Partly because I failed to include it in my entry, Order 66, and partly to address ongoing questions and distortions about my thoughts, I thought I would provide you with a timeline for SOME of the events I believe took place around the time Order 66 was invoked. Following this, I will address a couple of issues that continue to plague my email. Again, this is merely an extrapolation and interpretation from what I believe happened around this time...I am no threat to your view of the GFFA, I can assure you.

Have fun!

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BBG - Before the Battle of Geonosis
ABG - After the Battle of Geonosis
- all times are approximated

25 - 20 BBG
Padme Amidala is born.

20 BBG - 10 BBG
Anakin Skywalker is created.
King Veruna of Naboo abdicates throne; Queen Amidala takes his place.
Darth Sidious kills Darth Plagueis.
King Veruna dies.
Darth Sidious initiates the Neimodians blockade of Naboo.
Senator Palpstine requests Chancellor Valorum use the Jedi to force a settlement.
The Jedi are forced to land on Tatooine.
The Jedi discover Anakin Skywalker.
Darth Maul is killed without being questioned.
Senator Palpatine becomes Chancellor Palpatine.
Master Sifo-dyas is killed.
Count Dooku (aka Darth Tyrannus) replaces Darth Maul.
Count Dooku contracts with Jango Fett.
At the behest of Darth Sidious, Master Sifo-dyas (aka Dooku, aka Tyrannus), along with Jango Fett, create the Clone army.


10 BBG - 0 BBG
Anakin's Jedi training begins.
Chancellor Palpatine befriends / mentors young Anakin Skywalker.
Yoda senses a growing, but undefined, disturbance in the Force.
The Naboo-Neimodian trade dispute expands into a rebellion against the Republic.
Provisions are created to ensure Palpatine remains Chancellor for the length of the 'crisis'.
Jango Fett is contracted to assassinate Queen Amidala.
Chancellor Palpatine requests the Jedi protect Queen Amidala.
The Jedi track Amidala's assassin to Kamino.
Kenobi discovers the clones on Kamino.
Kenobi is captured and held hostage by the CIS, Dooku, and Fett.
Chancellor Palpatine establishes the GAR in defense of the Republic.
Yoda travels to Kamino to investigate and enlist the Clone army.


Battle of Geonosis
The Jedi engage in a full scale battle.
Jango is killed before he can be questioned.
Yoda arrives with the clones, whose mandate is to protect the Republic under orders of the Jedi.
Dooku escapes with the Death Star plans.
The Clone War begins.


0-1 ABG
Chancellor Palpatine, the Senate, and the Jedi determine the final organization of the GAR and how it's to be used for the remainder of the war.
In cooperation with Palpatine, Yoda has Order 66 added to the clones training protocols to protect against rogue Jedi and a potential Jedi Civil War.


1-3 ABG
The clone wars rage on for 3-years.
General Greivous is created.
General Greivous and Count Dooku kidnap Chancellor Palpatine.
Count Dooku is killed before he can be questioned.
Distrust of Palpatine grows among the Jedi as he is seen grabbing more power from the Senate.
General Grievous is killed before he can be questioned.
The Jedi decide to remove the Chancellor; Palpatine is revealed to be a Sith Lord.
Anakin Skywalker replaces Count Dooku.
Chancellor Palpatine invokes Order 66 to destroy the Jedi and prevent a potential Civil War.
Chancellor Palpatine reorganizes the Republic into an Empire, naming himself Emperor.
All Jedi are now labeled as traitors.
A rebellion against the Empire grows in secret.

The fears of both Yoda and Palpatine are finally realized: a Galactic Civil War begins...

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The single greatest issue I've seen in dispute of my ideas is the following:
The clones are loyal to the Republic first. As such, they ultimately follow its leader, the Chancellor, and any orders he gives. The fact that the clones report to the Jedi is mere formality. The clones destroyed the Jedi because the Chancellor told them to - period.

Even if we ignore the fact that the clones were trained to follow the Jedi without question, it is still a very flawed statement to make. Here's why: CHAIN OF COMMAND (CoC). We all hear about this, but unless you've been in the military, its reality is somewhat misunderstood. To help illustrate this I will invoke two examples, one from a Republic, the other from an Empire...let's begin.

Referencing a Republic, specifically the USA, all soldiers see the President as Commander-in-Chief, the highest commanding officer - that's true. Having said this, you must understand how unusual it is for soldiers to receive an order from, much less follow, someone so far up on the CoC - it just isn't done. The basic reason for a CoC is to avoid confusion on the battlefield. With the huge potential for miscommunication, it's the only way of ensuring everyone is doing the job required of them - its not to be lightly thrown away. If you're receiving a command from someone so high up, it must mean that every leader in between must be suspect, otherwise you would have issued it down through them. The request itself puts the entire organization at risk for dissolution. Ask any soldier if presented with a face-to-face order from their Commander (someone they've bled with, be they General, Lieutenant, or Sergeant) and the President himself, who would they follow? Go ahead, ask. I think you'll be surprised by the answer. The act of issuing a direct order from someone like a president would cause serious questions among such highly disciplined soldiers. Since the clones had officers from generals to commanders to sergeants in place, it would make no sense to them to receive such an order unless something very specific was put in place, something that would permit them to follow this order, while seemingly not conflict with their primary duty: to follow their generals, the Jedi.

To expand on this I will now reference an Empire - the Roman Empire. Since we're talking about a movie, I would like to invoke the following cinematic example: Gladiator (starring Russell Crowe). In the final scene we see an ex-General, Maximus, battling against the Roman Emperor, Commodus. In the ensuing combat, the Emperor loses his sword which places himself in mortal danger. The Emperor commands the surrounding soldiers to throw him a sword. They disobey. The soldiers appeared confused and uncertain. Why the uncertainty? It's the Emperor, he should be followed without question, right? Notice, they disobey at the command of another General - General Quintus. Here we have the leader of the known civilized world demanding a sword from soldiers sworn to protect him and the Empire - not one soldier obeys. Because when push comes to shove, soldiers obey their generals first, the civilian leaders last. So, again, unless there was a plan in place that would allow for these soldiers to obey both their General and their Emperor, the soldiers did what they were trained for - they followed the Chain of Command. The next person up from most soldiers is another soldier - that's who they respond to. Despite the authority of the Roman Emperor, a General (two, in fact) placed their own will ahead of the current leader of the nation. Had Order 66 not been in place, the Republic was subject to the same risk with the Jedi in charge - a rogue General countermanding an order from the accepted military or political leader of the people, be that person Yoda or the Chancellor. Yoda being aware of the growing arrogance of the Jedi, needed to have an order in place that left no room for doubt in the clones' minds whom was in charge. Order 66 meant exactly what we think it meant: your generals have rebelled against the Republic. As the order came from a Jedi General, a soldier (yes, I mean Yoda) it was an order the clones would accept as coming from the legitimate person in charge. Sharing this responsibility with Palpatine was prudent as he was the accepted civilian leader - the survival of the Republic was paramount.

Finally, I would like to address the issue of the phrase: It will be done, my lord. Most comments surrounding this response fall back to this as proof that the clones were always in league with Sidious/Palpatine, not the Jedi. I disagree, of course. Again, falling back on my own military training, I offer up to you the concept of a password - a code that ensures the validity and receipt of a specified transmission. Rather than being a sinister response from a brain-washed clone, it is simply the expected response to a special order. If someone invokes this order, this is the response that is given. That is to say, if Palpatine or Yoda, gave such an order, the response to be given in return was: it will be done, my lord. A special order deserves a special response - I don't think it had anything to do with a special arrangement between Palps and the clones. Now, it doesn't appear that this was the response given by each clone, but then again, the clones aren't robots - each might have had a certain nuance to it that shouldn't detract from the overall intent - the message has been heard, understood, and will be carried out.

Again, all of this is speculation on my part from what I can discern of this subject based on my experiences and my knowledge of the GFFA. And I apologize for delving further into this exhausted subject but I felt there was enough information with which to do so. I promise to refrain from any further expansion on this issue unless ordered to do so from the appropriate personnel. Dismissed.

Of course, your comments, rants, and counter theories are welcome.