Great Jedi Purge

"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, speaking of Anakin Skywalker to Luke Skywalker

The Great Jedi Purge, also known as the Jedi Purge, referred to the efforts initiated by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious upon his creation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY to eradicate the Jedi Order. It resulted in the near-annihilation of the Jedi, as had the First Jedi Purge after the Jedi Civil War in 3,956 BBY.

It began with the deaths of Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin at the hands of Darth Sidious, with help from Anakin Skywalker, who became the Sith Lord Darth Vader after the battle. Sidious sent the newly appointed Vader to the Jedi Temple to kill the Jedi there, then executed Order 66, which declared all Jedi enemies of the Republic.

Sidious, now Emperor of the Galactic Empire, used Vader and other agents of the Empire to hunt down and kill the remaining Jedi. Some Jedi fought the Empire until their deaths, like Roan Shryne and those at the Conclave on Kessel. Others hid from the Empire, like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. In the nineteen years that followed Order 66, many Jedi fell to Vader, Inquisitors, Emperor's Hands, and even bounty hunters. By the time the Purge ended, a very small number of Jedi remained.

It was generally considered to have lasted from the birth of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY to the emergence of Luke Skywalker and the Alliance to Restore the Republic around the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY. The Great Jedi Purge was also sometimes considered the beginning of the Galactic Civil War.

The "Jedi Rebellion"
"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest, Chancellor.''" "''Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

- Mace Windu and Palpatine

After Anakin Skywalker discovered that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the elusive Sith Lord for whom the Jedi had been searching for more than a decade, Jedi Master Mace Windu led a small group of Jedi Masters, comprised of himself, Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto, and Saesee Tiin, to apprehend Sidious. Sidious killed Agen Kolar immediately, followed by Saesee Tiin, and, with some greater effort, Kit Fisto. In the ensuing fight, Darth Sidious dragged the battle out in order to give Anakin time to arrive on the scene.



Either in an attempt to look defenseless or as a result of Windu's dueling superiority, Palpatine was defeated seconds before Anakin entered the room. He then shot Force lightning at Windu, who deflected the lightning back, twisting Palpatine's face, making it appear yellowed and ravaged by the dark side. Anakin Skywalker appeared, and after some apparent inward hesitation, was driven to incapacitate Windu in order to save Palpatine, whom Anakin believed was the only one with sufficient knowledge of the dark side of the Force to save his wife, Padmé Amidala, from death.

As Sidious had foreseen, Anakin then drew his lightsaber to parry Windu's swipe at the Chancellor and through his action, cut off the Jedi Master's saber hand. Then Sidious, who had pleaded with Anakin and Windu not to kill him for his weakness, immediately regained enough strength to blast Master Windu with Force lightning and send him out the window to his death.

Anakin was immediately horrified by what he had done, but despite his guilt, or perhaps because of it, he could not overcome the temptation of the dark side, nor could he simply allow Padmé to die when Sidious (allegedly) had the ability to save her. Anakin swore fealty to Sidious, becoming his new apprentice, and was given the Sith name Darth Vader.

Order 66
"The time has come. Execute Order 66."

- Palpatine to numerous clone commanders

Palpatine wasted no time in declaring that the Jedi's attempt to take him into custody constituted a betrayal to the Republic by the Order, and used it to justify his ultimate goals. Palpatine ordered the Grand Army of the Republic to execute Order 66&mdash;the total annihilation of all Jedi "traitors" throughout the entire galaxy as a sign that the age of the Jedi had ended and the New Order was now in place.

In addition to the Jedi's attempt to arrest Palpatine, another reason cited for wiping out the order was the argument that they were complicit in starting the Clone Wars to destabilize the galaxy and overthrow the government. Facts cited in support of this argument included the Jedi involvement in initiating the creation of the clone army without authorization from the Senate, and the role of former Jedi Count Dooku in forming the Separatist movement.

Assault on the Jedi Temple
"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end."

- Palpatine



Simultaneously, Palpatine dispatched Vader and the 501st Legion to cleanse the Jedi Temple on Coruscant of Jedi. The newly-titled Emperor justified his purge with an elaborate conspiracy tale of the Jedi's attempt to take control of the Republic by assassinating the head of government, usurping the clone army's control, and even killing all members in the Galactic Senate, using tampered security recordings of his battle with Mace Windu as evidence.

The Empire estimated that less than one hundred Jedi escaped the betrayal of Vader and the clone troopers that they were leading during the course of the war. Among the few survivors were Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Shaak Ti, and Yoda. Many Jedi that did survive, like Kai Hudorra and Roan Shryne, cast aside their lightsabers, realizing that their roles as keepers of the peace were over. Other Jedi, such as Olee Starstone and Dass Jennir, kept fighting the Empire, and tried to contact the other Jedi. Kenobi, Ti, and Yoda secretly escaped to Tatooine, Felucia, and Dagobah, respectively. However, before hiding, Obi-Wan and Yoda altered a return call being sent from the Temple into a warning to stay away; as a result, several other Jedi managed to survive the immediate purge. Most survivors fell to Vader, but some others fell to Jedi hunters, including the Emperor's Hands, Dark Jedi, and even bounty hunters.

Conclave on Kessel


About one month after Order 66 was issued, the Jedi Shadday Potkin called for a Conclave on Kessel to discuss options against the Imperial campaign to wipe out the remaining Jedi. A group of surviving Jedi, including Bultar Swan and Tsui Choi, gathered on Kessel. However, the conclave was a ruse to trap and kill Vader.

A false rumor that his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be among the Jedi motivated Vader to act. Despite Obi-Wan's absence, Vader demanded his location from the Jedi, threatening them with death. They did not cooperate with his request (even though none knew where Kenobi was) and, although they put up a valiant fight, no Jedi survived. Potkin's trap for Vader resulted in nothing more than the deaths of more Jedi.

Rumors spread that the conclave consisted of fifty Jedi; each easily killed by the Dark Lord. Although in truth, Darth Vader fought only eight with difficulty. However, to cement Vader's image and invoke fear in the remaining Jedi, the Emperor declared the rumors true. Official reports, fabricated by Sate Pestage, stated that some of the Jedi had either been executed for numerous crimes, or that they killed each other in duels for leadership.

Subjugation of Kashyyyk
"Skywalker, it won't matter if you find them. It won't matter if you kill every Jedi who survived Order Sixty-Six. I understand now…the Force will never die."

- Roan Shryne's last words

Immediately after Order 66 was issued, Jedi Padawan and survivor Olee Starstone began searching for any surviving Jedi. One destination she investigated was Kashyyyk, where Masters Yoda, Luminara Unduli, and Quinlan Vos had been stationed when the Order was transmitted directly from Coruscant. She arrived on the planet along with several other Jedi survivors&mdash;Siadem Forte, Deran Nalual, Klossi Anno, Iwo Kulka, Jambe Lu, and Nam Poorf, as well as the slicer Filli Bitters. After meeting with Tarfful and Chewbacca, the Jedi learned of Yoda's survival. The Wookiees offered the band of Jedi safe harbor on Kashyyyk, but a CR25 troop carrier arrived at Kachirho, thereby interrupting their meeting.

Not long after the arrival of the Jedi, the Sith Lord Darth Vader had arrived in the Kashyyyk system, along with the Imperator-class Star Destroyer Exactor, where it joined Wilhuff Tarkin and Executrix. The two planned their attack on Kashyyyk&mdash;Vader interested in destroying the fugitive Jedi, Tarkin interested in enslaving the Wookiees for use in the construction of the Death Star. Although the fleet commanders were eager to bombard the planet, Vader overruled them, ordering a direct assault on several cities including Kachirho, Rwookrrorro, Kepitenochan, Okikuti, and Chenachochan.

At Kachirho, the landed Imperial troops ordered the Wookiees to hand over the fugitive Jedi. The enraged Wookiees attacked the troops, and Starstone and her Jedi soon joined the battle. As more Imperial forces landed, the Wookiee warriors and the Jedi covered the evacuation of Kachirho, as countless Wookiees fled the Imperial troopers, fleeing from enslavement. Imperial landers and gunships were engaged by Oevvaor jet catamarans, retrofitted with rocket launchers and other high-end military hardware, salvaged by the Wookiees from the remnants left over by the earlier Battle of Kashyyyk.

Meanwhile, Lord Vader piloted a Theta-class shuttle. Eventually making a landing at Kachirho, Vader was confronted by Starstone and her Jedi cadre. Vader killed Forte and Kulka, and injured Lu, Poorf, and Anno, leaving only himself and Starstone in the fight.

The two briefly faced off, but Jedi Knight Roan Shryne and the smuggler Archyr Beil arrived and intervened. Shryne slew Appo while Archyr dealt with the rest of the stormtroopers, and Shryne moved in to engage Vader in a vicious battle, buying Starstone and Archyr more time to escape with the injured Jedi. As Shryne and Vader dueled, the main battle began to drift east of the city, moving closer to the lake, as Imperial gunships and artillery drove the Wookiees down out of the city and towards the ground.

Abruptly, the Imperial gunships began to retreat from Kachirho, as the orbiting Star Destroyers began their orbital bombardment. Shryne and Vader's duel was interrupted by the strike, and the two moved inside one of the great wroshyr trees. Once inside, Vader used Force throw to throw planks of wood and other debris at Shryne, critically injuring the Jedi in the process and throwing him down from a high bridge. Seeing that Shryne was going to die, Vader chose not to finish off the Jedi, instead revealing his true identity to the man&mdash;Anakin Skywalker, who would be redeemed by his son, Luke Skywalker, during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY.

As Shryne passed away, Victory-class Star Destroyers began to descend into the atmosphere, finishing the conquest of Kashyyyk. About two hundred thousand Wookiees, including Tarfful, were captured and moved to containment camps on the Wawaatt Archipelago.

As a result, the Empire gained control of Kashyyyk, and gained a valuable labor source for the Death Star project.

Siege of Naboo


The monarch of Naboo, Queen Apailana, decided that the situation called for military&mdash;not diplomatic&mdash;action. She started sheltering fugitive Jedi on the run from the Empire. To crush the uprising on Palpatine's homeworld, the 501st Legion invaded Theed and rushed into the plaza supported by TX-130T fighter tanks after disabling an auto-turret grid. The Jedi were killed by the rushing stormtroopers, and Apailana was shot and killed by a sniper. With Naboo in line, the 501st gained the nickname "Vader's Fist."

Later actions
During the purge, Vader wiped out the farming colony of Talasea for harboring a Jedi. During the Purge, Vader raised a secret apprentice in a hope to overthrow Palpatine. The apprentice was sent to hunt down such fugitive Jedi as Shaak Ti, Kota, Maris Brood, and Force-sensitives on Felucia. Vader and a number of stormtroopers also killed the last Curator of Records on Toola.

In 10 BBY, Inquisitor Tremayne captured and tortured Jedi Master Darrin Arkanian and his apprentice, Corwin Shelvay, on Coruscant. In an escape attempt, Tremayne killed Arkanian in a lightsaber duel, only to have Shelvay seriously wound him before making it offworld. Tremayne required cybernetic implants to recover, and was afterward dispatched by Vader aboard Interrogator to scour the Outer Rim for Shelvay. Around this time, Imperial sentinels were sent off Byss for the first time, to capture Ashka Boda. Bringing him to Coruscant in an Imperial dungeon ship, Palpatine killed him and took Bodo Baas's holocron.

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Vader tracked a female Human Dark Jedi down on the planet Dargulli. Despite the fact that she wished to become his Sith apprentice, Vader killed her. Around this time, Vader also killed the Dark Woman, who had been found on Cophrigim 5 by Mara Jade. Throughout the Purge, CorSec aided Vader and his agents in hunting Jedi within the Corellian Sector.

Aftermath
"In having survived, Yoda and Obi-Wan aren't exceptions to the rule. I'm certain that dozens of Jedi escaped with their lives, and in due time you will have the pleasure of killing many of them. But of greater importance is the fact that their order has been crushed. Finished, Lord Vader. Do I make myself clear?"

- Palpatine to Vader



By 1 BBY, the systematic Purge itself had concluded, but a few of the survivors would die in the years that followed&mdash;including An'ya Kuro who was tracked down and executed by Darth Vader on Cophrigin 5, Echuu Shen-Jon, killed by Vader on Krant, and, most notably, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who sacrificed himself on the first Death Star to ensure the escape of his protégé Luke Skywalker. As the Galactic Civil War turned in favor of the Rebels, surviving Jedi began to come out of hiding, becoming members of the Alliance, even sacrificing their lives for the return of the Republic and democracy. Four years after Kenobi's death, Yoda died at the old age of 900 and Anakin Skywalker, formerly Darth Vader, sacrificed himself to save his son from being killed by his former master, Palpatine, on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. Surviving Jedi would even join the New Jedi Order; in addition, six years after the Battle, Empatojayos Brand sacrificed himself to destroy the spirit of Palpatine on Onderon.

The Purge was not only intended to symbolically and literally exterminate the entire Jedi Order, but to also consolidate the Jedi's history, knowledge, and technology into Palpatine's possession. Many holocrons, ancient techniques, training materials, and Jedi-related antiques were lost. This was primarily due to the efforts of Darth Vader; the Inquisitorius, Dark Jedi whose specific purpose was to seek out and destroy the vestiges of the Jedi Order; and the Imperial Security Bureau, which was responsible for erasing the Order's memories. During his efforts to reestablish the order, Luke Skywalker and his relic hunters participated in intensive research to locate even the smallest scraps of information pertaining to the old order, most notably on Onderon where the Jedi artifacts were located during the reign of the reborn Palpatine in 10 ABY.

Known survivors as of the end of the Purge (1 BBY)
"The Jedi Order is as ancient as time itself. It would take the might of the entire galaxy to strike us down."

- Jedi Master Kreia

Behind the scenes


The details of the Purge are explained in the Expanded Universe. In contrast, the movies show only Yoda and Obi-Wan as survivors while others are either killed or just not mentioned. Some think that this is what George Lucas actually intended, that according to G-canon, the actual survivors were only two, which is supported by Yoda's line to Luke "The last of the Jedi you will be." This statement seems inaccurate if other Jedi were alive as late as after Return of the Jedi, although it could simply refer to Jedi who are still following the teachings of the Order. Alternately, it could be that Yoda was simply unaware of other Jedi, or that the other Jedi had either already been hunted down or passed away.

It has also been speculated that more details of the Purge will be revealed in the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series, since it will be set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

The Purge is perhaps most closely mirrored by the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing dynasty government in 1732. Much like the Jedi, the Shaolin monks were given military status in both the Tang and Ming dynasties. However, since the monks supported the efforts of anti-Qing rebels, the government executed them, destroyed their temple and outlawed their martial arts teachings. Of course, some disciples of the Shaolin Temple, like the Jedi, went into exile and secretly passed on their knowledge of Shaolin wushu.

Some also consider the fate of the Jedi to be similar to that of the Knights Templar. According to some sources, a letter from King Philip IV ordering the arrest and execution of the Templars was secretly dispatched to army officers serving alongside them. These officers were instructed not to open the letter until October 13, 1307; at which time Philip's order was carried out and the once powerful Templar Order was destroyed.

Parallels may also be drawn between the Jedi Purge and the abolition of the samurai class by Emperor Meiji in late 19th century Japan. Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the samurai had enjoyed many exclusive rights and benefits as a privileged and elite class, including the right to bear arms. Emperor Meiji stripped the samurai of their rank and privileges in favor of a more modern, western-style conscripted army. Many samurai were subsequently killed by these new modern soldiers in a series of rebellious uprisings, culminating in the Battle of Shiroyama in 1877.

With much of the background of Star Wars based on World War II, parallels can also be drawn to what has become known as Kristallnacht.

Appearances



 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Republic: Into the Unknown
 * Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Evasive Action: Recruitment
 * Evasive Action: Prey
 * Evasive Action: End Game
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
 * Dark Vendetta
 * Darth Vader: Extinction
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Empire: Betrayal
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * A Credit for Your Thoughts
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * Dark Empire
 * The Unifying Force
 * Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy 11: Ghosts, Part 1