Summary
Star Warshas made Palpatine’s ruthless Clone Wars plan even darker than George Lucas imagined. TheClone Wars were the ultimate Jedi trap, carefully engineered so the Jedi lost the moment they decided to fight in the first place. They forced the Jedi into a role they were not designed for, that of military leaders dedicated to the domination that comes from warfare. Order 66 was designed as the climax of the Clone Wars, when the clone army turned on the Jedi and wiped them out.
George Lucas understood from the start that his prequel trilogy was a tragedy, destined to end in a moment of brutal genocide. Anakin Skywalker played the starring role in this tragedy, of course, even leading clone troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple and igniting his lightsaber when he entered a room in which Jedi Younglings were cowering. One of these Younglings was deliberately chosen to look like young Anakin, signifying the death of Skywalker’s innocence. And yet, as horrific as this story may be,Star Warscanon has made it even darker.
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The Clone Wars Weren’t Just About Breaking Anakin Skywalker
They broke so many other members of the Jedi Order
Star Warsbooks have revealedthe Sith had spies in the Jedi Temple- ones who had been embedded there for over a decade. Delilah S. Dawson’s phenomenalInquisitor: Rise of the Red Bladerevealed Heezo, a droid technician who worked in the Jedi Temple, was secretly passing on information to Palpatine himself.Heezo focused in on Jedi who seemed to be veering close to the dark side, and encouraged them to pursue their passions.He was setting them up to become members of theImperial Inquisitors.
We always tend to focus on the breaking of Anakin Skywalker, and understandably so; he’s the star of the saga, after all. But it’s now becoming clear Palpatine sought to break the entire Jedi Order, turning as many to the dark side as possible. He understood that domination is of the dark side, and that the military campaigns of the Clone Wars would inevitably turn some Jedi towards the dark. Anakin Skywalker was the one Palpatine wanted as an apprentice, but he wanted others to serve as members of his Inquisitors.
A shocking twist in the tale
Marvel’s currentInquisitorsminiseries, by Rodney Barnes, Guru-eFX, and Ramon Rosanos, is set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign. There’s a shocking flashback inInquisitors#2, though, that reveals Fifth Brother - a key member of the Inquisitors - actually turned before the end of the Clone Wars. In fact, the flashback shows him standing alongside the clone troopers as they enactOrder 66. This is a shocking retcon, revealing the highest-ranking Inquisitors actually participated in Order 66;Fifth Brother is shown killing the Jedi Master who taught him as a Youngling.
Suddenly Palpatine’s masterplan looks even more ruthless and evil. He presumably spent the entire galactic conflict recruiting members for his Inquisitors, training them to help the clone troopers kill the Jedi. It was only when Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side that he decided the time was right, and the Inquisitors - who had presumably trained in Palpatine’s secret base on Coruscant itself - were unleashed against the Jedi. Anakin led clone troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple, while other former Jedi killed their comrades as well.
Meanwhile, asInquisitor: Rise of the Red Bladereveals, Order 66 was carefully designed to give other potential Inquisitors one last chance to join the Empire. Iskat Akaris was one such Inquisitor recruit, offered a chance to choose the dark side, one she embraced. As seen inTales of the Jedi, the Jedi traitor Barriss Offee wasn’t approached until after Order 66, presumably because Palpatine was concerned someone would notice her disappearance from the cells and his hand would be tipped.
Order 66 Was Just The Beginning Of The Jedi Purge
Star Wars history has been rewritten
George Lucas envisioned Order 66 as the end of the Jedi Order, although evenLucas imagined there would be Order 66 survivors; he believed as many as 100 Jedi may have still been alive by the time of the original trilogy. Disney canon has built on this, reframing Order 66 as the beginning of Imperial genocide against the Jedi rather than the moment where an ancient order was wiped out. The Inquisitors took part in that first strike, and they subsequently took the lead in continuing to hunt the Jedi, workiing for Darth Vader.
It’s a smart retcon, and oddly enough it fits perfectly with Lucas' original account of the Jed Purge. Lucas initially talked about how Darth Vader secretly led the Emperor’s forces in hunting down Jedi and killing them, long before his treachery was suspected; now, in canon, he really did lead Imperials in hunting Jedi. ThisStar Warsretcon is a fantastic development of Lucas' vision, one that just underlines how evil the Emperor really is.
