Order 5
Order 5 was among the 150 contingency orders that clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic were instructed on. These orders covered a wide range of potential emergencies during the Clone Wars. Specifically, Order 5 stipulated that should Palpatine, in his role as Republic Supreme Chancellor and head of that office, be deemed incapable of commanding the Grand Army, the Chief of Defense Staff would assume control of the army until a new leader was designated.
Description
During the Clone Wars, the Grand Army of the Republic developed 150 contingency orders, one of which was Order 5. These orders were designed to address various emergency scenarios that the Galactic Republic might encounter during the conflict. Consequently, every clone trooper within the Grand Army received training to flawlessly execute Order 5.
The specifics of Order 5 dictated that if Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who also held the position of Supreme Commander of the Grand Army, was judged unfit to lead the army, the Republic's Chief of Defense Staff would immediately take command. The Chief of Defense Staff would then establish a leadership structure with a selection of high-ranking Republic officers, remaining in command until either the Galactic Senate elected a new Supreme Chancellor or an alternative Supreme Commander was appointed.
History
RC-3222, a clone commando, made an indirect reference to Order 5, along with the other 149 contingency orders, in a conversation with General Etain Tur-Mukan and his squadmate RC-5108/8843. This discussion took place at the Republic's Special Operations Brigade Headquarters on Coruscant, the galactic capital planet, sometime between 20 BBY and 19 BBY, specifically 995 days after the First Battle of Geonosis.
Behind the scenes
The first mention of Order 5 occurred in Republic Commando: True Colors, which is the third book in the Republic Commando series. Karen Traviss authored the novel, and it was released in 2007.