Sack of the Jedi Temple

Combatants| * Sith
	+ Inquisitorius
* Grand Army of the Republic

Commanders| Grand Inquisitor | * Cin Drallig
* Rachi Sitra

Strength| * Inquisitors
* Clone troopers

The **Sack of the Jedi Temple** was a major event on the first day of 0 AEF, in which the Sith Inquisitorius launched an assault on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, at the behest of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious. The Inquisitors were assisted by the clone troopers, whose thoughts had been overridden by Order 66's execution. The attack was for the most part successful, with the temple set ablaze and many Jedi killed.

However, many members of the Jedi Order managed to escape aboard the praxeum ships, along with the contents of the Jedi Archives. This was a devastating blow to the Sith's attempt to destroy the Order, although now the Order was forced into hiding.

## Prelude

The Clone Wars' impact on the Jedi Order was profound, with many members of the Order scattered throughout the galaxy engaging in various battles and assignments sent from the Galactic Senate. The important Outer Rim Sieges which occurred near the end of the war had caused a majority of the high-ranking members of the Order to be off-world, although much of the Council remained.

The war had also served to disillusion many Jedi with their purpose in the Order, leading some to be seduced to the dark side of the Force. These Dark Jedi would be fully immersed into the dark side and the Banite line of the Sith at the LiMerge Building just prior to the attack, joining Sly Moore and Darth Sidious, being put under the command of fallen Jedi Barriss Offee.

## The Sack of the Jedi Temple

"*Engage with the plan, Grand Inquisitor.*"
―Sidious orders Offee to initiate the attack[src]
These ten members of the new Inquisitorius, led by Grand Inquisitor Offee, marched on the Jedi Temple in the nighttime of what would later become Empire Day, the first day of the fourth month of the year. The Inquisitors were backed by legions of clone troopers, who had simultaneously been placed under the influence of Order 66, a directive which ordered all clone troopers with inhibitor chips to kill Jedi on sight. This also had cause a mass Jedi genocide across the galaxy as the clones were given the command.

The troops marched through the main entrance of the Temple and began to attack any Jedi they encountered, making no difference between Jedi Knights, Jedi Masters, Padawans, or even Jedi Initiates. Despite forewarning by the Jedi Council, who had gone to confront Sidious directly at the LiMerge Building, the Jedi Temple Guard was unable to mobilize quickly enough to mount a proper defense. Instead, the remaining Jedi at the Temple were led by Rachi Sitra, given command by Grand Master Yoda. Sitra, as well as Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu, evacuated the contents of the Jedi Archives as the Sith forces began to start fires.

During the attack, Kit Fisto returned from the Council's duel with Sidious to report that he was the sole survivor, and that Anakin Skywalker had turned to the dark side and been named Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi was also suspected to be alive, although his whereabouts were unknown. Fisto, as the highest-ranking member of the Order on-world at that point, helped organize the Jedi to leave via praxeum ships and head to the planet Salekelahn, which had been chosen by Sitra thanks to her archaeological digs. When everything was loaded, they left the Temple for a rendezvous point at Borleias.

## Aftermath

"*The Jedi hoped to unleash their destructive power against the Republic by assassinating the head of government and usurping control of the clone army. But the aims of would-be tyrants were valiantly opposed by those without elitist, dangerous powers. Our loyal clone troopers and Force-users loyal to the Senate have contained the insurrection within the Jedi Temple and quelled uprisings on a thousand worlds.*"
―Palpatine decries the Jedi's "treason"[src]
In the immediate aftermath of the Jedi's departure, Sidious met with the Galactic Senate, returning to his public persona as Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and declaring the Jedi traitors for having made an attempt on his life. Palpatine went on to reorganize the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, naming himself Galactic Emperor and giving himself supreme authority. The Temple itself would be converted into the Imperial Palace, where Palpatine housed himself and all of his Sith artifacts.

The Jedi, for their part, survived more than if they had no forewarning of an attack, or knowledge of Palpatine's identity as the Dark Lord of the Sith. Despite this, they were forced into exile on Salekelahn where they had to rebuild their numbers, aligning themselves with Senator Bail Organa's Alliance of Galactic Restoration which sought to bring down Palpatine's tyrannical regime.

Other sects of the Jedi were targeted soon after the Coruscant temple was sacked. The Green Jedi on Corellia were annihilated by an orbital bombardment only a few weeks after.

## Appearances

* *Secrets Revealed* Chapter V — *Sith*
* "The Corellian Stand" (Mentioned only)

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 *Secrets Revealed* Chapter IV — *Plans*
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 *Secrets Revealed* Chapter V — *Sith*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *The Skywalker Saga Supplement*: The Galactic Timeline
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 *Expanding the Unexpanded*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *The Skywalker Saga Supplement*
6. ↑ "Disillusionment"
7. ↑ *Secrets Revealed* Epilogue
8. ↑ *Soul Searching* Rachi I — *Allies*
9. ↑ "The Corellian Stand"