20 Years After Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Order 66 is Retconned to Make the Story Even Better
20 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Order 66, one of the most important events in the prequel trilogy, has undergone a significant retcon. According to Revenge of the Sith novelization, “The Clone Wars have always been, in and of themselves, the revenge of the Sith. They were irresistible bait. They took place in remote locations, on planets that belonged, primarily, to ‘someone else.’ They were fought by expendable proxies. And they were constructed as a win-win situation. The Clone Wars were the perfect Jedi trap.”
By fighting at all, the Jedi lost. Order 66 was the climax of the Clone Wars, and it’s one of the most powerful and iconic moments in the movie. However, over the years, it has been reinterpreted and retconned many times.
One of the biggest retcons came when George Lucas wanted to develop the clones as heroes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The problem was that viewers knew the story would end with the heroes turning on the Jedi, becoming the template for stormtroopers. To get around this, Lucas introduced the idea that the clones had been implanted with inhibitor chips, which were activated by Palpatine’s phrase “Order 66.” This meant that the clones had no choice but to turn on the Jedi.
This retcon was met with widespread acclaim, as it allowed viewers to empathize with the clones as heroes, rather than villains. It also created powerful narrative arcs, including one in which clone trooper Fives comes close to discovering the existence of the inhibitor chips.
The Clone Wars have also been retconned to include clones who resisted Order 66. In Star Wars: The Bad Batch, it’s revealed that the mutant clones of Clone Force 99 all resisted Order 66 to some degree. Additionally, the Star Wars book “Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide” explains that the secret code of Order 66, encoded in each clone’s genetic makeup, needed complete uniform subservience to work. Strong-minded clones could resist the order’s execution.
The retcon of Order 66 has been well-received by fans, and it has become an integral part of the Star Wars canon. It has also led to the creation of new storylines and characters, such as The Bad Batch, which explores the aftermath of Order 66 and the clones who resisted it.
