“Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel” (2008), the meaty fourth book in Karen Traviss’ five-book “Commando” saga, is an example of a story that was wiped out because of a later addition to the saga by George Lucas. The clones here receive Palpatine’s Order 66 as a military order, then carry it out (or not) because they are bred to follow orders (or they’ve decided not to). In “The Clone Wars” – as we learned in a Season 6 arc in 2014 — a microchip forces clones’ compliance with Order 66 (except those who have the chip removed, like Rex).
If Lucas had let Traviss in on his plans, she still could’ve made “Order 66” work, perhaps by adding the removal of the microchips to Skirata’s list of essential medical procedures to give his adopted sons a proper life, along with the ceasing of the accelerated aging. Whereas Traviss’ first entry, “Hard Contact,” barely tied in with the rest of the Expanded Universe, by this point she is a full-fledged encyclopedia of the EU. “Order 66” is packed with tie-ins to other novels, comics and TV.
In exploring Mandalorian lore, Traviss references “Jango Fett: Open Seasons,” wherein Tor Viszla’s Death Watch wipes out the Mando military, and the original Marvel comics, which introduced Fenn Shysa as a charismatic Mandalorian nationalist. Shysa takes the mantle of Mandalore in this book after several of the defecting clones – who need to keep a low profile — turn him down.
Traviss also notes that Boba Fett’s location is unknown, which might be a nod to the early days of “The Clone Wars.” Another TV series tie-in finds the clones referring to Separatist droids as “clankers,” although the author interchanges that with the established EU term “tinnies.” (Earlier in 2008, Traviss wrote the “Clone Wars” movie novelization.)
In cloning lore, the author brings up the notion that Palpatine has branched the Republic’s cloning projects beyond Kamino. Among the other producers is the Spaarti corporation, responsible for the subpar clones in Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn Trilogy.”
In Jedi lore, she gives us Altis’ group of Force users – introduced in “Children of the Jedi” — who don’t subscribe to Jedi tenets. Most notable is Callista, who will go on – after a stint trapped in a computer – to become Luke Skywalker’s girlfriend decades later. Scout, from “Yoda: Dark Rendezvous,” joins the clan at book’s end, making her a nice narrative replacement for Etain, who is killed in the Order 66 chaos. Created by Sean Stewart, Scout is similar to Etain – both have low midichlorian counts but high spirits – and I like the notion of Traviss taking the reins of the character.
After Matthew Stover’s “Revenge of the Sith” novel introduced the concept that the major film characters are celebrities within the GFFA, Traviss entertainingly gives us Skirata’s clones’ perspectives on these top dogs. In short, they have no respect for Kenobi, Quinlan Vos, Ki-Adi-Mundi or Mace Windu, and even believe Yoda – as its leader — bears responsibility for the Jedi Order’s moral decline.
One of the cool things about “Order 66” is that the story overlaps with “Revenge of the Sith,” but we get the perspective of the clones who are attempting to defect. But they still have access to Grand Army of the Republic communications during the chaos. When he hears Kenobi is returning to the Jedi Temple, Mereel notes on page 351 of the paperback that “They’ll need to bring the shields down to get his ego and red carpet in.”
And even Bardan Jusik, who makes the moral decision to leave the Jedi Order several years (in real time) before Ahsoka does on “The Clone Wars,” says he understands why the public was prepared to believe Palpatine’s story that the Jedi aimed to take over the government. After all, most Jedi show no moral outrage at the concept of a slave army; they step in as generals, without questioning it. On page 415, Jusik posits:
It’s entirely possible that the increasingly clouded vision was the result of their own moral degeneration. They’d let so many of their principles slip that the reason they couldn’t see the dark side was so close to them was the lack of sharp contrast with themselves, like trying to see a gray nerf in fog. They turned off the light themselves.
Although “Order 66” could only work in book form — since the clones’ realizations of the Republic’s corruption come gradually and internally, rather than with a eureka moment – I think it works just fine to explain why many clones would carry out Order 66: They already had doubts about the Jedi. In terms of TV drama, the idea of a microchip perhaps plays better; it certainly makes us understand scenes such as the previously loyal Cody trying to gun down Obi-Wan in “Episode III.”
I could argue that Traviss’ and Lucas’ stories can coexist. Since clones are being produced in different places, and in distinct series (from the free-thinking Null ARCs down to the plain ole “white jobs”), I could argue that some batches had the microchip and some didn’t. Maybe it was news of early defectors that had Palpatine add the microchip to later batches. I admit that’s a stretch, though.
Still, given that Traviss could only work with the knowledge available in 2008, “Order 66” masterfully answers the question of why many clones would turn on their Jedi generals and then continue to follow Palpatine into the Imperial era. At the same time, it shows us the alternative perspective of Skirata’s more plugged-in makeshift family, which puts together the puzzle. Pieces – which started to be compiled in the previous entry, “True Colors” — include the fact that there are no retirement provisions for seriously injured clones or for those who will survive the war, that the reported numbers of clones and ships don’t match the reality, and that neither the Republic’s nor the Separatists’ military strategy makes logical sense.
To an even greater degree than its predecessors, “Order 66” is an extended essay that plasters logic over the unexplained or under-explained aspects of Lucas’ prequel saga about Palpatine’s rise. (One area that remains untouched is how he got the funding for the original Kamino clone army, but I believe the 2012 novel “Darth Plagueis” addresses that.)
Even more prominently, Traviss has embraced the family soap opera aspect of her saga, as Skirata – aside from some grievous losses – successfully brings many of his adopted sons and other loved ones to a hideout in the backcountry of Mandalore. Clocking in at 467 pages in paperback form, “Order 66” is sometimes overwritten, with Skirata repeating his views on his makeshift family a bit too often.
That said, it’s also a richer novel than most, and one that inspires readers to continue delving into EU lore. After this, fans can either follow Traviss in digging more into Callista and the spinoff Jedi sect in “No Prisoners,” or follow Darman and Niner – marooned on Coruscant — into “Imperial Commando: 501st.”