Even after 20 years, the legacy of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith continues to change for the better thanks to other Star Wars stories, but one scene in particular has only become even more devastating in hindsight. As a tragedy, Revenge of the Sith is full of heartbreaking moments, but it’s universally agreed that the Order 66 sequence is the toughest one to get through. So many Jedi, including younglings, meet their untimely demise without any explanation as to why.

At the time that Revenge of the Sith originally came out, this scene instantly villainized the clones, who seemingly betrayed the Jedi with no hesitation. Over time, however, nuance has been added to this moment, adding even more layers of tragedy to it in the process. Star Wars animated TV shows, namely Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, have especially added new context that makes this scene a difficult rewatch 20 years later.

Order 66 Went From A Betrayal To A Complete Tragedy

The Clones Couldn’t Control Their Actions

Rather than Order 66 being an act of betrayal by the clone troopers towards their Jedi generals, The Clone Wars introduced the idea that it was an uncontrollable act of tragedy. The Clone Wars season 6 begins with a fantastic arc that follows ARC trooper Fives of the 501st Legion as he discovers the inhibitor chips planted in the heads of every single clone. These inhibitor chips force the clones to follow any given order, including terminating the Jedi.

In a devastating scene of its own right, however, Fives is killed before he can convince anyone of the truth, even Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex, and thus Order 66 loses all chance of being prevented. Rewatching this sequence in Revenge of the Sith with the knowledge that it was nearly prevented makes it even more difficult in hindsight. There is, sadly, another newer layer that also makes the legacy of this Order 66 scene utterly heartbreaking.

It’s Even Worse Now Knowing The Clones Had To Face Their Actions Later

They Felt Guilty Of Something That Wasn’t Their Fault

Because the introduction of the inhibitor chips was so new when it was introduced in The Clone Wars, we didn’t learn what life after Order 66 and the activation of the chips looked like for clones until The Bad Batch. During the course of seasons 1 and 2, we saw how the effects of the inhibitor chips wore off over time, forcing the clones to face what they had been forced to do. Captain Howzer and Commander Cody were the prime examples of this phenomenon, the latter of whom still thought he had killed Obi-Wan Kenobi.

It’s bad enough that the clone troopers had to commit such horrifying acts without being able to control them. To have to face their actions years later, and be hated even more by the galaxy because of it, is downright tragic. There are so many heartbreaking elements that create the overall tragedy that is Revenge of the Sith, but after 20 years, I’ve found that Order 66 is definitely the hardest to revisit with all the brand-new context we now have.