Operation: Knightfall

"I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate, show no mercy."

- Darth Sidious

Operation: Knightfall, also known as the Raid on the Jedi Temple, the Attack on the Jedi Temple, the Siege of the Jedi Temple, the Fall of the Jedi Temple, or the Jedi Temple Massacre was one the first conflicts of the Great Jedi Purge, where the newly anointed Darth Vader and the clone troopers of the 501st Legion stormed the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, initiating a massacre under Order 66.

Background
After Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker helped Darth Sidious eliminate Mace Windu, he pledged himself to Sidious's teachings and was given the name Darth Vader. Palpatine declared the Jedi Order as a threat to the soon-to-be Galactic Empire. Darth Vader was assigned the daunting task of rampaging through the halls of the Jedi Temple and stopping this growing "threat": an operation known as Knightfall among the 501st. The troopers of the 501st Legion were transferred to Coruscant from war theatres like Felucia, Mygeeto, Utapau, Kashyyyk, and other planets to serve Lord Vader during the mission.

Penetrating the Temple
"You have done well, my new apprentice. Your skills are unmatched by any Sith before you. Now, Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire."

- Emperor Palpatine to Darth Vader

Marching to the gates of the Temple with a legion of elite clones, Darth Vader was confronted by Gate Master Jurokk, who asked Vader about Master Windu's safety. Vader asked him where Shaak Ti was, as she was the Temple commander. He replied that she was in the Temple meditating. He once again asked Vader if something was wrong, and Vader responded by igniting his lightsaber through Jurokk's head.

As the troopers dispersed throughout the Temple's vaulted halls, Vader began to eliminate the most powerful Jedi within. He took a small group of clones to capture the Jedi Communication Center via the Jedi Archives. Upon entering the Temple's Library with the clones, he ordered Jocasta Nu to grant access to the communication room. Sensing something suspicious, she ignited her lightsaber, but Vader used the Force to impale her with his lightsaber.

Operation: Knightfall
"What I remember about the rise of the Empire is&hellip; is how quiet it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant. It was a silent trip. We all knew what was about to happen, what we were about to do. Did we have any doubts? Any private traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word. Not on the flight back to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple. Not a word."

- Extract from the Journal of the 501st

Duels erupted in the library. The Jedi attempted to destroy the holobooks in the library to prevent the 501st troopers from learning any confidential Jedi information. However, the troopers managed to preserve a few bookcases from destruction long enough for a scan to take place. In the ensuing carnage, a Jedi activated a ray shield system and hid in a shield protected room. Vader disabled the shield system and killed the Jedi; proceeding into one of the surrounding halls.

In the hall, Jedi snipers ambushed the clone attackers. Vader, at a clone's advice, took down a hulking statue, crushing many of the Jedi. Using a piece to break down the door into the study hall, they proceeded in killing many students, snipers, and Jedi brutes.

After battling his way across an outdoor cat walk, the raid continued into the hangar bay, where Vader shot down fleeing Jedi Interceptors with an anti-aircraft gun.

Darth Vader activated a beacon telling all Jedi to return to the Jedi Temple; the war was over. A clone private then informed him that a Jedi, Cin Drallig, managed to penetrate upper-level defenses. Vader told him that he would deal with Drallig, ordering the nearby clone assassins to guard the beacon with their lives.



On the way to Drallig's location, Vader entered the council room and slaughtered the younglings in cold blood when they mistook him for the Jedi Knight he had once been. In the briefing room, Drallig's former apprentice, Serra Keto, confronted Vader and engaged him in a duel. Jumping on a balcony, Darth Vader cut down a pillar, and used it to crush her. Drallig, witnessing her death, hoped to avenge her in a duel. After Vader murdered two of Drallig's trainees, Bene and Whie Malreaux in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Vader slashed him in the shoulder, leaving him dying. The squad of clones accompanying him blasted at the other padawans Drallig was protecting, killing most of them.

Most of the rest that escaped were slaughtered by Venator-class Star Destroyers obliterating the Temple Precinct with turbolaser fire.

The raid continues
"I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi Temple. That's why I went looking for Yoda."

- Bail Organa



Meanwhile, the 501st Legion secured the Council chambers and engaged the Temple Security Force in the main hall. Darth Vader then returned from his duel with Cin Drallig, and collected several holocrons containing Jedi and Sith information. Cleaning up most of the remaining Temple Security guards and Jedi Knights, within the hour, Vader and the 501st were able to completely occupy the Temple.

However, three Jedi Masters, who had taken something of a military command over the other Jedi, led the last of the Jedi Knights into the main hall in an attempt to repel the 501st one last time. The Jedi came out in a sudden, tremendous charge, many holding two lightsabers, those of their fallen companions. This form of lightsaber combat increased the amount of clone casualties. Still, even with the Jedi forces utilizing a different form of lightsaber combat, the Jedi were outnumbered and overpowered by Lord Vader, and their three leaders were killed.

Meanwhile, Bail Organa turned up to investigate, and witnessed the death of Zett Jukassa. He narrowly escaped with his life.



The Jedi mission
"Have we had any contact from the Temple?" "Received a coded retreat message, we have." "It requests all Jedi to return to the Temple. It says the war is over." "Well, then we must go back. If there are any stragglers, they will fall into the trap and be killed."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Bail Organa

Bail Organa intercepted a transmission that Vader set as a trap from the Jedi Temple. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi set off to the Temple to modify and reactivate it to inform the Jedi to stay away in hopes of saving any other surviving Jedi.



Upon arrival, they ambushed a squad of clone troopers of the 501st Legion on sentry duty. Fighting through hordes of troopers, they split up. More clones ambushed Kenobi, and a squad of elite clone assassins attacked Yoda. They both managed to defeat their attackers, and moved on. A clone heavy trooper crept up behind Kenobi, ready to kill him, but Yoda appeared out of nowhere and lifted him off the ground with the Force. In a panic, the trooper fired his rockets up at the roof, which came crashing down. The two Jedi moved the debris using the Force, and headed to the beacon room.

"I've recalibrated the code warning all surviving Jedi to stay away." "For the clones, to discover the recalibration, a long time, it will take. And to change it back, longer, still."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda

After reprogramming the beacon to order all Jedi to flee, Obi-Wan decided he needed to see who was behind the attack. He could only watch in horror as he viewed a hologram of Anakin, slaughtering his fellow Jedi without mercy or hesitation. Overwhelmed with emotion, Obi-Wan could not watch anymore and pleaded with Yoda to let him kill the Emperor. He could not bring himself to kill Anakin, who was like a brother to him. Yoda told Obi-Wan that he was not experienced enough to face Palpatine. He also explained that Anakin was gone and Darth Vader had risen in his place. Knowing this to be true, Obi-Wan knew what he had to do - kill Darth Vader.

Yoda headed to the Senate to face Palpatine, while Obi-Wan went to Mustafar to face Darth Vader in an attempt to bring the Sith threat to an end.

Known Jedi casualties

 * Senior General Cin Drallig
 * Jocasta Nu
 * Senior General Jurokk
 * General Serra Keto
 * General Olana Chion
 * Commander Bene
 * Commander Whie Malreaux
 * Commander Zett Jukassa
 * Youngling Sors Bandeam and rest of the clan

On top of these notable casualties, the entire security force of Jedi Brutes and Jedi snipers were killed, as well as most of the Temple Security Force.

Legacy
Many years later, in 40 ABY, the Sith Jacen Solo flow-walked back to the time of the Raid on the Jedi Temple to understand his grandfather's (Anakin Skywalker) motives for his actions, in order to ensure that his own reasons for joining the Sith were not selfish. It is possible he was seen by a clone trooper. Jacen was horrified by Vader's actions after seeing his massacre of the Younglings, and determined that he had a much better reason for turning to the dark side.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Republic Commando: Order 66
 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * Lego Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * The Last of the Jedi: Death on Naboo
 * Star Wars Rebellion: The Ahakista Gambit
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Bloodlines
 * Inferno