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."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Old Jedi Order was a noble 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 and brief history of the 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 during the Battle of Jabiim

Since the beginning and most likely before the Galactic Republic, scientists had been studying the Force and its connection to midi-chlorians. This research was conducted most notably by the Paladins of the Chatos Academy, The Followers of Palawa and the Order of Dai Bendu, on planets like Ondos and Had Abbadon. The Jedi Order itself, however, began on Tython, where the brightest and best philosophers, priests, and warriors came together long ago to discuss their discoveries involving the enigmatic, mystical positive energy called the Ashla. Those who wanted to use the Bogan, the negative energy of the Force for their personal gain ignited a century long conflict called the Force Wars, from the ashes of which arose the Jedi Order. Some of these Jedi left Tython to defend the Galaxy, and became known as Jedi Knights.

Initially the Jedi were a contemplative order, but over time they began to take a more direct and active role in galactic affairs. The Jedi followed the "light" side of the Force, using their power for unselfish and beneficial acts. In the ensuing millennia, the history of the Jedi was intertwined with both the Republic they served and the Sith they fought.

The order suffered many Schisms&mdash;the first was the Great Schism, which produced Xendor's Legions of Lettow, but the most consequential was the subsequent Hundred-Year Darkness in 7,000 BBY, where the Dark Jedi, once again defeated, were banished from known space. They arrived on Korriban, the home of the Sith people, a primitive but Force-sensitive species. The Dark Jedi impressed the Sith with displays of Force power, and became the rulers of the planet and formed the Sith Empire. Over time, the Dark Jedi intermarried with the Sith, and the two identities merged. The term ‘Sith’ would later come to refer not only to the Sith species but also to the Dark Jedi who followed the codes of these ancient Jedi.

In 5,000 BBY the Jedi and the Sith Empire clashed in the Great Hyperspace War. The Sith were defeated, but would return to haunt the Jedi in the Old Sith Wars and the New Sith Wars.

Sometime over the next one thousand years, the Republic granted the Jedi land over a Force nexus: a sacred mountain on Coruscant. The Jedi eventually centralized themselves here, founding the Jedi Temple in 4,019 BBY, which would stand for four thousand years.

Between the end of the Great Sith War in 3,996 BBY and the beginning of the Mandalorian Wars in 3,963 BBY, some Jedi traditions and organizational structures seem to have changed quite radically. Jedi of the period prior to the Great Sith War were openly allowed to marry and raise families. Each Jedi apprentice would be trained at a local Praxeum run by individual Jedi Masters, each of whom had a number of students. Governance of the Jedi Order was handled by a large-scale temporary gathering called a Jedi Convocation or Jedi Assembly. After the Great Sith War, the Jedi seem to have adopted a stricter monastic code, forbidding marriage and other family attachments. The looser Jedi Convocation gave way to a permanent Jedi Council on Coruscant, made up of 12 respected Jedi Masters. Regional enclave councils, such as the one on Dantooine, handled day-to-day issues in more remote areas, and ultimately answered to the Jedi High Council on Coruscant. This is the earliest point at which the term Padawan is verified as having been in wide use, and more individualized one-on-one relationships between Masters and Padawans replaced the larger classes of the Praxeum system. It is also possible that this was the point at which the revised version of the Jedi Code as established by Master Odan-Urr began to be accepted as the canonical version.

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

Timeline of major events in Jedi history



 * 25,000 BBY &mdash; The Old Jedi Order is founded.
 * (24,500 – 24,400 BBY) &mdash; The Great Schism
 * 7,000 BBY &mdash; Hundred-Year Darkness
 * 5,000 BBY &mdash; The Great Hyperspace War
 * (4,015 – 3,951 BBY) &mdash; Old Sith Wars
 * (2,000 – 1,000 BBY) &mdash; New Sith Wars
 * 1,000 BBY &mdash; Ruusan Reformation strips the Jedi of their military titles.
 * 32 BBY &mdash; The Sith resurface
 * (22 – 19 BBY) &mdash; Clone Wars are fought, and many Jedi die or turn to the dark side.
 * 19 BBY &mdash; the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge
 * 19 BBY &mdash; the Sith gain control of the galaxy by the establishment of Palpatine's Galactic Empire as the result of many years of scheming by Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious.
 * 4 ABY &mdash; Luke Skywalker becomes the first of the new Jedi and manages to return his father Anakin Skywalker, known as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, to the light side. Anakin's last deed as a Jedi is to destroy Darth Sidious.
 * 11 ABY &mdash; Luke builds his Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4.
 * (25 – 30 ABY) &mdash; Yuuzhan Vong War.
 * c. 130 ABY &mdash; Sith return to prominence

Path

 * 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 practice.

Training
"The path of the Jedi isn't an easy one, and even if you succeed, it's a hard life."

- Qui-Gon Jinn

Almost all youthful Jedi were initially called Younglings and instructed in "clans" by a venerable, experienced Jedi Master, learning the ways of the Jedi and the powers of the Force. After Ruusan it had become the norm that the Jedi trainees were always children. Once Yavin 4 had been established as Jedi headquarters, the Jedi initiates were trained first under the direction of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, and, in time, under another Master's direction in groups. With the New Jedi Order, the Younglings were trained in clans since childhood once more.

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&mdash;learning more about the Order and the Force and following the will of the Jedi Council.

Way of life
"Violence is not the Jedi way."

- Cin Drallig

In keeping with the tenets of modesty and humility, the Jedi traditionally wore simple and comfortable long, flowing robes, including tunics, pants, and a cloak&mdash;usually in varied tones and shades of white and brown, though, grey was also quite common for the overtunic. The left side of the dress was always turned on the right part of the torso. The Jedi also wore an obi, utility belts, where they carried specialized field gear for their missions, and leather boots. The Jedi colors formed a stark contrast to the antithetical Sith, who were draped primarily in black. In accordance with their philosophies of non-attachment, clothing was viewed as quite dispensible; Obi-Wan Kenobi, for example, went through over six separate robes throughout the course of the Clone Wars.

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. A Jedi was tasked with constructing their own lightsaber as part of their training, using special crystals that focused the lightsaber's blade.

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 Jedi weren't required to be chaste as well, many Jedi were. At least one special case was recorded in this arrangement: Ki-Adi-Mundi who, due to low Cerean birth-rates, was permitted to have a polygamous marriage, and fathered seven daughters.

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 practice marriage and were known to have families of their own. Revan shared a romantic affection with Bastila Shan. 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. However, this sometimes led to particular strife, as was the case with Jolee Bindo and his wife, Nayama Bindo during the Great Sith War.

The Force
"My ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."

- Yoda

The Jedi order was unified by their 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&mdash;never in anger or fear. Unfortunately, several of the Jedi order throughout its history 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; 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
"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 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 favored 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, 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 advisors in the conflict.

Three pillars of Jedi strength
"Jedi do not fight for peace. That's only a slogan, and is as misleading as slogans always are. Jedi fight for civilization, because only civilization creates peace. We fight for justice because justice is the fundamental bedrock of civilization: an unjust civilization is built upon sand.  It does not long survive a storm."

- Mace Windu

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

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.

Hierarchy

 * 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. Human 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. (At least a few Jedi, though, were elevated to Knighthood simply by being told that they had passed whatever trials were considered necessary&mdash;most notably Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Vergere.) Some exceptions of late acceptances to Padawan training were made, most notably in the case of Anakin Skywalker.
 * 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 (for example: Jorus C'baoth and his unknown clone Joruus C'baoth).
 * Jedi Grand Master was the title given to the acknowledged leader of the entire order. Yoda held this title in the final years of the Republic and, after the rebirth of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker held the title in the days of the Galactic Alliance, following the Yuuzhan Vong War.

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. Several thousand years before the events of the Ruusan Reformation, however, masters were allowed to have more than one apprentice, as evidenced by Master Arca Jeth having three&mdash;the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta. When the New Jedi Order first began, Luke Skywalker had to assign several students to one master due to the few Jedi in the Order; for example, Kyle Katarn had Jaden Korr and Rosh Penin both assigned to him.

Specialization
Being a Jedi was a life of great variation as the Jedi Order had several responsibilities. While many Jedi were generalists, some would specialize in one or more areas either in accordance with their own interests and preferences, or because they were delegated responsibility for an area that required generalization. With these specializations often came specific Jedi ranks. Moreover, in certain periods of the history of the galaxy, some Jedi would assume military ranks fighting alongside Republic forces.

Military and warfare
"You must realize there aren't enough Jedi left to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

- Mace Windu to Chancellor Palpatine

In times of war, especially when Sith forces were involved, Jedi would sometimes assume military ranks and govern armies of Republic military units, as was seen in the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Civil War, the New Sith Wars, and the Clone Wars.


 * Jedi General – a Jedi who had been placed in command of a Republic army.
 * Senior Jedi General – a high-ranking Jedi serving as general in the Clone Wars, the Senior Jedi General was typically a Jedi Master who was very experienced in warfare and battle tactics.
 * High Jedi General – a member of the Jedi Council serving as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars, the Jedi High General would not only command their own army, but also supervise other Jedi Generals.
 * Jedi Lord – a Jedi who served as a commander in the Army of Light during the New Sith Wars. The Jedi Lord assumed this title mainly out of political motivation. The rank was abolished after the war.

In addition to the ordinary military ranks, there were a number of ranks and titles based on specialization in areas of warfare and combat.


 * Jedi ace – a Jedi who had specialized in starfighter combat, combining piloting skills with mastery of the Force.
 * Jedi brute - a Jedi being responsible for guarding the Jedi Temple, the Jedi brute would focus on physical strength and aggressive lightsaber combat.
 * Jedi gatemaster – the Jedi who served as the keeper of the main entrance at the Jedi Temple.
 * Jedi sniper – another class of Jedi specializing in guarding the Jedi Temple, Jedi snipers focused on long-range telekinetic lightsaber combat.
 * Jedi warrior master – a Jedi Master who was especially skilled in battle, the Warrior Master would concentrate mainly on martial training and combat in general without losing focus on diplomacy and the philosophies of the Force.
 * Jedi Weapon Master – a Jedi Master who focused solely on battle, the Weapon Master was among the greatest fighters of the Order, but also had very limited insight into philosophy and non-combat related Force skills.

Healing
"When we do appear we can be killers, but we can also be healers. Thank the Force for that."

- Obi Wan Kenobi

Some Jedi would focus on the more humanitarian aspects of the Force, specializing in Force powers based on Force healing. In addition to knowledge of such Force posers, Jedi Healers also had extensive knowledge of medicine and medical technology. Jedi healers were normally stationed at the Jedi Medical Corps Infirmary, but would also serve in the field. For instance, around the time of the Clone Wars, Jedi healers would serve aboard MedStar frigates and, occasionally, in Republic's mobile surgical units ("Rimsoos").

Culture, history, and knowledge
Some Jedi would specialize in lore, such as the history of the galaxy, the Force, and the Jedi Order, producing invaluable knowledge.


 * Jedi archaeologist – a Jedi who had specialized in gaining historical knowledge through archaeology, the Jedi archaeologist was often a member of the ExplorCorps and involved in expeditions of various kinds.
 * Jedi historian – a Jedi who had specialized in chronicling the history of the galaxy and the Jedi Order, the Jedi historian knew virtually everything about the past of the Jedi Order.
 * Jedi librarian – a Jedi who had specialized in administrating vast databases of knowledge, the Jedi librarian was in charge of an important Jedi library, such as the ancient Great Jedi Library, the library of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, or the Jedi Archives.
 * Jedi geologist – a Jedi who had specialized in geology.
 * Jedi Sage Master – a Jedi Master dedicated to the mysteries of the Force, the Sage Master had deep insights into the philosophies of the Force and was a highly skilled user of many Force powers.

Liaison and diplomacy
Jedi Watchmen were charged with overseeing a particular system or sector, thus serving as a type of liaison officer between the system or sector and the Jedi Council as well as the Republic in general. Jedi Watchmen were often highly skilled in diplomacy and possessed knowledge of the culture of the system or sector they oversaw. Often Jedi Watchmen originated from the system or sector they were tasked with overseeing.

Crimefighting and investigation
"You are under arrest, my lord&hellip;"

- Mace Windu

The Jedi Order would also actively partake in the crimefighting. They would generally police the galaxy, but there were also groups of Jedi specializing in crime detection, investigation, solving, and prevention.


 * Jedi investigator – a Jedi specially appointed by the Council to uncover hidden and obscure threats to the galaxy such as powerful criminal syndicates, corruption and conspiracy against the Republic and other shady menaces. The Jedi investigator would often work alone and undercover to infiltrate suspicious organizations or would be busy investigating some act of crime.
 * Jedi Shadow – a Jedi whose job was to seek out and destroy any sign of the dark side of the Force, the Jedi shadow was the Jedi Order's primary weapon against the Dark side up until the Clone Wars.

Instruction
"For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind."

- Yoda to Luke Skywalker

In addition to the Master-Padawan model, some Jedi had specialized in teaching aspects of the Force and the skill required to be a Jedi.


 * Jedi instructor – a Jedi accountable for giving general teachings to Younglings, Padawans, or the occasional older beings. Sometimes Council members, who were frequently at the Jedi Temple, where initial instruction commonly took place, served as Jedi instructors. However, most such mentors were stationed at a Jedi Praxeum or academy.
 * Jedi Battlemaster – a Jedi highly skilled in lightsaber combat, the Battlemaster was the lightsaber combat instructor of a Jedi Praxeum or academy.
 * Jedi trainer – a Jedi student or Jedi Knight responsible for teaching and instructing a certain aspect of the Force, the Jedi trainer was a vital component in the education of Jedi Knights in the early years of the New Jedi Order.

Locations
The Jedi Order had outposts on many worlds, and possibly even controlled a few throughout its history.

Apprentice ages
"He is too old hmm&hellip;too old to begin training."

- Yoda


 * 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&mdash;who is unaware of his former life&mdash;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 when he is trained by Obi Wan Kenobi, except that Skywalker is too old to start training, but not an adult.
 * In the Jedi apprentice series, it becomes clear that Younglings who pass thirteen years of age and do not start training under a Jedi Master must leave the Order.
 * Another example is Luke Skywalker, who was nineteen when he was first began training with Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and then with Master Yoda. It is likely that this exception was made due to the dire circumstances of the time, for without a Jedi to counter the Dark Side powers of the Emperor and Vader the Rebellion, and by extension freedom throughout the galaxy, was doomed.
 * 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 them in the Old Republic. An example of this was Corran Horn, a Corellian member of Rogue Squadron who served in the Corellian Security Force during his adult life, prior to his 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&mdash;Consulars for those favoring diplomacy or Force powers and Guardians for those favoring 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 colors 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.