Easily the most tragic moment in Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the death of ARC soldier Fives shortly after the clone’s discovery of the inhibitor chips, but this theory completely rewrites his devastating death. The Clone Wars Season 6 kicked off with a gripping 4-episode arc that followed Fives as he investigated the reasoning behind clone trooper Tup’s motivations for randomly killing a Jedi general in combat. Although Fives discovered the truth about the inhibitor chips, the knowledge instantly made him a target, and he died in Captain Rex’s arms.
One of the greatest tragedies about Fives’ death, however, is the fact that it was another clone who killed him: Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard. Operating under orders from Chancellor Palpatine, Fox and his men pursued Fives to the location where he was meeting with Anakin and Rex to tell them what he had discovered. Fox shot Fives in the chest instead of stunning him in a heartbreaking act of friendly fire when Fives grabbed a gun to defend himself. This theory, however, suggests that it was not Fox who made this decision, but someone, or something, someone else.
Order 66 was not the only order on the inhibitor chips
There were many others in Star Wars legends
It’s important to first understand that the inhibitor chips were much bigger than just Order 66. While that order certainly led to tragedy, it was far from the only one programmed into the clones’ chips. Star Wars Legends detail some of these orders, including an Order 65 that forced clones to attack the Chancellor instead of the Jedi. All of these orders, according to Legends, were created as contingencies during the Clone Wars that would have protected the Galactic Republic in various situations.
While Canon has yet to confirm many of these same requests, the number 66 alone implies that Order 66 is simply one of many, many other commands that can be given. These requests probably could have varied in scale; Order 66 is a massive, large-scale type of attack, but there may have been more attacks focused on specific, concentrated situations. There could have been orders for the clone troopers to pursue a single, specific target, or perhaps even complete covert tasks that would protect people of high power, especially Kaminoans.
Whatever these orders were, they were clearly added for a purpose. It would have been pointless to create all these different orders without the intention of them being used, even if many of them functioned as contingencies for emergency situations. Considering how many different orders have been created for these inhibitor chips, it stands to reason that those who were aware of them would like to use them as much as possiblewhich may have been the case.
Coruscant Guard inhibitor chips could have activated more frequently
They were close to the highest echelons of the Republic
The Coruscant Guard, also known as shock troops, had a reputation for being strict and no-nonsense, more so than their infantry brethren. Much of this was due to the nature of their work, as Coruscant was the most populated planet in the galaxy at that time. The Coruscant Guard was responsible for maintaining the safety of the Republic’s highest-ranking officers, as well as keeping the city’s streets under control. While this may be enough to explain his behavior, this theory suggests there may have been another, more tragic reason.
In the fanfic “Dominoes” by meridianoponyThere’s a poignant moment when Commander Fox, as well as other commanders and soldiers of the Coruscant Guard, reveal that they have no memory of the missions they completed for the Chancellor, and that the void in their memory can last anywhere from a few hours to many. , many days. It is implied that This memory loss is a result of Fox’s chip activating, thus giving him no memory of what he was forced to do at Palpatine’s behest.. Fox’s anguish at not knowing what he did is devastating.
Unfortunately, this could certainly be a reality in Star Wars canon. The Coruscant Guard was always close enough for Palpatine to access, and he would have been aware of what all the different orders were. If Palpatine needed help controlling Coruscant, he could have used the storm troopers to his advantageactivating these minor orders that would force them to do whatever he asked. This could have been the game Palpatine played with these poor clone troopers for years during the war – and during one key moment.
Fives’ death may have been the result of Fox’s chip being activated
Fox may not have been able to control his actions
One of the biggest questions surrounding the nature of Fives’ death is why Fox shot to kill rather than stun, the latter of which would have incapacitated Fives enough to keep the situation under control. It may be, however, that it was not Fox who made this decision. Given the fact that the Coruscant Guard were catching up with Fives after the clone’s encounter with Palpatine where Fives learned all about Palpatine’s true intentions, It is possible that Palpatine activated an order in his chips that ordered Fox to kill Fives instead of disabling it.
This would add another harrowing layer of tragedy to Fives’ death, especially if the use of such smaller-scale orders had a similar effect on Fox and the rest of the Guard as it does in “Domino.” Fox would be forced to acknowledge the fact that he had killed one of his own brothers, even though the two never served together during the war. One day, he may have even had to reckon with the fact that he eliminated his brothers’ greatest chance of being saved from the inhibitor chipsshould have been told why exactly he and his soldiers were chasing Fives.
As heartbreaking as the reality of this would be, it would also completely enrich the history of the Clone Wars. Palpatine essentially soft-launching the inhibitor chips, giving orders to the Coruscant Guard all the while, would add yet another layer of cruelty to Palpatine’s master plan. As the galaxy’s greatest mastermind, even if it was for worse rather than better, this seems like an opportunity Palpatine wouldn’t have been able to pass up. It makes perfect sense that Palpatine is truly responsible for Fives’ The Clone Wars death, especially because of what he knew.