Order 66

"Execute Order 66."

- Darth Sidious to numerous clone commanders

Order 66 was an event at the end of the Clone Wars in which the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic turned against their Jedi commanders and killed them, bringing about the destruction of the Jedi Order. The event was triggered by Protocol 66, an order implanted into the clones by the Sith Lords and Kaminoan scientists who created the clone army. The protocol caused clone troopers to violently lash out at the Jedi and view them as threats, and was controlled by a bio-chip implanted into the clones during their creation; the chip could control the behavior of the clones and ensure total obedience. The conspiracy, led by Darth Sidious&mdash;secretly Supreme Chancellor Palpatine&mdash;and Count Dooku, was nearly exposed when the chip belonging to clone trooper Tup malfunctioned, but all who learned of the conspiracy were killed.

In the final days of the Clone Wars, after having revealed himself to the Jedi as the Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine issued Order 66. The clone troopers across the galaxy turned on the Jedi and began killing them, with numerous Jedi perishing on battlefields on many different worlds. Meanwhile, fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader, marched on the Jedi Temple with a group of clones and killed the Jedi within it. Although a number of Jedi&mdash;including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Kanan Jarrus&mdash;were able to escape, Order 66 marked the destruction of the Jedi, forcing the survivors into exile for over two decades until the defeat of the Sith.

The clone protocol
"When the time comes, no one will be able to stop our plan to execute Order 66."

- Darth Sidious

Clone protocol 66 was built into the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic during the cloning process that created them. All clones were given a bio-chip, one that could be activated by remote order via voice command; Sheev Palpatine, for example, only needed to tell clones to execute Order 66, and the order was carried out. The bio-chip, when activated, would ensure total obedience in a clone, even if that clone had strived to achieve their own individuality. The order would also cause the clones to view the Jedi as dangerous threats, ones who needed to be eliminated.

Prelude
"Good soldiers follow orders."

- Tup, moments before executing Jedi General Tiplar

Around ten years prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas ordered the clone army for the Galactic Republic. As part of the Sith plot to destroy the Jedi Order, Count Dooku&mdash;a Sith Lord who posed as a Jedi to the Kaminoan cloners&mdash;provided the Kaminoans with a bio-chip to be implanted into the clones as they were being created. This chip contained clone protocol 66 which, when activated, would ensure total obedience in the clones and cause them to violently lash out against the Jedi.

Towards the end of the war, Order 66 was almost prematurely exposed due a malfunction in the bio-chip inside of clone trooper CT-5385, nicknamed "Tup," resulting in his alternating between his regular self and entering a trance-like state. The latter state caused Tup to shoot Jedi Master Tiplar during the Ringo Vinda campaign, killing her instantly. The Republic retreated from their offensive, and prepared to study Tup to determine what happened. Dooku and his master, Darth Sidious&mdash;secretly Supreme Chancellor Palpatine&mdash;learned of what happened to Tup and feared that he would lead the Jedi due to discovering their true plan for the war, including the clone protocol. The Confederacy of Independent Systems tried to kidnap Tup from the Republic, but the Republic was able to retrieve him and bring him to Kamino for further study.

The Kaminoans, who know the truth about the clone protocol, studied Tup and claimed that it was a virus that caused him to kill General Tiplar, fellow trooper CT-5555, nicknamed "Fives," did not believe their claims and discovered the chip inside of Tup. With the help of the medical droid AZ-3, Fives also discovered the chip inside of his head, and AZ-3 removed it for study before they both discovered that the chip was inside all of the clones. The Jedi brought Fives to Coruscant for further study, where Fives came face-to-face with Palpatine and discovered that the Chancellor was behind the plot. Palpatine framed Fives for an assassination attempt, discrediting the clone and causing the Jedi and fellow clones to pursue Fives. Despite knowing the truth, Fives was unable to tell Anakin Skywalker or Captain Rex, who were with him in the end, about the conspiracy or the Supreme Chancellor's involvement before being killed. The Jedi Order accepted the story that it was a virus that caused Tup and Fives' behavior.

Later, the Jedi discovered that the Sith were behind the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic, as Count Dooku&mdash;under the name Tyranus&mdash;had personally selected Jango Fett as the genetic template for the clones and had worked with the Kaminoans to create the army after it was ordered by Sifo-Dyas. The Jedi recognized that the clones could be a threat and could be used against them, but they did not discover the clone protocol, nor did they stop using the clones; the Jedi believed the clones were still their best chance at winning the war. Shortly thereafter, Jedi Master Yoda went on a journey to discover the secrets of immortality, and, on Dagobah, saw a vision of what would become Order 66. Throughout his journey, Yoda came to accept that the Jedi would likely lose the Clone Wars, though he did not know how. He did, however, believe that the Jedi would still ultimately triumph in the long-run.

Execution
"Every single Jedi, including your friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic."

- Darth Sidious to Darth Vader

With the secrets of Order 66 secure, Palpatine and Dooku continued with their plans during the Clone Wars. By the war's end, public support for the Jedi had weakened due to their management of the conflict, while Palpatine remained a popular figure. After the deaths of Count Dooku and General Grievous, which the Jedi hoped would end the war, Palpatine revealed himself to Skywalker as the Dark Lord of the Sith in an effort to seduce him to the dark side of the Force. When Skywalker informed Jedi Master Mace Windu of the Chancellor's identity, Windu assembled a team composed of himself, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, to arrest Palpatine. Their attempt led to a lightsaber duel in which Palpatine killed all four of the Jedi, and Skywalker turned to the dark side.

Palpatine used the duel as a pretext for declaring that the Jedi were traitors, ones who had attempted to assassinate him and take control of the Republic for themselves. The Chancellor issued Order 66 to various clone commanders across the galaxy, while Skywalker&mdash;now the Sith Lord Darth Vader&mdash;was sent to kill the Jedi within the Jedi Temple. Thousands of Jedi throughout the galaxy were killed within minutes, including Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura, and even younglings.

Aftermath
"The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!"

- Palpatine, before the Galactic Senate

The execution of Order 66 marked the destruction of the Jedi Order. Before the Galactic Senate, Palpatine told the galaxy that the Jedi were traitors who had attempted to kill him and seize power, and the destruction of the Jedi was greeted with applause by the Senate. Having amassed immense central authority during the war, and without the Jedi Order standing in his way, Palpatine transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and declared himself Emperor. Along with Vader, Palpatine's rule meant that the Sith plan was completed, and the Sith Lords once again ruled the galaxy.

Few Jedi survived the onslaught of Order 66. Obi-Wan Kenobi went into exile on Tatooine, along with Vader's infant son, Luke Skywalker; Vader did not know that Luke or his twin sister, Leia, had been born, so the twins were taken into hiding. Jedi Master Yoda, meanwhile, went into exile on Dagobah. Kanan Jarrus went into hiding, giving up his identity as a Jedi for fourteen years before returning, with the crew of the Ghost, to rebel against the Empire.

Legacy
"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights… Now the Jedi are all but extinct."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker about the fall of the Jedi

For nearly twenty years, the Empire was able to expand without any significant Jedi opposition. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, however, Kenobi emerged from his exile and began training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi Knight, in the hopes that Luke would be able to defeat Vader and the Emperor. Kenobi was killed by Darth Vader aboard the Death Star, leaving Luke to be trained by Yoda, the only known surviving Jedi. The two trained on Dagobah before Luke left to confront Vader, and Luke did not return until just before Yoda's death.

Upon the Jedi Master's death, Luke became the last of the Jedi and set out to confront Vader once more, now having learned the truth that Vader was his father. During the Battle of Endor, Luke redeemed his father, and Anakin killed the Emperor. The act of killing the Emperor resulted in Anakin's death, leading to the end of the Sith; through his death, Anakin fulfilled the prophecy of the Chosen One and brought balance to the Force. By confronting his father and saving him, Luke became the first new Jedi Knight in a generation, bringing about the return of the Jedi.

Known victims

 * Master Tiplar
 * Master Stass Allie
 * Master Plo Koon
 * Master Ki-Adi-Mundi
 * Master Aayla Secura
 * Master Depa Billaba
 * Master Luminara Unduli
 * Padawan Zett Jukassa
 * Youngling Sors Bandeam

Known survivors

 * Master Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Master Yoda
 * Padawan Kanan Jarrus

Behind the scenes
The events of Order 66, namely the destruction of the Jedi Order, were first mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The destruction itself was first depicted on-screen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, while the backstory of Order 66 was provided in a four-episode arc in the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The aftermath of Order 66 is depicted in the series Star Wars Rebels, with one of the primary characters, Kanan Jarrus, being a survivor of the Jedi Order's destruction. A comic series entitled Star Wars: Kanan featuring Kanan Jarrus is currently in the works as well, with the first issue entitled The Last Padawan taking place around the time Order 66 was issued.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Kanan
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Kanan
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope