What Did the Surviving Jedi Do After Order 66?

Order 66 was the crushing turning point for the Jedi. Once Darth Sidious put that plan into action, few Jedi survived. What did the surviving Jedi do afterward?

The most prominent Jedi directly aided the Rebellion, while others perished but still helped the Jedi and Rebels-Resistance triumph in the end.

How Many Jedi Survived?

Before Order 66, about 10,000 Jedi existed, but few remained afterward.

Star Wars Canon confirms that only Ahsoka, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kanan Jarrus, and Luminari Unduli survived, with about 100 other Jedi surviving overall.

This site captures a list of surviving Jedi that places the total at 56 Jedi, including names like Kelleren Beq, Zonder, and Darth Vader.

We also see that counting Legends estimates pushes the total to 181 surviving Jedi. If we mediate between these two estimates, we arrive at about 100 survivors. 

We may not be able to track down the activities of all 100 Jedi, but we can determine what the five most prominent ones did after Order 66.

What Did the Main 5 Jedi Survivors Do?

Everyone Star Wars fan knows that Yoda went into hiding on the swamp planet of Dagobah. Yoda would council the remaining Jedi on matters of the Force.

As this video explains, Yoda helped Obi-Wan learn about becoming a Force ghost like Qui-Gon Jinn before him.

Yoda immersed himself in meditation to commune with the Force. He also did more mundane activities, such as building a hut to live in. 

We also know that Obi-Wan hid away on the desert world of Tatooine.

His primary responsibility was protecting Luke Skywalker from afar until Luke found him. As the Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed, this Jedi left hiding to rescue a young Leia Organa and engaged in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. 

This was quite a duel that concluded with Obi-Wan hurling rocks at Vader and knocking him to the ground.

Kenobi even slashed through Vader’s helmet. The seemingly more powerful Vader was left stunned but still wrathful.

Obi-Wan had apparently been keeping up with his lightsaber and Force skills while hidden away. 

Luminari Unduli formerly led the 41st Elite Corps of the Republic Army and fought in the climactic Battle of Kashyyyk.

She was captured when Order 66 was carried out and tortured on Outer Rim planet Stygeon Prime by the Grand Inquisitor, who later killed her.

So, her survival and activities were short-lived. Yet, Luminari Unduli’s voice was part of the collective Jedi who spoke to Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. 

Kanan survived because his master sacrificed himself and by changing his name to Kanan Jarrus and stepping away from his Jedi origins.

He worked odd jobs, kept moving to avoid detection, and met Hera, which brought him back into the fight against the Empire.

He was part of the Rebel group in the Outer Rim. As depicted on the animated show Rebels, Kanan taught the main character Ezra Bridger about the Force and becoming a Jedi. 

Kanan also defeated the Grand Inquisitor in combat but was blinded by Darth Maul. He and his Rebel allies continued to fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn and Maul and trained Sabine Wren, but died on a mission to Lothal while helping his fellow Rebels escape. 

Ahsoka Tano’s whereabouts and activities have been reflected in both Rebels and the live-action show Ahsoka.

As fans know, she had previously left the Jedi but came back to fight during the Clone Wars that ended with Order 66. Clone Captain Rex helped Ahsoka escape the order. 

Ahsoka was also hunted, but she managed to join the Rebellion.

Among her activities were managing an intelligence network to thwart the Empire and a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader in which she saves Ezra. 

Four of the five major survivors thus substantially aided the Rebels. 

What Did Other Jedi Do that Survived?

The Jedi Klossi Anno also survived because her master sacrificed himself to clone trooper blasters.

She joined up with nine other Jedi survivors and eventually clashed with Vader, but luckily survived again.

Another female Jedi Deran Nalual survived but was blinded during her escape.

She regrouped with the same survivors as Anno and later escaped Vader’s wrath, but her master was not as fortunate.

That master was Siadem Forte, who did manage to escape Order 66, but died on Kashyyyk.

The Jedi Iwo Kulka met the same fate and died along with Forte. Kento Marek managed to survive ten years on Kashyyyk and have a son, Galen Marek who turned to the dark side.

Marek and most of the initially surviving Jedi died from the subsequent hunting of the Jedi by Vader and the Sith.

Besides the top four Jedi above, most surviving Jedi spent their time trying to stay alive and push back against the Empire the best they could before they perished.

In their efforts, they did contribute to maintaining the Force and the quest to end the Empire.

Surviving Jedi

As a member of the Jedi High Council, Shaak Ti also survived Order 66. She spent her time searching for other survivors and then in exile on Felucia training a few future Jedis. Like most Jedi, she ultimately perished, but did contribute to keeping the Force alive. 

Yoda, Obi-Wan, Kanan Jarrus, and Ahsoka led the efforts to aid the Rebellion.

Yet, the other surviving Jedi played key roles in ultimately defeating the dark side. Without all surviving Jedi contributing, the collective Force would not have won out. 

Todd Wahlstrom

Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan. He has covered such topics as Darth Vader, the Jedi, Boba Fett, and AT-AT Walkers. Todd has published a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.