assault on the Temple, Palpatine contacted all clone commanders across the galaxy and ordered the extermination of the Jedi Order once and for all, with Order 66. At the Jedi Temple, the Jedi were overpowered by clones. The clones used a surround-and-shoot tactic, knowing that Jedi could not deflect blaster bolts coming in from all directions at once. The Jedi were not prepared to fight against elite soldiers, such as the 501st Legion, this event explains that the ultimate fall of the Jedi was accomplished by the use of strategy, cunning and deception. Darth Vader had his own fair share of kills: Murdering Gate Master Jurokk, Whie Malreaux, Bene and Cin Drallig, Cin Drallig's Padawan Serra Keto, Archive Master Jocasta Nu, and finally cutting down all the Jedi Apprentices that were sent to hide in the Council Chambers. Countless others were also killed fighting Vader, as depicted in the novel, movie and the videogame. Bail Organa, while investigating the reason behind the attack on the Temple, witnessed Zett Jukassa attempting to escape. Jukassa killed a few clones and injured Commander Appo before being shot. Bail fled the scene amid laser blasts as the clones were supposed to ensure that there were no witnesses to any of the Jedi killings. However, 501st Sergeant Fox had grown tired of killing and ordered Vader's Fist not to kill Organa. These events were carried out across the galaxy; troopers turned against their Jedi generals, and the Sith Order prevailed, this time in control of the galaxy and the Senate. The senate also considered the Jedi Order enemies of the Republic. Though the Jedi Order was almost completely destroyed, the Emperor's Jedi Purge would continue for years as, one by one, the surviving Jedi were hunted down and killed by Darth Vader and the Empire. The Dark Times— for the Republic —had begun. However, it is known that at least one group of clone commandos did not carry out the order. The reason is suspected to be because the clones had served alongside the Jedi and they gave them a chance to escape. They were executed by Darth Vader for treason following the accomplishment of Order 66. The following Jedi are known to have survived the initial execution of Order 66. Some, but not all, perished in the Purge: | ||||||||
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