Right now, a brand new piece of details about a personality within the upcoming Star Wars present Ahsoka went viral and promptly set off an internet debate about Jedi surviving the notorious Order 66 aka Jedi Purge. As soon as once more, individuals appeared upset to be taught that one other area monk—like Jedi: Survivor’s Cal—survived the Purge. However you understand what? It’s not an enormous deal. 1000’s of Jedi nonetheless died due to Palpatine’s Purge, and some surviving doesn’t spoil the franchise.
Earlier than persevering with, a heads up: I’m going to be sharing some early particulars from the upcoming Disney+ present Ahsoka, in addition to minor spoilers from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and previous movies, too. So think about this your warning!
So right here’s what’s inflicting the uproar: Empire Journal revealed that the late Ray Stevenson’s orange lightsaber-wielding Ahsoka character, Baylon Skoll, is definitely a Jedi who survived Order 66 and has turn out to be a galactic mercenary. This promptly led to an entire new spherical of discourse and debate over Order 66, the Jedi, all of the survivors, and the way efficient the Purge was (or wasn’t).
What number of Jedi had been there and what number of survived Order 66?
So we’re all on the identical web page, Order 66 was the second first seen in 2005’s Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith when the Republic’s clone military—ordered by the evil Emperor—activate all of the Jedi within the galaxy. Since then, we’ve seen completely different views of this occasion throughout video games, comics, and TV episodes. And in most of those flashbacks, we see loads of random Jedi getting blasted and killed by clone troopers. However you is perhaps questioning: What number of Jedi had been even round at the moment?
In canon, there have been roughly 10,000 Jedi Knights unfold throughout the huge Star Wars galaxy within the time interval of Episode III. Killing hundreds of Jedi was solely doable due to thousands and thousands of clone troopers who, with the assistance of Jedi, had been preventing within the Clone Wars. As soon as Order 66 occurred, nicely, the clones did a lot of the work. However Darth Vader and his harmful Inquisitors (themselves Jedi who escaped the Purge to hitch the Empire) hunted down most of the remaining stragglers.
With 10,000 area monks hanging round, it’s fairly rattling spectacular that shortly after the autumn of the Republic, Order 66, and Vader’s Jedi hunts, there have been solely round 50 confirmed Jedi left in keeping with present canon tales. That implies that Order 66 and Vader had been 99 % efficient at wiping out the Jedi. That’s as efficient as hottest anti-bacterial soaps!
Nonetheless, for those who look on-line now, you’ll see lots of people performing as if Order 66 was a failure, suggesting that only a few Jedi died and that there are too many survivors on this present period of Star Wars. However is that true? (No, it’s not.)
Jedi survivors are extremely uncommon within the Star Wars galaxy
When it was revealed on June 6 that Skoll is one other surviving Jedi, lots of people started posting the identical jokes and complaints that all the time pop up when a brand new Order 66 survivor involves mild. Most of those revolve round the concept Order 66 solely killed a couple of Jedi or that Star Wars is ruining its legacy by persevering with to disclose extra survivors, and many others. Others level out that it is senseless that these Jedi (or former Jedi) survivors are working across the galaxy and never serving to in future movies or being talked about by different characters in varied Star Wars media.
However these complaints usually ignore the sheer variety of Jedi who did die throughout Order 66 and shortly afterward. We’re speaking about, not less than, a couple of thousand. Contemplating how few survivors there are—lower than 100 as of 2023—the precise loss of life toll might be nearer to 9 thousand or so. That’s nonetheless loads of lifeless Jedi!
Positive, it would seem to be there are Jedi survivors all over the place. I imply, we simply bought a brand new recreation that not solely stars a Jedi survivor but additionally options 5 different dwelling Jedi. And the films and TV reveals have depicted surviving Jedi, like Kanan and Grogu, as nicely. Plus most of the books and comics cope with Jedi survivors. That is the place I feel lots of people, understandably, get confused. So many tales in Star Wars (each pre- and post-Disney) revolved round or starred Jedi survivors of Order 66. It’s very straightforward to misread these characters popping up in media on a regular basis as proof Jedi survivors had been all over the place.
However keep in mind that the Star Wars universe is very large. It’s not just some planets or cities, however a whole galaxy full of hundreds of planets, moons, area stations, cities, bases, ruins, temples, villages, previous religions, billions of individuals, alien monsters, droids, and extra. The tales we see in Star Wars are simply small fragments of the whole galaxy’s impossibly giant story.
The fact is that most individuals in Star Wars have by no means seen a Jedi. Many individuals don’t even actually perceive what they’re or in the event that they exist. Individuals are too busy coping with big area gators or nasty spice raiders or some new type of the Empire. Jedi, even earlier than Order 66, had been uncommon within the galaxy. And after the Purge, Jedi grew to become a delusion, or had been simply forgotten. And some dozen of them working round with lightsabers within the heyday of the Empire wasn’t going to alter that.
Order 66’s aftermath is probably the most fascinating time for Jedi tales
When it comes right down to it, I don’t have an issue with the present period of Star Wars and its 50 or so survivors. For one, most of those survivors gained’t final till Return of the Jedi or past, so it doesn’t have an effect on Luke’s journey within the Authentic Trilogy. And sure, I do know Yoda tells Luke he will probably be “the final of the Jedi” however Yoda isn’t God. It’s very doable (and certain) he didn’t know the whereabouts of each Jedi survivor then or in the event that they had been even nonetheless alive. (Some could have additionally reduce themselves off from the Pressure, making them tougher to sense.) I additionally assume Yoda was simply making an attempt to actually put some stress on younger Luke to, you understand, save the galaxy and cease his evil dad.
The opposite cause I don’t have an issue with extra Jedi survivors popping up after Revenge of the Sith is that post-Order 66 is such an fascinating period for Star Wars’ area monks. They’re outnumbered and a part of a dying order that’s barely remembered by the galaxy they as soon as tried to save lots of and shield. They’re being hunted down by former Jedi, and there’s little hope left within the galaxy.
When you consider it like that, it’s apparent this can be a nice time to inform a narrative a couple of rogue Jedi or a younger surviving padawan. There’s a lot inherent battle and pleasure on this interval of the franchise. Plus, a single Jedi could make an enormous distinction on this interval. So I’m not shocked that creators maintain coming again to this period and maintain introducing new Jedi survivors.
Now, I do assume that if the variety of survivors ever cracks like 700 or 900, I’ll in all probability begin to roll my eyes and get annoyed. However I don’t assume that’s going to occur, as Disney and Lucasfilm perceive how cautious they must be when introducing new Jedi who evaded the pincers of Order 66.
However, when it comes right down to it, what’s extra plausible and fascinating? That the Emperor’s supermassive plan labored completely and the entire highly effective Jedi—however two—had been killed, or that a few of them survived and helped the galaxy escape complete darkness? I do know which one I choose.