How many more Jedi will survive Order 66?
That command doesn't seem to be working?
In the Star Wars universe, there is nothing more iconic than the Jedi Knight. From Yoda to Cal Kestis, there's nothing more recognizable than the members of this order. And there are many. With its rich history, Star Wars tells the story of multiple generations of Jedi Knights. And there's no shortage of stories. Every new Star Wars medium seems to be adding its own Jedi, which is fine, unless they were supposed to be wiped out by Order 66. With the Jedi on the verge of extinction, there are still plenty of familiar faces floating around. Not every new project needs another Jedi. Andor didn't include any, and the first seasons of Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Book of Boba Fett didn't introduce new Jedi survivors. However, with the unspoken expectation that there will be Jedi in Star Wars content, theories continue to swirl about who else might be a Jedi. It's easy to forget that even the beloved and powerful Jedi had to die for Order 66 to have its due impact. Missing Jedi from the original trilogy Up the stakes for the Rebellion, especially with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). So the more that survive, the more complicated the situation becomes.
What is Order 66 and Who Survived?
The crux of the matter lies in the definition of Order 66 itself. This devastating event can be seen in Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars season seven, and the beginning of The Bad Batch. The Jedi are nearly wiped out when Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) activates the suppressor chip, forcing the clones to attack their general. The original trilogy has only two known survivors: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Yoda (Frank Oz). This effectively makes Skywalker the galaxy's last hope. But as the world expands, things are not that simple. More survivors start to emerge.
The Clone Wars brought a number of new Jedi, including Anakin's (Matrante) apprentice, Ahsoka Tano (Ashlee Eckstein). Though she eventually left the Jedi Order, Ahsoka managed to fight alongside clones on Mandalorian during Order 66. The video game Star Wars: The Fallen Order introduces Cal Kestis and Cere Junda. Cal was an apprentice during Order 66, and his quick-thinking master sacrificed himself for him get away. Cere is a Jedi who escapes with her apprentice, Trilla Suduri, and several children. Caleb Dume or Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) can be seen in Star Wars Rebels, but The Bad Batch shows him in Order 66. Due to the sacrifice of his master Depa Billaba (Archie Panjabi) and the presence of bad batch clones, unaffected but suppressor chips.
The Mandalorian tells of Grogu, a young man who survived. Obi-Wan Kenobi introduces Reva (Moses Ingram), another young man who has to fake death when her companion is killed. The show also has an early rebel movement that helps smuggle the Empire's targets to safety. The safe house bears the name of Quinlan Voss (Al Rodrigo), who apparently lived after the fall of the Jedi. Other material tells of Jocasta Nu and Luminara Unduli surviving the initial wave of destruction. Finally, The Bad Batch season 2 trailer shows Gungi, a Jedi teenage from The Clone Wars, alive and seemingly on the run. This brings the number of survivors to 13, although this is by no means an exhaustive list. with With all these Jedi running around, how could Luke be as important as he was in the original trilogy with minimal training?
What Did the Survivors Do?
While it presents an existential problem for many, there are other things to consider. Most notably Vader's Inquisitors, they hunted down these survivors. Force-sensitive individuals who embraced the dark side were allowed to join elite Jedi killer orders. Inquisitors run rampant in Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite their initial success, the Jedi Survivors are far from safe in the Empire's galaxy. Obi-Wan and Yoda bide their time, while others have different paths. Ahsoka and Caleb fight for the rebellion. Like Voss, they evaded the Inquisitor with the help of early rebels. Jocastanu attempted to preserve the Jedi records, but was captured and killed by the Inquisitor. Likewise, the Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs) killed Luminara before the Rebels, and her remains were used to lure the few remaining Jedi to the Empire. Still, others are tempted by the dark side. After experiencing horror, Reva and Cere become Inquisitors themselves, though they realize their ways are wrong.
Empires and their Inquisitors lived a meager life after Order 66 prize. Surviving an incident doesn't mean they did it for too long. After the events of the original trilogy, only Ahsoka and Grogu appear. Since Ahsoka is no longer an official Jedi and Grogu is too young to do much on his own, their presence doesn't change Luke's status as the last Jedi. The others appeared during the 19-year gap between the prequels and the original, so they could have been killed off before Luke started his journey. In fact, many of them are. In this dangerous and turbulent time, not even their Jedi force can save them.
How Do the Survivors Change the Story?
While the increasing number of Jedi who have lived through Order 66 seems to have diminished the desperation in the original film, this is not the case. The reality is that no matter how many Jedi survive the Empire's onslaught, the number of Jedi killed will always be a small fraction. The Jedi Order faced delays during the Empire's reign, and no amount of survivors could change that. While adding to the list should be done with caution, many more Jedi could have survived Order 66. And with the Inquisitor, even that is no guarantee. Order 66 leads to depletion of Jedi ranks, destruction The Hallows, and the loss of Jedi knowledge. Those few who survived were hunted for years. No matter who succeeds, Order 66 will always be the tragedy that shaped the Star Wars galaxy.
