What You Didn't Know About Dooku's Order 99
Throughout the time of the Clone Wars, there are many amazing and memorable moments that make it one of the most darkest of times within the Star Wars galaxy. From the mysterious creation of the Clone Army, to the discovering that the Banking Clan has zero credits. But the one moment from the Clone Wars era that leaves a scar in the galaxy is Order 66, the command given by Chancellor Palpatine to purge all the Jedi.
But what if I told you that there is a very similar command that is also executed during the Clone Wars (in Legends)? This is known as Order 99. (How creative, right?) And what was Order 99, you may ask? Well, Order 99 is just like Order 66, but for battle droids.
The only time that Order 99 is shown is in a story titled "The Only Good Clanker," from the extremely rare Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.26. Released in 2011, this Legends story follows the Battle of Bogoa, where Sidious tells Dooku to test Order 99 on one droid from the battalion. The droid known as Copper-top is chosen for this nefarious exercise, and during the battle, the droid notices the order in his programming, leading him to resent his entire programing, and he begins attacking his fellow battle droids.
Order 99 is designed by Sidious, and its sole purpose is to contain or exterminate the Separatist Alliance if anything else failed. Once Order 99 has been commanded to the battle droids, their systems would restart, and then, all battle droids would open fire on any member of the Separatist Alliance.
This eight-page comic story shows us how twisted the mind of Palpatine really is. It also shows us another brilliant strategy of his to remain in power, even if one side of the war looses. The Separatists, like the Jedi, would never see the attack coming, as their confidence on their troops would blind them from the carnage that is to come.
This is one of the weaknesses of the Jedi as well. The Jedi are blinded by the trust they have in their troops. Palpatine knows how compassionate the Jedi are, and he also knows of the Jedi’s bond with the clones, so he uses that trust as a weapon to get rid of them all. This would have also been the case if Order 99 were executed. The Separatists are very confidant in their army, as they build the droids, and this is what may lead to their demise as well. Despite having built the battle droids, none have a clue that the droids carry a secret contingency command inside their programming.
One of the other dark aspects of this is that the Separatist leader himself, Count Dooku, knows all this time that his party could have been destroyed if Sidious wants to make it so. Dooku’s loyalty to Sidious eventually is also his weakness. Yes, he knows about Order 99. Yes, he knows about Order 66. Yet he does not know that, at the end, he is to become one more obstacle to eliminate. Dooku thinks he can share the power and glory with his master at the end, but just like Vader, is Sidious' puppet and ends up paying for everything he has done, with his own life. Moments and stories like this one are great examples of why the time of the Clone Wars is still one of the darkest periods in the galaxy.
Source(s): Screen Rant, Wookieepedia