Credit: LucasfilmOver almost twenty years, the Star Wars franchise has gained many new additions to its ever-growing canon. Within those additions, from television shows and video games to comics and novels (not forgetting Disney’s own sequel trilogy), new characters have been introduced along the way.
Interestingly, despite Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) execution of the fatal Order 66 in Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith (2005), multiple new Jedi characters and Force-wielders have become integral parts of the galaxy far, far away. Now, Star Wars has, with paper and ink, confirmed why so many Jedi survived the purge.
Order 66 caused Jedi, the defenders of the Republic, across the galaxy to be killed by their clone trooper armies. Chancellor Palpatine, upon revealing himself as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and turning Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to the dark side of the Force, executed the Order during the Clone War.
In George Lucas’s Revenge of the Sith, the final chapter in his prequel trilogy and origin story for Darth Vader, the Order 66 execution scene is one of the most tragic in Star Wars saga history. It highlights the fall of the Jedi Order through the deaths of characters like Aayla Secura, Plo Koon, and Ki-Adi Mundi and also shows how certain original trilogy characters escaped.
Fans of the Star Wars franchise already knew that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Jedi Master Yoda would not be killed in the prequels, considering their vital roles in training Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the original trilogy, but over time, more and more Jedi have been introduced.
In Star Wars Rebels, there was Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.), whose escape was detailed in The Bad Batch‘s first episode–back when he went by Caleb Dume. Star Wars: The Clone Wars eventually showed how franchise fan favorite Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Anakin Skywalker’s former Jedi Padawan, also survived after the Togruta appeared as Fulcrum in Rebels.
Another notable survivor of Order 66 is Cal Kestis, the Force-user and central character to the “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” video game and its sequel, “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.”
Jedi archivist Jocasta Nu, who appeared briefly for the first time in Star Wars: Episode II–Attack of the Clones (2002), also escaped Order 66, with the character appearing in the “Darth Vader” comic series set between Star Wars: Episode V–The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI–Return of the Jedi (1983).
There was also a handful of Jedi, who Sidious had been watching that were given the chance to live and became the Inquisitors–members of the Inquisitorious sent to hunt and kill the remaining Jedi.
Perhaps the most exciting character to have survived Order 66 is Grogu. Formerly known as The Child, or “Baby Yoda,” to audiences, Grogu first appeared as a significant character in The Mandalorian TV show on Disney+.
Over the course of three seasons, fans saw Grogu come into his power and, in Season 2, saw how he escaped the Jedi Temple during Anakin Skywalker’s assault. With the help of another Jedi survivor, Kellerman Beq, played by Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best, Grogu escaped death, and the rest, they say, is history.
There have been many explorations in Order 66 and its aftermath, particularly in Dave Filoni’s The Bad Batch Disney+ series, which ran for three seasons on the streaming service. The animated follow-up to Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars explored the clones’ inhibitor chips and how some troopers were able to withstand Palptine’s direct orders.
Now, after almost 20 years, information on just how so many Jedi survived has been shared.
In the new book “Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers” (2024) by frequent Star Wars collaborator Marc Sumerak, a key explanation is given surrounding the most pivotal moment in the history of the galaxy far, far away. The book, like some of Sumerak’s other entries, is written from the perspective of an in-universe character—in this case, fan-favorite Captain Rex.
“Even though Order 66 was designed to be a directive that we couldn’t resist, not every clone ended up pulling the trigger,” the new addition to the Star Wars canon reads. “Some, like my friends in Clone Force 99, were less susceptible to the inhibitor chip’s influence due to their genetic augmentations. Others were simply strong enough to resist, at least until their Jedi general could escape.”
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Finally Explains Where ‘Clone Wars’ Character Is During Original Trilogy
Screen Rant notes that Rex himself also resisted the urge to fire on his friend and ally Ahsoka Tano.
“Although his resistance was ultimately unsuccessful, his struggle did help Ahsoka realize something was wrong, and she was able to figure out the problem and remove Rex’s chip,” the outlet wrote. “Skilled and powerful Jedi only needed a moment’s notice to save their lives.”
With this information, “The Secrets of the Clone Troopers” looks set to be an exciting new addition to the expanding Star Wars mythos.
Related: First Look at Young Mace Windu in ‘Clone Wars’ Prequel Revealed
As previously noted, Marc Sumerak has contributed to the faraway galaxy before. His “Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith,” (2021) written from the perspective of Emperor Palpatine, finally divulged and explained in detail the origins of Supreme Leader Snoke—the decoy antagonist in Disney’s sequel trilogy who first appeared as Kylo Ren’s “Master” in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens (2015).
All in all, these new chapters in the Star Wars saga only add to its ever-extending context and history, once again proving that tie-in media is vastly important to understanding the franchise.
How do you feel about this explanation for Order 66? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!