By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In Revenge of the Sith, we saw how Palpatine’s devious Order 66 command caused Clone Troopers throughout the galaxy to kill as many Jedi as possible, with Darth Vader leading the charge to kill whoever survived. Because of this, Vader and Palpatine are generally considered the only reason that these iconic guardians of peace were ever hunted down and killed. However, the swiftness with which the Republic senators throw their support behind their self-appointed Emperor reveals something startling: Order 66 was probably unnecessary because the Jedi are secretly hated that much around the galaxy.
Order 66 And The Jedi
Understandably, fans link Order 66 and the Jedi genocide together because of the montage of scenes in which we see Clones betray and kill their Force-sensitive superior officers. However, to understand my theory, you need to focus instead on the scene in which Palpatine installs himself as Emperor to a cheering crowd of elected officials. Padme famously notes that “this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.”
It’s probably the best line of the prequels, but most fans have never considered what this scene revealed about the Galactic Senate and most of its members. Palpatine didn’t have to individually mind trick all of these people into supporting his fascist agenda…instead, they went along with it willingly. And when the new Emperor described being betrayed and mutilated by these space wizards, most of the gathered senators didn’t even blink an eye.
Therefore, consider this: if Palpatine never issued Order 66, would the Jedi have really lasted much longer? It seems like sentiment against them had been growing for a very long time. Long enough to undo the goodwill they had accrued after 25,000 years of keeping that galaxy far, far away safe. It really seems like all of these individual planets would have begun killing Jedi on their own before too long, and while the process would have taken longer, the final result is no different than Palpatine and Vader’s Imperial purge.
Plus, if you’re doubtful that the senators could have done just as good a job as Order 66 of killing the Jedi, consider this: as with any other representative republic, these elected officials are meant to ostensibly represent the will of their collective people. So each senator that goes along with Palpatine’s story of Jedi betrayal and the subsequent need for a purge is, effectively, representing his entire planet. And if there were that many entire planets out in the galaxy baying for Jedi blood, it’s fair to conclude that these mystics’ days were well and truly numbered.
Obviously, this theory isn’t meant to detract from the significance of Order 66. If not for Palpatine’s command, then countless Jedi all around the galaxy would still be alive. However, it’s worth remembering how much the average senator seemed to hate these Force users and spoke for their planets when announcing explicit support for a Jedi genocide. Given that, we must conclude that Palpatine merely accelerated this process and it was only a matter of time before galactic residents hunted and killed the Jedi of their own accord.
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