Order 66 / Legends Order 66 , also known as Clone Protocol 66 , was one of a series of that the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic were trained to obey without hesitation . The order branded members of the Jedi Order as traitors to the Republic and called for their immediate execution without question or hesitation . The issuing of the order by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine marked the formal beginning of the Great Jedi Purge , and signified the rise of the Galactic Empire . It was chief among the atrocities that led to the Galactic Civil War . Almost all of the Jedi were killed by Order 66 , and most of the survivors were killed in the Great Jedi Purge that followed . The Jedi Order survived through the acts of surviving Jedi , such as Obi - Wan Kenobi and Yoda , teaching Luke Skywalker the ways of the Force . History . Prelude to Order 66 . Order 66 could be found in the document entitled " " , a document containing a series of special contingency orders that covered any and all emergency situations , which the clones that comprised the GAR were prepared to execute , immediately and without question , and only in specific cases of extreme necessity . It was originally designed as a fail - safe by Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas against rogue Jedi . Some of these orders concerned contingencies any armed force could conceivably face . Many dealt with contingencies specifically involving the GAR Supreme Commander — in this case , Supreme Chancellor Palpatine — and the effect on the chain of command were he ever to become incapacitated or declared unfit to issue orders . In particular , Order 65 dealt with the detention and possible execution of the Supreme Chancellor by the Republic if he became unfit for office , further hiding the true intention of Order 66 . Sufficiently buried among the other one hundred forty - nine orders so as to almost escape notice , Contingency Order 66 specifically dealt with the effect on the chain of command were issues to arise involving the Jedi . The exact text of the order ran : Under closer examination , the text of Order 66 exposed several distinctions that set it apart from the other contingency orders . First , the majority of the other known contingency orders took into account other sources of command authority — the Vice Chair Mas Amedda , the Senate Security Committee , the Jedi Council , the GAR High Command — while Order 66 could only be issued by the GAR Supreme Commander — in this case , Palpatine himself . Second , it was not required that the Security Council or a Senate majority declare that the Jedi were acting against Republic interests ; Palpatine alone had the power to make that determination . Third , GAR commanders were not required to authenticate the order , or even to report it to any other command authority . If the order came directly from Palpatine , using specific command phrasing and over specific communications channels pre - approved by him for this express purpose , that was all the authentication the clone commanders appear to have needed . Fourth , there was no apparent mechanism for rescinding the order . Once given , it had to be followed . Finally , there was no proviso — as there were in other known contingency orders — that the Jedi were to be detained and that lethal force should be used " if necessary " ; the order explicitly specified that they were to be removed by " lethal " force . Though the true purpose of this specific command was to satisfy Darth Sidious ' s personal wish to eliminate the Jedi as a threat to his power , the insistence on lethal force could have been rationalized for general — that is , non - Sith — consumption : it could be argued that any attempt to detain a Jedi who did not " wish " to be detained would fail , except in the event that said Jedi was faced with overwhelming GAR numbers , and even then , such an attempt would likely result in numerous unnecessary GAR casualties . The use of lethal force , in that event , would therefore automatically be considered necessary to preserve the lives of GAR soldiers and officers . To further ensure that various clone troopers carried out the plan when the time came , the order was programmed into a biochip implanted into their brain during development . In 20 BBY , however , the Order was nearly prematurely exposed due to a malfunction in Tup ' s biochip that resulted in his alternating between his regular self and entering a trance - like state , the latter of which resulted in him shooting a Jedi Master named Tiplar during a battle and forcing a Republic retreat from the planet . Darth Sidious , the alter - ego of Palpatine , as well as his Sith Apprentice Darth Tyranus , otherwise known as Count Dooku , learned of this from Admiral Trench , and planned to have Tup abducted during a transport to Kamino to investigate his erratic behavior , realizing that his current status will most likely result in their true plans for the war , including the contingency order , being exposed to the Jedi . The ARC Trooper Fives alongside Rex managed to retrieve Tup , although this also resulted in the former uncovering the order and thus the conspiracy . Fives would later end up being killed by Fox due to Palpatine framing him for an assassination attempt , and unable to tell either Anakin Skywalker or Rex about the contingency order , the overall conspiracy , or the Supreme Chancellor ' s involvement in it due to being drugged earlier . In 19 BBY , Order 66 was issued by Palpatine toward the end of the Clone Wars . The official reason given for its execution was the onset of an attempted Jedi coup against the Republic ; in reality , it was the culmination of a chain of events orchestrated by Palpatine himself over a period of decades , all designed to end the Jedi Order and to bring about the domination of the Sith . Just days earlier , the Senate had passed the Security Act amendment , which gave Palpatine authority to disband the Jedi Order . After the death of General Grievous at the hands of Obi - Wan Kenobi , Jedi Masters Mace Windu , Kit Fisto , Agen Kolar , and Saesee Tiin stormed the Supreme Chancellor ' s office , intent on arresting Palpatine , who had been revealed to them as the elusive Sith Lord Darth Sidious by Anakin Skywalker . Kolar , Tiin and Fisto were quickly cut down by Sidious , but Windu was able to hold him off and eventually disarm him . Skywalker then arrived to find the Supreme Chancellor , looking defeated , attempting to surrender in exchange for his life . When it became evident that Windu was going to kill Sidious , Skywalker intervened , which gave the Sith Lord the opportunity to destroy the Jedi Master . Windu ' s " assassination attempt " provided the Chancellor with pretext necessary in order to see Order 66 enacted . Anakin Skywalker , for his part , was in a state of shock and confusion . Sidious , now scarred from the " attempt on his life , " took advantage of Skywalker ' s emotional distress and pressured him to turn to the dark side of the Force . Unsure what to do and feeling he could never be forgiven for what he had done , as well as desperate to save his wife Padmé Amidala from the possibility of a presaged demise , Skywalker complied and was " knighted " by Sidious as his new apprentice , Darth Vader , Lord of the Sith . Vader would have an important role to play in carrying out his new master ' s plan . Execution of the Order . At 2100 hours local time , on the one - thousand - eighty - ninth day of the Clone Wars , Palpatine retired to his private office in the Republic Executive Building , activated his comm unit and issued Order 66 . He employed a channel that would make the authenticity of the order unquestionable , but ironically , the signal was encrypted using a Separatist code — one of the rare clues that he was , in fact , the hidden hand behind both sides of the war . Palpatine sent word out via the office of the Chancellor to all of the clone commanders in the army . The commanders displayed a variety of reactions to the surprising order , but since it came from the Chancellor himself , almost every single one of them carried it out without question or hesitation . On countless planets , Jedi were cut down by their troopers . The Jedi , who had been spread throughout the galaxy across disparate battlefields , were almost all caught totally unaware and easily gunned down . Three years of non - stop galactic warfare polluted the Force with the dark side , clouding Jedi perception even further . Because the clones harbored no malice nor hatred , but were merely following a legal order , they had no ill intent in their heart , which might have given some warning to the Jedi via the Force . Although it was impossible for Palpatine to have issued the order to every single commander individually , he did take the time to contact several personally before the Order was relayed throughout the army as a whole . Within the first minutes of the Order , several members of the Jedi Council had been killed ; including Plo Koon on Cato Neimoidia , shot down by Captain Jag ; Stass Allie on Saleucami , at the hands of Commander Neyo and CT - 3423 ; Aayla Secura on Felucia fell to Commander Bly and members of the 327th Star Corps ; and Ki - Adi - Mundi on Mygeeto , who managed to deflect a few shots before being overwhelmed by Commander Bacara and the Galactic Marines . On Utapau , Obi - Wan Kenobi was riding a varactyl named Boga when Commander Cody executed the Order , ordering an AT - TE to fire upon him , but Kenobi managed to survive and escape the planet . He soon reunited with Grand Master Yoda , who had also managed to escape a sneak attack by Commander Gree and a second clone trooper on Kashyyyk , beheading both clone commander and trooper in the process . Although Order 66 was only issued to the Grand Army of the Republic , a MagnaGuard droid on Utapau implied upon being reactivated that a similar order to destroy all Jedi was implemented for at least that droid . Not all clone troopers obeyed the Order , however . On Murkhana , Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone were rescued from Order 66 by members of Ion Team . Led by Climber , they initially questioned the validity of the order , and even upon confirmation , refused to side with the government over those who had fought alongside them , having developed an affinity for the Jedi . Omega Squad , Delta Squad , and Ordo Skirata did not even hesitate to disobey the order , though all of them feigned compliance to avoid suspicion , as they had already formed doubts about Palpatine and his new Centax clones . Captain Maze , as well , did not execute Arligan Zey . In all other recorded instances , Commandos and ARC troopers obeyed it . Raid on the Jedi Temple . On Coruscant , Senate Emergency Response announced a state of martial law over the planet , and declared the Jedi Temple under military lockdown . Order 66 authorized the newly christened Darth Vader and the 501st Legion to attack the Jedi Temple ; however , deciding to take a more surprise - attack approach , a mission named was devised where the 501st attacked any Jedi they found in the Temple — Masters , Padawans , even younglings . They also massacred non - Jedi staff , including administrators , trainers , and guards . No Jedi within the building were spared , but some escaped , including Shaak Ti , Sha Koon , Kazdan Paratus and Jin - Lo Rayce . Aftermath . Although Order 66 greatly depleted the Jedi Order ' s ranks , with an estimated less than 100 Jedi surviving it , it was only the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge , which stretched on for years and would claim the lives of many of the survivors of the initial onslaught . Nearly all of the surviving Jedi Knights were hunted down and killed by Darth Vader , while Order 66 itself remained in effect indefinitely among the ranks of the Galactic Empire ' s newly - christened stormtroopers . Masters Kenobi and Yoda , like many others , chose to go into exile , on Tatooine and Dagobah respectively . There they managed to elude Imperial forces for many years , a feat few of their contemporaries could claim . Documented victims . The majority of the Jedi across the galaxy fell victim to Order 66 . Specifically targeted were the leaders of the Order : the Jedi Council . Masters for immediate execution , Knights were to be detained or executed , while Padawans were to be detained for interrogation . Known survivors . It was said that fewer than one hundred Jedi — approximately one percent of the entire Order — survived Order 66 . However , it appeared that that was incorrect , as the number seemed to actually be closer to " two " hundred . Despite this , the anti - Jedi sentiment that Palpatine had fostered during the Clone Wars and the false reports of an attempted Jedi coup had branded the Jedi as warmongering traitors . Hated by the galaxy at large and unable to challenge Palpatine ' s new government directly , these survivors were forced into hiding . Many of them were hunted down and killed over the next two decades by Vader and his agents . Initially , four Jedi on Dellalt escaped with their lives : Klossi Anno , Deran Nalual , Siadem Forte , and Iwo Kulka . A group that was fighting on Murkhana were saved by their troops but one of their number , Bol Chatak was later killed by Vader . The other Jedi , Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone , then fled , meeting up with the group fleeing Dellalt . Forte and Kulka would die at Darth Vader ' s hands , along with Shryne , while the others would escape to attempt to attack the Empire on smaller fronts . A group of several Jedi combatants in the Battle of Shumari , who , except for the young Tao , would all be hunted down by the Sith . Dass Jennir would lead his own fight against the Sith along with a group of rebels , while fellow Jedi Kai Hudorra and Noirah Na went into Imperial City to try and become " normal " citizens . Kai Justiss attempted to hide from bounty hunters . Ekria , Zonder , and Drake Lo ' gaan were able to escape Felucia alive , though Zonder died in a duel against Vader . Chase Piru would watch after younglings from the Soaring Hawkbat Clan , including Seddwia , Jiro , and Kennan Taanzer . Tholme would die at some point , and have a funeral pyre on Anzat . Beyghor Sahdett slaughtered the clones that attacked him , and a female Jedi was able to hide from her clones . Obi - Wan Kenobi , Yoda , and Shaak Ti were the only High Council members to survive the initial purge . Maris Brood survived and went into hiding along with Shaak Ti on Felucia , while Kento Marek would hide amongst the Wookiees on Kashyyyk . Aven Rolk survived , as he was frozen in stasis for decades in an escape pod , and planned to rebuild the Jedi Order but would later die in an ice cave on the planet Zissh . Celeste Morne escaped the initial order as she had slept in an Oubliette since the Mandalorian Wars . She later was awakened by Darth Vader onboard a smuggling vessel named the Uhumele . She survived her confrontation with Vader , but died nearly a hundred years later at the hands of Cade Skywalker , in an act of mercy , on Had Abbadon . At a meeting on Kessel the Sith executed Koffi Arana , Tsui Choi , Roblio Darté , Jastus Farr , Ma ' kis ' shaalas , Shadday Potkin , Bultar Swan , and Sia - Lan Wezz . Morvet Storm was killed soon after , when Vader attacked his home , however , his son was able to escape Vader . Aqinos and his Iron Knight s hid away on Dweem , while Lady Caryn took a Padawan , Ana Tathis , and then fled into the Unknown Regions . While Ana Tathis eventually joined the Rebel Alliance , Caryn ' s final fate remained unknown . Minos Fel ' Kona and his father Jonas Fel ' Kona fled the devastated Cularin system and disappeared . Geith Eris , Callista Ming , and Plett hid on Belsavis away from the fighting though were eventually found . However , Plett was successfully able to escape and established a sanctuary on Belsavis for other surviving Jedi . Bon and Nia were found by a traveler and escaped the Purge . Darrus Jeht tricked his clone troops and fled to parts unknown . Ylenic It ' kla later died on Alderaan during its destruction , while Bardan Jusik fled to Mandalore . Drakka Judarrl , Bre ' ano Umakk and her master hid on Dantooine , Matarmeno Krahnn was exiled to Corellia , Antaria Wellos remained on Rori well into the time of the Galactic Civil War and Quinlan Vos presumably hid on Kashyyyk with Khaleen Hentz and their son , Korto Vos . Tallisibeth Enwandung - Esterhazy , Arligan Zey , Kina Ha and Bardan Jusik survived and were brought to Mandalore by Nyreen Vollen . Jedi Master Hylon and his apprentice , Dendro , were cut down by Vader during the event of a fierce clash on Otavon XII . Darrin Arkanian was killed by High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne , but his apprentice , Corwin Shelvay was able to escape . To escape a similar fate , Neth Enasteri left his family and fled into the Outer Rim . Ydra Kilwallen and her husband would live in peace for several years until they were lost to the Ssi - ruu . Niebur Boton , Dama Montalvo , a Gotal Jedi , and Halagad Ventor were tortured by Vader , with Ventor giving the locations of several surviving Jedi , along with his friend Ashka Boda ' s hiding spot . While Boton was tortured to death and mutilated by Vader , Ventor was released and went insane because of the deaths he had caused , though he was eventually redeemed . Ameesa Darys was killed by Arden Lyn , while the Last Curator of Records , Aidan Bok , Axton Tredway ( though should be noted that some of Tredway ' s relatives survived ) , and another Jedi on Talasea was hunted and killed by the Sith Lord . Kaoln , Rorr ' hn , Gruu Dunrik , Drun Cairnwick , Dorn Tavers , Tyneir Renz , Rachi Sitra , Fable Astin , Qu Rahn , Echuu Shen - Jon , Rahm Kota , Fable Astin , Corwin Shelvay , Drakka Judarrl , Ana Tathis , and Ylenic It ' kla were some of the few remaining Jedi who had joined the Rebel Alliance and fought with the legendary Luke Skywalker against the Empire , though Ylenic perished during the destruction of Alderaan . A Jedi that was captured by the Empire would lead the Death Star Uprising during which he was killed . Fable Astin and her own mother joined the Alliance and helped combat the Empire . Ranik Solusar and his son were hunted , with Kam eventually joining the New Jedi Order . Qu Rahn was eventually slain by an Imperial Inquisitor shortly after the Battle of Endor . However , his spirit transended the physical plane and would help Kyle Katarn in his quest for the Valley of the Jedi . Vima - Da - Boda would hide in shame in the Outer Rim after the Order ' s fall . Echuu Shen - Jon had gone into hiding early into the Clone Wars on Krant , due to the fact he had fallen to the Dark Side . He later reemerged and saved Leia Organa from a squad of Stormtroopers . He was later struck down by Vader after a fierce duel , but lived on as a force spirit . Vima - Da - Boba , Empatojayos Brand , T ' ra Saa , K ' Kruhk , as well as possible students of his , Nichos Marr , Aqinos , and most members of the Iron Knights , and Ephaan Kenzon , including some of his students , would later join Luke Skywalker ' s New Jedi Order . Brand had been severely injured by Vader during a dogfight near Ganathan Space during the Purge , but was rescued and outfitted with a cybernetic life support suit . He would later sacrifice himself to help defeat a reborn Palpatine . Ikrit when into a hibernation trance in 378 BBY on Yavin 4 , remaining undiscovered during the Purge . He joined the New Jedi Order after awaking in 22 ABY , and died four years later during the Yuuzhan Vong War sacrificing himself to cover the escape of several other Jedi . Beldorion , Jerec , Danaan Kerr , Maw , Travgen , Antinnis Tremayne , Dray , Quarmall , Sardoth , Jedgar and Sarcev Quest fell to the dark side and were eventually killed by other Jedi or Vader ; Travgen would eventually be redeemed . A ' Sharad Hett eventually fell to the dark side , renamed himself Darth Krayt and created the One Sith ; ironically becoming the main culprit for the Third Jedi Purge . Shaak Ti , Rahm Kota , and Kazdan Paratus were all confronted by Darth Vader ' s secret apprentice , Galen Marek , during the Purge as part of the latter ' s training . Only Kota survived and apprenticed the young misled youth to the light , which led to Maris Brood ' s redemption . Kota went on to join the Rebel Alliance , and lead the mission to capture the Death Star plans , despite his blindness . Jax Pavan and Laranth Tarak would try to undo the Empire on Coruscant . K ' Kruhk would eventually take a Padawan to the Hidden Temple . Fy - Tor - Ana and Garen Muln hid on Ilum and were eventually killed when they met on the secret Jedi asteroid . Ry - Gaul was undercover during Order 66 but also fled to the Jedi asteroid where he was killed . A Jedi attempt to attack a squad of clones at the Temple and was killed . Taj Junak sacrificed to save his academy and was killed by stormtroopers . Nos ' lyn would hide on Tatooine and help Force - sensitives learn the ways of the Force . Qid Proko worked as a technician and Urootar was killed on Kasshyyyk by a bounty hunter . Jedi Master Falon Grey hid on Dantooine . During the Imperial Period , he led a rebellion against local Imperial stormtroopers . The elite clone trooper X2 , having left Imperial service , helped Grey in the battle , but ultimately , X1 arrived and killed Grey . Jedi Master Iri Camas was tracked by the 501st Legion on Celen . Luring a group of four clone commandos into the building , he ignited a gas line , causing the building to detonate . While three of the clones escaped , Camas and Bry were killed in the explosion ; his lightsaber was later found half - melted in a wall opposite the explosion . Valara Saar , Ood Bnar , Ferus Olin , Thracia Cho Leem , Codi Ty , and Zao were not active in the Jedi Order and therefore were not hunted by the Sith . Vergere was not in the galaxy at the time and was thus unaffected . An ' ya Kuro , an enigmatic and powerful Jedi Master , would perish at Vader ' s hands in what Palpatine dubbed the final action of the Great Jedi Purge . A small group of Jedi Padawans survived the order by stowing away aboard a freighter . Missing in action . There were many Jedi whose fate after Order 66 remained unknown . In the chaotic circumstances in the early days of the Empire , there were many reasons why the fate of certain members of the Order remained unclear , chiefly among these reasons being that that either no body could be discovered or the troopers tasked with the execution had been killed . Among the missing were Depa Billaba , who was believed to be recovering from past wounds at the time of the attack on the Jedi Temple and Master Coleman Kcaj , a member of the Jedi Council , was also believed to have been present on Coruscant during Operation : Knightfall . Another Master that is missing is Eeth Koth , a former Council member . It was assumed by Obi - Wan Kenobi that his long time friend , Bant Eerin , was killed . Other Jedi whose fates were lost in the confusion were Joc Sah , Ahsoka Tano , Glynn - Beti , Ulu Ulix , Voolvif Monn , Pix , Saldith and Tera Sinube . Behind the scenes . The first indirect mention of Order 66 was in the of " " , ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and published in 1976 , which stated , that the Jedi were " " exterminated through treachery and deception " " . Originally , Order 66 was to happen in . In the first draft of ( April 13 , 2003 ) , the number of Jedi who were killed was " more extensive " . The following order in this draft is taken from the book " The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith " : " On Mygeeto , clones blast KI - ADI - MUNDI and SAESEE TIIN . On Saleucami , they kill KIT FISTO , BARRISS OFFEE , and ADI GALLIA . On Kashyyyk , MINA PODIA is gunned down - but YODA saves himself . On Cato Neimoidia , PLO KOON is blasted out of the sky , while an unnamed Jedi lies dead on the planet surface . On Felucia , AAYLA SECURA and QUINLAN VOS are silenced forever . " When " Revenge of the Sith " was released , some sources stated that Order 66 was preprogrammed into the clone troopers . However , George Lucas has stated that it was a " last resort " order , not preprogrammed . The order preceding Order 66 is Order 65 , which stated that the Supreme Chancellor ( had Palpatine not won the seat ) would be removed from office by the GAR if the Galactic Senate declared him unfit for duty . In the " " Blu - ray set , the special features disc shows the old animation test for Order 66 . It has more Jedi killed and different deaths for some . For example , Ki - Adi - Mundi is on a tower . An elevator then reaches the top with a large group of clone troopers inside , who then kill him . Another example is Aayla Secura ' s death on Felucia with a large group of clones . They all kneel as droids pass ahead . Secura asks if they are droids . Bly simply says " no , " and then kills her . Another deleted scene from the is set during " Operation : Knightfall " ; Shaak Ti is shown meditating , and asks " What is it , Skywalker ? " when Skywalker enters the room . Skywalker does not answer and simply stabs the Jedi Master . It has often been unknown whether or not Order 66 was " programmed " into the clones or if the Orders were taught to all clones . Karen Traviss ' s Republic Commando novels have mentioned that the Contingency Orders were taught and not programmed , resulting in several clones ignoring the order and / or refusing to go through with it outright , even " normal " ( that is , a non Commando , ARC , or any other special forces Clone ) clones such as RC - 5108 / 8843 " Corr " . The novel " " also supports this , as Ion Team refused to execute the Order , and went rogue . However , the Sixth Season of Star Wars : The Clone Wars has revealed that the Contingency Orders are indeed ( supposedly ) planted in the minds of all Clone Troopers during their development via an organic biochip , that subconsciously activates the Orders when given . An explanation of this has yet to be determined .