This month marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the final installment of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. The film premiered on May 19, 2005, and would ultimately be the last Star Wars project directed by George Lucas before he sold Lucasfilm to Disney seven years later.
Fans entering the theater for Revenge of the Sith knew this was where Anakin Skywalker would fall to the dark side and emerge as Darth Vader. However, one major question lingered—what happened to the rest of the Jedi? The film answered with Order 66, Palpatine's sinister command that turned the loyal Clone Troopers, who had fought alongside Jedi throughout the Clone Wars, against their generals in a sweeping execution. Since thousands of Jedi were active at the time, it was inevitable that some would escape Palpatine's grasp—not just the few who survived into the Original Trilogy.
Among the dozens of Order 66 survivors now featured in official Star Wars canon, we’ve ranked the top 10 who left a lasting mark. Some survived only briefly, while others lived far longer—and in certain cases, their ultimate fate remains a mystery. But one thing’s certain: all of these Jedi continued to resist after Palpatine gave the command, “Execute Order 66.”
Here’s how we defined our list: Each character must have been formally aligned with the Jedi Order before Order 66—whether as a Padawan, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, or even a young Jedi Initiate. That excludes dark side users like Maul (or his master, Palpatine). It also leaves out young Force-sensitives like Jod Na Nawood, who were never officially inducted into the Jedi Order or set foot in the Jedi Temple—even if they received some Jedi training.
That said, we debated whether Asajj Ventress belonged on the list. She spent more than 20 years with Jedi Master Ky Narec, who was stranded with her on Rattatak and accepted her as his Padawan. Still, Ventress never visited Coruscant or met the Jedi Council—or any other Jedi—before Narec died. Combined with her later turn to the dark side as Dooku’s apprentice, her official Jedi status remains ambiguous. So we’ve included her as an honorable mention. And speaking of honorable mentions, let's address…
The Jedi Who Survived Order 66: A Ranking
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