Everything to Know About Order 66 in “Obi-Wan Kenobi”

Disney+’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series begins with a flashback of a group of younglings training at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when, suddenly, clone troopers enter and fire at them. The kids attempt to escape the Temple with their master Minas Velti, but unfortunately, she ends up dying while trying to protect them. Of course, this scene depicts the start of the Great Jedi Purge, which is when Darth Sidious (aka Emperor Palpatine) executed Order 66 to the Republic’s clone army in an attempt to exterminate all Jedi. The clones worked closely with the Jedi throughout the Clone Wars, so you might be wondering why they turned against them and sided with Sidious. Let us explain.

What Is Order 66?

Order 66 is a command that Darth Sidious sent to all clone troopers during the events of “Revenge of the Sith” that marked all Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic. As we saw in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” the order was programmed into the clones using chips in their brains. The clones were unaware of the chips except one named Fives. When he learned the truth, he attempted to warn the other clones and assassinate Palpatine, but everyone thought he had gone mad and killed him. The clones were always loyal to the Republic and the Jedi and would never turn their backs on them, but because of the chips, they were unable to resist Order 66 and ended up killing their comrades.

Why Did Darth Sidious Execute Order 66?

Order 66 was carefully planned by Sidious for years in order for him to rise to power. After becoming the Senator of Naboo, Sidious schemed his way into becoming the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Once the Jedi suspected he was a traitor, they confronted him and attacked him, but it turns out they fell right into Sidious’s trap, because he used the incident to accuse them of treason. After he executed Order 66, he succeeded in becoming the Emperor of the Galaxy.

Which Jedi Survived Order 66?

There were a number of Jedi who survived Order 66, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, and others. However, Darth Vader and a group of imperial officers named Inquisitors (who are also former Jedi) went on to hunt down the remaining Jedi across the Galaxy. That’s why Obi-Wan is seen hiding in the shadows during the events of “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

If you want to learn more about Order 66, watch the animated “Clone Wars” series, as well as the Star Wars prequel trilogy.