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, involved history. Throughout the galaxy the Jedi were the most famous of the various organizations that relied on the Force for their power.

The Jedi Order was virtually destroyed in the Great Jedi Purge, but rebuilt as the New Jedi Order during the New Republic era.

Origins of the Order
The original Jedi Order began thousands of years before the rise of the Galactic Empire and 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.

Many ancient and semi-legendary organizations have been proposed as the forerunners of the Jedi Order, such as the Order of Dai Bendu and the paladins of 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, Corellia, and Utapau, as well as mythic, lost planets such as Had Abbadon and Ondos.

The most commonly accepted dawn world of the Jedi was Tython. It was here that the brightest and best philosophers, priests, and warriors came together long ago to discuss their discoveries involving the enigmatic, mystical Ashla. Dissidents whom used the Bogan eventually arose, sparking the Force Wars of Tython. From the ashes of these wars arose the early Jedi, whose Jedi Forge initiation ceremony led to the invention of lightsabres after they faced threats from beyond Tython. A proactive group left Tython to liberate other worlds, becoming the Jedi Knights. They founded a philosophy school on Ossus, defining the light side and dark side of the Force (equivalent, respectively, to the ancient Ashla and Bogan), and the living Force and unifying Force.

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 fledgling Jedi Order faced its First Great Schism: the Dark Jedi General Xendor formed the Legions of Lettow and allied with Master of Teras Kasi Arden Lyn and her Followers of Palawa from Bunduki. In a climatic battle, Xendor was slain, Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina stopped Arden's heart with morichro, and Lyn killed Pina with a Kashi Mer talisman. The Republic and Jedi fortified Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut to protect the Perlemian from the Tionese and Hutts.

c. 20,000 BBY, Jedi Roni van Wasaki brought peace to the frontier worlds until captured by bounty hunters Leshy Drobo and XT-8.

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 rainforest world. Within the next 3,000 years, the Jedi abandoned Yavin 4.

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.

Initially the Jedi were a contemplative order, but over time they began to take a more direct and active role in galactic affairs. In the ensuing millennia, the history of the Jedi was intertwined with both the Republic they served and the Sith they fought. 5,000 BBY the Jedi and Sith clashed in the Great Hyperspace Wars. The paranoia created by this conflict led the Republic and Jedi to attempted genocide of the Sith and Stenness Shifters. As a result of the war, the Republic granted the Jedi land over a Force nexus: a sacred mountain on Coruscant, where the Jedi Temple was founded 4,019 BBY. The Jedi eventually centralized themselves on Coruscant in the aftermath of the catastrophic Battle of Ruusan and began using the Force and extensive training to become extremely formidable in combat.

Twice the Jedi Order was near extinction - in the aftermath of the Old Sith Wars and in the years following the Great Jedi Purge - but both times it managed to recover.

Timeline of major events in Jedi history
Main article: History of the Jedi Order
 * c. 25,000 BBY - The Jedi Order is founded.
 * c. 24,500 - 25,400 BBY - The Great Schism
 * 7,000 BBY - The Hundred-Year Darkness
 * 5,000 BBY - The Great Hyperspace War
 * 3,996 BBY - 3,956 BBY - Old Sith Wars
 * 2,000 BBY - 1,000 BBY - New Sith Wars
 * 1,000 BBY - Ruusan Reformation strips the Jedi of their military titles.
 * 32 BBY - The Sith resurface
 * 22 BBY- 19 BBY - the Clone Wars are fought, and many Jedi die or turn to the dark side.
 * 19 BBY - the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge
 * 4 ABY - Luke Skywalker becomes the first of the new Jedi.
 * 11 ABY - Luke builds his Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4.
 * 25 ABY - 30 ABY - the Yuuzhan Vong War.

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)

Becoming a Jedi 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 directly from birth (or soon afterward) to train in the Jedi Temple headquarters on Coruscant. From the beginning of their training a Jedi was expected to adhere to a strict Code that included concepts such as rational thought, patience, and benevolence. Emotions such as hate, anger, and fear were thought to be destructive and lead to the dark side, so such things were banned from Jedi practise.

Training
Young Jedi were initially instructed in groups by a venerable, experienced Jedi Master, learning the ways of the Jedi and the powers of the Force. When an individual student achieved satisfactory understanding of the Jedi way, they were usually taken under the wing of another Jedi member and instructed individually to complete their training. The way of the Jedi was a life-long path, and a Jedi usually remained part of the Order their entire life - learning more about the Order and the Force and following the will of the Jedi Council.

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

The traditional Jedi weapon was the lightsaber, which, in the hands of a skilled wielder, could be deadly in combat, even against opponents armed with ranged weapons. Often a Jedi was tasked with constructing their own lightsaber as part of their training, by collecting and assembling special crystals that provided a lightsaber with its power.

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 in this arrangement: the Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi who, due to low Cerean birth-rates, was permitted to have a polygamous marriage, and fathered seven daughters. Although some have been known to leave the Order such as Jolee Bindo.

During the Jedi Civil War era, many Cerean Jedi used specially-forged Kasha lightsaber crystals as a meditational tool; by incorporating such crystals into their training regimens, they helped to clear the wielder's mind of distractions, even during tense physical combat.

Ancient Jedi did practise marriage and were known to have families of their own. There were even cases of families consisting entirely of Jedi, such as that of Andur Sunrider. The children of Jedi families were often quite gifted in the Force, for they inherited a large number of midichlorians from both of their parents.

The Force
One of the main foci of the Jedi order was the study of the Force: an "energy field" that emanated from every living thing. The Jedi sought to understand the Force so that they could use its power to protect and aid the people that they served. The Jedi believed that the Force could be harnessed through careful study and contemplation to benefit the user and the world around them. As they studied the light side of the Force, the Jedi encouraged their members only to use the Force for healing and defense - never in anger or fear. Unfortunately, several of the Jedi order disagreed with this view, arguing that other, darker uses of the Force should be allowed. This disagreement was one of the main issues the Jedi faced in their constant battle with the Sith.

The dark side of the Force brought with it a great temptation for many Jedi. Though in reality both sides of the Force were of equal strength, to many the dark side seemed a quicker and easier path. Pursuit of the dark side, however, was a self-destructive endeavor, and many Jedi who tasted dark powers found it harder and harder to turn away. Though some Jedi could be redeemed back to the path of the light, many fell and became Dark Jedi, some of whom were members of the Sith Order. For this reason, practice of dark Force powers was expressly forbidden by the Jedi Council.

Political organization
Eventually the Jedi formed a central political entity called the Jedi 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.

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.

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 took a slightly more aggressive stance. During the Clone Wars, in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi acted as Generals, soldiers and military advisors in the conflict.

The Three Pillars of Jedi Strength
The strength of the Jedi Code and organization rested on three core tenets. When used correctly, these allowed a Jedi to solve any problem and overcome any obstacle, helping to make the galaxy a better place.
 * Self-discipline
 * Knowledge, as contained in the Jedi Archives
 * the Force

Jedi ranks
As the Jedi instructed their members in the ways of the Jedi Code and the Force, each member progressed through four basic levels of rank.

Some exceptions of late acceptances to Padawan training were made, most notably in the case of Anakin Skywalker.
 * Jedi Initiate (or Youngling) - a Force-sensitive child. At a very young age, children 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 tutelage under a single Jedi Knight or Jedi Master. In order to graduate to Padawan status, an Initiate was required to be chosen by a Knight or Master and taken as their sole pupil. 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 was elevated to Knighthood the braid was cut 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 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. Self-proclamation of the Jedi Master title was rare and frowned upon by the Jedi Council.

A Jedi Knight or Jedi Master could have only one apprentice at a time, and the Padawan had to be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight before another apprentice could be chosen.

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 in the ways of 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.
 * Following the events of "Return of the Jedi", and the creation of the Jedi Academy (later Praxeum) on Yavin IV, Luke Skywalker made it possible for older students to be trained in the Force without the restrictions placed upon by the Old Republic. An example of this was Corran Horn, a Corellian member of Rogue Squadron who served in CorSec during his life as an adult prior to training with Skywalker.

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 aggressive solutions. The video game Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) introduced a third type, the Sentinel, which was a balance between the two. KOTOR 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 practice 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.