Jedi Order/Legends

"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Jedi Order, later known as the Old Jedi Order, was an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization unified by its belief and observance of the Force, specifically the light side. The Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic, and became the most famous of the various groups that relied on the Force for their power. Led by a series of Jedi Councils, the Order grew over the millennia despite facing many trials, most often threats from the Sith, wielders of the dark side of the Force.

The Jedi Order faced extinction at least twice through its history; during the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War, the Order was left numbering less than one-hundred Jedi, until it was rebuilt by the Jedi Exile and the Lost Jedi. Millennia later, although eventually the Order was virtually annihilated by the Order of the Sith Lords with the culmination of the Clone Wars, its Knights lived on, and ultimately formed the New Jedi Order during the time of the New Republic.

History of the Jedi Order
"You must remember that there are over a hundred thousand inhabited worlds in the Republic, and there are now only a few thousand of us. Billions of beings have never seen a Jedi. Millions have never even heard of our Order. Or of the Force. When we do appear, we can be killers, but also healers. Thank the Force for that."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker



Founding of the Order and early Jedi
The earliest documentation of the existence of the Jedi Order seems to indicate that the organization was formally founded around the same time as the initial incarnation of the Galactic Republic, circa 25,000 BBY, although it may have existed before this point.

Many ancient and semi-legendary organizations have been proposed to be the forerunners of the Jedi Order, including the Order of Dai Bendu, the Followers of Palawa, and the Chatos Academy. No conclusive links have ever been demonstrated, though. Likewise, the birth planet of the order is unknown. Several worlds have been put forth as candidates, including such known worlds as Coruscant, Ossus, Utapau, Corellia, and mythic, lost planets such as Had Abbadon and Ondos.

According to a commonly accepted version, the dawn world of the Jedi was Tython. The galaxy's best philosophers, priests, scientists, and warriors came together here long ago to discuss their discoveries involving the enigmatic and mystical Ashla. In the event historians now know as the First Great Schism, dissidents who used the Bogan eventually arose, sparking the Force Wars of Tython. The Dark Jedi General Xendor and his followers allied with the master of Teräs Käsi Arden Lyn and her Followers of Palawa from Bunduki. In a climactic battle, Xendor was slain, Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina stopped Arden's heart with morichro, and Lyn killed Pina with a Kashi Mer talisman. After the war, the rest of these dissidents&mdash;known as the Legions of Lettow&mdash;were defeated.

From the ashes of these wars arose the early Jedi, and their Jedi Forge initiation ceremony led to the invention of lightsabers after they faced threats from beyond Tython. Through the use of advanced offworld technology, the Jedi were able to "freeze" a laser beam, resulting in the birth of the lightsaber. A proactive group left Tython to liberate other worlds, becoming the Jedi Knights. They founded a philosophical school on Ossus, defining the light side and dark side of the Force (equivalent, respectively, to the ancient Ashla and Bogan) as well as the Living Force and Unifying Force.

In 25,000 BBY, the Galactic Republic formed. The Republic mapped the Perlemian Trade Route, which linked Coruscant with Ossus. The early Jedi learned morality from the Caamasi.

The Second Great Schism, the first Dark Jedi and the Hundred Year Darkness
The Republic and Jedi fortified Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut to protect the Perlemian from the Tionese and Hutts.

In 10,000 BBY, the Jedi created what would later be called the Lost City of the Jedi on Yavin 4. They used the City to terraform Yavin 4 into a rain forest world. Within the next 3,000 years, the Jedi abandoned Yavin 4.

In 7,000 BBY the Jedi suffered the Second Great Schism, resulting in the Hundred-Year Darkness. This conflict ended with the Battle of Corbos 6,900 BBY. The surviving Dark Jedi fled to Ziost and founded the Sith Empire.

The Jedi, believing that they had dealt with their dark-sided brethren, turned inward, and over the next twenty centuries they forgot about their exiled members.

The Great Hyperspace War
"The Republic has grown and expanded for many generations, encountering no worse than a few interplanetary squabbles and civil wars&hellip;but if we should confront the fabled Sith Empire, we will experience a war so great, so devastating&hellip;it can cross the fabric of hyperspace, a conflagration spanning the Galaxy&hellip;"

- Ooroo

In 5,000 BBY, the Republic discovered the Sith and the Great Hyperspace War began. Though it ended with Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow in suspended animation on Yavin 4 and his great war fleets destroyed, the Sith Empire survived.

With the Sith empire at it's height, two hyperspace explorers from Empress Teta stumbled upon the Sith mausoleum planet of Korriban. Gav an Jori Daragon had been seeking a lucrative new hyperspace route, and had punched in random coordinates in their navigation computer, banking on their luck to survive. Their arrival on Korriban coincided with the death of Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos. The challengers for his throne, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh, were engaged in a vicious duel when the Daragons descended from orbit.

The two siblings were captured and transported to Ziost, the Sith capital. After some interrogation, the Sith learned of learned of the long forgotten Republic. A group of Sith Lords, led by Ludo Kressh, declared them spies and had them sentenced to death. Naga Sadow disagreed, dreaming of expansive new regions to conquer for the Sith Empire. Along with his alchemically modified Massassi Warriors, Sadow let the Daragons escape, planting evidence that they had been rescued by the Republic.

Sadow moved the pair to his fortress world of Khar Shian, acting as their ally, while in truth he was using their apparent escape to persuade the Sith Lords to wage war on the Republic. Being kept separate from his sister, Jav Daragon was briefly taught Sith sorcery by Naga Sadow. Kressh soon discovered Sadow's lies, and sent his followers to attack Sadow's fortress. Sadow told Jori Daragon to flee without her brother, and that she should warn the Republic of the impending invasion. Once the human female made the jump to lightspeed, Sadow unleashed a huge amount of ships that he had held back, defeating Kressh easily. Ludo Kressh's flagship was destroyed, and, with his main challenger presumed dead, Sadow crowned himself Dark Lord of the Sith. With the united military of the Sith, the human-sith hybrid began his assault of the Galactic Republic, following the homing beacon he had placed aboard the Daragons' ship, the Starbreaker 12.

When Jori Daragon arrived back on Koros Major, she was imprisoned for her many crimes, including stealing the ship and firing upon security vessels. Desperate to warn everyone of the impending invasion, Daragon broke free and fled to Empress Teta's palace. At first sight, the Empress had her guards take away the young woman, but when she mentioned the Sith Empire, Teta's two Jedi advisers, Memit Nadill and Odan-Urr, suddenly became interested. Nadill learned as much as he could about the Sith Empire, then traveled to Coruscant to rally the support of the Jedi Knights.

Sadow deployed his fleets to invade numerous Republic worlds simultaneously while he left his eye shaped meditation sphere near Primus Goluud and used Sith magic to create thousands of illusionary soldiers, which made the Sith army seem far larger than it actually was. On Coruscant, Memit Nadill fought against the Sith with a team of Jedi, including Tuknatan and Sonam-Ha'ar. Another battle was raging on the planet of Kirrek, where Jedi Master Ooroo and his apprentice, Odan-Urr were stationed. However, when Gav Daragon, one of the two explorers who had discovered the Sith Empire on Korriban, broke Naga Sadow's concentration on the Sith's meditation sphere, the Sith forces began to diminish. On Coruscant, the Jedi realized what had happened and launched a massive counter-attack, easily defeating the Sith. The Republic also emerged victorious on Kirrek, however only at the exoense of the death of Ooroo, who sacrificed his life in defeating a large force of Massassi warriors.

After realizing the tide of the war had turned against him, Sadow was able to flee back to the Sith Empire, but he found that his rival for the Sith throne, Ludo Kressh had survived Sadow's assassination attempt and was waiting for him in ambush. However, Kressh's efforts were in vain; he was killed when one of Naga Sadow's vessels crashed into Kressh's during the frenzied battle over Korriban. The Republic armadas arrived while the Sith fleets battled each other and managed to annihilate them both in the cross-fire. Naga Sadow sacrificed the remains of his fleet to ensure he survived. He destroyed his pursuers with tricks and sorcery, he fled the battle aboard his single remaining ship.

Sadow and his remaining Massassi Warriors went to ground in the remote jungle moon Yavin 4. There, he used Sith sorcery to place his body in suspended animation while his warped Massassi servants slowly degenerated into barbarism.

The paranoia created by this conflict led to the Jedi and Republic's attempted genocide of the Sith and Stenness Shifters.

Freedon Nadd's reign
Peace was not easily attained as once again members of the Order began delving into the dark side of the Force. In 4,400 BBY, Jedi Freedon Nadd discovered and was corrupted by the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow on the world of Yavin 4. Nadd would later go to the planet of Onderon with hopes of rebuilding a stronger Sith Empire.

The Third Great Schism
In 4,250 BBY the Jedi underwent a civil war on Coruscant which became known as the Third Great Schism. Following their defeat, the Dark Jedi went to Vultar, where they were responsible for the Vultar Cataclysm.

The Freedon Nadd Uprising
The world of Onderon suffered through the legacy of Freedon Nadd as a cult devoted to his memory, known as the Naddists, wreaked havoc on the people of the planet. When Jedi Master Arca attemted to move Freedon Nad's remains to the planet Dxun the Naddists, led by King Ommin attacked and managed to capture Nad's remains and Master Arca. Ommin then fled to the city of Iziz. Then the Republic's army converged on the planet and attacked Iziz. The Republics army was too strong and devastated the city. After the battle, Freedon Nad's remains where taken to Dxun and sealed in an armored tomb.

The Great Sith War
"Exar was a Jedi who was corrupted by ghosts of the old Sith, or so they say. He attempted to conquer the Republic and create a new Golden Age of the Sith."

- Jolee Bindo

Only 400 years later, in 3,996 BBY, the talented Jedi Exar Kun would be corrupted by the spirit of Nadd on Dxun, causing him to give into the dark side. After first travelling to Korriban, Kun then went to Yavin's fourth moon and took over Naga Sadow's ancient fortresses, enslaving the Massassi race to further his ambitious plans. Destroying Nadd's spirit for the last time, Exar Kun staked his claim as the true heir to the ancient Sith legacy, which was thought to be dead.

Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, a former Jedi who had joined the dark-sided organization known as the Krath, met on Cinnagar to settle issues between them. However, their duel was interrupted by the spirit of Marka Ragnos, who declared Exar Kun the Dark Lord of the Sith, and Qel-Droma his apprentice. United, they waged war on the Republic, kidnapping young Jedi from Ossus and subverting them to the dark side. Qel-Droma defeated Lord Mandalore, earning the services of the Mandalorians, then raided Foerost, stealing a fleet of warships.

Qel-Droma, as well as his Krath and Mandalorian forces, laid siege to Coruscant, but was eventually captured. When Kun heard of his apprentice's capture, he attempted to rescue him, murdering his master and the Chancellor in the process. In retaliation, the two Sith Lords made Ossus' sun go supernova after a battle at Kemplex IX, destroying much of the former Jedi Archives on Ossus. Battles were also fought between the Jedi and the Krath in the Al'Har system, while the Mandalorians attacked Onderon. The Mandalorians were unsuccessful, being driven to the nearby moon of Dxun, where their leader died.

Just before the destruction of Ossus, Ulic's dueled his brother Cay, who had been attempting to convince him to come back to the light. Although Cay was defeated, Ulic's former lover, Nomi Sunrider, had cut of his connection to the Force. Broken, Ulic surrendered to the Republic, leading them to Yavin 4, where Kun commited a ritual which took the life from every Massassi on the planet to separate his spirit from his body and bind it to his temple.

The Mandalorian Wars
"It was not your ships or your men or your vaunted 'fight for freedom' that won this, the final battle of the war. It was by the actions of one person–the Jedi Revan–that you prevailed. Revan's strategies and tactics defeated the best of us. Even Mandalore himself was taken aback by the ferocity, the tenacity, and the subtlety of Revan's plans. Revan fought us to a standstill and then began pushing us back. We didn't really have a chance."

- Canderous Ordo

To prevent the return of the Sith, a mysterious Jedi, known only as the Jedi associate, dedicated herself to training Jedi seers who would be able to foresee any possible Sith threat and nip it in the bud. These seers formed the Covenant, a shadowy organization devoted to spotting and dealing with any shatterpoints that could cause the Sith to emerge again.

The Mandalorians, led by Mandalore the Ultimate, began to conquer planets that were left defenseless after the Sith War. By adding their weapons and technology to their own the Mandalorians soon built a large army and their territory grew fast. The Republics efforts to stop the Mandalorians where ineffective and soon Mandalore took advantage of this weakness by directly attacking Republic space. The Jedi Council refused to help the Republic, they believed that caution was necessary. But a number of young Jedi, including Revan and Malak, openly defied the Council by joining and leading the Republics forces in battle. Revan used the Mandalorian tactics against his enemies, he was willing to sacrifice one planet if it meant securing victory at another. Under the leadership of Revan and Malak the Republic liberated many planets, and the final battle of the war was fought at Malachor V. During the battle Revan killed Mandalore in hand-to-hand combat and obliterated the remaining Mandalorian forces. The war was over, the Mandalorians had been defeated by a worthy opponent and destroyed their armor and weapons.

Eventually the Mandalorian Wars would start the downfall of the Jedi Order. They coincided with a vision by four Jedi Masters, members of the Covenant on Taris, who saw visions of chaos in the Jedi Order and the Republic and signs that the responsible could be one of their Padawans. The Masters decided to strike, but only succeeded in bringing the death of four Padawans who neared knighting, causing massive civil disorders on Taris that later made the planet easy prey for the Mandalorians, and alienating Padawan Zayne Carrick from the Order. Jedi Master Kreia was exiled as the Jedi Council felt her 'gray' stance on the Force had lead her students, most notably Revan, down the path of the dark side.

The Jedi Civil War
"The reason the Jedi Civil War was named such was because few in the galaxy can recognize the difference between the Sith and the Jedi. To them, they are both Jedi &mdash; with different philosophies."

- Mical

At the close of the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Revan and Malak mysteriously disappeared into the Unknown Regions, supposedly pursuing the last remnants of the Mandalorian fleet. When the two Jedi and their armies returned, they had changed dramatically. At some point during the journey, Revan encountered the teachings of the Sith, and subsequently turned to the dark side to help the galaxy from what was to come. Together with Malak, Revan assumed the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, and Malak became his Sith apprentice.

Returning to the Republic, Darth Revan and Darth Malak began waging a second war, preying on a Republic already weakened by the Mandalorians and taking full advantage of the immense number of Jedi who were still willing to serve them. This Jedi Civil War pitted masters against students, fathers against sons, and friends against best friends, making it one of the most emotionally powerful wars in all galactic history. While the early stages of the war were indecisive, it soon became apparent that Revan's Sith armada was growing at a steady rate, and in a short time the Republic was overwhelmed with the seemingly limitless forces of the enemy. World after world fell to Revan's vast fleets and masterful strategies, so determined not to make the same mistakes they had in the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Council devised a plan to eliminate the enemy at its source: Revan.

During one fateful battle, a small Jedi strike team led by Bastila Shan, a young Jedi Padawan with the remarkable gift of battle meditation, infiltrated Darth Revan's command ship to capture the Dark Lord. During the confrontation, Darth Malak, who was stationed aboard a different ship, realized that his master was in danger, and so in traditional Sith practice fired upon his own master's vessel in the hope of killing both Revan and the Jedi fighting him. The Jedi managed to escape with Revan's body, but Malak had achieved a crucial victory, for he was now the Dark Lord of the Sith and commander of the entire Sith armada.

Malak continued to wage war against the Republic, relying exclusively on brute force as opposed to subtle strategies. As the situation for the Republic and the Jedi became more desperate, they began to rely more and more on the battle meditation of Bastila Shan to gain an advantage over the ever-growing Sith Empire. Consequently, Darth Malak began to target Bastila specifically, hoping to crush the Republic's last chance of standing against his armies. During one battle in orbit above the world of Taris, Bastila's vessel, the Endar Spire, was crippled beyond recovery, and the young Jedi was forced to evacuate to the planet below. As fate would have it, two other important survivors eventually caught up with Bastila on Taris: Carth Onasi, a decorated soldier and war hero of the Republic, and another lowly officer who Bastila had recently had transferred to her command. The key to the rest of the war, however, lied in the identity of this single, insignificant foot soldier.

Carth and Bastila continued to gain more companions and managed to escape the destruction of Taris and fled to Dantooine, where in addition to learning that their third companion was Force sensitive discovered the existence of the Star Forge. The Jedi Council then commissioned their small band to seek out Star Maps from various planets in order to discover the location of the Star Forge, which they believed was the key to Malak's power. During their quest, the group was captured by one of the Sith fleet's command ships, where after a frantic escape attempt, Carth, Bastila, and the new Jedi Padawan encountered Darth Malak himself. This confrontation revealed a startling truth: that Darth Revan had not been killed, but had instead been rendered amnesiac by Malak's attack and saved by the Jedi, specifically Bastila. The Jedi Council had inserted over his destroyed mind a new identity, that of a lowly officer who was now a Jedi Padawan. Darth Revan had been traveling with Carth and Bastila the entire time.

Upon escaping Malak, Revan was determined to complete his mission and destroy his old apprentice. Eventually, he and his companions discovered the location of the Star Forge and launched an attack with the Republic against it. Revan managed to infiltrate the giant factory, which was the source of the Sith's limitless armada, and defeat his old apprentice Malak once and for all. However, even with Malak's death, Revan soon disappeared for reasons unknown, and new Sith Lords rose to take his place. Thus, the Sith continued to annihilate the Jedi and Republic, even without Revan or Malak.

First Jedi Purge and aftermath
The Jedi Civil War and other dramatic events to follow it, such as the Jedi Conclave of Katarr, would see the near destruction and death of the order. About a hundred individuals survived throughout the galaxy. The Jedi Council was disbanded, with the remaining Jedi Masters going in hiding across planets, hoping that this would allow them to discover the true origins of the new Sith threat without endangering everyone around them. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was completely abandoned, and the badly damaged Jedi Enclave on Dantooine was nothing but a hollow shell.

Eventually, the Jedi Exile trained a new generation of Force users, the Lost Jedi, who, as Darth Traya prophesied, would come together to re-establish another Jedi Order. Apart from them, who were yet to become true Jedi, there were only four known Jedi left in the Republic space by the end of the Battle of Telos IV—Bastila Shan, Jolee Bindo, Juhani, and Atris.

The New Sith Wars
The horrors of the Old Sith Wars and the near extinction of the Jedi Order that had resulted from the conflict were remembered in the Republic for generations. Few could have guessed, however, that a much larger conflict would soon engulf the galaxy. Phanius was one of the order's brightest stars, a Jedi Master no less. He became entranced with the forbidden knowledge of the Sith and, defying the council, absconded into deep space with a Sith holocron stolen from the Jedi Archives.

Like Exar Kun and Darth Revan before him, Phanius was seduced by the Dark Side. He took up the long vacant title of Dark Lord of the Sith as well as a new name and identity: Darth Ruin. In the ensuing years, Ruin gathered together a large number of dark side followers, who he dubbed the Brotherhood of Darkness. With this army Ruin planned to bring the Republic, and the Jedi who served it, to their knees. The Brotherhood attacked the Republic, and conquered vast swathes of the galaxy from a crumbling Republic; however, when total victory was in their grasp, they fell amongst themselves. The Brotherhood splintered, and various high-ranking Sith Lords claimed the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith and began to prosecute vast and cruel campaigns against each other, giving the beleaguered Republic and its Jedi protectors time to recover.

The Jedi regrouped and formed a vast army to oppose the Brotherhood&mdash;the Army of Light. Ably led by Lord Hoth, the Jedi took the fight to the Brotherhood's central systems in the Cloak of the Sith. As the decades ground on, the Jedi slowly gained the initiative over their foes&mdash;but the Sith would not give in. Eventually the surviving Sith, after several long and bitter campaigns, regrouped on the world of Ruusan under the leadership of Kaan. Hoth followed the Sith there, and the Army of Light and Brotherhood of Darkness engaged in seven fierce battles. At the conclusion of the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, Kaan&mdash;near defeat and driven insane by the power of the dark side&mdash;unleashed the thought bomb and killed every single Force user on the world.

The New Sith Wars were over. The Jedi Order had survived once again, and the Sith were presumed wiped out to the last individual. One, however, had survived: Darth Bane. He and his successors would hide from the Republic and the Jedi, planning revenge. This revenge would take a thousand years to come to fruition, but the new Sith had patience.

Post-Ruusan Reformation
With the Sith thought extinct, the Jedi believed that they had at last forged a long-lasting peace in the galaxy. With the Ruusan Reformation, both the Jedi and the Republic renounced militarism, disbanding their vast armies and navies. From that point on, the Galaxy would rely on smaller Judicial forces to help the Jedi keep the peace.

The Jedi were determined that the Sith would not be reborn. Mindful of their own history, the Jedi set about enforcing strict guidelines that the Council hoped would avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. They would renounce all ties to the outside world&mdash;to wealth, material possessions and even family. Training would now be undertaken on a strict one-to-one basis and centralized on Coruscant. With the far-flung academies of the past, the temptation of delving into forbidden knowledge was just too great for members of the order.

The Sith return
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge."

- Darth Maul

In 32 BBY, the presence of the Sith once again became known to the Jedi. The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious had secretly contacted members of the Trade Federation, including Nute Gunray and Daultay Dofine, and saw to it that Gunray was made Viceroy of the Trade Federation by using a special battle droid to kill the members of the Federation Ruling Council. He then suggested that Gunray show the Republic that they could not bully him with trade embargos by blockading the remote planet of Naboo. The Supreme Chancellor dispatched Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate a Trade Federation withdrawal.

However, the Neimoidians attempted to murder the Jedi, and they were forced to hide on an invasion craft which carried them down to the planet. There Qui-Gon met, and rescued a Gungan called Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar led them to the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga. The Gungan High Council, while rather difficult at first, at last allowed them to take a Bongo to the Naboo capital city, Theed. There the Jedi rescued the Queen, Padmé Amidala from a droid escort. They then fled to Tatooine, where they repaired their ship, and then to Coruscant. When Amidala realized that the Senate could not solve her problem, she returned to Naboo. There, with the help of the Gungan Grand Army, and a young boy named Anakin Skywalker, they defeated the Federation's Droid Army; however, in a climactic lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Sidious' apprentice, Darth Maul, Qui-Gon was killed. Stung by his master's death, Obi-Wan leapt at the Sith, and cut him cleanly in half. After Darth Maul was killed, the Jedi knew that there was still one member of the Sith active, but they were unaware of the identity of Sidious.

The Clone Wars
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."

- Master Yoda after the Battle of Geonosis

During the next ten years, former Jedi Councilor Count Dooku left the Jedi Order, and became the leader of a group of corporations, such as the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guild, known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems. However, unknown to the Jedi, Dooku had been found by Darth Sidious and had become his apprentice, renamed Darth Tyranus.

In 22 BBY, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Padawan Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, a young Senator from Naboo, were captured by Dooku on Geonosis in the Outer Rim. The trio were scheduled for execution, however they were saved when a group of over two hundred Jedi arrived. In the Petranaki Arena, most of the Jedi perished, and the few remaining had formed a circle in the center of the arena. However, before they could be killed, Grand Master Yoda arrived with thousands of Clone troopers, who had secretly been ordered by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The Clones rescued the remaining Jedi, and the Battle of Geonosis, and thus the Clone Wars, began.

During the next three years, many battles were fought between the Separatist droid armies and the Grand Army of the Republic. To counteract the powers of the Jedi, the CIS used many beings as commanders&mdash;Dark Acolytes, Bounty Hunters and cyborgs. Sora Bulq Asajj Ventress, Durge and General Grievous were the most feared.

Many members of the Jedi High Council died during the Clone Wars. Eeth Koth and Coleman Trebor perished at Geonosis. Depa Billaba turned to the dark side an was replaced by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Adi Gallia was killed by Grievous on Boz Pity, and Oppo Rancisis was slain during the Siege of Saleucami by Sora Bulq.

In 19 BBY, with most of the Republic's army and Jedi fighting in the Outer Rim Sieges, the Separatist fleet, led by Grievous and Dooku, launched a week long siege against Coruscant. Thousands of Vulture droids and Tri-Droid fighters reigned down on the capital, and Confederacy C-9979 landing crafts unleashed hundreds of millions of battle droids and tank droids on the capital's streets, causing much damage to lives and property. In response, the Republic deployed its Clone forces against the CIS droids.

With the battle raging on in space, Grievous kidnapped Supreme Chancellor from his quarters in 500 Republica, killing several troops and Jedi in the process. After realizing they had been lured away from Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi rushed back to join in the attempt to rescue Palpatine, who was being held aboard Grievous' flagship the Invisible Hand. After a brief duel with Dooku, Skywalker beheaded the Dark Lord, and released the Chancellor, dealing a tremendous blow to the Confederacy.

Last stand of the Jedi Order
"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest, Chancellor.''" "''Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

- Mace Windu and Palpatine

After the Second Battle of Coruscant, the Jedi learned from Anakin Skywalker that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and had been responsible for the war to begin with. Mace Windu led a group of Jedi Masters to arrest Sidious, but Sidious managed to kill all four with the help of Anakin Skywalker, who fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader. This was later propagandized by Palpatine as an attempted coup by the Jedi and provided the reason for the start of the Great Jedi Purge in which most of the Jedi were killed. Just after Order 66 was issued, telling all clones to kill their Jedi commanders, Darth Vader then went to the Jedi Temple to kill the remaining Jedi situated there. Accompanied 501st Legion, Vader killed all of the Jedi, including the younglings, and changed the emergency beacon to tell Jedi to return to the temple. Order 66 claimed the lives of many Jedi, including council members Stass Allie, Plo Koon and Ki-Adi-Mundi. Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, two of the most notable survivors of Order 66, then went on a desperate attempt to destroy the Sith and save the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan went to fight Anakin while Yoda went after Darth Sidious. Anakin was defeated, losing much of his power after suffering grievous injuries necessitating the majority of Anakin's body being kept in a mobile life support system to keep him alive. Yoda and Sidious however ended in a stalemate, but with clone troopers on the way Yoda was forced to flee and the Sith had risen again.

Great Jedi Purge


Despite the fact that many of the most senior Jedi had been killed, many Jedi survived Order 66. Sidious, now the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, used Darth Vader and other agents of the Empire to hunt down and kill the remaining Jedi. Some decided to fight the Empire, such as Roan Shryne and those at the Conclave on Kessel. Some hid, like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Many Jedi fell to Vader, Inquisitors , Emperor's Hands , and even bounty hunters.

A group of Jedi, led by Shadday Potkin, had decided to try and lure Darth Vader to the spice mines of Kessel, where they planned to kill him. Potkin had learned of Vader's strange obsession with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and had spread rumors that Obi-Wan would be present. Vader, with the help of some Stormtroopers, killed all the Jedi, the last of which to die were Tsui Choi, Jastus Farr and Roblio Darté.

Palpatine used the rumors of what had occurred at Kessel to cement the image of Vader as a symbol of the Empire to fear, and a further warning to all who stood in his way. The official report by Sate Pestage stated that some of the Jedi had killed each other in a power struggle and the others were executed for numerous crimes.

Political organization
"Once you embrace the Republic, the power of all Jedi is ready to serve you."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Eventually the Jedi formed a central political entity called the Jedi High Council. The High Council was a gathering of great minds that acted as a governing body for the Order, as well as an advisory board for the Old Republic Senate. The Jedi Council could only have 12 members at a time.



Around the time of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Temple housed three other councils, who undertook various roles. The Council of First Knowledge took care of matters which required the wisdom of past Jedi Masters or Councilors, and gave advice to the High Council and any Jedi that requested it. The Reconciliation Council tried to resolve political disputes with peaceful solutions&mdash;and to assign Jedi on missions to implement these solutions. The Council was made up of five members, who changed as was seen fit to each conflict. The Reassignment Council organized work for Younglins and other Jedi students who had not been chosen as Padawans. The Council probably worked closely with the Jedi Service Corps, assigning students to various developement organizations maintained by the Order. This Council also dealt with the reassignment of Jedi to different positions and responsibilities.

Among other tasks, the Jedi eventually became responsible for law enforcement and peacekeeping in the Galactic Republic. Many Jedi held different opinions on peacekeeping; while some favored diplomacy at all costs, others advocated a more direct approach, such as issuing "aggressive negotiations," with the majority striking a balance between the two extremes.

The Jedi Council of 4,000 BBY refused to enter the Mandalorian Wars until they felt the "threat had been assessed", taking a more passive stance on the issue. Later, perhaps due to the Order's near extinction as a result of that decision, the Jedi that rebuilt the order took a slightly more aggressive stance, culminating in the New Sith Wars where they actively ruled the Republic as a quasi-military dictatorship. During the Clone Wars, in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi acted as Generals, soldiers and military advisers in the conflict.

Jedi Ranks
"Confer on you, the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does. But agree with your taking this boy as your Padawan learner, I do not!"

- Yoda to Obi-Wan Kenobi As the Jedi were instructed in the ways of the Jedi and of the Force, each member progressed through several different ranks.

Hierarchy

 * Grand Master – The highest rank of the Jedi Order was that of Grand Master. Yoda and Nomi Sunrider were both Grand Masters. Luke Skywalker became the Grand master of the New Jedi Order.
 * Councilor (or Council Member) – A very few Jedi were invited to serve on the Jedi Council, the governing body of the Order. The Council was made up almost exclusively of wise, experienced Masters (in the waning days of the Order, one Knight, Ki-Adi-Mundi, served as a Councilor, but was undergoing the process of becoming a Master at the time of his invitation). Another Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker was appointed to the Council by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, although he was not granted the rank of Master simply because of this. The Council was made up of 12 masters, five of them with life terms (two of them designated as "senior"), four as long-term, and three limited-term.
 * Jedi Master – a Jedi Knight who showed great understanding of the Force and managed to instruct a Padawan and train them successfully to the level of a Jedi Knight. This title could also be achieved through the performance of extraordinary deeds.
 * Jedi Knight – a disciplined Padawan could become a fully trained Jedi once they completed "the trials." The known trials were, but weren't limited to: the Trial of Flesh, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of Skill and the Trial of Self (also known as "facing the mirror").
 * Jedi Padawan –a young Jedi who was apprenticed to a single Jedi Knight or Master. Padawans were chosen by their masters at a young age, and wore a long braid of hair behind their right ear to signify their rank.
 * Jedi Initiate (or Youngling or "Jedi Hopeful") –a force sensitive child who were removed from their families at a very young age to be taught by older Jedi in groups called clans.

Locations
"Don't the Jedi have this reputation for, well, austerity?" "They like you to think that, yes! But have big honking Temple on Coruscant! Not come cheap!"

- Gar Gastinin and Vilmarh Grahrk

Although the main Jedi Temple was situated on Coruscant, the Jedi Order had outposts on many worlds, and possibly even controlled a few throughout its history. These outposts included the Ilum Crystal Caves, the Chu'unthor, the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, the Enclave on Bespin, the Great Jedi Library on Ossus and the Valley of the Jedi.

Coruscant
The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was the main Jedi headquarters from the end of the Great Sith War in 3,996 BBY until the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY. Despite its impressive appearance, the Jedi Temple was a relatively modern building in comparison to some of Coruscant's others&mdash;the temple was built on a plot of land which had been awarded to the Jedi Order by the senate after Naga Sadow's attempted invasion of the capital in 5,000 BBY. The senate hoped that having such a large Jedi presence on the capital would leave them less susceptible to invasions. From this site, the four Jedi Councils took care of the administrative, strategic and spiritual needs of the Jedi Order, ensuring it met the needs of the Republic and its vast amount citizens.

When the land was awarded to the Order by the Senate, the Jedi were at first reluctant to build a citadel there&mdash;they held the belief that the Order was not a military organization, and that a military-oriented building would be going against their code. Instead of the senate's proposition, the Council authorized the construction of meditative and training centers instead, some of which helped preserve the rapidly diminishing nature of Coruscant.

Eventually, the original meditative and training center grew vastly in size and complexity, until it began to resemble the sprawling world on which it was located. New chambers within the Jedi Temple included the Room of a Thousand Fountains, which contained a huge greenhouse, flowing waters and cascades. Also included in the expansive temple were lightsaber training areas and areas which provided views of vast holographic star maps.

The Jedi Temple had five spires; one for each of its four councils, and a larger spire which contained the sacred manuscripts of the founding Jedi. The Jedi High Council chambers were located in the south-west tower, while the Council of Reconciliation chambers were located in the south-east tower. The north-east and north-west towers were occupied by the Reassignment Council and the Council of First Knowledge.

During Operation: Knightfall, as part of Order 66, Darth Vader led the 501st Legion into the Jedi Temple, intent on destroying the Jedi. Although the Jedi Temple was not destroyed, it was badly damaged, with smoke billowing out for all to see.

Dantooine
The Jedi Enclave on Dantooine was a secret Jedi located on Dantooine prior to the Jedi Civil War,. Before the Great Sith War, the Enclave was presided over by Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, who was murdered by his former pupil, Exar Kun. During the Great Hunt, the Enclave governed by a four-member council similar to the High Council on Coruscant. At the time of the Great Hunt, the members were Vrook Lamar, Bala Nisi, Qual and Aleco Stusea. This Council had jurisdiction over the Jedi in the part of the Outer Rim that included Dantooine and Taris.

Around the time of the Jedi Civil War, the council consisted of Masters Vrook Lamar, Zhar Lestin, Vandar Tokare and Dorak. The fact that both Vrook Lamar and Vandar Tokare were also members of the Jedi High Council may indicate the Dantooine Enclave Council was a subset of the High Council. This council was responsible for healing Darth Revan's destroyed mind and inserting a new identity into his brain, and after the destruction of Taris, retraining him in the ways of the Jedi. The council was dissolved after Darth Malak's bombardment of the Jedi Enclave. Masters Dorak, Vandar, and Zhar escaped only to find death a few years later on Katarr.

Taris


The Jedi Tower, also known as the Taris Academy or the Tarisian Jedi Temple, was one of many satellite centers of Jedi training in the Galaxy and was located in the Patrol Plaza on Taris. During the Mandalorian Wars, the academy was presided over by a group of five Jedi Masters&mdash;Feln, Q'Anilia, Raana Tey, Xamar, and Lucien Draay, who was its leader. The site was most famous for the Padawan Massacre of Taris at the climax of the Mandalorian Wars in 3,964 BBY...

Ossus


The Great Jedi Library on Ossus was an immense library for Jedi students. Constructed under the directory of Odan-Urr around 5,000 BBY, the library was a repository for knowledge of all kinds, and a training center for many Jedi students. The vast amounts of information the library contained were sorted in various different ways, depending on its age and importance. Most of the data was contained on reader tapes and holographic media, although some of the more ancient knowledge was stored on traditional paper scrolls and books. Although the ancient books and scrolls was eventually translated onto electronic forms, the Chamber of Antiquities preserved the ancient writing, for historical purposes.

The library also held knowledge forbidden to the Jedi, such as ancient Sith holocrons, which Odan-Urr had decided to keep. The Draethos Jedi Knight's reasoning was that all knowledge&mdash;even knowledge of evil&mdash;would be useful in the defense of justice. Only those who had been approved by the Jedi Council, as well as Odan-Urr (as the Keeper of Antiquities), were allowed access to these holocrons, and even then they were only permitted to do so under strict supervision.

During the height of the Great Sith War in 3,996 BBY, fallen Jedi Exar Kun visited Ossus to recruit new members to his cause. While there, he entered the Chamber of Antiquities, slaying Odan-Urr to get to one of the Sith Holocrons. Afterwards, Ossus became a battlefield for the Jedi-Republic army, who eventually defeated the Sith Empire. Meanwhile, a supernova was threatening to devastate the planet. After it had been evacuated, Exar Kun and his apprentice, Ulic Qel-Droma, arrived at the Great Jedi Library, looking to plunder the remaining artifacts before the supernova's shockwave destroyed them. However, Neti Jedi Master Ood Bnar managed to foil the two Dark Siders, metamorphosing into a powerful tree; sacrificing his life to protect a vault of lightsabers from Kun and his apprentice.

Chu'unthor


The Chu'unthor was a massive Jedi training ship commisioned by the Jedi Council around 400 BBY. Named after the Cerean word for academy, the Chu'unthor was constructed by Republic Fleet Systems in orbit around Abhean in the Mid Rim. One thousand meters long, and twice as wide, the Chu'unthor could hold up to fourteen thousand students, teachers and other accompanying staff.

The main driving force behind the Chu'unthor were Jedi Masters Fin-So-Rowan and Ivixa Delbaeth, who viewed it as both a training center and an exploratory vessel...



Jedi Service Corps
The Jedi Service Corps were a place for Jedi students who were never selected by a Master to become a Padawan. Younglings would enter one of the Corps if they had not been chosen by a Master by age 13.

Agricultural Corps The Agricultural Corps was one of these organizations, the members of the AgriCorps would use their Force powers to care for crops. The function of the Corps was to aid in tending to and harvesting crops for the Republic. It is possible that Jedi geologists served under the Corps.

Medical Corps In the Medical Corps young Jedi learners and former younglings who were not chosen as Padawans used their healing powers to tend for sick beings in the galaxy. Unlike the AgriCorps, the MedCorps maintained only a few dozen students and their instructors at any given time.

Educational Corps This group of Jedi Knights consisted of students who were still in training, their mission was to provide educational needs to the underprivileged children of the galaxy.

Exploration Corps The Exploration Corps was responsible for exploring the Unknown Regions and they studied the past of the Jedi and the galaxy. Members were usually former younglings that had not been chosen as Padawans, though ExplorCorps also included Jedi such as Jocasta Nu.

Notable Knights

 * Barriss Offee
 * Ylenic It'kla
 * Maris Brood
 * A'Sharad Hett
 * Aayla Secura
 * Xiaan Amersu
 * Luke Skywalker

Behind the scenes
The Jedi Order originated in the rough draft as the Galactic Emperor's bodyguard. They became affiliated with the Republica Galactica in the second draft. Later, when composing background information for licensees in 1977, George Lucas described the Jedi Order as being "several hundred thousand" strong before the Purge.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Jedi Council: Acts of War
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Jedi Quest series
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * ''Jedi Apprentice series
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Republic
 * Clone Wars Novels
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Obsession
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * ''Most other works in which Jedi before the Galactic Civil War appear.