Every Order Palpatine Had In Star Wars Legends (Besides 66)

Summary In Star Wars Legends, there were 150 contingency orders in addition to Order 66, though Palpatine never intended to use most of them.

The majority of those orders were meant to look official and divert attention away from Palpatine's true plans to destroy the Jedi.

One contingency plan was added after the rise of the Galactic Empire, and it was aimed at Darth Vader.

Order 66 was a key component in Palpatine’s schemes in the Star Wars saga, but in Legends, it was only one of 150 contingency orders for the Galactic Republic’s Clone Army. The clone troopers' true purpose was to help Palpatine eradicate the Jedi and transform the Republic into his Galactic Empire. In Star Wars Legends, which was re-categorized as non-canon, there were numerous contingency orders. Out of all of them, Order 66 was the only one that Palpatine truly intended to use, and the only one shown in the Star Wars movies.

Clone troopers were specifically indoctrinated to follow Order 66, regardless of their belief in democracy and friendship with their Jedi leaders. When the order was given, most clones complied, wiping out most of the Jedi across the galaxy during the Clone Wars, though some Jedi survived Order 66. The clones then became the original military force of the Galactic Empire. Though it was largely a success, many clone troopers disobeyed Order 66 through sheer willpower or other factors. Order 66 wasn't the only order, though, as the existence of other contingency orders within the Republic military was revealed in the 2007 novel Republic Commando: True Colors.

Related Every Member Of The Jedi Council During Order 66 (& What Happened To Them) At the time of Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge, there were several major members of the High Jedi Council. This is what you need to know about them.

Order 4

One of the few orders that might have been used established a chain of command if Palpatine was incapacitated

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Order 4 was to be enacted to maintain the Republic military’s leadership if the Supreme Chancellor became incapacitated. As shown in True Colors, the full text is:

“In the event of the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) being incapacitated, overall GAR command shall fall to the vice chair of the Senate until a successor is appointed or an alternative authority identified as outlined in Section 6 (iv).”

During the Clone Wars, the vice chair of the Senate was Mas Amedda, and Order 4 would have made him the temporary leader of the Republic military. Mas Amedda was a notoriously corrupt politician well before Palpatine’s career as Supreme Chancellor. He was also among the few people who knew Palpatine’s secret Sith identity, meaning that the Sith Order would likely have remained in control of the Republic military even if Palpatine was incapacitated.

Order 4 may have been one of the few orders that was actually used, as it could have been enacted during the Battle of Coruscant. As shown in Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine was taken prisoner by General Grievous during the battle. Though his captivity was brief, Order 4 may have been used before Palpatine was rescued at the end of the battle. Given the nature of the crisis, it would make sense for someone to assume command of the Republic in the Supreme Chancellor's absence, even if they did surrender it shortly after.

Order 5

It explained what would have happened if Palpatine was declared unfit to lead

Order 5 was another contingency related to the Supreme Chancellor, but in this case, it was to be enacted if Palpatine were to be declared unfit for command. The full text of Order 5 also appears in True Colors:

“In the event of the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) being declared unfit to issue orders, as defined in Section 6 (ii), the chief of defense staff shall assume GAR command and form a strategic cell of senior officers (see page 1173, para 4) until a successor is appointed or alternative authority identified.”

Of all the known contingency orders, Order 5 is one of the vaguest. The text only refers to “Section 6” to explain who would declare Palpatine unfit to lead, and it doesn’t mandate any specific action for the Clone Army, other than their new commander being the Republic Chief of Defense staff. Order 5 is similar in many ways to Order 65, but the circumstances appear far less dire. Order 5 may have been intended for use if the Supreme Chancellor was removed via a Vote of No Confidence and a successor had yet to be elected.

Order 37

The plan to execute civilians rivaled Order 66 in its brutality

Order 37 was a terrifyingly brutal contingency order which mandated the use of civilians as hostages to force the surrender and capture of a fugitive. As shown in the novel The Last of the Jedi: The Desperate Mission, Order 37 was executed on Bellassa one year after the Republic became the Empire. The Empire sought to capture the Jedi Padawan Ferus Olin, arresting numerous civilians and executing many of them (according to The Essential Atlas). Order 37 was also executed on the CIS-aligned Core World Rosha, as shown in The Last of the Jedi: Return of the Dark Side.

Order 37 essentially declared martial law on a planet, and though it was only enacted twice (both instances taking place after the fall of the Republic), it’s disconcerting that the order existed during the Clone Wars. No Jedi or clone would have arrested and executed civilians for the sake of capturing an adversary. Order 37’s existence was one of many signs that the Republic was losing its way during the Clone Wars.

Order 65

The command to turn the clones against the Supreme Chancellor was probably just a cover for Order 66

Order 65, like Order 5, is a response to Palpatine being declared unfit to lead the Republic. The full text can be found in True Colors:

“In the event of either (i) a majority in the Senate declaring the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) to be unfit to issue orders, or (ii) the Security Council declaring him to be unfit to issue orders, and an authenticated order being received by the GAR, commanders shall be authorized to detain the Supreme Commander, with lethal force if necessary, and command of the GAR shall fall to the acting Chancellor until a successor is appointed or alternative authority identified as outlined in Section 6 (iv).”

While it’s an entertaining and cathartic scenario to imagine, it’s extremely unlikely that Palpatine would allow clone troopers to follow such an order. The order being the immediate predecessor to Order 66 may have been a measure taken by Palpatine to mask his true intentions from those who would inspect the contingency orders closely. It’s even possible that the clone troopers were indoctrinated against following Order 65, should the Republic have discovered the truth about Palpatine and attempted to defeat him with the order.

Order 151

Palpatine's plan to kill Darth Vader

This additional contingency order was not public within the Republic or Imperial military, as its purpose was to turn the clones against Darth Vader. The text of Order 151 is unknown, and the order was never executed, but Darth Vader did discover its existence in the Star Wars: Dark Times comic series and killed Clone Commander Vill to cover up this knowledge. Given his position as a Sith Lord, Palpatine no doubt created Order 151 as a means to dispose of Vader or defend himself from Vader potentially trying to usurp him, as per the Sith Rule of Two.

Legends Contingency Orders Purpose Order 4 Establish a line of succession if Palpatine was incapacitated. Order 5 Establish a line of succession if Palpatine was declared unfit to lead. Order 37 Authorized the capture and execution of civilian hostages to apprehend fugitives. Order 65 Authorized clones to apprehend or kill Palpatine if he was deemed unfit to lead. Order 151 Order the clones to turn against Darth Vader.

Order 66

The infamous order that destroyed the Jedi

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The only order ever shown on-screen, and the only one whose details are still considered canon, was Order 66. The full text of Order 66 was the following:

"In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established."

The Jedi never suspected that Order 66 would need to be used, and the fact that it was buried among over one hundred other contingency orders likely prevented the order’s text from being closely examined. If a Jedi had looked at it closely, they would have seen that Order 66 was alarmingly useful for staging a coup and destroying the Republic’s democracy.

As shown throughout the Star Wars franchise, Palpatine was a genius with plans for almost every possibility, and his contingency orders, especially Order 66, exemplified this. They accounted for every scenario he could foresee, and they even worked together to throw the Jedi off his trail. While they may no longer be canon, Palpatine's contingency orders provide an interesting look into his mind. Though his plan was absolutely evil, Palpatine has cemented himself as the most thorough and strategic person in all of Star Wars.