Order 66 is an important component of Palpatine’s plan Star Wars Legendary story, but this is just one of 150 backup orders for the Galactic Republic’s clone army. The clone soldiers are basically good people with free will (despite being mentally altered by their Kamino creators), but their real purpose is to help Palpatine wipe out the Jedi and turn the Republic into his tyrannical galactic empire. Of all the backup orders, Order 66 was the only one that Palpatine actually intended to use. However, everyone in the Republican Army, including Jedi and non-clone personnel, was aware of these backup orders.
The clone soldiers were specifically taught to obey Order 66, regardless of their beliefs in democracy and friendship with the Jedi leader. When the order was given, most of the clones obeyed, wiping out most of the Jedi that had spread across the galaxy during the Clone Wars. These clones later became the original military force of the newly named Galactic Empire. Although Order 66 was largely successful, many clone soldiers, through sheer will or otherwise, held to their ideals and refused to obey orders, allowing some Jedi to survive and flee the Empire. Almost all of Jango Fett’s ARC soldiers violated orders due to a lack of rehabilitation and indoctrination.
The 2007 novel reveals the existence of other backup orders in the Republican Army Commandos of the Republic: True Colors. The full text of Order 66 is as follows:
“If Jedi officers act against the interests of the Republic, and upon receipt of specific and proven orders directly from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (the Prime Minister), the GAR Commander will remove these officers by lethal force and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Prime Minister) until a new command structure is established.“
The Jedi never doubted that Order 66 would be used, and the fact that it was buried among more than a hundred other backup orders may have left the text of the order under scrutiny. If the Jedi Knights looked closely, they would find that Order 66 was extremely useful in staging a coup and destroying the democracy of the Republic.
order 4
In the event that the Supreme Chancellor is incompetent, Order No. 4 will be issued to maintain the leadership of the Republican Army. As the picture shows true colorThe full text is:
“In the event that the Supreme Commander (Prime Minister) is incompetent, the overall command of the GAR shall remain with the Vice President of the Senate until a successor is appointed or alternate powers are determined in accordance with Article 6(iv).“
During the Clone Wars, the Vice President of the Senate was Mas Almeda, who would become interim leader of the Republican Army if Order 4 was implemented. Long before Palpatine was the Supreme Chancellor, Mas Almeda was a notoriously corrupt politician. He is also one of the few people in the Republic who knows of Palpatine’s secret Sith identity, Darth Sidious, meaning that the Sith Order will likely continue to control the Republican army even if Palpatine is incapacitated. Order #4 was probably issued during the Battle of Coruscant. As the picture shows Star Wars: Clone Wars And Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithLater, Palpatine was captured by General Grievous in battle. Despite his brief imprisonment, Palpatine may have used the Fourth Order before being rescued at the end of the battle.
order 5
Order 5 is another fallback involving the Supreme Chancellor, but in this case it must be issued if Palpatine is declared unfit to command. The full text of Command No. 5 also appears in true color:
“If the Supreme Commander (Prime Minister) is declared unfit to issue orders (as outlined in Article 6(ii)), the Chief of Defense Staff will assume command of the GAR and form a strategic senior officer group (see page 1173, paragraph 4) until a successor is appointed or a replacement agency is identified.“
Of all the known backup commands, the 5th Commandment is one of the most confusing. The text only cites “Section VI” to explain who would declare Palpatine unfit to lead, and it doesn’t call for any specific action by the clone troops other than their new commander being the Republic’s Chief of Defense Staff. It is unclear who held this position during the Clone Wars. Order 5 is similar in many respects to Order 65, but the situation appears to be much less dire. Order 5 can be used if the prime minister is toppled by a vote of no confidence and a successor has not yet been chosen.
order 37
Order 37 is an extremely brutal emergency order that prescribes the use of civilians as hostages to force their surrender and capture fugitives. The Last Jedi: A Desperate QuestOrder 37 was enforced on the core world Bellasa a year after the Republic became the Empire. The Empire conspired to capture Jedi Padawan Ferrus Olin, arresting many civilians and executing many of them (according to Basic Atlas). Order 37 is also executed on Rosha, the core world of the CIS Alliance, as shown in the figure The Last Jedi: Return of the Dark Side.
Order 37 essentially declared martial law on a planet, and although it was issued only twice (both times after the fall of the Republic), what is disturbing is that the Order existed during the Clone Wars. Jedi or clones do not capture and execute civilians to capture their opponents. The existence of Order 37 is one of many signs that the Republic has lost its way in the Clone Wars.
order 65
Order 65, like Order 5, was a response to Palpatine’s being declared unfit to lead the Republic. Full text is available at true color:
“If (i) a majority of the Senate declares the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Prime Minister) ineligible to issue orders, or (ii) the Security Council deems the Supreme Commander-in-Chief unfit to issue orders, and the GAR receives a verified order, the Commander shall have the power to arrest the Supreme Commander, use deadly force if necessary, and the command of the GAR shall be appointed when the successor powers described in Article 6 are determined for (iv).“
While it’s a fun and intriguing scenario to imagine, it’s highly unlikely that Palpatine would allow clone soldiers to obey such orders. The order, the predecessor to Order 66, may have been a measure taken by Palpatine to conceal his true intentions from those scrutinizing the backup orders. Clone soldiers can even be propagated oppose, oppose Under Order 65, if the Republic finds out the truth about Palpatine and tries to defeat him with the Order.
Order 151
This additional backup order is not made public in Republican or Imperial forces, as its purpose is to turn clones against Darth Vader. The text of Command 151 is unknown and the order was never carried out, but Darth Vader has found its presence in the universe. Star Wars: The Dark Ages comic series and kill the clone commander Vile to cover up this knowledge. Given his status as the Sith Lord of Palpatine, it is certain that Palpatine established Order 151 as a means of removing Vader or protecting himself from Vader under the Rule of Two. Star Wars In the franchise, Palpatine is a genius with plans for almost every possibility, as evidenced by his backup orders, especially Order 66.
