Jedi
Jedi, Jedi Knights, Jedi Masters, or collectively the Jedi Order are fictional characters, and often protagonists, featured in many works within the Star Wars franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order is depicted as a religious, academic, meritocratic, and military-auxiliary organization whose origin dates back thousands of years before the events of the Star Wars feature films. The fictional organization has inspired a minor real-world new religious movement and online community: Jediism.
Within the Star Wars galaxy, the Jedi Order are powerful guardians of order and justice who, through intuition, rigorous training, and intensive self-discipline, are able to wield a supernatural power known as the Force, thus achieving the ability to move objects with the mind, perform incredible feats of strength, perceive events that are distant in time or space, and connect to certain people's thoughts. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, explains that the Jedi are "warrior-monks who keep peace in the universe", avoiding the use of violence except as a last resort, with a mission to "use their power to keep the governments of all the planets in line, so that they don't do terrible things". The Jedi have the "moral authority to do that" since they are "the most moral of anybody in the galaxy". Throughout the franchise, Jedi are often recognizable by their robes and tunics in various shades of brown and their use of lightsabers: sword-like weapons with colorful blades made of plasma.
Mostly depicted in the franchise's Old Republic era, the Jedi Order is a monastic organization comprising members of various human and humanoid species, who train meticulously in the martial arts and cooperate intimately with the galaxy-wide Republic government, working towards bringing "peace into the galaxy by being ambassadors and troubleshooters", according to Lucas. Jedi characters investigate certain crimes ranging from high-profile murder to political corruption, act as diplomats between powerful interplanetary groups, protect the highest government officials of the Republic, track down fugitives, and are promoted as leaders in the Republic's army during the Clone Wars. Still, their creed demands that they defend and protect all life and use their power only for knowledge and defense, though the Star Wars franchise often portrays them in battle.
Along with New Age elements, Lucas developed the Jedi creed by adopting certain elements from real Eastern religions—namely Buddhism and potentially Taoism. In that same vein, the Jedi creed focuses on compassion for others, mindfulness, non-attachment, and meditation, which are all characteristics of what Jedi characters call the "light side" of the Force. Furthermore, the Jedi view fear to be the root of suffering: fear leading to anger, anger leading to hate, and hate leading to suffering. The Jedi warn that an excess of these negative emotions can turn practitioners away from the light side of the Force towards the dark side, which embraces passions, aggression, hate, rage, fear, and bitterness as a way of life. The Sith are followers of the dark side and the traditional enemies of the Jedi. While the Sith ultimately seek violent and absolute rule over the galaxy, the Jedi work to protect democracy, harmony, and justice. With the rise of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and the Galactic Empire, the Jedi Order is outlawed and most of its members killed in the ensuing political purge. Characters make later efforts to revive the organization.
Etymology
The word Jedi was adapted by George Lucas from Japanese 時代劇 , or perhaps inspired by the words Jed and Jeddak in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a series that Lucas considered adapting to film. It has also been argued by some that the name Jedi itself actually comes from the Arabic Al-Jeddi' which means 'master of the mystic-warrior way.'According to the Star Wars: Rogue One – The Ultimate Visual Guide, "Jedi" in-universe is derived from "Jedha," a planet that was once home to a Jedi temple and was a source of kyber crystals. Kyber crystals are used to power lightsabers and were considered sacred by the Jedi Order.
In his book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, J.W. Rinzler notes that Lucas originally considered using the term "Jedidiah" for his knights, but ultimately settled on "jedi." Rinzler also suggests that the word may have been influenced by the term "bodhisattva," which refers to a Buddhist concept of an enlightened being who chooses to remain in the world to help others.
Another potential influence on the word "jedi" is the Hebrew term "yedid," which means "beloved." In his book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that Lucas may have been influenced by this term when creating the name for his knights. Kaminski notes that Lucas has cited Jewish mysticism as an inspiration for his work, and that he may have been drawn to the idea of his heroes being beloved protectors.
Influences
acknowledged that the Jedi, Sith, and other Force concepts have been inspired by many sources. These include: knighthood, chivalry, paladinism, samurai bushido, Shaolin Monastery, Feudalism, Hinduism, Qigong, Greek philosophy and mythology, Roman history and mythology, Sufism, Confucianism, Shintō, Buddhism and Taoism, and numerous cinematic precursors. The works of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and mythologist Joseph Campbell, especially his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, directly influenced Lucas, and was what drove him to create the 'modern myth' of Star Wars.Lucas explained that the Jedi are trained, allowed and expected to love people, but they are not to form attachments because attachment leads to the dark side of the Force. When one has, gets or wants a person or experience and attaches to them, one becomes afraid to lose them. The fear of loss feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, thus, an attached person is selfish and unable to let go. The fear of loss turns into anger, which will lead to hate, and hate will lead into suffering, mostly on the part of the one who is selfish, because then one will spend their lives being afraid rather than actually living. The light side is focused on compassion and giving; thus it is love, and the opposite of attachment – it is everlasting joy, devoid of fear of loss and the pain of loss. "As long as you love other people and treat them kindly, you won't be afraid".
Lucas, identifying himself as "Buddhist Methodist" or "Methodist Buddhist", stated that his philosophy of non-attachment depicted in his movies was influenced by the fact that he was from San Francisco, the "Zen Buddhism capital of the United States". In 2020, he indicated that the Jedi were "designed to be a Buddhist monk who happened to be very good at fighting".
Depiction
As depicted in the canon, the Jedi study and utilize the Force in order to help and protect those in need. The Jedi members, known as Jedi Knights, respect all life by defending and protecting those who cannot do it for themselves, striving for peaceful and non-combative solutions to any altercations they encounter and fighting only in self-defense and for the defense of those they protect. By training the mind and the body, the Jedi seek to improve themselves by gaining unfettered access to the Force while also seeking to improve those individuals and groups they come in contact with. Like their evil counterparts, the Sith, the main weapon of the Jedi is the lightsaber. However, according to Lucas, "The Force really doesn't have anything to do with the lightsaber. Anybody can have a lightsaber. It's just a weapon like a pistol".Qui-Gon Jinn gives an insight into the Force in The Phantom Menace when he tells Anakin: "Your focus determines your reality". And later, he explains: "Midi-chlorians are microscopic lifeforms that reside within all of your cells. And we are symbionts with them. Lifeforms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of The Force. When you learn to quiet your mind you'll hear them speaking to you". In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker: "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together." "... a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. It controls your actions, but it also obeys your commands".
The Skywalker Saga
Prequel trilogy
The prequel trilogy depicts the Jedi in their peak of power, headquartered at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and dealing with the rising presence of the dark side of the Force and the return of the Sith. In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovers nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, whom he believes to be the "Chosen One" of a Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force. At the end of The Phantom Menace, following Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul, Anakin is paired with his apprentice, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, who promises to train him.The sequel, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, establishes that the Jedi forswear attachments, being in the same category of possession and striving to cultivate compassion, unconditional love instead. As revealed in the Clone Wars series, the Jedi believed romantic feelings are natural and as such, they did not prohibit them, but for a Jedi Knight, it was essential to make the right choice for the Order and not neglect their Jedi duties in the favor of their beloved, even if that would mean the end of the relationship. This proves problematic when Anakin, now a young adult, falls in love with Padmé Amidala. The Clone Wars, first spoken of in the original 1977 film, begin with hundreds of Jedi participating in the battle of Geonosis, before escalating into a galactic war with the Jedi as generals of the newly formed Clone Army.
In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Yoda confides to Mace Windu that the prophecy of the Chosen One could have been misread. Sheev Palpatine, who is revealed to be Darth Sidious, manipulates Anakin's attachment for Padmé and distrust and resentment of the Jedi in order to turn him to the dark side and become his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. Betraying the Jedi and becoming a Sith, Vader begins helping Sidious to hunt down and exterminate the Jedi during the events of Revenge of the Sith; Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Ahsoka Tano are among a handful of Jedi that avoided the initial purge.
As revealed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, each clone trooper was implanted with a chip that Palpatine would activate with the verbal command Order 66. This resulted in the clones being forcibly brainwashed into viewing their Jedi generals as traitors to the Republic and subsequently summarily executing them. Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker led the 501st Legion to carry out "Operation Knightfall" against the Jedi Temple, burning and slaughtering all Jedi within, including Temple-Defender Shaak Ti. Sidious deceived the people of the Republic that the Jedi were corrupted warmongers responsible for prolonging the Clone Wars, labeling them criminals with bounties placed on them. Darth Vader continued to hunt and kill nearly every surviving Jedi during the early years of the Empire, in what became known as the Great Jedi Purge.