Summary
- The Clone Wars was a Jedi trap, forcing them into military roles they weren't intended for.
- Palpatine didn't just aim to convert Anakin; he tried to subvert the entire Jedi Order by turning members to the dark side as part of his master plan.
- Order 66 was just the beginning of the Jedi Purge, with the Inquisitors leading the hunt.
Star Wars Palpatine's ruthless Clone Wars made his plan much darker than George Lucas had imagined. The Clone Wars was the ultimate Jedi trap, carefully crafted so that the Jedi lost the moment they decided to fight in the first place. They forced the Jedi into a role they weren't meant for, that of military leaders dedicated to domination from war. Order 66 was designed as the climax of the Clone Wars when the clone army turned on the Jedi and destroyed them.
George Lucas knew from the beginning that his prequel trilogy was a tragedy and would end in a moment of brutal genocide. Anakin Skywalker played a major role in this tragedy, of course, even leading the clone troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple and igniting his lightsaber as he entered the room the Jedi Youth feared. One of these Youths was deliberately chosen to look like a young Anakin, signifying the death of Skywalker's innocence. As horrible as this story is, Star Wars canon made it darker.
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The Clone Wars Wasn't Just About Breaking Anakin Skywalker
They broke many other members of the Jedi Order
Star Wars books revealed that the Sith had spies living in the Jedi Temple for over a decade. Delilah S. Dawson is phenomenal Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade Heezo, a droid technician working at the Jedi Temple, discovered that he was secretly transmitting information to Palpatine himself. Heezo focused on Jedi approaching the dark side and encouraged them to follow their passions. He was organizing them to join the Imperial Inquisitors.
We always tend to focus on Anakin Skywalker's breakout, and understandably so; he is the star of the saga. However, it is now clear that Palpatine was trying to corrupt the entire Jedi Order by turning as many as possible to the dark side. He realized that the dominion was on the dark side and that the military campaigns of the Clone Wars would inevitably turn some Jedi to the dark side. Anakin Skywalker was the one Palpatine wanted as an apprentice, but he wanted others to serve as members of his inquisitors.
Some Inquisitors were converted before the Clone Wars ended
A shocking twist in the tale
Marvel's current Inquisitors Produced by Rodney Barnes, Guru-eFX and Ramon Rosanos, the miniseries is set during the Dark Ages of the Empire. Inside is a shocking flashback Inquisitors #2, although this suggests that the Fifth Brother – a key member of the inquisitors – was actually converted before the end of the Clone Wars. In fact, a flashback shows him standing alongside the clone troopers as they enact Order 66. This is a shocking retcon that reveals the highest ranking inquisitors actually involved in Order 66; The Fifth Brother is shown killing the Jedi Master who taught him as a young man.
Suddenly, Palpatine's master plan seems even more ruthless and evil. Presumably he spent the entire galactic conflict recruiting members for his inquisitors, training clone troopers to help kill the Jedi. Only when Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side did he decide the time was right, and inquisitors who had trained in Palpatine's secret base on Coruscant itself turned against the Jedi. Anakin led the clone troopers to the steps of the Jedi Temple while other former Jedi killed their comrades.
Meanwhile, as Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade Order 66 was carefully crafted to give other potential Inquisitors one last chance to join the Empire. Iskat Akaris was recruited as such an inquisitor, offered the chance to choose the dark side, one he embraced. As it turns out Tales of the JediJedi traitor Barriss Offee didn't come forward until after Order 66, probably because Palpatine was worried that someone would see him disappear from the cells and have his hand rubbed.
Order 66 is the Beginning of the Jedi Purge
Star Wars history has been rewritten
George Lucas intended Order 66 to be the end of the Jedi Order, although even Lucas envisioned that there would be survivors of Order 66; he believed that up to 100 Jedi may still be alive at the time of the original trilogy. Based on this, Disney canon retitled Order 66 as the beginning of the Imperial genocide against the Jedi, rather than the moment when the ancient order was destroyed. The Inquisitors participated in this first strike, and they later continued to hunt down the Jedi, working for Darth Vader.
It's a clever retcon and, oddly enough, perfectly fits Lucas' original account of the Jed Purge. Lucas first talked about how he led the Emperor's forces to secretly hunt down and kill Jedi long before Darth Vader suspected his betrayal; now, in canon, he actually led the Imperials in hunting down the Jedi. This Star Wars The retcon is a fantastic development of Lucas' vision and highlights just how evil the Emperor really is.