Horrific Star Wars Theory Makes Order 66 Even Darker Than Revenge Of The Sith

Warning! SPOILERS for The Bad Batch season 3 episodes 1-3.

Order 66 in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is one of the most horrific and heartbreaking events in Star Wars but one missed detail might make it far, far worse. Star Wars seems obsessed with showing Order 66 from as many points of view as possible, with multiple series like Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian, and The Bad Batch all containing flashbacks to the fall of the Jedi. Overall, it’s as if Palpatine’s triumph over the Jedi is the centerpiece that the entire Star Wars timeline revolves around.

Despite constantly showing off dozens of Jedi who survived Order 66, the franchise rarely talks about what happened to the Jedi who fell. Thousands of Jedi died across the galaxy when Palpatine gave the order, but the Empire is strangely quiet about what happened to their bodies in the aftermath of the massacre. In Star Wars Legends, hundreds of dead Jedi were dragged outside the Jedi Temple and burned at the entrance as a warning to those who would defy Palpatine. But in Star Wars Canon, something far worse happened to the deceased Jedi.

The Empire Stockpiled Jedi Corpses After Order 66

There are some strange clues scattered throughout some of Star Wars’ more recent projects as to what the Empire did with many of the fallen Jedi. Rather than bury them or burn them, the Empire kept many of the bodies as trophies. Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4 shows how the Inquisitors kept a tomb filled with Jedi corpses in the bowels of Fortress Inquisitorious. Seasoned Jedi Masters like Tera Sinube and Coleman Kcaj can be seen suspended in resin-like blocks; even some younglings are displayed. However, it’s odd for the Empire to preserve the bodies for the sole purpose of decoration.

Of course, the Jedi tomb at Fortress Inquisitorious wasn’t the only instance where the Empire disrespects fallen Jedi. Star Wars Rebels season 1, episode 5 shows the Ghost Crew attempting to rescue Master Luminara Unduli from the Spire, an Imperial prison on Stygeon Prime. To their horror, they find that she died long ago, and that the Empire kept Luminara’s mummified remains to lure lost Jedi to the prison through the Force. This gives a practical reason why the Empire kept some fallen Jedi, but it still doesn’t explain why they went to such lengths to properly preserve them.

Palpatine Is Obsessed With Cloning Himself

The answer to why the Empire kept so many dead Jedi around becomes clearer in light of Palpatine’s cloning obsession. Recently, The Bad Batch season 3 has highlighted Palpatine’s interest in Project Necromancer, the Imperial program devoted to creating a perfect clone of Palpatine. In other words, Disney is still trying to fix Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s abysmal “somehow” explanation for how Palpatine managed to cheat death. Nevertheless, The Bad Batch season 3 also reveals an inherent flaw that comes with cloning, one that the dead Jedi could potentially fix.

According to Doctor Hemlock and Nala Se, with the Empire’s current technology, cloning a subject almost always degrades the midi-chlorian count from the original to the clone. While this error has no effect on the Republic’s clone army—since they were bred for physical combat and not Force-sensitivty—it poses a major issue for Palpatine’s plan. Palpatine’s eventual goal is to transfer his essence into a perfect clone of himself, effectively making him immortal. But if his clone lacks the same abilities he currently has, then the transfer would mean he’s downgrading himself, not upgrading.

Where Did Moff Gideon Get The Idea To Steal Grogu’s Blood?

Curiously enough, Moff Gideon seems to steal Palpatine’s idea of upgrading a cloned version of himself in The Mandalorian season 3. Despite his cloning machinations only coming to light in season 3, its clear Moff Gideon planned to increase his midi-chlorian count all the way back before The Mandalorian season 1. It’s possible he hunted Grogu merely because he was carrying out Project Necromancer for Palpatine. But at some point, Gideon realizes Palpatine’s true intentions for Grogu, and rather than continue working for him, Gideon betrays the Empire.

Palpatine intended to craft a clone with even more midi-chlorians than his original, then transfer his essence into it. But Gideon couldn’t transfer his essence; instead, he was prepared to allow his clones to surpass him with their superior Force-sensitvity. But in all of this, Grogu was the key both Gideon and Palpatine sought after. Blood that was rich with midi-chlorians was necessary for overcoming the inherent defect in cloning. And while Moff Gideon was almost successful in creating a force-sensitive clone of himself, Palpatine’s clone ended up being imperfect.

Palpatine Saved The Jedi Corpses For Their Midi-Chlorians

With all the pieces of the puzzle in place, the answer becomes clear; Palpatine deliberately salvaged and preserved dozens of dead Jedi to use them in his midi-chlorian cloning experiments. While he worked to create a living hell for the Jedi alive after Order 66, he also disrespected those who had fallen by attempting to steal their sacred connection to the Force. Given the disreputable state of his clone in The Rise of Skywalker, it seems Palpatine failed to create a more powerful clone for himself, which is likely why he gave the extra Jedi bodies to the Inquisitors.

The fact so many dead Jedi were preserved by the Empire cannot be for mere decoration. But Palpatine’s failure to create a superior clone suggests harvesting midi-chlorians off the dead may be impossible. This is why Moff Gideon is so obsessed with capturing Grogu alive, and is also why Doctor Hemlock wants Omega alive in The Bad Batch. Palpatine was resourceful enough to at least attempt siphoning midi-chlorians off of the hundreds of Jedi he’d killed, but he ultimately discovered their corpses were of little use to Project Necromancer.

If Moff Gideon used Grogu’s blood for Project Necromancer, its very possible Palpatine could have been resurrected far sooner than he was. Moff Gideon was acting against the Empire when he attempted to steal Palpatine’s idea for himself. But as it stands, the franchise seems to suggest that midi-chlorian rich blood must come from a living host in order to increase the M-count of a clone. Nevertheless, The Bad Batch season 3’s midi-chlorian reveal proves just how much Palpatine dishonored the fallen Jedi after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, episodes 1-3 are available now on Disney+. Future episodes release Wednesdays at 12:00 AM PT, 3:00 AM ET, and 8:00 a.m. GMT.