What If The Jedi Won Order 66?

The Star Wars franchise is so big that we, as fans, sometimes wonder, “What if?” kind of in the vein of Marvel’s What If…? Not just from a behind the scenes perspective, but also from an in-universe perspective. Star Wars has dabbled in such scenarios via the Infinites comics in the past that were published by Dark Horse Comics, such as what would have happened if Luke Skywalker’s proton torpedoes had missed at the end of A New Hope. Of course, outside of the officially licensed releases, there is also fanfiction.

Depending on the writer’s execution, the quality of fanfiction can vary wildly. Just a few days ago, the popular YouTube channel Star Wars Theory released a fanfic video titled, “What if Order 66 Failed?” As explained in the video, the idea for this video came about in December 2016, when the YouTube channel was in its infancy. Order 66 is, of course, was Palpatine’s order to exterminate the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars. The clones, having been given genetic chips that would cause them to obey the order, obeyed. In canon, we have seen different sides of this event play out in Revenge of the Sith, the Kanan comics, the Jedi: Fallen Order video game, and, more recently, the end of The Clone Wars TV series. At about eight and a half minutes in length, this video is actually well-animated and posits an interesting scenario in which some, but not all, of the Jedi survived against the clone troopers who tried executing Order 66.

You can click on the video below:

In addition to Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the surviving Jedi in this scenario include Cin Drallig, Ki-Adi Mundi, Aayla Secura, and Plo Koon. According to this video, Anakin Skywalker (or Darth Vader at this point) is so powerful that the raid on the Jedi Temple would still have gone down pretty much the same way, albeit with Cin Drallig surviving in this Star Wars Theory scenario.

After this, Yoda would no longer have to go toe to toe with Sidious alone, having the aid of Drallig, Mundi, and Secura as Koon is sent with Kenobi to look for Vader. The events in Sidious’ office would have played out similarly to the scene when Mace Windu, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto confront him. Drallig and Secura would have been slayed first. Sidious, knowing that Yoda is more powerful, would have tried going for Mundi beforehand. Anticipating this strategy, Yoda would have surprised Sidious and sliced him in half similarly to Maul, except Sidious would be dead here.

Meanwhile, Koon and Kenobi would sneak aboard Padme’s ship and arrive on Mustafar. When Vader Force chokes Padme, Koon would be quicker to react and cast electric judgment, which is essentially yellow Force lightning. Star Wars Theory seems to have derived this from the fact that Plo Koon uses this power in the 2000 video game Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles. This game, however, is considered Legends, and the power has not appeared in canon. Regardless, it makes for some good imagery in this animated video. Padme would have survived, and Vader would have been defeated, put in a box similar to the one that held Maul at the end of The Clone Wars, and sentenced to be imprisoned forever. Bail Organa would have become the new chancellor, and Padme would have raised Luke and Leia, who would be trained to be Jedi from infancy. As a joke, the video posits the possibility that Vader would eventually be broken out of prison with the help of Jar Jar Binks.

While we might never know the precise events that would have unfolded had these specific Jedi survived Order 66, it is still an interesting scenario to think about. I certainly do not think that the electric judgment sequence would have happened, but who knows? One thing I was surprised that the video did not take into account is the possibility that the Jedi could be arrested for attacking Chancellor Palpatine. Dave Filoni has been quoted as saying that Mace Windu would have been arrested had he killed Palpatine. Would something similar have happened to Yoda and Ki-Adi Mundi? Plus, their defeat of Sidious would have taken place after the Galactic Empire announcement has taken place, which calls into question whether Bail Organa would indeed have become chancellor after Sidious’ death and Vader’s capture.

As has been stated, the idea for this video was thought of in December 2016. However, I am a bit surprised that it was not retrofitted a bit more by exploring what would have happened with Ahsoka and Maul after the events in this scenario. We have seen the end of The Clone Wars play out, and it still would have been the same. But I wonder whether there still would have been a hunt for Maul in light of the events presented in this scenario, and where Maul would have gone. At the end of this video, Star Wars Theory says that he wants to do a second part about Vader breaking out of prison, so perhaps that may present an opportunity to explore Maul and Ahsoka a bit more in this alternate universe that he has crafted. Even if it all may not be exactly what would have happened, it is still a fascinating watch.

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated From Culture Slate