What If Plo Koon Survived Order 66?

Order 66 was one of the most traumatic events of the Star Wars saga. The Jedi were decimated while the Empire took hold under Darth Sidious.

The few Jedi who remained like Yoda took to hiding and waited for the right time to aid the Rebellion.

Yet, what if the central Jedi Master Plo Koon had survived Order 66? Could this have happened, and what would it mean for Star Wars?

Given his abilities, Plo Koon could have greatly impacted the saga.

Order 66

In the last prequel movie, Revenge of the Sith, the emerging Emperor Palpatine issues Order 66, a secret plan to wipe out the Jedi.

At Palpatine’s command, the trusted clone troopers who fought beside the Jedi turned against them and killed almost all the Jedi.

Order 66 occurred at the end of the Clone Wars when the Republic fought against the Separatists.

Palpatine had acquired emergency powers and plotted the rise of the Empire. The Clone Protocol 66, or Order 66, was a “top-secret contingency order” that cast the Jedi as “traitors” to the Galactic Republic.

The order was programmed into the Clone Army using behavioral modification biochips, or inhibitor chips placed in the brains of clone troopers.

These chips compelled the clones to follow Palpatine’s order to execute the Jedi. 

As a result, clones turned against their allies and friends, and thousands of Jedi were killed at their hands.

This friendship and its betrayal are also depicted in shows like The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch. 

The death of the central Jedi in this article, Plo Koon, is depicted in this scene from the film Revenge of the Sith.

Clone Captain CT-55 attacks Plo Koon from behind while flying his ship after the Battle of Cato Neimoidia, crashing to his end. 

What If Plo Koon Survived Order 66?

Or, would he have made a difference? Some fans have posted that if Plo Koon survived, it would not have changed “the overall story that much.”

He would go into hiding, like the other surviving Jedi, and probably just have to wait for Luke to come around.

Yet, as this same post relays, a few changes could have occurred, such as him connecting with Ahsoka. 

This connection with Ahsoka is the most tenable premise since Plo Koon was so close to her.

As shown in The Clone Wars series, Plo Koon is the one who took the child Ahsoka to the Jedi Temple and thereafter forged “an unbreakable bond” similar to a father-daughter relationship. 

With this bond between them, Plo Koon could have worked with Ahsoka, kept her on the side of the Jedi, and taken the fight to the emergent Empire. 

Moreover, with Plo Koon’s influence, maybe Anakin could have been drawn back to the Light side of the Force.

Ahsoka served as the Padawan of Anakin, and Plo Koon had been supportive of Anakin’s abilities. As this analysis explores, besides Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon was “perhaps the Jedi who most appreciated Anakin.”

With that kind of trust, Plo Koon may have steered Anakin back, and the three of them together could have blocked the imperial rise. 

Other theories stress Plo Koon’s force abilities and the impact he could have had on Order 66.

In particular, Plo Koon’s power of electric judgment, or his ability to “shoot Force lightning,” could have wiped out many of the opposing clone troopers.

In addition, Plo Koon was a great thinker and strategist who could have helped lead Rebellion forces against Palpatine’s forces. 

In all, Plo Koon could have made a great difference in the course of Star Wars. 

Facts About Plo Koon

Plo Koon was a Kel Dor Jedi Master, meaning he was from the planet Dorin and wore a specialized mask for breathing in “oxygen-rich environments” and in space.

He served on the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Galactic Republic and as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. 

Plo Koon led the 104th or “Wolf Pack” Battalion composed of clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic. Plo Koon survived the First Battle of Geonosis at the beginning of the Clone Wars.

He continued to fight in other major battles, such as the Battle of Lola Sayu which resulted in the rescue of a Jedi and clone troopers. 

He also discovered and worked with Ahsoka Tano, the outcast from the Jedi Order made more well-known by the recent Disney+ show. Plo Koon was an effective commander and well-liked within Jedi and clone circles. With this distinguished record, he could have made a dramatic difference in fighting the Empire, if he had survived. 

Could More Jedi Have Survived Order 66?

As fans have speculated, Plo Koon may have survived Order 66 by sensing the issuance of the order and using a Force shield to protect himself. This line of reasoning can be applied to other Jedi too.

According to Canon, only a few prominent Jedi survived Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge, such as Yoda, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Kanan Jarrus.

The immediate order and subsequent hunting down of Jedi eliminated almost all of them, with perhaps 100 surviving overall. 

Taking into account Legends, we probably get a slightly higher count. This tabulation here suggests that maybe 181 Jedi survived, with Canon only reflecting 56 confirmed.

Either way, the number of Jedi who survived is low compared with the roughly 10,000 before Order 66. So, it seems that the probability of Jedi survival is equally low.

However, as with Plo Koon, the Jedi could have sensed the order coming, the way Yoda did, leaving more to survive.

Yoda sensed a disturbance in the Force and was able to turn on the clone troopers before they fired on him. Others could have done the same.

Then again, as fans have pointed out, since the clones were not making “a conscious decision,” it would be difficult for the Jedi to pick up on the order.

The time between the order and action was almost immediate, too quick to respond for most.

Another post in this discussion makes the comparison to the Jedi being a Special Forces leader with your trusted troops suddenly turning on you. This would leave most Jedi “shocked” and “confused.”

Therefore, although some Jedi managed to survive, the likelihood of most Jedi surviving the Order and subsequent Purge was not high. Even with their Force skills, the time interval and the betrayal were too swift for most to recognize and handle.

What Would Plo Koon’s Survival Mean for Star Wars?

Plo Koon’s survival, like most other Jedi, was unlikely, but if he did survive, he could have possibly prevented the completion of Order 66 and the Great Purge.

He may have gone with Ahsoka, and maybe Anakin, to thwart the rising Empire. The difference would have been significant and would have derailed the Star Wars universe that we have come to know.