Star Wars’ Most Tragic Youngling Has an Even More Tragic Legacy
Order 66 was Star Wars’ most tragic sequence, but many fans don’t know this tragic youngling’s legacy and how it helped build the Rebellion.
While Lucasfilm maintains that Star Wars has an uplifting tone, there’s no shortage of sad moments in the saga. For example, Darth Maul’s entire life was a tragedy, and the deaths of Qui-Gon Jinn, Shmi Skywalker and Han Solo were all difficult moments to watch. But even with all those moments under its belt, there’s no doubt that the most gut-wrenching moment in Star Wars was the execution of Order 66.
Emperor Palpatine had infiltrated the Republic for decades, and all at once, he made his presence felt. In a matter of minutes, he had murdered four Jedi Masters in his Senate Chambers, dubbed Anakin as Darth Vader and executed the infamous Order 66. Then, Vader made his way to the Jedi Temple, where he killed countless Jedi. However, the moment that really resounded across the galaxy was the Sith’s massacre of younglings.
As the 501st Legion was decimating the Jedi in the Temple, a group of younglings took refuge in the Jedi High Council chamber. They hoped that one of the masters would arrive to keep them safe. So, when Anakin arrived, a youngling named Sors Bandeam came out of his hiding spot and asked, “Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What are we going to do?” Unfortunately, those were Bandeam’s last words because Anakin ignited his flaming, blue lightsaber and massacred the whole group of younglings. However, many fans don’t realize that Bandeam has a legacy that’s just as tragic as his untimely demise.
Bandeam hailed from a world called Ghorman in the galaxy’s Colonies region along the Rimma Trade Route. It never appeared in the films, but in 2BBY, Ghorman was the sight of a terrible tragedy called the Ghorman Massacre. Of course, the Empire was accustomed to committing atrocities across the galaxy, but the events of Ghorman went too far. Peaceful protestors were gathered as part of a demonstration against the Empire’s tyranny when soldiers arrived to mindlessly slaughter them.
And worse than that, the event didn’t get kept a secret. It never appeared on screen, but the Star Wars Rebels Season 3 episode “Secret Cargo” talked about the massacre when Senator Mon Mothma addressed the Senate, blaming the Emperor himself for the attack. She said, “I name the Emperor himself for ordering the brutal attacks on the people of Ghorman. Their peaceful world is one of the countless systems helpless under his oppressive rule. This massacre is proof that our self-appointed Emperor is little more than a lying executioner, imposing his tyranny under the pretense of security. We cannot allow this evil to stand.”
Naturally, the Emperor and his cronies didn’t care for Senator Mothma’s accusations and immediately set out to capture her. And that was the plot of “Secret Cargo” — Hera Syndulla, Ezra Bridger and Zeb were supposed to refuel Senator Mothma’s cruiser, but the Empire found them and destroyed the ship. So, Hera and her crew took Senator Mothma to Dantooine, where she participated in one of the first meetings to unite the various Rebel Cells into the Rebel Alliance. Thus, while Sors Bandeam’s homeworld had a tragic legacy, the Ghorman Massacre worked as a call to action for people to stand up against the Emperor and his tyrannical rule.
