The Great Jedi Purge was a conflict in the fictional Star Wars universe, and was the beginning of the Galactic Civil War. It was referred to as the Jedi Holocaust.
The Purge began shortly after Palpatine was declared Emperor and Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side of The Force.
As the first act under the newly formed Galactic Empire, the Emperor and Skywalker ordered the total extermination of all living Jedi throughout the galaxy as a sign that the universe was now under Imperial rule. Anakin brought a thousand clone troopers to invade the Jedi Temple and destroy every Jedi in the temple. The temple was completely destroyed by the "Sith Lord" and troopers. A military mastermind, formidable warrior, and the Chosen One, Darth Vader almost single-handedly executed this Jedi Holocaust.
Almost none of the Jedi Knights survived this conflict. Among the few survivors were Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the former head of the Jedi Council, Yoda. Kenobi escaped to Tatooine while Yoda escaped to the planet Dagobah under secrecy. The Expanded Universe series of books indicates that other Jedi also survived the purge, though few of these Jedi lived to see the fall of the Empire..
It is presumed that these events will take place in the Star Wars film series following Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Palpatine began killing Jedi before the Holocaust occurred. Shortly after the Battle of Naboo, the Jedi Council approved the "Outbound Project". A group of Jedi masters would travel to the edge of the galaxy and attempt to use the Force to open the Force bubble surrounding the galaxy, thereby allowing them to attempt contact with life in other galaxies. The ship was intercepted on Palpatine's command and all hope on contacting life outside the galaxy shattered. It is possibly that, had the mission been a success, the Republic would have had early warning to the approaching Yuuzhan Vong.
X-Wing pilot and Rogue Squadron member Corran Horn discovered a museum chronicling members of the Jedi Order who Palpatine had killed, filled with mutilated statues of former Jedi. It was found on the planet of Coruscant, and is assumed to be a personal playroom for Palpatine to celebrate the success of the purge.
The Great Jedi Purge can ultimately be viewed as a failure, given the creation of the New Jedi Order in the years following Palpatine's death. The knowledge of the Jedi, their temple, and their formalilzed learning structure, however, were all lost to future generations, which probably would have given the late Palpatine a small measure of satisfaction.
Death and causes
