Jedi/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."
 * &mdash; Obi-Wan Kenobi



The Jedi Order was a monastic peacekeeping organization with a long history. It was virtually destroyed in the Great Jedi Purge, but rebuilt as the New Jedi Order during the New Republic era.

The Force
The focus of the Jedi order is the study of the Force, an "energy field" that emanates from living things. It is perceived by sentient beings via midi-chlorians, tiny organisms that live symbiotically within organic entities. However, the relationship between Force power and midi-chlorian count is not a hard and fast one; there are important intermediary factors.

There is considerable debate over the nature of the Force. For example, some see it as divided clearly between a Light Side and a Dark Side, and its degree of sentience is debated.

Origins and structure of the Order
The original Jedi Order was a group of individuals that had the ability to touch and use the Force. The Jedi followed the "light" side of the Force, using their power for unselfish and beneficial acts. The order began thousands of years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Many ancient and semi-legendary organizations have been proposed as the forerunners of the Jedi Order, such as the Order of Dai Bendu or the Chatos Academy, but no conclusive links have ever been shown. Likewise, the birth planet of the order is unknown. There are many candidates, including such known worlds as Coruscant, Ossus and Corellia, and mythic, lost planets such as Had Abbadon, Ondos and Utapau. It is known, however, that the brightest and best philosophers, priests, and warriors came together on a single world long ago to discuss their discoveries involving the enigmatic, mystical Force, and that the concentration of these efforts eventually led to the development of the Jedi Order.

After an order was established, there began to be a divide within the structure, leading to the Great Schism, which several Jedi were to have been discovered delving within the "dark" side of the Force. After a heavy war, they were exiled and later found the planet of Korriban and the species known as the Sith.

However peace was not easily come by, as once again, members of the Order began delving into the dark side of the Force. The first was that of Freedon Nadd, who discovered, and was corrupted by, the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord, Naga Sadow, on the world of Yavin 4. Nadd would later go on to the planet of Onderon with hopes of rebuilding another, stronger Sith Empire.

Only 400 years later, the talented Exar Kun would also be exiled by the Jedi Order for manipulating the dark side and slaying his master. Kun would be corrupted by the spirit of Nadd on Dxun, causing the former Jedi Knight to give into the dark side once and for all. Planning on gaining his power, Kun would cause the Cron Cluster explosion that would destroy the former Jedi Archives on Ossus, after he and another skilled knight, Ulic Qel-Droma, were denied the ancient Sith holocrons stored there.

Forty years would go by before the Mandalorian Wars would cause another and greater rift of the Order, when some of their most exceptional Jedi left to aid the Republic in the fight. The most notable were that of Revan, Malak, and the Jedi Exile. The Jedi master Arren Kae would be exile ten years before this, but would go on to help, with aid from her husband Yusanis of the Echani. Jedi Master Kreia would also be 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.

In the aftermath of it all, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was completely obiterated and the Jedi Academy on Dantooine was nothing but a hollow shell. It would also see the destruction and death of the order, though Kreia speaks that the Lost Jedi - those that would travel with the exile - would come together to re-establish another Jedi Order.

Path of a Jedi

 * There is no emotion, there is peace.
 * There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
 * There is no passion, there is serenity.
 * There is no chaos, there is harmony.
 * There is no death, there is the Force.
 * —The Jedi Code (Based on the meditations of Odan-Urr)

To become a Jedi, it required the most profound commitment and astute mind. The life of a Jedi was one of sacrifice. Those who showed an aptitude for the Force were taken at birth or soon after to train in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where the order was headquartered. From the beginning, Jedi must adhere to non-attachment. Jedi training was initially done by a venerable, experienced Jedi until the individual was sufficient enough to start the journey of a Jedi. Exceptions were sometimes made, most notably in the case of Anakin Skywalker.

Jedi of the Old Republic were forbidden to hold strong attachments, as they were believed to lead to the emotions of the Dark Side. For this reason, Jedi were not allowed to marry, though they were not required to be chaste. At least one special case was recorded- Ki-Adi-Mundi, due to low Cerean birth-rates, was permitted to have a polygamous marriage, and fathered seven daughters.

Ancient Jedi however did marry and there were known Jedi families (like of Andur Sunrider). Children of those families inherited a large amount of midichlorians from their parents.

In keeping with the tenets of modesty and humility, the Jedi traditionally wore comfortable long, flowing robes, a tunic, and a cloak, of which each generally varied in tones and shades of white and brown. The colors were in stark contrast to the antithetical Sith, who were draped primarily in black.

Initially the Jedi was a contemplative order, but over time the order took a more direct and active role in galactic affairs, eventually centralizing themselves on Coruscant in the aftermath of the catastrophic Battle of Ruusan. To that end they used the Force and extensive training to become extremely formidable in battle. Their traditional weapon was the lightsaber which, in the hands of a skilled wielder, could be more than a match for most opponents, even those that are armed with ranged weapons. A common task for the Jedi is to construct their own lightsaber, after collecting special crystals which would form the core of the lightsaber.

Jedi ranks
Their members progressed through four basic levels of rank.


 * Jedi Initiate (or Youngling) - a Force-sensitive child. At a very young age, they were removed from their families and assigned to the Jedi Temple for training. Younglings were taught in communal groups known as clans.
 * Jedi Padawan - an apprentice who began serious training under one Jedi Knight or Jedi Master. In order to graduate to Padawan status, an Initiate was required to be chosen by a Knight or Master to be their own Padawan. If a youngling was not chosen to be a Padawan by 13 years of age, the youngling was placed into another, lesser role in the Jedi Service Corps. Depending on where the student's talents lay, this might be the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, or the Exploration Corps. Padawans typically wore a long braid of hair behind their right ear. When a Padawan is elevated to knighthood the braid is cut off during the knighting ceremony.
 * Jedi Knight - a disciplined Padawan could become a fully trained Jedi once they completed "the trials."
 * Jedi Master - a Jedi Knight who managed to instruct a Padawan and train him or her successfully to the level of a Jedi Knight. This title could also be achieved through the performance of extraordinary deeds or self-proclamation, though the latter was extremely rare (and sometimes frowned on).

A Jedi could have only one apprentice at a time, and was required to promote the current apprentice before taking another.

The Three Pillars of Jedi Strength

 * Knowledge, as contained in the Jedi Archives
 * the Force
 * Self-discipline

Political organization
Eventually the Jedi formed a central political entity called the Jedi Council, a gathering of great minds which acted as a governing body for the order and an advisory board for the Old Republic Senate. The Jedi Council could only have 12 members at a time.

Among other tasks, the Jedi eventually became responsible for law enforcement and peacekeeping in the Galactic Republic. Many Jedi held different opinions on peacekeeping; whilst some favoured diplomacy at all costs, others advocated a more direct approach, with the majority striking a balance between the two extremes. At the time of the Clone Wars, in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic, they would act as Generals, soldiers and military advisors in the conflict. These had not been common roles for Jedi in thousands of years. Indeed, The Jedi Council of 4,000 BBY refused to enter the Mandalorian Wars until they felt the "threat had been assessed". It is perhaps the Order's near extinction and subsequent rebuilding shortly after that led to a new set of ideals for the Jedi.

The dark side
The power of the Force is not necessarily benign. Such power comes with great temptation to misuse it, and emotions such as hate can cause the Jedi to be overcome by the "dark side" of the Force. The dark side is the easier, quicker path and thus at first can seem more powerful. However, the pursuit of the Dark Side is self-destructive, and the power derived from it is inherently limited. Once an individual has begun this pursuit, they are unlikely to turn away: a "light" Jedi falls much more readily than a "dark" Jedi redeems.

The consequences of a Jedi falling to the dark side of the Force were high, not only for the fallen individual, but for many others as well. Such Jedi are normally referred to as Dark Jedi, some of whom were members of the Sith Order.

The Jedi-Sith conflict resumes
In 32 BBY, the presence of the Sith once again became known to the Jedi. Two Sith Lords, the master Darth Sidious, and the apprentice Darth Maul supported the blockade of Naboo. After Darth Maul was killed, the Jedi knew that somewhere in the galaxy there was still one member of the Sith active, but they were unaware of the identity of Sidious. During the next ten years, former Jedi Count Dooku fell to the dark side, and became the new apprentice Darth Tyranus. Tyranus and Sidious arranged the Clone Wars as a way of consolidating Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's hold on the galaxy. In actuality, Sidious secretly governed both sides of the Clone Wars; effectively assuring his rise to power. Toward the end of the Clone Wars, the Jedi discovered that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker switched to the dark side. During a battle with his master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin suffered grievous injuries. After the fight, the majority of Anakin's body had to be replaced with mechanical implants, including a breathing apparatus to keep him alive. Anakin became known as Darth Vader, Sidious' final apprentice, and thus the bloody Galactic Civil War began.

The dark times, the Empire
At the onset of the Galactic Civil War, the Jedi were almost completely wiped out by followers of the Dark Side, led by the Sith lord Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. The corrupted Anakin Skywalker (who, as Darth Vader, initiated the Great Jedi Purge along with Sidious), Obi Wan Kenobi (Anakin's own teacher), and Yoda were among the few survivors. Other survivors include Empatojayos Brand and Vima-Da-Boda. A limited number of Jedi other than Skywalker were turned to the Dark Side and became servants of the Emperor, such as Jerec and the Inquisitor Tremayne.

The Empire took steps to exterminate the Jedi and any family members. Corran Horn's grandfather was a Corellian Jedi named Nejaa Halcyon, who had died in the Clone Wars. Halcyon's friend Rostek Horn married Halcyon's wife, adopted Corran's father Valin "Hal" Horn, and altered the records concerning the Halcyon family. He did this to protect Hal and his mother from the Empire's Jedi hunters. Hal kept the knowledge of Corran's true grandfather from him, because revealing that knowledge would have made Corran a target as well. As a result, Corran only learned of his true heritage when Luke Skywalker discovered his past, and shared that discovery with Corran.

The Emperor also trained a number of "Hands," or those who had the potential to use the Force as his personal agents. Through the Force, he was able to relay orders to his agents. Mara Jade was one such agent. She had been discovered to be Force sensitive at a young age and trained by the Emperor. Several of the Hands were eventually redeemed by Luke Skywalker and became part of the new generation of Jedi.

Obi-Wan had the order to watch Luke Skywalker, Anakin's son, and perhaps the true Chosen One, as he grew, and teach him about the Force in order to keep the tradition alive, and perhaps, to restore the Order. Indeed Luke became Yoda's last student who would come to play a pivotal role in the history of the Order.

After the Galactic Civil War
After the Galactic Civil War, Luke set out to reestablish the Jedi order by training a new generation of Jedi Knights. Because the Emperor wished to completely destroy the order, almost all of the information on the Jedi was erased. Only a few histories remained, and they were propaganda pieces used to paint the Jedi in an unfavorable light. Almost all the material on instructing Jedi was eliminated, save a few documents on how to turn potential Jedi to the dark side of the force.

Four years after the death of the Emperor at Endor, Luke had discovered the wreck of the Chu'unthor on the planet Dathomir. The Chu'unthor was a starship that had served as a mobile Jedi academy, which had crashed on Dathomir. Dathomir was the home of Force sensitive "Witches," who were the descendants of a fallen Jedi banished to that world. Master Yoda had left the instruction materials from the ship behind with the rest of the ship. 400 years later, after defeating Witches that had fallen to the Dark Side, one of the natives gave Luke the instruction materials that she had kept safely since the time of the crash.

Due to Luke's lack of knowledge with the old ways of the Jedi Order the new generation of Jedi were very unorthodox. He established an academy for teaching many students the way of the Jedi which is much different to the "one student, one master" way used by the old order. The academy was established in the old temples on Yavin 4 that the Rebels once used as a base until the Battle of Yavin. He allowed his students to have personal possessions and had no rule against a Jedi having emotional attachments to friends and family, which was forbidden by the old order. Also, students were taken in at a much older age than previously. Most members were already well in to adulthood before they began training.

Luke was unaware that Yavin 4 had been a base for the Sith Lord Exar Kun during the Great Sith War, and that Kun's spirit had been trapped in the temples all that time. Kun was able to influence one of Luke's students, Kyp Durron, who eventually fell to the dark side for a time. Durron destroyed several star systems with the Sun Crusher. The students at the academy were able to finally destroy Kun's spirit. Freed of Kun's influence, Durron surrendered. He returned to the Light Side of the force, and became one of the first new Jedi.

Luke eventually turned the academy into a center that would provide basic training for potential Jedi. He began pairing Jedi who had gone through that training with a more experienced Jedi, much like the master-apprentice system used in the old order.

The New Jedi Order
This new order grew slowly but steadily. Some Jedi from the first class Luke taught&mdash;such as Kyp Durron&mdash;became Jedi Masters. The Order eventually become large enough that Luke Skywalker considered reinstating the Jedi Council. Suddenly, an extragalactic Force-dead alien species, the Yuuzhan Vong, declared war on the galaxy. Many Jedi died fighting this new threat, but the order did survive the war and continues to grow in strength. One of the Jedi casualties of this war was Anakin Solo, the youngest son of Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo. Before his death, it was widely felt that Anakin would eventually become one of the greatest Jedi of his generation, and that he would eventually take Luke's place. Since Anakin's death, it has been assumed that Luke Skywalker's son, Ben Skywalker, has the most force potential of any living being.

After the war with the Yuuzhan Vong was over, Luke realized that the order would have to further adapt in order to survive. His experiences had led him to believe that the Force was not rigidly divided into a light and a dark side. Strong emotions, including anger, were not intrinsically evil&mdash;instead it was the intentions of the Force user that mattered most. Luke came to believe that nearly everyone, regardless of their heritage, had some ability to touch and use the Force. He also felt that individual Jedi (and other Force users) would need to discover their own paths: that some could be called to contemplative life, while others would feel a need to take a more active role in galactic affairs. Because the Jedi had no single goal, he felt the Jedi order as a whole should remain careful aloof its allegiance to the New Republic or any succeeding government.

Behind the Scenes

 * In the game, Knights of the Old Republic, the crew of the Ebon Hawk find solace on the planet of Dantooine. It is here, that Revan - who is unaware of his former life - is retrained for the purpose of finding the Star Maps. Both Vrook and Dorak mention that is a rare exception indeed to train an adult within the Force.
 * The same exception is also made dealing with Anakin Skywalker, when he is found by Qui-Gon Jinn and Luke Skywalker when he is found by Obi Wan Kenobi.

The Force as Literary Concept
The Force is described as being an energy field that is generated by all living things and permeates the universe and all the things in it. Its principles resonate with those of some real world religions like the Shinto religion of Japan and certain Celtic, druidic concepts, and it bears a close similarity to the Chinese notion of qigong, or "chi". In truth, the Force is an amalgamation of religions and philosophies, intended as a metaphor for spirituality itself. Like in real world spirituality (as understood by George Lucas), there is the potential for a "Light" and a "Dark" side in each person, and in the universe itself.

Jedi types
In the Wizards of the Coast version of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, the different personal dispositions of Jedi are reflected in the gaming world by the Jedi types - Consulars for those favouring diplomacy or Force powers and Guardians for those favouring aggresive solutions. The video game Knights of the Old Republic introduced a third type, the Sentinel, which was a balance between the two. The game also assigned particular lightsaber colours to each- green for the Consular, blue for the Guardian, and yellow for the Sentinel. Whether an artifact of the RPG format of the game, or an actual canonical piece of the plot, the practise seems to have died out by the Old Republic's waning years, possibly having been lost with the near eradication of the Jedi Order during the Jedi Civil War or eliminated during the reorganization of the order during the Ruusan Reformation.