Jedi Trials/Legends



The Jedi Trials, also known as the Trials of Knighthood, were the challenges by which Jedi Padawans were tested to see if they were ready for Knighthood, and were sometimes retaken by Knights to earn the rank of Jedi Master. The Trials were formal tests that were administered by the Jedi Council on a Padawan they deemed to be worthy. The Jedi Masters administered the trials in the Jedi Trials Chamber where they put the Padawans through rigorous tests. The Jedi Grand Master leading the Knighting would first place his lightsaber above the right shoulder, then the left shoulder, and then back to the right shoulder, removing the Padawan's braid. This ceremony would be held in the Hall of Knighthood, however for Anakin Skywalker, it was in the Jedi Council Room. The following phrase was said to the newly ordained Jedi Knight:


 * "Step forward, Padawan. [Name of Padawan], by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi (cuts braid) Knight of the Republic."

In times of turmoil, the Trials could be bypassed at the discretion of the Jedi Council if the Padawan had shown great skill, courage, or dedication to the Jedi Order. In such cases the Padawan was considered to have passed the Trials through their actions, negating the need for formal testing. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are two examples of Jedi who earned the rank of Jedi Knight without facing the Trials, but rather passed their Trials through their actions: Obi-Wan's through his duel with the Sith Lord Darth Maul, and Anakin before and during the Clone Wars.

Trial of Skill
"Alright Master Thon. I've got your lightsaber, you win!"

- Nomi Sunrider, finally taking up Thon's lightsaber to do battle.



The Trial of Skill usually consisted of a lightsaber duel with either another person or a manifestation of the dark side. The padawan had to prove to be fully trained as a warrior, with the force and for defense and mastery of lightsaber combat. Training for this trial is based on Lightsaber Combat training.

Notable examples

 * Nomi Sunrider using her inherent ability with Jedi Battle meditation Gudb and his pirate companions.


 * Revan's lightsaber duel with Juhani in the grove near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine or his duel with Darth Bandon.


 * Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber duel with Darth Maul on Naboo.


 * Aayla Secura's duel with the Morgukai warrior Bok on Kintan.


 * Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber duel with Asajj Ventress on Yavin IV.


 * Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber duel with Darth Vader on Bespin.


 * Kyle Katarn's first lightsaber duel with Yun.

Trial of the Flesh
"Now you stand on the razor's edge, Nomi Sunrider, between the darkness behind you, and the Force before you, and you must choose. But remember, the Force is deeper than this pit, and a thousand times more mysterious."

- Master Thon



The Trial of the Flesh involved the Jedi overcoming great physical pain, hardship, or loss. It could also test the Jedi's mastery of detachment from physical pleasure and people.

Notable examples

 * Nomi Sunrider not returning home and accepting Thon's offer to train her as a Jedi, in spite of the pain of her husband's death, her fear of using lightsabers, and the dangers of the galaxy as a whole.


 * Revan's first duel with the fallen Bastila on the Rakatan Temple or enduring interrogation and torture at the hands of Saul Karath.


 * Obi-Wan Kenobi losing his Master Qui-Gon Jinn, during their duel against Darth Maul on Naboo, and not giving into vengeance when he finally defeated Maul himself.


 * Aayla Secura suffering through an ordeal where her memories were wiped with glitteryll and she was sold into slavery on Ryloth.


 * Anakin Skywalker's loss of his right forearm during a duel with Count Dooku on Geonosis.


 * Luke Skywalker's loss of his right hand on Bespin during his duel with Darth Vader.


 * Kyle Katarn overcoming his anger after learning Jerec was the one who killed his father.


 * Ben Skywalker overcoming the loss of his mother at the hands of his cousin.

Trial of Courage
"Stubborn apprentice, this is no time for philosophy! Your future has begun! Take the lightsaber!"

- Master Thon telling Nomi Sunrider to defend herself.



To pass the Trial of Courage, a Padawan would fight courageously in battle, complete a mission with a low chance of survival, or defeat a superior enemy.

Notable examples

 * Nomi Sunrider finally agreeing to take up Master Thon's lightsaber, and using it to battle and defeat Bogga the Hutt's gang of thugs.


 * Revan confronting the fallen Bastila and redeeming her, then finally facing off with Darth Malak in the Star Forge.


 * Obi-Wan Kenobi defeating Darth Maul during their final duel on Naboo.


 * Aayla Secura's rescue of Tholme and Nat Secura from the dungeons of Kh'aris Fenn.


 * Anakin's bravery throughout the Clone Wars, which made him the "Hero With No Fear."


 * Luke Skywalker confronting Darth Vader to save his friends on Bespin or his final confrontation with Darth Vader and Darth Sidious on the Death Star II.


 * Kyle Katarn defeating Jerec and the six Dark Jedi.


 * Luke Skywalker's entire class of Jedi trainees facing and defeating the spirit of Exar Kun.

Trial of the Spirit


"Facing the mirror."

- Even Piell

To pass the Trial of the Spirit, the Padawan would have to look deep within themselves, and see what they were truly made of. Often times, the Padawan did not like what they saw, and it could be a highly traumatic experience.

Notable examples

 * Nomi Sunrider accompanying Master Thon to Ambria's Meditative Canyon, and meditating on the Force while standing on the edge of the precipice with her back towards the great chasm below.


 * Revan resisting the temptation of the dark side that Bastila gave him on the Rakatan Temple.


 * Obi-Wan overcoming the temptation to use the dark side during his duel with Darth Maul.


 * Aayla Secura's ultimately successful struggle with her desire for revenge against Quinlan Vos, which triggered her descent into the Dark Side as the thrall of Volfe Karkko on Kiffex.


 * Anakin Skywalker's vision during his mission on Nelvaan.


 * Luke Skywalker's vision in the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah.


 * Kyle Katarn resisting Jerec's tempation to give into the Dark side by striking down his partner, Jan Ors.


 * Kyp Durron facing and resisting the darkness within the Massassi Temple on Yavin 4.

Notable variations on Trial practices and special cases
In certain extraordinary circumstances the precise aspects of the trials were not strictly adhered to.

Examples of this:
 * The Padawan Darsha Assant was assigned a mission to protect a Black Sun operative from assassination and it was implied that this mission would count as her Trials. Padawan Assant was killed by Darth Maul during this mission.


 * Padawan Johun Othone was knighted by Jedi Lord and Master Valenthyne Farfalla after agreeing with the Jedi Council that Othone's service during the New Sith Wars warranted promotion. His final test and deciding factor was his full acceptance of being assigned to Supreme Chancellor Valorum's personal security detail.
 * The promotion of Obi-Wan Kenobi to the rank of Jedi Knight immediately following his victory over the Sith Lord Darth Maul. This accomplishment as well as other circumstances surrounding this event such as the death of Qui-Gon Jinn and his wish for Obi-Wan to train Anakin Skywalker, was deemed enough to warrant the promotion of Kenobi to Jedi Knight.


 * The promotion of Barriss Offee following her actions on Drongar and the subsequent Republic withdrawal of the planet. She didn't suffer any loss, faced no Sith or Dark Jedi, but looked internally when discovering the bota-induced state of mind, realizing that the misuse would be of the dark side.


 * The promotion of Anakin Skywalker following his heroic actions in the Battle of Praesitlyn.


 * Revan was already a Knight before he led some of the Jedi in the Mandalorian Wars, and became the Dark Lord of the Sith. When he became an amnesiac after the war, he was made into a Padawan when he was taken in for Jedi training again.  His actions throughout the war with Malak served as his new trials to allow him to re-achieve the rank.

Other Trials
There were two other notable trials that were usually undertaken in concert with the others.

The first was a test of the Padawan's knowledge of the Jedi Code. This was usually done periodically throughout the Padawan's training with the master asking the Padawan occasional questions until he/she had proven to the master a thorough understanding of the Jedi Code.

The second was the trial of lightsaber construction in which the Padawan meditated with the Force and constructed his/her own lightsaber. During the time of the Galactic Republic, Jedi Padawans were required to construct their own lightsabers before becoming Knights.

Occasionally, a Padawan would be called upon to perform an additional task or quest. This could take the form of solving a judicial case, providing aid to a citizen in need, or similar situations.

The New Jedi Order
In Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, apprentices could still become Jedi Knights once their Master felt that they were ready.

The trials were a tour in the ruins of the Massassi temple and usage of Force powers in order to overcome obstacles, not to mention fighting with training remotes and Jedi training droids. They were also given missions to complete both with their master and on their own.

For instance, Padawan Jaden Korr was dubbed Jedi Knight in an informal conversation with Luke Skywalker and Korr's master Kyle Katarn, who told Korr that, in the light of his achievements during the crisis of the Disciples of Ragnos, they felt that the Padawan was ready to become a Jedi Knight.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Jedi were known to have been confirmed as Jedi Knights due to their great achievements during the conflict, and were able to forego any formal trials. The survivors of the Mission to Myrkr, who were dubbed Jedi Knights in a formal ceremony, are an example of this.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
 * Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Rogue Planet
 * Star Wars Republic: Rite of Passage
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones comic
 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
 * MedStar II: Jedi Healer
 * Jedi Trial
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 21"
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Champions of the Force
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Young Jedi Knights: Crisis at Crystal Reef
 * Destiny's Way