Order 66: Did Palpatine Personally Call Each Clone Commander?

As the Clone Troopers turned against the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine was the one pulling the strings with Order 66. 

His goal was clear: to eliminate every Jedi, from the Jedi Masters to the younglings.

But did Palpatine personally contact each Clone Commander to issue the order? 

It seems impractical for him to spend a whole day repeating “Execute Order 66” to every commander. 

Don’t worry, though; I have the specifics on how Palpatine actually spread the word of Order 66 throughout the Clone Army. 

Let’s get started!

How Palpatine Actually Give Command to the Clone Trooper

Firstly, Emperor Palpatine secretly instructs Commander Cody to initiate Order 66. 

This crucial moment unfolds when Palpatine discreetly communicates with Cody, who holds the highest rank among the clone troopers. 

As a Clone Marshal Commander, Cody has the authority to issue orders to his unit and other commanders. In the scene marking the beginning of Order 66, we see Palpatine’s directive: “Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order 66.” 

Without hesitation, Cody responds, “Yes, my Lord,” and follows through by attacking Obi-Wan during the ongoing battle against the Separatists.

It’s possible that Commander Cody or another Clone Marshal Commander relayed Order 66, rather than Emperor Palpatine contacting each commander individually. 

Following this, we observe clone troopers like Commander Gree and Ki-Adi-Mundi’s battalion receiving the order via their comlinks and then turning their weapons on the Jedi Masters. 

Additionally, in the first episode of “The Bad Batch” Season One, we witness the betrayal of Jedi Master Depa Billaba by her clone battalion.

Clone Commander Grey receives an order from Palpatine to carry out Order 66. It’s possible that what Grey heard was a pre-recorded message from Palpatine simply stating, “Execute Order 66.”

Did Palpatine Personally Call Each Clone Commander?

There’s a possibility that after instructing Commander Cody, Palpatine selectively communicated with a few other Clone Commanders. For instance, we witness Plo Koon being taken down by his own 442nd Siege Battalion. 

This suggests that these commanders might have directly received a command from Palpatine to “Execute Order 66.”

However, the holograms viewed by the clones could simply be recordings of Palpatine. 

This is hinted at when comparing scenes of Palpatine issuing Order 66 to Rex and Commander Grey from the ‘Bad Batch’ series. 

The similarity in Palpatine’s tone and facial expressions in both instances could indicate that the message was pre-recorded.

I’ve included the relevant scenes for further exploration.

Captain Rex receiving Order 66

Bad Batch: Order 66 scene