Jedi

The Jedi are a fictional monastic peacekeeping organization from the Star Wars saga, known for their talent in the Force. The word 'Jedi' is said to have been adapted by George Lucas from 'jidaigeki' (Japanese for "period drama" movies about samurai).

Structure of the Order

There is a well-developed hierarchy of ranks, listed below.

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Jedi ranks

Members of the order progressed through four tiers of rank, sometimes referred to as levels.

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• Youngling – an unofficial title, this refers to a child with Force potential. More accurately, Youngling is Galactic Basic slang for children of any sort. At a very young age, the Jedi initiates leave their homes and are assigned to a group for training. If a youngling is not chosen by any Jedi Knight to be their Padawan by 13 years of age, the youngling is placed into another, lesser role in the Jedi Service Corps. Depending on where the student's talents lie, this may be the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, or the Exploration Corps.
• Padawan – an apprentice who undergoes intensive one-on-one training under a Jedi Knight after graduating from the academy. A Jedi may have only one apprentice at a time, and is required to promote the current apprentice before taking another. Master Yoda was seen training several younglings in ', but they were receiving generic Jedi teachings from him rather than being trained as Padawans.
• Jedi Knight – Disciplined, experienced Padawans may become full-fledged Jedi once they have completed "the trials", which are usually intensified tests, physical and otherwise, of candidates' skills, knowledge and dedication. Occasionally, performing an extrordinary (usually heroic) act can earn a Padawan learner Jedi Knight status, such as when Obi-Wan Kenobi, toward the end of his training, defeated Sith lord Darth Maul during the Battle of Naboo. Jedi Knight is the most common rank of Jedi, hence, the title is also used, mostly by non-Jedi, to refer to any member of the order that has at least met the compulsory requirements of the Jedi Council.
• Jedi Master – an experienced Jedi Knight may become a Master, upon approval of the Jedi Council, after showing great understanding of the Force. A Jedi Knight may also become a Master after successfully training a Padawan learner to Knight status (although this is not always the case). Twelve of the highest ranking Jedi Masters make up the High Council, the upper echelon of the Order. Presiding Council members elect prospective candidates when openings become available. The Council almost always consists of Masters (although Anakin Skywalker was on the Council, he was not granted the rank of Master because he was appointed by Palpatine and not elected). The rank can also be achieved through the performance of extraordinary deeds or self-proclamation, though the latter is extremely rare.

Jedi Types

(It should be noted that this is mainly from the computer game and the d20-style Star Wars role playing games. The role playing game makes it clear that within the Star Wars universe these differences don't exist and they are merely a way to describe the various styles of Jedi that are depicted, i.e. some are more martially-oriented while others are more knowledge-oriented. Jedi do not refer to themselves as "Consulars" or "Guardians", but simply as 'Jedi'.)

Related Topics:
D20 - Role playing games

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There are three types of Jedi: the guardian, the sentinel, and the consular. Selection of a Jedi's type takes place at the transition to Padawan. It must be noted however that the role of a Jedi was chosen by their beliefs, capabilities, aptitudes, and what role they wished to play in the universe.

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• Guardians focus on martial training and combat. They usually engage in combat more than any other Jedi class. Like all Jedi, they are keepers of the peace, acting as a kind of special police force for the Republic. Notable guardians include Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, and, in the Expanded Universe, Kyle Katarn would have been considered one. Guardians are loosely signified by blue lightsabers (Windu was an exception with his purple lightsaber).
• Consulars possess great knowledge of the Force but rarely enter combat. Consulars are the primary scholars and diplomats of the Order, often becoming instructors. The most famous of these are Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn and Luke Skywalker. Following her training, Leia Organa Solo also became a consular. Consulars are loosely signified by green lightsabers (there has been debate about Skywalker's type. Although he had a blue lightsaber and was trained by Obi-Wan, who was a guardian, Luke got more training from Yoda, which is probably what made him a Consular. Furthermore, the blue lightsaber he originally used was his father's, not his).
• Sentinels strike a balance between the first two types, as they possess admirable combat skills with some extensive knowledge of the Force. These are often dispatched to regions across the galaxy to work as ambassadors and investigators of unusual concentrations of the Force. Bastila Shan and Visas Marr are examples of this type. Atton Rand can be trained as a Sentinel with enough influence. Sentinels are loosely signified by yellow lightsabers. This type does not exist in the role playing game, and was created for the Knights of the Old Republic video game; no movie or Expanded Universe character outside of this game is known to be a Sentinel.

In addition to the three basic Jedi types, some Jedi with special talents at helping others choose to specialize as Healers. Healers use the Force in conjunction with medical and psychiatric training to help allieviate illness, pain, and suffering wherever they encounter it. They are sometimes assigned to med-centers or mobile medical units on various worlds. Barriss Offee is an example of a healer who worked in a Republic Mobile Surgery Unit during the latter part of the Clone Wars. Cilghal, a Calamarian who was discovered by Leia Organa, was the first Healer of the New Jedi Order. Others specialize as Investigators, who act as the eyes and ears of the Council. This can be translated as "rogues" of other role-play games.

Related Topics:
Barriss Offee - Clone Wars - Cilghal - Leia Organa - New Jedi Order

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Also during the time of the Old Republic there were watchmen, a title that was given to a Jedi Master that connoted his or her role as overseer of a particular star system or segment of the galaxy. This was arranged through a loose agreement with the Old Republic. The watchman's main charge was to maintain harmony and justice. The Republic granted watchmen the authority to operate autonomously in order to right wrongs and deal with disturbances in the Force that occurred outside the purview of local laws. Ki-Adi-Mundi was an example of a Jedi Watchman, which is the Star Wars equivalent of a "Sherriff".

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Gray Jedi

(See also the Lost Twenty, minus Count Dooku.)

Related Topics:
Lost Twenty - Count Dooku

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Jedi who have left the Jedi Order or have been cast out of it may be referred to as Gray Jedi. They are simply "neutral" in terms of alignment. Gray Jedi have not turned to the Dark Side, rather they use both light and dark side powers and view the Force as two pieces of a whole. Gray Jedi are not subject to follow the Jedi High Council and use Dark Side powers with great discretion. In the Knights of the Old Republic, Jolee Bindo might have been considered a Gray Jedi, having left the Jedi Order, as well as the Jedi Exile in . Despite her origins, others may argue that Kreia could be considered among the Gray Jedi. Not all Gray Jedi are necessarily evil or self-serving mercenaries, as they might still keep the honor of the Jedi at their own wish, like Kyle Katarn of . They are just not complacent members of the Jedi any more, whatever the reason for exile.

Related Topics:
Knights of the Old Republic - Jolee Bindo - Jedi Exile - Kreia - Kyle Katarn

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They are also refered to as Shadow Jedi, believing that the ends justify the means. According to the Jedi Council the so called "Gray Jedi" are considered "fallen" or "tainted". Up until the New Jedi Order, the Order belived that there was only a light and a dark side, with no gray spots in between.

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The Pillars of Jedi Strength

There are mainly three pillars of Jedi strength:

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• Knowledge, as contained in the Jedi Archives
• The Force
• Self-discipline, selflessness

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, including a chancellor.

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Among other tasks, the Jedi were eventually responsible for law enforcement and peacekeeping in the Galactic Republic. At the time of the Clone Wars, in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic and during the time of The Mandalorian War (and in the Jedi Civil War that followed), they would act as generals, soldiers and advisors in the conflict. 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. This was perhaps a largely symbolic action, as evidence from the Republic era demonstrates common designs of perhaps mass-produced lightsabers. Despite this, the variety and beauty of certain key pieces suggests customization of lightsaber hilts were fashionable among the members of the Old Jedi Order.

Related Topics:
Galactic Republic - Mandalorian War - Jedi Civil War - Lightsaber

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The Dark Side of the Force

The power of the Force does not come without a price, for with these abilities come great temptation to misuse them, and emotions such as hate, anger, and fear can cause a Jedi to be overcome by the Dark Side of the Force. The Dark Side is the easier path and at first can seem more powerful. In the words of Yoda, it is not actually more powerful, but only quicker and more seductive. When one turns to the Dark Side, there is little hope of recovery. Only four Jedi have broken from the Dark Side - Ulic Qel-Droma (after killing his brother in a duel); Anakin Skywalker, when he killed Palpatine by throwing him into the second Death Star's reactor core for attacking his son, Luke Skywalker, with Force lightning; Darth Revan, when the Jedi Order captured him and erased his memory; and Bastila Shan, who was brought back to the light when the reformed Revan professed his love for her. In the RPG Knights of the Old Republic (1 & 2) minor characters such as Visas Marr, Atris, Juhani and Yuthura Ban can be brought back to the light side of the Force if you so choose.

Related Topics:
Ulic Qel-Droma - Anakin Skywalker - Palpatine - Luke Skywalker - Force lightning - Darth Revan - Bastila Shan - Revan - Knights of the Old Republic - Visas Marr - Atris - Juhani - Yuthura Ban

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The consequences of a Jedi falling to the Dark Side of the Force are quite high, not only for the fallen individual, but for many others as well. Such Jedi are normally referred to as Dark Jedi. Dark Jedi and the Sith are often confused as the same. Dark Jedi study both the light and dark sides of the Force, but devote themselves to the Dark Side, yet do not follow a belief like the Sith. However, some Dark Jedi do become members of the Sith Order, and are vastly superior. Sith normally use red lightsabers, but Dark Jedi can use any color for their lightsabers. This was demonstrated by the seven Dark Jedi in .

Related Topics:
Sith - Dark Jedi

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The Sith lords were said to have come into existence nearly 25,000 years BBY. Begun by a heretical Jedi called Xendor, this sect embraced the Dark Side of the Force as a means to power, and was opposed to the philosophy embraced by the Jedi, that is, service and justice in the defense of the common good. This caused a split with the Jedi Order and resulted in several galactic wars over the millennia, including the Great Hyperspace War and at least three Sith-Wars. One thousand years BBY, the Sith Order was believed to have finally been destroyed at the Battle of Ruusan. One Dark Lord, Darth Bane, survived, however, and reformed the order, restarting the tradition apparently begun by Darth Revan of passing down the name "Darth" to his successors, naming both master and apprentice as a Dark Lord of the Sith and beginning the "rule of two." This rule would allow the Sith to remain hidden from the Jedi and would help prevent the kind of civil war within the Sith's own ranks that had led to the original Sith Empire's destruction and almost to that of the Order. For the next 1,000 years, the Sith Order carried on in concealment from the Jedi, biding their time until conditions in the galaxy were right for them to resurface.

Related Topics:
Sith lords - BBY - Xendor - Battle of Ruusan - Darth Bane - Darth Revan - Rule of two

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It should be noted that, when Anakin Skywalker - as Darth Vader - cast Emperor Palpatine down the shaft in the second Death Star, the tradition of Sith knowledge being passed down through two individuals generation to generation was disrupted. Some Dark Jedi possessing varying degrees of Sith knowledge have since attempted to restart the Sith Order, however only minor successes have been made.

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