Palpatine’s Order 65 was an executive order given by Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars universe. As the evil Sith Lord who ruled the Galactic Empire, Palpatine issued many imperial decrees and executive orders to expand his power and carry out his bidding. Order 65 was one of the most infamous and impactful orders given by Emperor Palpatine during his reign.
Background on Emperor Palpatine
Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, was the Dark Lord of the Sith who founded and ruled the Galactic Empire. Prior to becoming Emperor, Palpatine served as the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. He was able to manipulate galactic events and engineer the Clone Wars in order to gain emergency powers and transform the Republic into the Empire, with himself as Emperor.
As Emperor, Palpatine dissolved the Galactic Senate and instituted a reign of terror throughout the galaxy. He commanded the Imperial Military and was served by Darth Vader, his apprentice. Palpatine sought to dominate the galaxy through fear and totalitarian rule. He regularly issued Imperial decrees and executive orders to exert his authority and crush any opposition to his empire.
The Nature of Imperial Orders
Imperial orders were directives issued by Emperor Palpatine as supreme ruler of the Galactic Empire. They carried the full force of Palpatine’s authority behind them. The orders applied to all Imperial forces and citizens throughout the galaxy.
The orders were numbered and dealt with a range of imperial policies, military operations, and security measures. Some orders like Order 66 were pre-planned directives that Palpatine had long intended to issue when the time was right. Others were issued in response to specific events and unrest in the galaxy. Palpatine used the orders as a way to project his power and make his desires into law.
Disobeying an imperial order was considered treason against the Empire. Palpatine would punish disobedience severely, often with death. As a result, his orders were greatly feared and quickly followed, showing Palpatine’s far-reaching control.
The Purpose of Order 65
Order 65 was issued by Palpatine shortly after the Empire’s formation. It was one of his earliest orders as Emperor. The purpose of Order 65 was to codify Palpatine’s absolute authority and make clear that his word was law throughout the Empire.
More specifically, Order 65 declared that all Imperial governors, moffs, and regional authorities derived their power from Emperor Palpatine. Their authority to rule Imperial territories flowed directly from his throne on Coruscant.
As part of Order 65, Palpatine abolished several legislative bodies and oversight committees that had existed under the Republic to keep regional governors in check. This gave the moffs and governors more autonomy but also meant they answered only to Palpatine. They served solely at his pleasure and command.
Consolidating Power Under Palpatine
Order 65 helped establish Palpatine’s dictatorship over the Empire by eliminating competing power structures. The order made clear that Palpatine was the singular authority figure everyone must obey. There was no higher power than the Emperor himself. This cultivated a cult of personality around Palpatine and the imperial throne.
The order also inspired greater competition among moffs and governors to prove their loyalty to Palpatine. They carried out his wishes ascompletely as possible to garner favor. This allowed Palpatine to more easily control and dominate the galaxy through subordinate regional governors dependent on his patronage.
Testing Imperial Loyalty
Beyond formalizing Palpatine’s authority, Order 65 also served as an early test of the Empire’s unity and loyalty to the Emperor. Palpatine was able to gauge how quickly and efficiently his direct subordinates followed the edict. It revealed where potential cracks in loyalty may exist.
Since Order 65 elevated Palpatine so decidedly over other imperial authorities, enforcing and following it demonstrated an imperial officer or bureaucrat’s dedication to Palpatine above all else. Strict obedience to Order 65 was considered a prerequisite for rising upward in the Imperial hierarchy.
How Order 65 was Communicated and Enforced
As an empire-wide decree, Order 65 needed to be communicated swiftly and completely to be effective. Palpatine utilized several means to disseminate Order 65 and ensure compliance:
- An official imperial memorandum was distributed containing the full text of Order 65.
- The Imperial Ruling Council registered Order 65 in the Imperial Legislation Bureau, giving it the force of law.
- Imperial HoloVision and media broadcast news of Order 65 across imperial planets.
- Imperial authorities like Grand Moffs and Grand Admirals were ordered to verify enforcement in their sectors.
- The Imperial Security Bureau monitored communication and data for any dissent about the order.
This multi-pronged communications approach meant Order 65 rapidly reached every corner of the Empire. There was no excuse for regional officials to not have received and implemented the directive.
Crackdowns on Dissenting Voices
The Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) played a key role in enforcing Order 65 by identifying and eliminating any dissenters who questioned Palpatine’s authority. In the early days and weeks of the order, the ISB tracked down several dissident voices:
- Senator Garm Bel Iblis – Implied Order 65 was unconstitutional and refused to recognize it. He fled imprisonment and became a prominent Rebel leader.
- Journalist Ananda Bornas – Penned an editorial vaguely critical of Order 65. She was arrested by ISB and imprisoned.
- Governor Evern Tosin – Delayed implementing Order 65 in his sector. He was replaced within days by a loyalist governor.
These examples demonstrated the Empire’s zero tolerance for defiance of Order 65. No criticism was too small to escape punishment as Palpatine’s supremacy was cemented.
Notable Events and Operations Related to Order 65
In the months and years after its issuance, Order 65 continued to have ripple effects across the galaxy. It directly impacted several notable events and imperial operations:
Expansion of Imperial Bureau of Education
As part of Order 65’s efforts to consolidate power under Palpatine, the Imperial Bureau of Education was tasked with rewriting school curriculums to glorify the Emperor and teach strict obedience to the Empire. The Bureau’s responsibilities grew enormously to carry out this propaganda effort on all imperial worlds.
Statue Initiative
To further the cult of personality around Palpatine, Order 65 included a initiative to erect imposing statues of the Emperor on every imperial world. These statues reinforced that Palpatine was always watching and demanded complete fealty at all times from citizens.
Imperialization of Bespin
While Bespin’s Tibanna gas mines were already effectively under imperial control before Order 65, the planet retained nominal self-governance. After Order 65, Palpatine installed an Imperial governor to direct Bespin and its valuable resources for the Empire first and foremost.
Crackdown on Smuggling Operations
Order 65 provided political cover for the Empire to severely crack down on illicit smuggling enterprises, many of which were front companies funding the fledgling Rebellion. The Hutt cartel was implicated as being complicit with rebels and saw its operations dismantled in many sectors.
Lasting Impact of Order 65
As one of Emperor Palpatine’s first Imperial orders, Order 65 had a lasting impact in solidifying his dictatorship and shaping the nature of the Empire. Some key effects and legacy’s of Order 65 include:
Cult of Personality Around Palpatine
Order 65 fueled an imperial cult of personality around Palpatine which persisted throughout his reign. The Emperor came to be viewed as a god-like figure, which reduced dissent and rebellion in the Empire’s early years when Palpatine still enjoyed widespread popularity.
Human Rights Abuses
With his supreme power cemented by Order 65, Palpatine was able to rule through fear and author widespread human rights abuses against dissidents. Order 65 enabled his reign of terror by signaling no one would or could oppose his will.
Strong Regional Governors
Order 65 strengthened the rule of Imperial governors and moffs, making their sectors significant power bases. This increased stability early on but also set the stage for ambitious governors to eventually turn their sectors against the Empire during the Civil War.
Rebellion Recruitment
For dissenters like Bel Iblis, Order 65 provided clear evidence of Palpatine’s tyranny and the Empire’s oppressive nature. This drove recruitment for the Rebellion which pointed to Order 65 as an example of Palpatine’s despotism.
Conclusion
Emperor Palpatine’s Order 65 was a landmark imperial edict issued shortly after the Empire’s formation. It codified Palpatine’s total authority as Emperor, making clear that his word was law and all imperial officials served only at his pleasure. Order 65 consolidated Palpatine’s power by eliminating oversight and crushed early dissent. This enabled Palpatine to more easily rule through dictatorship. The order had far-reaching impacts that fueled the Emperor’s cult of personality and sowed early seeds of the Rebellion against his tyranny.