Grand Master/Legends

"Secret, shall I tell you? Grand Master of Jedi Order am I. Won this job in a raffle I did, think you?  "How did you know, how did you know, Master Yoda?"  Master Yoda knows these things.  His job it is."

- Master Yoda to Scout

Grand Master was a title used in both the Old and New Jedi Orders to describe the recognized head of the Jedi Order.

History
Yoda was the last known Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order, holding the title as early as 82 BBY. Luke Skywalker achieved the title after he rebuilt the Order, though he did not formally assume the title until the Swarm War. While the Grand Master was the unquestioned leader of the Jedi, both known Grand Masters still kept the Jedi Council as a source of advice.

Traits and Abilities
The Grand Masters were known to be the most prominent Jedi of their era, whether through feats of valor or otherwise. They were apprenticed to the wisest Masters of their time, and had proven their prowess with lightsabers, having fought with them in the major Galactic conflicts of their day. They were known to have incredible Force potential, and were very proficient in its applications. Master Yoda, widely recognized as the most powerful Jedi in the Order, was also credited as being the greatest lightsaber duelist in the History of the Jedi Order. He trained Jedi for more than eight-hundred years, during which time every youngling in the Jedi Order received some form of training from him. Through Yoda, the foundations were laid for which future generations would restore the legacy of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker, after being trained by both his father's master and Master Yoda, toppled the Galactic Empire and through the redemption of his father brought balance to the Force. Skywalker then created a New Jedi Order in the wake of the Galactic Civil War.

Destroying the Sith


The Jedi Order dedicated itself to publicly serve the Galaxy, specifically maintaining peace and order. Over the course of time, the Sith have influenced many individuals or groups to disrupt that peace, with the Sith Order themselves being the primary antagonists more often than not. To this end, each Grand Master saw paramount necessity in the eradication of the Sith menace, and of the taint of the dark side completely. Both have engaged at least one Sith Lord, and defeated a Dark Lord in combat; both Yoda and Luke Skywalker triumphed with lightsabers. Both assailed the leaders of these different Sith factions directly. Master Yoda dueled Darth Tyranus on two occasions, forcing the Sith Lord into retreat both times. He then dueled Darth Sidious to a stalemate, but ultimately lost that contest.

Luke Skywalker has dueled more Sith Lords on more occasions than the others combined. Also of note, all of his duels have been not with mere Sith Lords, but with Dark Lords of the Sith. First, Luke dueled Vader with assistance from Leia Organa and the spirit of his old mentor. Again, he dueled Vader in Cloud City, where Darth Vader severed his weapon-hand and revealed himself as Luke's father. His third and final duel with Vader on the second Death Star ended with Vader's redemption and the destruction of the Sith. He then fought and defeated the new Dark Lady, Lumiya. In 10 ABY, he dueled a reborn Darth Sidious, to which he lost and succumbed to the dark side.

He dueled Sidious again on the Emperor's flagship, and won. Luke would duel with Lumiya again in a bout that ended with Lumiya's escape and the loss of his prosthesis. Their third duel would end in a draw. Their fourth and final duel ended with the death of the Dark Lady. He later dueled his own nephew, the Sith Lord Darth Caedus, which Caedus escaped. Master Yoda was the only of the two who was unsuccessful in completely halting the machinations of the Sith. It should be noted that many great Jedi Masters throughout history have dueled and fallen to the power of the Sith. The fact that each of these Masters has managed to defeat the deadliest of foes is quite a testament to their leadership as well as their connection and dedication to the will of the Force.

Behind the scenes
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia introduced the title Master of the Order, used to denote the leader of the Jedi High Council. It is unclear if this title was meant to be another name for Grand Master; if so, then Mace Windu, as Master of the Order, would have been a Grand Master.

In The Courtship of Princess Leia, Yoda's report on the Battle of the Chu'unthor was made to a single, enthroned "high master", not a council.

Known Grand Masters

 * Yoda; last Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order
 * Luke Skywalker; founder and Grand Master of the New Jedi Order

Appearances

 * Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Legacy of the Force

Notes and references
Wielki Mistrz Jedi