What’s Order 151 in Star Wars?

Here’s the explanation of what Order 151 is in Star Wars and if it was ever executed by Emperor Palpatine.

Star Wars‘ galactic lore is vast, and with upcoming Star Wars projects like new movies, the Disney Plus series The Acolyte, and more, the list of things to remember will get longer.

As the franchise pulls from novels, comic books, and games, let’s explore the mysterious Order 151 from the Republic era.

While it’s not the first ominous command given in the franchise (Order 66 still haunts us), it’s the latest to be thrown out, so here’s Order 151 explained.

What’s Order 151 in Star Wars?

Emperor Palpatine created Order 151 to command Clone Troopers to kill Darth Vader. Like Order 66, it was a hunting order.

Palpatine is the chessmaster behind the political upheaval in the prequels, and always thought a few steps ahead. Order 151 was a contingency plan to be used in the event of Vader turning against the Emperor or needing to be executed for any other reason.

Orders 1 through 150 were known contingency orders for the Republic Army to protect the rising Empire against unforeseen threats or power vacuums. 151 was kept secret because if Vader ever found out, he’d not take it all that well.

When was Order 151 first mentioned in Star Wars?

Order 151 was first explored in the Star Wars: Dark Times comic books.

Vader killed Commander Vill in Star Wars: Dark Times.

In them, Vader learned of Order 151 after the Battle of Bandomeer, shortly after Revenge of the Sith. Clone Troopers had not been phased out yet, and Vader asked a clued-in Commander if a plan to kill him existed.

The Commander, called Vill, refused to confirm or deny, which made the answer clear. Vader then murdered him so his prodding wouldn’t be reported to his master.

Vill’s death was reported as accidental, and Vader’s knowledge of Order 151 was kept off the books.

Was order 151 ever used?

Order 151 was never actually executed.

The Emperor had no reason to give the order at that point in the Star Wars timeline. Also, that style of command was phased out when Clone Troopers were replaced by Stormtroopers.

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