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 of 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 the authority of 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 theaters 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. While Vader was at the library, some clones took over a Council Chamber as an outpost, destroyed a turret gun nearby, and from there, moved on with the rest of the troopers. As Vader moved into a 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 a 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 erected by the clones.

When Darth Vader reached the top of the High Council quarter, he moved to the Communication Center and 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.



Before tracking down Drallig, Vader took the ancient elevator in the High Council Tower and entered the High Council Chamber and slaughtered a group of younglings when they mistook him for the Jedi Knight he had once been. Vader then made his way through the First Knowledge quarter, to one of the many briefing rooms, Drallig's former apprentice, Serra Keto, confronted Vader and engaged him in a duel. Jumping on a balcony that looked over a training veranda in the Tower of First Knowledge, Darth Vader cut down a pillar, and used it to crush her. Drallig, sensing her death, hoped to avenge her in a duel. Vader made his way to the base of the Temple where he found Drallig guarding a group of younglings in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. After murdering two of Drallig's trainees, Bene and Whie Malreaux, the Sith slashed Drallig in the shoulder, leaving him dying. The squad of clones accompanying Vader than blasted at the other Padawans Drallig was protecting, killing most of them.

The majority of Jedi fleeing through the Temple Precinct were slaughtered by Venator-class Star Destroyers obliterating the area 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 all four 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 remaining 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.

As the Temple burned, Bail Organa landed on the landing platform of the Temple Hangars to investigate the fire and witnessed the death of Zett Jukassa; he narrowly escaped with his life.

As the Clones continued the attack, Darth Vader discovered Shaak Ti in the accommodation rooms. Even though Shaak Ti dueled the Sith Lord, she managed to disorient Vader, and escape the Temple.



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. There, Kenobi was forced to eliminate the clone assassins that guarded it.

"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, as Yoda had noticed lightsaber wounds on many of the bodies. 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.

Aftermath and Legacy
As the clones secured the Temple they checked off their dead against barracks rosters and burnt the bodies. The Temple remained as a burnt out husk, a stark reminder of the fall of the Order. Palpatine allowed the most elite Coruscanti to tour the abandoned halls of the once sacred place for a hefty fee.

Several decades 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.

Known Jedi casualties


As the Temple became secured, the clones began to count the dead. Piling Jedi bodies and checking them off from the Archives rosters, the clones burned the majority of the bodies on the steps of the public entrance Among the dead were Senior General Cin Drallig, killed by Lord Vader himself, along with Drallig's apprentices Commander Bene , Commander Whie Malreaux , General Serra Keto. Vader also personally executed Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu, Senior General Gatemaster Jurokk , and Younglings Sors Bandeam, Shia Letap, Jeswi Ele and rest of the clan. Commander Zett Jukassa and General Olana Chion were both killed by clone troopers.

On top of these notable casualties, the entire security force of Jedi Brutes and Jedi snipers were killed, as well as most (if not all) of the Temple Security Force.

Although the majority of the Jedi in the Temple died, some did escape. Council members Shaak Ti and Even Piell managed to flee into the depths of Coruscant, along with Jax Pavan, Grey Paladin Laranth Tarak, Brute Jastus Farr, the Last Curator of Records, and a group of younglings.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith video game
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Republic Commando: Order 66
 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Dark Times 7: Parallels, Part 2
 * Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
 * 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