Palpatine’s Contingency Plan To Kill Vader: Order 151 Explained (In Legends)

In the Star Wars franchise’s original continuity, Legends (formerly called the Expanded Universe), Order 66 was one of 150 official contingency orders for the Clone Army, but Palpatine secretly had a 151^st order to kill Darth Vader if the need arose. Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, was not only the most skilled and powerful Sith Lord in galactic history, but he was also the cleverest. Palpatine had multiple plans for nearly every possible circumstance in his quest for power and galactic domination. The most famous (and vital) contingency order was Order 66, which he used to exterminate most of the Jedi spread out across the galaxy, but Order 151 was, for several reasons, kept secret.

In the Star Wars Canon continuity, Order 66 is kept secret from all but those essential to Palpatine’s conspiracy. Given the Clone Troopers’ free will and ever-growing camaraderie with their Jedi Generals, Order 66 was enforced via a secret brain implant which overrode the Clone’s free will, compelling them to kill all Jedi and fight for a fascist regime. In Legends, the Clone Troopers also possess free will and an altruistic belief in democracy, but this was similarly overridden via indoctrination as a means to ensure Order 66 was obeyed. While both timelines feature examples of clones disobeying Order 66, Palpatine’s master plan was ultimately successful, replacing the Republic with the Galactic Empire and nearly eradicating the Jedi.

As shown in the Star Wars: Dark Times comic series, Darth Vader discovers the existence of Order 151 in the aftermath of the Battle of Bandomeer, which took place shortly after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (the Empire hadn’t replaced Clone Troopers with recruited Stormtroopers yet). Following an Imperial victory, Vader debriefed Clone Commander Vill on a cliff, overlooking the battlefield. Vader asks Vill if The Emperor had a contingency plan to kill him if he needed to. Vill refused to confirm or deny such an order’s existence, answering Vader’s question and prompting the Sith Lord to kill the mind-controlled clone by throwing him off the cliff using the dark side. Vill’s death was deemed an accident and Vader’s knowledge of Order 151 was kept secret.

Palpatine had a plan for every occasion, even the possibility that his apprentice would turn on him. He and Vader were the last of Darth Bane’s lineage of post-Ruusan Sith Lords, and thus would both be familiar with the Rule of Two. This doctrine ensured that only two Dark Lords could exist at a time, though Palpatine and his apprentices Dooku and Vader all broke this rule by training other Sith at various points. Bane’s rule ensured both the secrecy of the Sith and that only the strongest could become Dark Lords. It also constantly pitted the two Sith Lords against each other. As both a Sith and the ruler of the Empire, Palpatine took advantage of his clone resources by indoctrinating them with an order to kill Vader.

Order 151 is also a credit to the incredible fighting prowess of Clone Troopers, even with their free will removed. Throughout the Star Wars Legends timeline, the clones proved their skill during the Clone Wars and, tragically, when Order 66 was activated. Darth Vader is one of the galaxy’s most powerful Sith Lords, but even the most basic Clone Troopers are battle-hardened warriors with some of the galaxy’s best equipment. With overwhelming numbers (and even more so with assistance from The Emperor himself) Imperial Clone Troopers could kill Darth Vader, should Palpatine decide to enact the contingency plan of Order 151.

About The Author

David Miller
(629 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

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