OBI-WAN: But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him...well, arrogant.

YODA: Yes, yes. It's a flaw more and more common among Jedi. Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones.

(from Attack of the Clones)

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After much meditation, I, Kenobi-fan, have come to understand something I can no longer keep to myself. I'm talking about something that could send a shockwave through the galaxy of fandom like an exploding Death Star. It might even make you question everything you think you know about the Jedi, the clones, and the most devastating command ever given...

Yes, I'm speaking of...ORDER 66.

It hangs in the air like a vulture above every SW fan's head. We all know it to be the signal given by the Chancellor to the clones ordering them to destroy their Jedi Generals. It's seems simple enough. Somewhere during their short lives the clones were given instruction on what this order meant and what it was they were to do - of this there can be no dispute. However what do we really know about this 'order'?

From the movies, all we hear is the Kaminoans state that the clones are more docile than the original host. The clones aren't robots, they haven't been given a 'Manchurian' style psychological implant, and they aren't stupid. Honestly, all we really see in the movies is a disfigured holo-image of a hooded Chancellor giving orders to groups of clones who follow it without hesitation.

The fact is the clones are bred to obey their Jedi Generals. Per page 20 of Republic Commando: Hard Contact: Darman, a Republic Commando himself, had been told that "Jedi were omniscient, omnipotent, and to be obeyed at all times". I imagine most every clone received the same instruction, excluding a limited few. Even if the clones find some fault with the Jedi, they follow them almost without question. They are tenacious warriors capable of great feats of terror and heroism. To come up against the clones is to come up against the best warriors in the galaxy.

As dangerous as the Clones are, the Jedi are even more powerful. Having control of a mystical energy field, they can run faster, jump higher, fight harder, and do things most others in the galaxy cannot do. Frankly, their abilities are frightening to clone and citizen alike. They can inspire both hope and fear, not to mention rip doors from their hinges with just their mind. The Jedi state their existence is to protect peace and justice, however they do not hold themselves above fighting as we've seen time and again. Should they give into the temptation to unleash themselves from their oaths and beliefs, who could stop these beings?

When one speaks of Jedi during the period of ROTS, you cannot help but think of Count Dooku. Unlike Maul, Dooku was a Jedi - a fallen Jedi. Not even the Jedi Order believed him capable of the scheme he was plotting. Despite the moral training of the Jedi, he consolidates and unleashes his power against both the Jedi and the Republic, as he no longer believes either serves the purpose for which it was intended. Both are now corrupt, needing a strong hand to guide them back to the principals of order under which they were formed. As skewed as this idea might be, it appears to be what he believed. Very few of us even see Dooku as a Sith, preferring to view him as a tragic idealist. Indeed.

Then there is Anakin, a suspicious and enigmatic addition to the Jedi Order. He is brash, powerful, prone to outbursts, extremely emotional, and highly independent. His desire for acknowledgement and power do not go unnoticed by the Council or Yoda. Very few in the Order trust Anakin or his motives. Whatever the reason for this mistrust, he is a frightful vision of the future for the Jedi. Should he decide to go the way of the Dooku or the lost 20 and trek out on his own, one can only imagine the impact he might have.

So, here we stand: on one side we have a group of tenacious warriors bred to obey the Jedi, while on the other are the Jedi who must order them into battle. What would happen if the Jedi became too attached and too concerned for the safety of their charges? What might happen if these Jedi believed they could make the world a better place, assigning their idealism in place of the Republic's or the Jedi Order itself? What would be the outcome of such an alliance of Jedi and Clone? Could the Republic stop such a force? Did anyone think of this when it was decided what form the GAR would take, who would be in charge, and how it would be handled? Of course, I think Palpatine thought about this...but so did Yoda.

Recall the quote above... Yoda was already concerned about the arrogance of the Jedi, about individuals like Anakin and Dooku, about how their abilities and attitudes were being corrupted by enigmatic and outside influences. What would happen if other Jedi became as these two - acting of their own volition, of their own beliefs? Now he's told about an army, an army created for the Republic, an army that would invariably be lead by the Jedi. How could they not?

Imagine the elderly Jedi Master watching the Order begin its dark descent into political intrigue and war. Do you remember his look as Ki Adi-Mundi stresses his confidence in Dooku to Amidala? Yoda knows the depths to which the Jedi can sink - they are not perfect beings and they can be corrupted. Anger, fear, aggression are the paths to the dark side - the very paths the Jedi were walking now.

Do you remember the manner in which Order 66 is given...it's not transferred down through the clone chain of command. It isn't handed down by the Kaminoans or the clones' instructors. The Chancellor himself gives it. Why? Clearly, if the clones are bred to obey the commands of Palpatine he should have only needed to tell a few commanders who in turn would tell all of their subordinates. However, this is not the case and it's certainly not what we see in the movie.

Okay, so what am I getting at? Obviously, it's always been a problem for me to reconcile the following seemingly contradictory issues:
1. The clones must obey the Jedi.
2. The clones must obey the order to kill the Jedi.
How can you both be loyal and mutinous at the same time? After pondering this for a while, it finally came to me. It's so simple as to be nearly unbelievable.

Really, there is only one logical answer:
THE JEDI CREATED ORDER 66. And not just any Jedi, but YODA himself.

I know what you're saying: What? Who? Where? No - it can't be! That's impossible!
Still, I implore you to search your feelings; you know it to be true.

Yoda created Order 66 to prevent the Jedi from ever gaining complete control of the Clones. Yoda understood enough to know the Jedi were walking a dark path, a path of fear, of power, and of attachment - a path that could lead to their destruction and the destruction of the Republic. Order 66 was an indeed a secret order - one Yoda instituted without any Jedi's knowledge or assistance for fear of it being discovered and subverted. However, shared it must should Yoda ever be killed or captured. Yoda really loved the Republic, he really loved democracy, which is why it must be shared should anything ever happen to him. Therefore he shared it with those he most sought to protect: the Republic. It couldn't be given to just any citizen; it had to be given to the leader of the Republic. Of course, I'm speaking of the democratically elected Chancellor: - Chancellor Palpatine.

We know Palps to be a Sith Lord, but no one else did. Even if Yoda suspected Palps motives, he never believed Palps to be a sinister force, and he certainly didn't believe it at the time the clones were finally pressed into service. No, at this point he was just a typical politician, but one that needed to be presented with an option to thwart a rogue Jedi-Clone union should one come to pass. It was never meant for mass use. It was only intended to take out a single Jedi should one ever begin to use the clones for their own ends. This is why you see Palps give the order himself in a series of displays rather than a single order transmitted through the chain of command - it was a specific order meant to be given to specific units. Only he knew about it and only he (or Yoda) could give it so that the clones would obey it.

By now you're saying I'm either a genius or I'm crazy but stick with me. Haven't you ever wondered why only Yoda went to Kamino and what he did with what he saw and learned there? Surely, if there were a plot against the Jedi he would have discovered it. Additionally, he would have delved into the minds of the clones and queried both the Kaminoans and the instructors as to their intentions and limits - Yoda is not stupid. To that end, isn't it interesting that Yoda senses the Clones turn but other Jedi do not - was he sensing something he himself did years earlier? The dark side might be clouding the future, but not his wisdom. No, there was no plot against the Jedi on the clone's part, and they weren't tricked into doing anything. Yoda just made sure that a 'kill switch' was implemented should the Jedi ever begin to fall to the Dark Side. To put it simply, Yoda created Order 66 and gave it to the clones in some manner, either directly or through the 're-conditioning' that took place from time-to-time. Given their training, the clones had to obey it. It was an order from the highest-ranking Jedi General - they must follow it and from anyone he gave permission to issue it to them.

Now, you're asking yourself the question about how the clones were going to be used if not to destroy the Jedi. The clones were meant to give Palpatine the opportunity to become Emperor. All Palps wanted to do was create a situation chaotic enough to thwart the Senate, forcing them to put him in ultimate control. As for killing the Jedi, did he really need Order 66? When you see what Anakin and the clones (just one Jedi and a group of clones) accomplished at the Temple - an entire building full of Jedi - the answer is 'not really'. Order 66 was simply a more expedient way to deal with the Jedi, one that Palps happily employed. Like everything he touched, Palpatine abused an Order meant to serve the Republic, not destroy it. It was a great tool, but not absolutely necessary. It wasn't even needed after Palps declared himself Emperor and controlled the clones outright. As a result of this action, the Jedi were now outside the Republic and no longer to be trusted or followed.

So, there you have it, though Palps utilized Order 66 he did not create it. He simply allowed the flow of events to bring what it would, just as he did with so many situations. In the end, Order 66 was merely meant to reign in rogue Jedi should they ever begin to utilize the clones for purposes beyond which they were intended. Sadly, the effect was much more tragic. As wise as Yoda is, he is not all seeing. His sole intention was to protect the Republic by giving the clones an order they had to follow if given by himself or Palpatine. It was just another miscalculation among many that both Yoda and the Jedi Order made, but one that ultimately purged them of the arrogance Yoda saw as the downfall of the Jedi (not to mention Anakin).

I know this is a lot to take, but judge for yourself. How can the clones follow the Jedi and disobey them at the same time? It's easy, if the order to disobey comes from the Jedi themselves.

Hey, if Luke could get over having Vader for a father,
than you can get over this - trust me.

Note: I realize this is a controversial take on an event familiar to us all. Because of this, I will refrain from commenting as I normally do to allow for as many responses, retorts, and chuckles as possible. If you have a specific question you would like me to answer, please feel free to email me (see my profile). Finally, I'm not saying any of this is accurate or true - just that it feels right to me. I hope you enjoyed it...thanks!