Star Wars Zero Company features a significant Order 66 sequence that has drawn attention from its cast and creative director. Polygon spoke with voice actors Jonathan Freeman (Hawks), Dee Bradley Baker (Trick), and Vic Michaelis (Runa), alongside creative director Greg Foertsch, to discuss how this pivotal moment from Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith was brought to life in the game.
Order 66, the command for clone troopers to eliminate Jedi, is a well-known event in the Star Wars universe, depicted in various media. In Zero Company, the moment arrives just as the player's team of misfits appears ready for their final mission. Clone trooper Trick, controlled by the player, is forced to turn on his allies, including a Jedi Padawan named Tel-Rea, while Republic intelligence officer Bennic attempts to arrest the group.
"A lot happens across the galaxy in a snap," Baker said. "It's a dramatically really interesting moment in Star Wars."
The developers aimed to "straddle" Order 66 within the game's timeline, which spans The Clone Wars and the early Empire. A key challenge was ensuring players were invested in Trick before his betrayal. As one of the squad's most reliable companions since the beginning, Trick's established connection with the main character, Hawks, was intentionally developed to make the betrayal more impactful.
"By 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," Foertsch explained. The player is also compelled to have Trick attack Tel-Rea, a squadmate they may have grown attached to. Baker described Order 66 as "the heartbreak of the clones," emphasizing the emotional weight of forcing players to harm a companion.
"We felt it was a really unique moment, and something very special to Zero Company," Foertsch added. The game's interpretation of Order 66 focuses on the personal impact of the event, showing it from the perspective of ordinary individuals reacting to the sudden shift in galactic authority.
Freeman noted that the Order 66 moment encapsulates the game's essence, highlighting how it focuses on a "wily bunch of outcasts" during the Clone Wars, bringing a "huge, epic, iconic story" down to a personal, real-time experience for characters on the periphery. The developers intended to showcase the event from a different lens than fans had previously seen, according to Foertsch.
The Order 66 sequence also creates a significant crossroads for the relationship between Hawks and Bennic. While Hawks remains with Zero Company, Bennic continues his work for the newly formed Galactic Empire. Freeman praised the game's relationships, calling them "vital" and noting that Hawks and Bennic eventually reconcile.
Michaelis found the Order 66 moment in Zero Company to feel "very Star Wars-ian." Their character, Runa, experiences the event indirectly while at the holotable, learning about it in real-time alongside many players. For Baker, who has voiced clones for nearly two decades, Order 66 is a recurring theme, having experienced it in various projects like The Bad Batch. He quipped that fans likely have a better count of his Order 66 appearances than he does.
Star Wars Zero Company is available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.