Order 65 Was The Jedi’s Greatest Defense Against Palpatine (So Why Wasn’t It Used?)

The sinister masterstroke of Palpatine’s plot to wipe out the Jedi in the Star Wars prequels was Order 66, but its Legends-era predecessor could have been used against him. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Order 66 was one of 150 known contingency orders, whereas the canon continuity’s version is a secret directive. While only a few of the 150 Legends-era contingencies are explored, the immediate predecessor to Order 66, Order 65, could have hypothetically been used by the Jedi against Palpatine, though the secret Sith Lord, of course, protected himself against this possibility through obvious means and, potentially, secret ones.