The Empire was so domineering and powerful in the original Star Wars trilogy that it was difficult to imagine a time before the Empire existed. However, the prequel trilogy introduced audiences to the Republic and the Jedi Order, both of which predated the Empire by a wide margin. More than that, the prequels revealed how Palpatine meticulously took the galaxy from one with a Republic to one fully controlled by his new Empire and how the Jedi went from a flourishing Order to all but eradicated.
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In fact, since the prequel trilogy, Star Wars movies and TV shows have only shown in even greater detail how this overhaul was achieved, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars in particular revealing how this downfall of the Republic and the Jedi Order came about. A key element of that, particularly in terms of the destruction of the Jedi, was Order 66. Indeed, this event was absolutely crucial for the Empire to rise up and then to maintain power. Yet, as time goes by, it’s only become clearer just how badly the Empire failed in that mission.
Order 66 Was Critical For The Success Of The Empire
Palpatine had a host of daunting obstacles to tackle on his rise to power. On the one hand, there was the political issue, which meant that he somehow had to bring an end to the Republic without the galaxy turning on him. Perhaps even more difficult, however, was the threat that the Jedi posed to his rule. Palpatine knew that the Jedi were just too significant an issue, and he therefore had to eradicate them entirely. Even a few Jedi remaining alive would be enough to bring him down (as was ultimately proven in the original trilogy).
The first step in that process was Order 66, which cut the Jedi’s numbers down to almost nothing. Palpatine was no fool, though, and knew that Order 66 couldn’t have destroyed every last Jedi. To take out the remaining Order 66 survivors and make sure no new Force-sensitive beings became threats during the Dark Times, the Imperial Inquisitors were established. Initially, it seemed as though Palpatine had achieved his goal, with the exception of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. Surprisingly, though, Star Wars has increasingly confirmed that wasn’t the case.
Star Wars Keeps Proving How Badly They Failed
Despite the original trilogy making it seem as though Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan were the sole living Jedi (and Obi-Wan and Yoda ultimately died in those movies), Star Wars—especially the shows—has revealed many more Order 66 survivors. From fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano to brand-new additions like Devon in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, there are now many more survivors who were active during the Dark Times.
In addition to this changing the original depiction of Order 66, these updates have meant that the Empire has increasingly appeared incompetent. After all, this wasn’t just a few Jedi slipping through the cracks. Kanan Jarrus, originally called Caleb Dume, had survived, and he took on an apprentice, Ezra Bridger. Grogu, one of only two living members (at the time of Order 66) of Yoda’s species, survived Order 66 by being saved by another Jedi, Kelleran Beq. Quinlan Vos survived and contributed to .
Even Jocasta Nu, who had been in charge of the Jedi Order’s archives, survived the attack and went on to fight Darth Vader. Clearly, Order 66 and the Imperial Inquisitors failed to destroy the Jedi, and now, that might mean bigger problems for Star Wars.
Has Star Wars Painted Itself Into A Corner?
In addition to the increasing number of Order 66 survivors making the Empire look much more incompetent, Star Wars now has the problem of explaining where all these Jedi were throughout the Dark Times, especially the original trilogy, when their help would have been essential. Jedi like Ahsoka absolutely should have been involved, for example, but that still hasn’t been entirely explained.
Even after the original trilogy, though, many characters’ stories need some sort of explanation. The Ahsoka show, for one, has confirmed that Ezra was alive and in the main Star Wars galaxy during the New Republic Era. Yet, he doesn’t assist during the events of the sequel trilogy. Likewise, if Devon is being introduced now, where is she in either the original or sequel trilogies? Surely Star Wars can’t simply kill off every Jedi survivor that has been introduced over the last decade or so.
Star Wars therefore has quite a bit of work to do to make these additions to the list of Jedi survivors make sense. And, no matter how the franchise navigates that problem, there is the other matter of the Empire now seeming ever more incompetent.
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