Lucasfilm risks making Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’s most stunning twist less impactful if it keeps revealing Jedi that survived Order 66. The Star Wars prequel trilogy detailed the life and tragedy of Anakin Skywalker as he was seduced to the dark side by possessive love and the manipulations of Emperor Palpatine. One of the most dramatic moments in the entirety of the Star Wars timeline took place in Revenge of the Sith, as Order 66 was enacted and the once Republic-loyal Clones forcibly turned on the Jedi and slaughtered them in spades, and the Empire took control of the galaxy.
Star Wars audiences were led to believe that the Jedi were all but extinct after the events of Revenge of the Sith and Order 66. After all, the original Star Wars trilogy implied as much, introducing viewers only to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and the faith they placed in Luke Skywalker as the savior of the galaxy. However, in nearly two decades of Star Wars storytelling since the original release of Revenge of the Sith, Lucasfilm has introduced numerous Jedi that survived the genocide of their Order. Some of these Jedi even had incredibly close ties to Anakin himself, like Ahsoka Tano, who was revealed to be Anakin’s Padawan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Too Many Jedi Survived Order 66
Ahsoka Tano is far from the only (former) Jedi known to have survived Order 66. Star Wars Rebels introduced Kanan Jarrus, formerly known as Caleb Dume. Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed Reva, a Jedi initiate who survived Order 66 at the Jedi Temple, and The Mandalorian features Grogu, another survivor of Anakin’s purge. Even Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduced a few survivors of Order 66, most prominently Cere Junda and Cal Kestis. Other Jedi are known to have survived too, the Wookiee Gungi will return in season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and plenty of other remaining Jedi were turned into Vader’s Inquisitors after the fall of the Republic.
At this point, an argument could be made that too many Jedi survived Order 66. The shock of Palpatine’s Order 66 came from the fact that an entire religion and culture was wiped out in a few minutes, hours, and days. The Jedi didn’t survive, the bad guys won, and the light was snuffed out in the galaxy. Revealing that while many Jedi did die, quite a few still survived, risks dampening the effect of Order 66’s dramatic storytelling twist. The more Jedi survived, the less effective Palpatine’s entire plan appears to be until it becomes clear that there was still plenty of hope left in the galaxy after all.
The Jedi Appear To Have Been Organized During The Dark Times
Though on the surface, a few dozen Jedi surviving out of an Order that consisted of approximately 10,000 members may seem like a drop in an ocean, the entire point of Palpatine’s master plan was to snuff out any semblance of hope in the galaxy. Anywhere a Jedi goes, hope is something that follows. Kanan Jarrus and his Ghost Crew friends became an integral unit of the Rebellion, and he trained a new Jedi. Cal Kestis and Cere Junda ensured that future Force-sensitive children wouldn’t be so easily located by the Empire. They were working in the shadows, undermining the Empire whenever they could, even becoming organized.
So organized, in fact, that the most recent trailer for the Fallen Order sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor features a scene that looks as though Cal and Cere were able to gather enough resources to create a new Jedi Archive of some kind. If enough Jedi were able to regroup to such an extent that they were able to reconnect with each other, as Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra Bridger did in Star Wars Rebels, and other Jedi like Cere and Cal were able to set up a proper base of operations, how much of the light did Order 66 really snuff out in the galaxy?
Lucasfilm’s Jedi Survivors Risk Changing Revenge Of The Sith For The Worse
As there are relatively quite a few Jedi left in the galaxy, Order 66’s effectiveness must be questioned. In turn, Revenge of the Sith’s narratively triumphant climax is affected as well. Though the Star Wars prequels dealt mostly with Anakin Skywalker’s turning to the dark side, the monumental shift in the galaxy that led to the Dark Times under the Empire’s reign was also an important part of their overarching story. They needed to connect the galaxy as seen in the prequel trilogy with the galaxy known from the original Star Wars trilogy, and the Order 66 scenes in Revenge of the Sith acted as a bridge between the two eras.
Anything that undermines that narrative bridge, such as too many Jedi surviving Order 66, undermines the story of Revenge of the Sith as a whole. It even risks undermining the original Star Wars trilogy. Where were all these Jedi during the fight against the Empire in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi? Lucasfilm has painted itself into a corner where it can only kill off more beloved characters to keep canon intact or invent convoluted reasons for why they might not have been involved in the war. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith contains some of Star Wars’ most defining history, and its story deserves to remain intact.
