Today there is new information about an upcoming character war of stars show Ahsoka went viral and immediately sparked an online debate about whether Jedi would survive the infamous Order 66, also known as the Jedi Purge. Once again, people seemed upset to learn that another space monk –How Food: Survivor‘s Cal– survived the purge. But, you know what? It’s not a big deal. Thousands of Jedi still died as a result of Palpatine’s purge, and a few survivors don’t ruin the franchise.
Before we continue, a heads up: I’ll be sharing some early details on the upcoming Disney+ show Ahsoka, as well as minor spoilers from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and also earlier films. So take this as your warning!
So here is the reason for the uproar: Empire Magazine revealed that late Ray Stevenson’s orange lightsaber Ahsoka Character, Baylon SkollHe is actually a Jedi who survived Order 66 and became a galactic mercenary. This promptly led to a whole new round of discussion and debate about Order 66, the Jedi, all survivors and its effectiveness the purge was (or not).
How many Jedi were there and how many survived Order 66?
So we can all agree: Order 66 was the moment first seen in 2005 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith When the Republic’s clone army – at the orders of the evil Emperor – attacks every Jedi in the galaxy. Since then, we’ve seen different perspectives on this event in games, comics, and TV episodes. And in most of those flashbacks, we see random numbers of Jedi being attacked and killed by clone troopers. But you might be wondering: How many Jedi were there anyway?
in canon, There were about 10,000 Jedi Knights distributed over the massif war of stars galaxy in the period from Episode III. Killing thousands of Jedi was only possible thanks to millions of clone troopers who fought with the help of the Jedi in the Clone Wars. After Order 66 went into effect, the clones did most of the work. But Darth Vader and his dangerous Inquisitors (themselves Jedi who escaped the Purge to join the Empire) preyed on many of the remaining stragglers.
With 10,000 space monks hanging around, it’s pretty damn impressive that shortly after the fall of the Republic, Order 66 and Vader’s Jedi hunts there were only about 50 confirmed Jedi left based on current canon histories. That means Order 66 and Vader effectively wiped out the Jedi 99 percent of the time. This is just as effective as most common antibacterial soaps!
However, if you check online now, you’ll see that many people are acting like Order 66 was a failure, suggesting that very few Jedi died and that there are too many survivors in this current era war of stars. But is that true? (No it is not.)
Jedi survivors are incredibly rare in the world war of stars galaxy
When it was unveiled on June 6th Upon realizing that Skoll is another surviving Jedi, many people began posting the same jokes and complaints that always pop up when a new Order 66 survivor comes to light. Most of these revolve around the idea that Order 66 just killed a few Jedi or something war of stars ruins his legacy by continuing to reveal more survivors, etc. Others point out that there is no point in having these Jedi survivors (or former Jedi survivors) running around the galaxy and not helping out in future films or in different ones characters are mentioned war of stars Media.
But these complaints often ignore the sheer numbers of Jedi who did die during Order 66 and shortly thereafter. We’re talking at least a few thousand here. Given how few survivors there are – fewer than 100 in 2023 – the true death toll is more likely to be around nine thousand or so. That’s still a lot of dead Jedi!
Sure, it seems like Jedi survivors are everywhere. I mean, we just got a new game that not only stars a Jedi survivor, but five other living Jedi as well. And surviving Jedi like Kanan and Grogu have also been portrayed in the movies and TV shows. Also, many books and comics deal with Jedi survivors. That’s where I think a lot of people are understandably confused. So many stories in there war of stars (both pre- and post-Disney) was about or starred in Jedi survivors of Order 66. It’s very easy to interpret these constantly appearing characters in the media as evidence that Jedi survivors were everywhere.
But remember that the war of stars The universe is huge. It’s not just a few planets or cities, but a whole galaxy full of thousands of planets, moons, space stations, cities, bases, ruins, temples, villages, ancient religions, billions of people, alien monsters, droids and more. The stories we see in it war of stars are just small fragments of the incredibly great history of the entire galaxy.
The reality is that most people in war of stars I’ve never seen a Jedi. Many people don’t even really understand what they are or if they exist. People are too busy grappling with giant alligators, nasty spice thieves, or a new form of empire. Jedi were rare in the galaxy even before Order 66. And after the purge, the Jedi became a myth or just fell into oblivion. And a few dozen of them walking around with lightsabers in the heyday of the Empire wouldn’t change that.
The aftermath of Order 66 is the most interesting time for Jedi stories
Ultimately, I have no problem with the current era war of stars and its 50 or so survivors. For one thing, most of these survivors will not survive Return of the Jedi or beyond, so it doesn’t affect Luke’s journey in the original trilogy. And yes, I know Yoda tells Luke he will be “the last jedi”. but Yoda is not God. It’s very possible (and probable) that he didn’t know the whereabouts every Jedi survivors then, or if they were even still alive. (Some may have cut themselves off from the Force as well, making it harder to sense.) Also, I assume Yoda was just trying to pressure young Luke to, you know, save the galaxy and to stop his evil father.
The other reason I don’t have a problem with more Jedi survivors showing up afterwards Vengeance of the Sith is that post-order 66 is such an interesting era? war of stars‘ Space Monks. Outnumbered, they are part of a dying order little remembered by the galaxy they once tried to save and protect. Hunted by ex-Jedi, there is little hope left in the galaxy.
When you think about it, it’s obvious that this is a good time to tell a story about a renegade Jedi or a young surviving Padawan. There is so much conflict and tension at this stage of the franchise. Also, a single Jedi can make a tremendous difference during this time. So it doesn’t surprise me that the creators keep coming back to this era and keep introducing new Jedi survivors.
Now I think I’ll probably start to roll my eyes and get frustrated if the survivor count ever crosses the 700 or 900 mark. But I don’t think that will happen, as Disney and Lucasfilm understand how careful they must be when introducing new Jedi who have escaped from Order 66’s minions.
But what is ultimately more believable and interesting? That the Emperor’s supermassive plan worked perfectly and all but two of the powerful Jedi were slain, or that some of them survived and helped the galaxy escape total darkness? I know which one I prefer.
