Order 66 is among the most important moments in the Star Wars timeline, and enhanced that story and fixed the clone troopers in Star Wars with the inhibitor chip retcon. In the original trilogy, it was evident the Jedi had once been much greater than they were during the Dark Times. Obi-Wan Kenobi also referenced the Clone Wars, although the details were sparse. In the prequels, we saw the Jedi Order in its glory and the beginnings of the Clone Wars with the Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.

In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, we also witnessed the tail end of the Clone Wars, as well as some of the horrors of Order 66 for the very first time. Yet, it wasn't until The Clone Wars that we really got to see all that the Clone Wars entailed and the smaller details of Palpatine's scheme with the clone troopers. .

Although the prequel trilogy, specifically Revenge of the Sith, didn't show the bond between the Jedi and the clone troopers to nearly the extent that The Clone Wars eventually did, it was still jarring to see the clones turn on the Jedi and massacre them during Order 66. This wasn't just due to the violent nature of this attack (although that was horrifying enough). It was also because , exactly as Palpatine intended.

In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine is shown contacting various clones and saying, "Execute Order 66," and the clones immediately comply. At the time, this made it seem as though the clones were acting with agency. In fact, it was easy to interpret this as something the clone troopers had known was eventually coming, and they were only waiting for the call. This obviously made the clone troopers seem so much more insidious, but The Clone Wars revealed that there was much more happening beneath the surface—and it was out of the clones' control.

As the title of The Clone Wars suggests, this show was a deep-dive into the Clone Wars era, and it therefore primarily took place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (with the final season having some overlap with the latter). With seven total seasons, The Clone Wars offered so much more time and space for Star Wars to unpack all that transpired during this time. While that in part involved interpersonal relationships, such as with Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, it also covered significant ground regarding Palpatine's plot to take down the Jedi and the Republic.

. This chip was ultimately Palpatine's secret weapon, as, just with the words, "Execute Order 66," Palpatine could completely take over the minds of the clones and have them kill Jedi against their own will, even if they were Jedi the clones cared about. What really drove home the power of the inhibitor chips in The Clone Wars was the fact that Captain Rex turned on Ahsoka, whom he absolutely adored.

This proved the clones were not in control of themselves during Order 66, which was a brilliant retcon. Throughout The Clone Wars, the clones became so much more humanized, which only made it all the more difficult to understand how and why they would help to massacre the Jedi, from younglings all the way to the Jedi they served under in the Republic Army. By introducing this retcon with the inhibitor chips, Star Wars made the clone troopers forgivable, and that has allowed their role to become so much bigger in Star Wars movies and TV shows.

The inhibitor chip retcon in The Clone Wars improved the story of the clone troopers in the prequel trilogy, but because these heinous acts were committed against their will, . This opened up countless story possibilities, which Star Wars has since taken advantage of. In Star Wars shows specifically, the clone troopers' stories have continued on, revealing what happened to them after the Republic they'd served had fallen. Star Wars: The Bad Batch was easily the most focused on this, as that show centered on Clone Force 99.

The Bad Batch wasn't solely about the members of Clone Force 99, though. It was also a look into how the Empire treated the clones and what the fallout of Order 66 looked like, both for clones like Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Tech, who weren't affected by the order, and for clones who had been fully brainwashed by their inhibitor chips. Shows like Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi also explored these questions.

In Rebels, Captain Rex worked alongside Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger, leading to tensions on both sides as Kanan was one of the Jedi survivors of Order 66. This led to a profound conversation between Kanan and Rex, which came as close to closure for Order 66 as Star Wars will likely get. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan passed a neglected clone asking for money on the street, reflecting how the Empire had abandoned the clones. Clearly, .

Although Star Wars shows have given so much more attention and humanity to the clones, not all clone trooper stories have been told. Surprisingly, . Although that may be a dark road to go down, it would be fascinating to see the experience of Order 66 and the early days of the Empire from a brainwashed clone, especially if that clone were to eventually learn the truth.

In fact, this story could even be done with one of the most beloved clones in Star Wars, Commander Cody. This would make particular sense, as it could begin with Cody receiving the order as he does in Revenge of the Sith and then attacking Obi-Wan Kenobi, with whom he'd been close. Whether this story is ever explored or not, though, introducing the inhibitor chip retcon completely changed the clone troopers' story in Star Wars, and it was all for the better.