'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: "ORDER 66"

The murder of the Jedi across the galaxy begins as Ki-Adi Mundi falls to his troops on Mygeeto.

With Anakin Skywalker gone and Darth Vader now crowned in his place by the manipulative Darth Sidious, of which the young former hero will soon be unleashed in all his terrifying power against the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the evil Dark Lord master is now ready to send the Order 66 signal across the galaxy that will see the Clone Troopers, after years of pre-planning, finally turn against their Jedi Commanders and murder them across a thousand worlds and beyond. 

The Dark Times of the Sith and the Galactic Empire have begun...

One of the key sequences that Star Wars fans had been anticipating that would be effectively revealed in Episode III, hauntingly bolstered by superb music from John Williams, and featuring pre-viz ideas/contributions from Steven Spielberg, encouraged to provide ideas for the then final film of the saga by his friend George, for both Order 66 and the finale duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

Darth Sidious activates Order 66 to the Clone Troopers across the galaxy.

"To be very honest, that scene (Order 66) was about twice as long as it is now. There were a lot more Jedi killed in a lot more ways, but it kind of went on and on. So we finally cut it down to what we thought was the minimum we could get away with and still get a sense that there are thousands of Jedi around the galaxy."

George Lucas - Empire magazine - July 2005

The bold Aayla Secura is cornered and brutally executed on the alien world of Felucia.

Darth Vader leads his elite troops into the Jedi Temple and continue the surprise massacre.

Shaak Ti's (Orli Shoshan) original death scene would instead be re-filmed and editorially moved to the Order 66 sequence, where she would be slain from behind by Anakin/Darth Vader instead of Grievous. sadly, this scene too would end up being deleted.

Vader soon slaughters a group of innocent younglings hiding in the Temple.

As the Jedi drop like flies across the galaxy, Yoda is disturbed in the Force whilst on Kashyyyk.

Fire and explosions rock the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Padme and Threepio are shocked and disturbed by what they see in the distance.

On patrol, Stass Allie (Nina Fallon) is murdered by her speeder bike colleagues on Saleucami.

Plo Koon is taken out by his wingmen above one of the bridge cities of Cato Neimoidia.

Yoda is soon in the Clone blaster crosshairs but escapes the carnage, with help from the Wookiees.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: THE SLAYING OF SHAAK TI!

Facing the wrath of General Grievous.

Having landing, against all odds, on General Grievous's command ship during the epic Battle of Coruscant, Obi-Wan and Anakin are en route to discover what bas happened to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his Jedi protector in Shaak Ti. Ti's fate is soon revealed, however, as the two Jedi soon prove helpless in preventing their friend from being slain by the brutal lightsaber-wielding evil of the Separatist droid leader, General Grievous.

The original slaying of Shaak Ti was one of a large number of scenes for the movie set aboard the Invisible Hand involving Anakin and Obi-Wan which were either deleted, trimmed down or reshaped/re-filmed. This original introduction to Grievous was replaced with an all-new sequence for the character partly filmed in additional photography that would be set on the vessel's bridge. 

Derek Thompson's June 18th, 2003 storyboards for the scene.

Shaak TI referencing in the original Episode III filming script from Nick Gillard's collection.

Concept art for the scene.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stop in a corner and witness the captured Shaak Ti.

Actress/Supermodel/designer Orli Shoshan on set as Shaak Ti. 

The shocking death scene.

Orli remains in the dead position as the technicians mill around the FOX Studios set.

Obi-Wan and Anakin prepare their next unexpected move.

CLASSIC ART: PROTECTING THE SUPREME CHANCELLOR!

The surprise attack on the heart of the Republic is ongoing, and brutal Separatist droid leader General Grievous has already launched his fiendish plan to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor from Coruscant, audaciously partaking in the scheme himself, now planet side and armed with the lightsabers of dead foes as he takes on Palpatine's current steadfast Jedi bodyguards in this truly dark time.

Super Expanded Universe art linked to the opening of EPISODE III from the ever-reliable Chris Trevas. 

'ATTACK' AT 20: CHARGE OF THE LIGHT(SABER) BRIGADE!

The Jedi (including Seasee Tiin) charge into arena battle in an unseen angle.

The Jedi have arrived on Geonosis, and battle against the enemy's legion of droids begins within the death arena. But overwhelming forces soon take their fateful toll on the skilled lightsaber warriors...

A selection of notable images from the original Australian filming of the sequence at Fox Studios during 2000, featuring second unit photography of singular Jedi in various action poses directed by editor/sound designer Ben Burtt, working in tandem with dedicated Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard. To say that the final, sometimes jarring in flow cinematic sequence would be a combination of photography mixing deleted scenes (in and out of the arena), CGI enhancements and replacements, as well as further reshoots/additional action moments incorporated a year later, would be an epic understatement! 

“I heard of one group (of Kendo experts) that had been banned from the national competitions because they were way too aggressive. When I heard that, I knew they could be right for us.” 

Nick Gillard - Dreamwatch magazine - June 2002 

“I guess we did that one (the arena fight) for four to five days. We put everybody in there separately and then we put Ewan and me in there. And then we put me, Ewan and Hayden in. Then they bought in all the Jedi extras, which was kind of hazardous. They didn’t exactly go through all the training we did, so you had to watch your back, when they were in there and just kind of waling.” 

Samuel L. Jackson - DVD Review magazine - Issue 44 - 2002

Selected BTS information from Pablo Hidalgo's Twitter page.

Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli, Shaak Ti and an unknown Jedi in arena battle. Image via Paul Duncan/Facebook.

One of the two hundred Jedi in action.

Exciting moves from the Byron Bay Kendo Club, well cast as trained Jedi.

A Jedi tends to fallen Padawan Tan Yuster in an unseen moment.

Sarrissa Jeng (Karen Wilson, an Australian Kendo student) in action for the deleted droid control ship raid sequence. She would be instead transplanted in the film's post production editorial into the Geonosis arena, where her character, whose hair was mostly later CGI shaved off, would be killed in a further deleted moment.

Jeng lies dead with other Jedi in an unseen moment.

Nick Gillard, ever the funster on set.

'ATTACK' AT 20: THE JEDI INTERVENTION!

The Jedi arrive in the arena to face the army of lethal Battle Droids, in this lovely art.

It's not just Mace Windu who has arrived in the nick of time to aid our captured trio of Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme within the Geonosian death arena. So too are a force of between 100-200 fellow Jedi (including lots of soon fan favourites), bravely going into conflict against overwhelming numbers of newly created Separatist Battle Droids...

The Jedi assemble. Conceptual art by Ryan Church.

The Jedi arrive and decloak in unused footage from 2000.

More deleted Jedi footage likely linked to their arrival in the arena.

This impressive (if at times unevenly structured) action sequence was culled together from all kinds of blue screen shot footage at Fox Studios, Australia and ILM during 2000-2002. Known and background Jedi used in a deleted sequence linked to the failed deactivation of the battle droids would instead literally be transplanted into various arena battle sequence moments as the conflict between Jedi and droids evolved under George Lucas's supervision. Some human Jedi actors would be completely replaced with CGI alien creations instead, or have CGI additions/alterations made to their visages.

Another of Ryan Church's action-packed concept art pieces for the epic arena battle.

Shaak Ti (model Orli Shoshan) and Luminara Unduli (Mary Oyaya) activate their blades.

Barriss Offee (Nalini Krishan) and Agen Kolar (Tux Akindoyeni).

Pablo-Jill (named after ILM veterans Pablo Hidalgo and Jill Brooks) with Kit Fisto (Ben Cooke)

Plo Koon (Matt Sloan) and Ki-Adi Munday (Silas Carson). The characters were added to this shot from ultimately unused footage of a droid control ship raid.

Bultar Swan (Mimi Daraphet) and colleague.

The Super Battle Droids take on the Jedi.

A unique member of the Battle Droid fraction joins the fray!

"Die, Jedi dogs!" A confused Threepio is caught in battle!

Ever smiling fan favourite Kit Fisto (stunt man Ben Cooke) brings aid to Threepio's difficult position on the battlefront.

Posed publicity image of Jedi Aayla Secura (Amy Allen), the character already a fan favourite Dark Horse comic creation liked by Lucas, who would be added to the film in various Jedi-related places during post production by ILM.

One of the more alien-looking Jedi who will later challenge Count Dooku, but be sadly killed by the blaster skills of Jango Fett.

The majority of the unarmed insects fly away in their panicked droves.

The battle is fierce as the enemy grows stronger and surrounding...

Meanwhile, in the midst of chaos, Threepio is reunited with his bodily self thanks to Artoo.

The scene as captured in studio, likely in reshoots at Ealing Studios, London - 2002.

Doug Chiang's design for the next evolution of Battle Droid - the Super Battle Droid!