in star Wars universe, there is nothing more iconic than the Jedi. From Yoda to Cal Kestis, there is nothing more recognizable than the members of this order. And there are many. With a long history star Wars tells the story of several generations of Jedi. And there is no shortage of stories. Each new piece star Wars the media seems to be adding their own Jedi to the mix, which would be fine, except they were supposed to be wiped out by Order 66. Since the Jedi are on the verge of extinction, there are still a lot of familiar faces around. It’s not that every new project needs another Jedi. Andor does not include any, and the first season Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Boba Fett book don’t bring in new Jedi survivors. However, there is an unspoken expectation that Star Wars content will feature Jedi, and theories are constantly circulating about who else might be a Jedi. What’s easy to forget is that for Order 66 to have the impact it’s meant to have, even a beloved and powerful Jedi must die. In the original trilogy, the absence of the Jedi raises the stakes for the Rebellion, especially Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). So the more that survive, the harder it gets.

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What is Order 66 and who survived?

Yoda and Darth Sidious fight in the Senate in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
Image via Lucasfilm

The key to the problem is the definition of Order 66 itself. The disruptive event can be seen in Revenge of the Sithseventh season Star Wars: The Clone Warsand start bad batch. When PalpatineIan McDermid) introduces inhibitor chips, causing the clones to attack their generals, the Jedi are all but wiped out. The original trilogy featured only two known survivors: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Yoda (Frank Oz). This effectively made the Skywalkers the galaxy’s last hope. But as the world expanded, things were not so simple. And many other survivors began to appear.

With clone wars many new Jedi came, including Anakin (Matt Lanter) padawan, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). Although she eventually resigns from the Jedi Order, Ahsoka fights for the clones on Mandalore during Order 66 but manages to get out. Video game Star Wars: Fallen Order introduces Cal Kestis and Cere Jundu. Cal is a Padawan during Order 66, and his quick-witted master sacrifices herself for him to escape. Cere was a Jedi Knight who escaped with her Padawan Trilla Suduri and several younglings. Caleb Dume or Kanan JarrusFreddie Prinze Jr.) can be seen in Star Wars Rebelsbut bad batch shows him during Order 66. He survives thanks to his master Depa Billaba’s sacrifice (Archie Punjabi) and the presence of clones of a bad batch, which are not affected, except for the inhibitor chip.

The Mandalorian talks about Grog, a youngling who survived. Obi-Wan Kenobi presents Reva (Moses Ingram), another girl who had to pretend to be dead when her peers were killed. The show also features an early insurgency to help ferry Empire targets to safety. The name of Quinlan Vos is on the safe house (Al Rodrigo), who apparently lived on after the fall of the Jedi. Other material tells how Jocasta Nu and Luminara Unduli survived the first wave of destruction. And finally, the trailer for the second season bad batch shows Gungi, a young Jedi seen in clone wars, alive and seemingly on the run. This brings the number of survivors to 13, although this is by no means a complete list. How is it that with all these Jedi, with minimal training, Luke is as important as the original trilogy portrays him?

What did the survivors do?

Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels
Image via Disney

While this presents a challenge for many to survive, there are other things to consider as well. In particular, Vader’s Inquisitors who prey on the survivors. Force-sensitive individuals who had embraced the Dark Side could join an elite group of Jedi assassins. Inquisitors run rampant in Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite their initial success, the surviving Jedi are far from safe in the Empire’s galaxy. While Obi-Wan and Yoda wait, the others have different paths. Ahsoka and Caleb fight for the Rebellion. Like Vos, they elude the Inquisitors with the help of the first Rebels. Jocasta Nu tries to save the Jedi records, but the Inquisitors catch and kill her. Similarly, the Grand InquisitorJason Isaacs) kills Luminara earlier rebels, and her remains are used to lure the few remaining Jedi to the Empire. However, others are seduced by the Dark Side. After the horrors they endured, Reva and Cere become Inquisitors themselves, although they realize their mistake.

The Empire and their Inquisitors make life after Order 66 a meager prize. The survival of the event does not mean that they do it for too long. After the events of the original trilogy, only Ahsoka and Grog are seen. Since Ahsoka is no longer an official Jedi and Grog is too young to do much on his own, their existence does not change Luke’s status as the last Jedi. The rest appear during the 19-year hiatus between the prequels and the originals, so they could have been killed before Luke began his journey. In fact, many of them. In these dangerous and turbulent times, not even their Jedi abilities can save them.

How do survivors change history?

Wookiee Jedi Gungi in The Bad Batch season 2 trailer
Image via Disney+

While the ever-growing list of Jedi living since Order 66 seems to detract from the desperation in the original films, it really isn’t. The reality is that no matter how many Jedi survived the Empire’s attack, only a fraction of the Jedi died. The Jedi Order faced expansion during the reign of the Empire, and no survivors will change that. While adding to the roster must be done with care, more Jedi may have survived Order 66. And with the Inquisitors, even that is no guarantee. Order 66 resulted in the attrition of the Jedi ranks, the destruction of sacred artifacts, and the loss of Jedi knowledge. The few that survived were hunted for years. Whoever gets out, Order 66 will always be the tragedy that shaped the Star Wars galaxy.