Order 66: Inhibitor chip or not?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

I saw something about this the other day and wanted to bring this question here.

In current canon from the Clone Wars animated series, Order 66 was done b/c there was a chip implanted on all clones where they have to abide and eliminate the jedi against their will. Prior to it though, the clones were very much in control and just carried out the task w/o question.

So the question is which explanation do you like more? The current canon version of the inhibitor chip being implemented, or how it was before where the clones just carried it out like any other duty?

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I don't like inhibitor chips in fiction. I think they're lazy plot devices often used to take away the moral importance of the decisions being made.

In the yonder before times of the fabled Star Wars Expanded Universe the clones were just following orders. The books and stories then put more emphasis on the class disparity between the clones and the Jedi, and showed how many of the clones, especially the ones who'd been serving since Geonosis, might rightfully resent the Jedi. In the good ol' EU the clones' willingness to turn on the Jedi was the result of machinations by Palpatine and the arrogance of a Jedi order that saw itself as vigilantes that could topple democratically elected leaders if they so chose.

The chip removes all of that. The clone troopers have some pretty good reasons to want to shoot the Jedi. The clones are unpaid slaves being used by a Republic that gives them no rights. The Jedi happily stepped in and took the role of slavemaster over what started as a herd of compliant chattel slaves. If you were a clone commando then you probably watched Jedi leadership lead clone troopers directly into the line of fie on Geonosis, resulting in a nearly 50% casualty rate as the clones watched the warriors they'd been taught to worship disregard basic military tactics in favor of just walking forward into an area with no cover or concealment.

Back in the yonder EU days many clone troopers saw Obi-Wan as a gloryhound whose antics got soldiers killed, but led to him being seen as a hero among Jedi.

So, yeah. The clones have plenty of good reasons to want the Jedi dead and the inhibitor chip chucks all that in the bin by draining the moral complexity from the situation in favor of saying that the Jedi did nothing wrong and it was just Palpatine at fault. It was bad in the Halo TV show and it's bad in Star Wars.

 

[Azure Sage]

I voted for the chip but I'm fine either way. Bowsette makes a compelling argument. However, I thought Clone Wars did an excellent job at maintaining exactly that kind of complexity even after the chips were introduced. They were already dealing with discovering their sense of self and managing that with their lack of rights and their inherent nature to love battle and the brainwashing that came with it, and then the chips come in as if to spit in the face of all their effort and say "you never had a choice to begin with". Watching how they dealt with that was really good, I thought. The finale of season 7 is still my absolute favorite thing to ever come out of Star Wars.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

sounds like it really depends how you look at it, whether the chip adds another layer to things or takes it all away

 

[MightyMario]

I’m not a big fan of the franchise but I wanted to put in my two cents.

The inhibitor chip is a surefire way for Order 66 to be executed, rather than just directly giving the order. I’d assume there would a good majority of clones who wouldn’t go through with it, or know what Order 66 even means. With the inhibitor chip installed in the clones, it would force them to perform Order 66 and not allow them to say otherwise.

 

[OGSniper]

Yeah, I am kinda on the fence on this one. Mighty does make a good point though.

 

[A Link In Time]

The aspect of humanizing clones is a much more recent addition to the Star Wars canon that first started in the original Clone Wars series from the 2000s.

Anyhow, I feel like just carrying out orders made sense for the main numbered movies because they focused on a much narrower story about the Skywalker's, but the inhibitor chip functions better for the more expanded lore that's in the shows beyond the main numbered movies.