A new Star Wars The story revealed why Emperor Palpatine had little trouble turning the galaxy against the Jedi, even though it took place hundreds of years before Order 66. Once Palpatine gave the order for the clone troopers to kill the Jedi against their will, he told the rest of the galaxy that the Jedi turned against the Galactic Republic, and that reorganization into the Galactic Empire would keep the galaxy safer from threats such as the galaxy’s supposed peacekeeping forces. Many have long wondered how the entire galaxy easily turned against the Jedi in this way.
Star Wars has since provided an explanation in George Mann’s book Starlight Seedsa story set during the High Republic era. Following the destruction of Starlight Beacon, an ancient Jedi space station that was destroyed by the villainous marauding Nihil, the ocean world it crashed on – Eiram – became increasingly hostile to the Jedi. This is because the Jedi, as guardians of peace, were always found close to chaos and took little time to truly aid recovery after such major catastrophes. It made them”an easy target” – who reigned hundreds of years later.
Listen to Seeds of Starlight by George Mann on Audible
Palpatine Learned the Greatest Danger to Star Wars
He understood this perspective on the Jedi
This is clearly a lesson Palpatine understood when he was creating his maneuvers. While many still revered the Jedi as heroes, there were certainly those who already challenged that ideal or had the potential to do so with just a small twist in the narrative. With someone as clever as Palpatine working out the manipulations, it’s easy to understand how he was able to realize this and take advantage of it, especially as a Sith. He already had resentment toward the Jedi, and by understanding the perspectives of his other opponents, he saw how they could become easy targets.
Our Take on Palpatine’s Subtle Explanation in Star Wars
Palpatine knew the ultimate chaos he needed to create
This is an absolutely ingenious way of explaining how Palpatine was able to sway the galaxy against the Jedi, especially with this story taking place so many years before that point. It would have given the galaxy even more time to foment hostility against the Jedi, especially as chaos became more and more prevalent. It also explains why Palpatine knew that a galactic conflict was really the only way to take down the Jedi once and for all; a war was perhaps the greatest scale of chaos he could wreak, and it would force the Jedi to choose a side.
With a side chosen, there would be even more people who would openly oppose the Jedi, as well as associate these “peacekeepers” with a time of horror, destruction and war. The Jedi easily fell into this trap, blinded by their selfless desire to keep the galaxy at peace.and Palpatine was given the perfect setup to turn the galaxy against these ancient warriors. With the galaxy already recognizing the Jedi amidst the chaos for years before this point, it’s clear that it didn’t take long for those in Star Wars believe what Palpatine stated about his species.
Source: Starlight Seeds by George Mann