The Disney+ revival of Return of the Jedi. Naturally, the beloved Clone hero did not follow through with Order 66, but his original story implied in Rebels and referred to in the 2016 novel Ahsoka were overwritten by The Clone Wars.
Like the that all Clone Troopers had mind-control implants which changed their personalities in addition to making them betray the Jedi.
Captain Rex’s original story revealed that the fan-favorite Clone Trooper never followed Order 66 since he removed his control chip sometime between the death of ARC Trooper Fives and the Siege of Mandalore. In The Clone Wars, he still had his chip and subsequently attempted to kill his friend, Ahsoka Tano, until she subdued him and removed the implant. Neither version is necessarily better than the other, as Rebels and Ahsoka gave Rex more agency and highlighted his growing skepticism with the Republic while The Clone Wars told a darker and more dramatic story with tragic ramifications.
Rex’s original Order 66 history shows that he took Fives’ warning to heart and secretly removed his control chip, not believing the Republic’s cover-up story regarding the chips after Fives’ assassination. As a result, Rex never followed Order 66 from the start, allowing him and Ahsoka to more easily escape the fledgling Galactic Empire. This version of Rex’s story makes him more proactive and less trusting of an increasingly autocratic Republic, especially considering the final words of his late friend, Fives.
In canon, Rex filed a complaint with the Republic following Fives’ death and secretly left notes expressing his fears that the Clone control chips could have a sinister secret purpose. This helped Ahsoka stun Rex and remove his chip, but not before he nearly killed her when the order was issued. The Clone Wars’ version also led to Rex killing some of his brethren in self-defense and leaving even more to die, including his friend Jesse, an ARC trooper who hadn’t removed his control chip.
While neither version of Rex’s Order 66 story is necessarily better than the other, The Clone Wars should have respected the continuity of Rebels and Ahsoka and faithfully adapted their version of Rex’s Order 66 experiences. The Star Wars canon timeline had an unfortunate habit of contradicting itself in ways that cannot be remedied by a simple retcon, with Kanan Jarrus’ Order 66 origin being similarly overwritten in another property. It is up to viewers and readers to decide which version of Rex’s Order 66 story they prefer, as Star Wars: The Clone Wars overwrote previous material in its final story arc.
