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We’ve Totally Missed Palpatine’s Biggest Revenge Of The Sith Gamble

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Summary

  • Revenge of the Sith is pivotal to the larger Star Wars timeline.
  • The clones don’t attack Anakin Skywalker during Order 66, suggesting they were programmed not to.
  • Palpatine risked his entire plan by assuming Anakin would turn to the dark side.



Palpatine took one shocking risk in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith that is easy to miss but could have changed everything. Revenge of the Sith is one of Star Wars‘ most important movies for several reasons. For one, this point in the Star Wars timeline is absolutely critical. Not only does Order 66 occur in Revenge of the Sith, killing most of the Jedi, but also, Palpatine takes power and transforms the Galactic Republic into the Empire. Many Star Wars movies and TV shows are therefore directly shaped by the events of Revenge of the Sith.

These events also took meticulous planning on Palpatine’s part, beginning long before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In fact, Palpatine plotted not only his increasing access to power through the Senate but also the mass execution of the Jedi via the clone army for years. Yet, one piece of this plan put Palpatine at major risk—and he couldn’t be sure it would work.


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Order 66 Jedi Survived Video Image

Related

Star Wars: Every Jedi Who Survived Order 66 (In Canon)

Clone Protocol Order 66 caused once-loyal Clone troopers in Star Wars to wipe out the Jedi, but a handful managed to survive this initial purge.


Palpatine Programmed The Clones To Expect Anakin Skywalker’s Betrayal

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader


Anakin’s role in Order 66 is well-known. The incredibly dark scene in which Anakin walks into the Jedi Council chambers full of hiding younglings and ignites his lightsaber is both chilling and a staple in the franchise. However, the jarring, disturbing nature of Anakin’s role in Order 66 has overshadowed one of the most shocking details of the entire ordeal: every clone knew not to turn on Anakin Skywalker.

Palpatine may have indicated to the 501st specifically that Anakin would lead them, but it’s simply impossible that every clone trooper had been given the command to stand down when it came to Anakin Skywalker. Moreover, Star Wars shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch have made it clear how overwhelmingly powerful the Order 66 command was; even with a verbal order, it’s unlikely the clones could have resisted cutting down Anakin if they perceived him as a Jedi. This means that the clones must have already been programmed to not attack Anakin Skywalker.

The clones must have already been programmed to not attack Anakin Skywalker.


If Anakin Hadn’t Turned, Palpatine’s Plans Would’ve Been Ruined

Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious

Making it so the clones would not attack Anakin during Order 66 was a massive risk for Palpatine. Clearly, Anakin wasn’t just any Jedi; he was the Chosen One. While he may not have been able to take on the clone army and Palpatine himself, giving him such a major advantage in this fight threatened Palpatine’s entire plot, and it’s difficult to say how radically Anakin could have changed things. Given his massive impact on the Clone Wars, though, it’s possible that this could have ruined Palpatine’s plan, especially if he didn’t have Anakin by his side.


However, Palpatine clearly felt confident that Anakin would fall to the dark side. This raises interesting questions about when Palpatine may have made this specific alteration to the clones, as they were in the works long before Anakin started exhibiting the more glaring signs that he was headed toward a dark path. Nevertheless, Palpatine was sure enough about Anakin’s inevitable fall that he took this incredible gamble in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and, ultimately, it paid off.



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