What series is stuffed with more iconic moments than Star Wars? From Qui-Gon Jin\u2019s defeat to Luke blowing up the Death Star, Star Wars is full of classic scenes ranging from tragic to triumphant. One of the prequel trilogy\u2019s most memorable sequences is when Emperor Palpatine orders the clone army to \u201cexecute Order 66\u201d in Star Wars: Episode III \u2014 Revenge of the Sith<\/em>. A montage then plays out showing clone commanders and their troops murdering several Jedi.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n <\/p>\n Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge have been depicted in various Star Wars media, like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order<\/em> and Star Wars: The Bad Batch<\/em>. Bit Reactor\u2019s beloved strategy game Star Wars Zero Company<\/em> has its own huge Order 66 moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Polygon recently spoke with several Zero Company<\/em> cast members \u2014 Jonathan Freeman (male Hawks), Dee Bradley Baker (Trick), and Vic Michaelis (Runa) \u2014 about their reactions to that Order 66 moment. We also chatted with creative director Greg Foertsch about how Bit Reactor brought Order 66 to life.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot happens across the galaxy in a snap,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt’s a dramatically really interesting moment in Star Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n [Ed. note:<\/strong> Spoilers follow for Star Wars Zero Company<\/em>.]<\/p>\n Just when you think your team of misfits is ready to undertake their final mission, Palpatine issues Order 66, leading clone trooper Trick to turn on his allies, including a Jedi Padawan, Tel-Rea. Republic intelligence officer Bennic also tries to arrest Zero Company, further adding to the betrayal. Fans have experienced Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge across various mediums and Star Wars stories, but Zero Company<\/em> does something different. Players are forced to control Trick in actually carrying out the attack. Star Wars Zero Company<\/em> is an excellent game, and it\u2019s surprising and innovative moments like this that could propel it into the end-of-year awards conversations.<\/p>\n From the outset, Bit Reactor wanted to \u201cstraddle\u201d Order 66 with the game\u2019s setting, according to Foertsch, because Zero Company<\/em> takes place during The Clone Wars and into the early days of the Empire. Still, it presented a challenge, as the developers needed to ensure players cared about Trick prior to his forced betrayal. By the time the mission comes around, Trick (one of your strongest companions) has likely become an integral part of your squad, seeing as how he\u2019s been there since the beginning. That reliability was intentionally baked into canon between him and the main character too.<\/p>\n \u201cBy tying Trick to Hawks prior to the game, that [ensures] they have a connection that extends beyond the current version of Zero Company that the player is experiencing,\u201d Foertsch said.<\/p>\n The player will also care for the Padawan Tel-Rea (if she\u2019s still alive), and will be made to attack her as Trick. Baker called Order 66 \u201cthe heartbreak of the clones,\u201d and nothing is more heartbreaking than the player being forced into a position where they have to harm a squadmate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe felt it was a really unique moment, and something very special to Zero Company<\/em>,\u201d Foertsch added.<\/p>\n Order 66 first happened in 2005\u2019s Revenge of the Sith<\/em>, but it\u2019s no less relevant to today\u2019s world. \u201cEverything flips, and tyranny takes over,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIn some ways, maybe it’s the most important moment in Star Wars, to show how democracy falls and how diabolical authoritarian [rule] can be. That’s an important and relevant moment in our world right now.\u201d<\/p>\n To Freeman, the Order 66 moment encapsulated Zero Company<\/em> \u201cin a nutshell.\u201d While so much of Star Wars focuses on the grand machinations of the movers and shakers throughout the galaxy, Zero Company<\/em>, ahem, zeroes in<\/em> on a wily bunch of outcasts on their own side adventure during the Clone Wars. \u201cIt’s just so cool to take the huge, epic, iconic story [of Star Wars] and pinpoint this very specific important moment and show it happening in real time to people off to the side,\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n He enjoyed how Zero Company<\/em>\u2019s Order 66 moment involved random, regular people being perplexed by this sudden hologram of their new emperor showing up, a scene that surely took place throughout every city and major hub of the new Galactic Empire. \u201cI think that’s what makes this story special,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Getting perspectives on Order 66 from characters who aren\u2019t Jedi or clones was a shared goal among Bit Reactor\u2019s team, according to Foertsch. \u201cWe wanted to show that event from a different lens, and a very different perspective than fans had ever seen before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Order 66 turn is especially impactful on Freeman\u2019s Hawks. He and Bennic had been bonding throughout the game, but suddenly they\u2019re placed at a crossroads. Hawks picks the path of sticking with Zero Company, while Bennic continues working for what has now become the Galactic Empire.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relationships in this script are just so good,\u201d Freeman said, calling them a \u201cvital\u201d part of the game and its story. He was glad Hawks and Bennic reconciled at the end, but, unlike players, he knew they\u2019d be friends again from the very beginning. Freeman tipped his hat to developer Bit Reactor, saying, \u201c[to] have time for these moments, for the relationships to stand out and to have such consequence and heart, is pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n For Michaelis, Order 66 in Zero Company<\/em> \u201cfeels very Star Wars-ian.\u201d Their character, Runa, isn\u2019t at the hangar with Hawks, Trick, and the others when Order 66 goes down. Instead, she\u2019s at the holotable, where she spends most of the game. \u201cI was learning about [Order 66] in real time with a lot of people,\u201d Michaelis said.<\/p>\n Like Freeman, they\u2019re new to Star Wars, but have been a lifelong fan of the series. They said that there are some roles \u201cwhere it’s a job and you’re saying stuff,\u201d but working on Star Wars is different. \u201cWatching the game come together, with the Star Wars music piped in underneath, it really is like, \u2018Oh my God, we are in Star Wars. We’re in Star Wars right now,\u2019\u201d they said. \u201cIt is very surreal, and [Order 66] was one of those moments too.\u201d<\/p>\n Star Wars Zero Company<\/em> may have been the first time Michaelis experienced Order 66 as part of the Star Wars grand apparatus, but the same can\u2019t be said for Baker. Having voiced the clones for nearly two decades now, Baker has experienced the clones\u2019 betrayal time and again. He noted that The Bad Batch<\/em> even opened with it in a \u201cshocking\u201d moment.<\/p>\n Baker recently told Polygon in an interview that he can\u2019t remember all the different clones he\u2019s voiced in the same way that the fans do. For Order 66, he similarly can\u2019t keep track of every time he\u2019s been a part of The Clone Wars\u2019 climactic moment. \u201cOnce again, the fans know better than me how many times I’ve been through Order 66, I would imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Matt Patches.<\/em><\/p>\n Star Wars Zero Company is out now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/star-wars-zero-company-trick-shooting.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment\/EA<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/star-wars-zero-company-hawks-4-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment\/EA via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/star-wars-zero-company-hawks-and-bennic-1-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment\/EA via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/star-wars-zero-company-hawks-and-bennic-2-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment\/EA via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/star-wars-zero-company-runa-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment\/EA via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Read Full Article At Source <\/a>
\n
\n