Order 66was first depicted inStar Warsmovies and TV shows20 years ago inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and although we’ve now seen this event from multiple points-of-view, one story is still missing. Order 66 is undoubtedly one of the most defining moments intheStar Warstimeline. Although it didn’t successfully eradicate the Jedi entirely, asStar Warshas increasingly revealedJedi survivors of Order 66, it was what brought the Jedi Order down after thousands of years.
WhenRevenge of the Sithshowed Order 66, it wasn’t clear what caused the clone troopers to turn on the Jedi they’d seemingly become close with throughout the Clone Wars. Since then, shows likeStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars: The Bad Batchhave offered considerably more insight into this event, particularly as it pertains to the clone troopers' inhibitor chips, which caused them to gun down the Jedi they worked alongside against their will. Even with that essential added context, though,there’s one clone story from Order 66 I’d really like to see on screen.
Star Wars Still Hasn’t Followed Chipped Clones Throughout Order 66
We’ve Seen Order 66 From Various Viewpoints, But Not This One
Star Wars’inhibitor chip retconwas truly one of the franchise’s best, as it not only explained why the clones seemed to change so suddenly and willingly but also made them redeemable and, arguably, even more compelling as characters. Tragically, the inhibitor chips meant that the clones had effectively become slaves to Palpatine from the second Order 66 was executed. This alone would be incredibly traumatic, but the fact that this control then led them to murder the Jedi (including Padawans) they cared about made it so much more horrifying.
The inhibitor chips meant that the clones had effectively become slaves to Palpatine from the second Order 66 was executed.
Because of the dark nature of the inhibitor chips and Order 66 for the clones,I’d like to see a story that more deeply explores the experience of the inhibitor chips being triggered and carrying out Order 66 from the perspective of a controlled clone. We’ve had stories that have been tangential to this story, in myriad ways. For one,The Clone Warsshowed Captain Rex’s struggle against his own inhibitor chip, which nearly caused him to kill one of his closest friends, Ahsoka Tano. Ultimately, though, he didn’t kill her, and his chip was removed.
We’ve also seen controlled clones from the perspective of those who weren’t affected by the inhibitor chip, such as inThe Bad Batch. In the opening sequence ofThe Bad Batchseason 1, for example, the rest of Clone Force 99 sees Crosshair get taken over by the chip and nearly kill Caleb Dume (later Kanan Jarrus). However, this happened from the point-of-view of the clones who weren’t brainwashed into executing Order 66.Ideally, we would get a story solely from the perspective of a clone who wasn’t saved from their chip and actually executed Order 66.
We’ve Only Really Seen The Clones Come Out The Other Side
We’ve seen clones like Captain Rex and the Bad Batch team (including Crosshair) come to terms with what Order 66 really was, but that’s not quite the same as seeing a clone who was fully controlled by the inhibitor chip begin to ‘wake up,’ as Rex put it, and realize what had happened to them. Particularly given many of these clones continued to carry out atrocities even after Order 66 because they were working for the Empire, there would surely be plenty to work through. So far, Crosshair is the closest we’ve come.
I’d be fascinated by a story about a clone trooper, either one we’re familiar with, like Commander Cody, or a new clone, beginning to shake loose of the inhibitor chip’s control and slowly turn against the Empire as they uncover the truth.Star Warshas already set up new angles to this story, as well, such as by showing the clone trooper asking for money in theObi-Wan Kenobishow. It’s not difficult to imagine just about any clone becoming disillusioned with the Empire the further into the Dark Times it got.
Star Wars Has Already Introduced The Perfect Way To Tell This Story
Wolffe Is The Ideal Clone For This Story
InThe Bad Batchseason 3, Rex and Wolffe come face-to-face for the first time since before Order 66. Wolffe even expresses shock that Rex is alive, as it had been reported that Rex died during the attack (just as Ahsoka and Rex wanted it to be). During this conversation, Wolffe reiterates his loyalty to the Empire, but Rex begs him to see the error of his ways and recognize that he’s hunting a child, and it’s wrong. Wolffe doesn’t voice a shift in perspective, but one is implied when he lets Rex and the Bad Batch team escape.
This perfectly sets the stage forStar Warsto tell the story of a clone who was fully controlled by his inhibitor chip, worked for the Empire for years, and then slowly ‘woke up’ to the truth. It is through Wolffe’s story that a future show could unpack what it really meant for the clones to experience that horror and then try to make sense of it once they’d been freed from this brainwashing. Although we’ve seen some truly fascinating clone stories sinceStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, I’d still like to see this perspective on screen.
