As players take control of Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, there are countless references and Easter eggs dealing with decades of lore from the films, books, comics, and other games of the series. Early on players are shown how young Cal came to survive Order 66, though in the game it is not explained in great detail exactly what this was and why it occurred.
Revenge Of The Sith And Order 66
Also known as Clone Protocol 66, the top-secret Order 66 identified all Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic. Once the order was issued, most Grand Army clone troopers moved to execute nearby Jedi. This came as a shock to the Jedi, most of which had fought alongside the clones for years across several campaigns. Although the result was the tragic loss of almost all Jedi, the Clones also found themselves to be but tools that could not resist the command to kill those they had fought with and grown close to over the years.
The clones had been implanted with control chips in their brains by their creators, the Kaminoan scientists. However, the scientists were duped into thinking that these implants were only for dealing with renegade Jedi. In truth, Order 66 was the culmination of decades of planning, and is how the Sith would strike back against the Jedi Order in a single, calculated strike.
Not all clones remained bound by this plan, and the entire scheme of Order 66 was nearly discovered due to a single malfunctioning control chip. During the Clone Wars, a clone trooper named “Tup” had his control chip accidentally activated, and as a result, he murdered the Jedi General Tiplar prematurely. An investigation by the Jedi revealed nothing, but another clone trooper, “Fives”, uncovered the truth. “Fives” died soon after, and long-time friend and fellow clone “Rex” removed his own chip after learning the truth. Doing so resulted in his avoiding Order 66, and preventing the death of Ahsoka Tano, the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker.
In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, we see Order 66 play out much in the same way as done in the film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, with the clones attacking Jedi in a brutal fashion. Cal and his master Jaro Tapal were above Bracca on a Star Destroyer, and in their attempt to escape, Tapal was killed. It was only through his sacrifice in holding off the clones that Cal was able to escape relatively unharmed.
From there we know where the story leads. Cal did his best to remain undetected by working as a rigger with the Scrapper Guild. Doing so is likely what kept him alive, as there were many other Jedi who came out of hiding to destroy the newly anointed Darth Vader, only to fall to his overwhelming power.
Order 66 is one of the most important events in the Star Wars story, and one of the most fascinating points is examining the long list of Jedi who survived, and what they did afterwards. The video below by popular Star Wars content creator The Stupendous Wave does a great job in presenting some of the more prevalent survivors of the tragic event.
Source: starwars.fandom.com