The greatest strategy Palpatine used to secure his rise as Emperor was terrifyingly effective—he didn’t just destroy the Jedi physically, he erased them from the minds of the galaxy. We all saw how he branded the Jedi as traitors and wiped out their Order through Order 66.
But here’s what many people don’t realize: the Jedi had been part of the galaxy for over 25,000 years before their fall in Revenge of the Sith. Their presence shaped civilizations, culture, and history itself. So when Palpatine took control, one of his top priorities wasn’t just to kill the Jedi—but to erase the idea of them from the people’s memory.
If you haven’t heard this story, this is how the Empire made the galaxy “forget” the Jedi ever existed.
To see this exact moment play out, you can check out the Star Wars: Purge comic series, which includes five issues. But if you want to jump straight to the part where this erasure really happens, start with Star Wars: Purge – The Tyrant’s Fist #1 and #2.
Let’s dive into Tyrant’s Fist #2, where we really see how the Empire begins wiping the Jedi from memory.
The issue opens with Darth Vader struggling with the way he’s enforcing control—through fear, destruction, and chaos. But that’s not what Emperor Palpatine wants. Palpatine contacts Vader and says,
“The destruction of the planetary population means the loss of Vaklin and its resources. I did not send you there to lose, Lord Vader. Our new Order has not yet consolidated its power. At this delicate juncture, we cannot afford to rule through fear alone.”
After the call, Vader realizes he needs a new approach. Instead of brute force, he needs to reshape people’s beliefs. And that means wiping away the Jedi’s legacy. To do this, he calls on Major Oniye Namada, a human female officer in the Imperial Security Bureau who served during the Great Jedi Purge.
Vader orders Namada:
“Major Namada. I require your expertise regarding the people of Vaklin. I seek to understand these insurgents and their supporters. I seek to understand why they remain loyal to the Jedi.”
He continues:
“The plan is simple. When we are finished understanding, we will use that knowledge to carve the heart from this rebellion. The people of Vaklin will awaken from the nightmare that was the Jedi Order… and in the daylight of the new Empire, they will forget their heroes ever existed.”
Vader then travels to Vaklin, a world deeply rooted in Jedi traditions. The planet resists Imperial anti-Jedi propaganda at first, but Vader is determined to break that spirit. When Major Namada lands in the city, she sees statues of Jedi standing proudly in the city center.
She asks the locals about the statues, but most refuse to speak. One of them finally says, “I think he was a war hero.”
That’s all Namada needs to hear. She orders her gunners to destroy the Jedi statues right in front of the citizens—shocking everyone. But it doesn’t stop there. The Empire builds an Imperial Education Center on top of the ruins, forcing the locals to send their children there to learn the “true history” of the Empire.
And that’s just the beginning.
While Namada oversees the crackdown in the city, Vader sends more troops across the planet to erase every trace of Jedi influence. They burn down forests planted by Jedi Master Uro Koo, and rebuild war-torn streets where Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi once fought during the Clone Wars. Any part of the planet connected to Jedi history is destroyed or covered up.
The Empire even forces citizens to change their names if they share names with known Jedi.
But what’s even worse is what they do next. To send a message, the Empire publicly executes a Jedi right in front of the people of Vaklin—making sure no one dares to speak out or even mention what happened.
While Major Namada and her troops are busy scrubbing every trace of Jedi history, Vader and his 501st Legion are hunting down a Jedi hiding on the planet. His name is Cho’na Bene. The hunt eventually leads to a confrontation between Vader and Bene—and just like every other Jedi who crosses paths with Vader, the lightsabers come out.
But this duel is different. Vader completely overwhelms Bene in the fight. It’s not even close. Yet surprisingly, instead of killing him, Vader lets Bene go. He takes Bene’s lightsaber and allows him to escape.
Bene flees into the city, desperate, hoping the people of Vaklin will help him. What he doesn’t realize is how far the Empire’s brainwashing has already gone. When he asks a local to point him to a safe house, there’s a moment of hesitation—then suddenly, a blaster fires from the shadows and strikes Bene down with a single shot.
A trooper steps out from the dark and approaches the stunned local, saying, “Are you all right, sir? Bad neighborhood. Drunks and thugs always looking to score a few creds. Any chance you can identify your assailant?”
The local, clearly afraid, quietly replies,
“...No. Just a drunk or a thug, I suppose.”
That “trooper” wasn’t just any soldier—it was Major Namada in disguise, following Vader’s plan to the letter. Bene’s death wasn’t just about killing a Jedi—it was about making sure the people of Vaklin understood what happens to those who still believe in them. Even speaking the Jedi’s name could get you killed.
And sadly, the message was received loud and clear.
At the end of the issue, we finally see the full effect of Vader’s plan. The people of Vaklin, once loyal to the Jedi, now quietly accept the Empire’s presence. The Imperial Education Center is up and running. Parents are sending their children there—willingly. The statues are gone, the Jedi are forgotten, and the next generation is already being shaped by the Empire’s version of the truth.
