Order 66 is a pivotal moment in Star Wars lore, with the extinction of the Jedi ordered by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith still having a huge bearing on the mythology today, most recently when it was revealed that The Mandalorian‘s Baby Yoda was present at the Temple on Coruscant as Anakin Skywalker fully embraced the Dark Side and slaughtered the Younglings.
However, the High Republic novel Light of the Jedi may have just teased that this isn’t the first time such a thing has happened. The expansion is regarded as official canon, leading to the entire franchise being rebranded and split into multiple distinct eras, although there’ve been reports that some behind the scenes discontent has been brewing over the TV side’s creative freedom.
Disney had previously wiped the expanded universe from continuity after redefining it as Legends, but a few elements have managed to seep back into the official timeline, with Dave Filoni’s encyclopedic knowledge of Star Wars coming in especially handy when it comes to fitting the pieces together.
Now, an exchange between two characters in Light of the Jedi has revealed that the Order had been reduced to a handful of members on more than one occasion in the past, which would seemingly indicate that Revenge of the Sith wasn’t the first time the Force-sensitive organization had been almost entirely decimated.
The passage in question can be found below:
“But we have been a military force in the past,” said Oppo Rancisis. “In fact, our predecessors waged and won the Great Sith Wars. There is endless precedent in the chronicles for this sort of thing.”
“True, but we are not at war now. We are the farthest thing from it,” said Rana Kant.
“Not the farthest,” replied Yarael Poof. “There have been times in our history when the Order was reduced to but a handful of members.”
The very ancient history of Star Wars is one of the few corners that hasn’t yet been explored in any great detail, but with the High Republic series and upcoming Disney Plus show The Acolyte diving further into the past than ever before, the earliest days of the sci-fi saga could end up being painted in an entirely different light.
