Jedi

"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 Jedi are a monastic spiritual organization and order of Light side Force users in the Star Wars universe.

Old Jedi Order
As depicted in the franchise's canon, Jedi Knights study, serve and use a mystical power called the Force, and their traditional weapon is the Lightsaber, which emits a controlled plasma flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Galactic Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict or governmental instability. As guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, they mediate peace negotiations among planets and other factions and, if necessary, use their formidable fighting skills, agility and wisdom to quickly end unrest or neutralize dangerous individuals or threats.

The Jedi are governed by a Council, consisting of some of the strongest, wisest and most powerful members of the Jedi Order. They are bound to a code of ethics, morality, principles and justice. The Jedi are trained to use the Force through passive meditation, practicing selflessness, and commitment to justice while at the same time rejecting emotions such as fear, anger and hate. Their way of life contrasts with their archenemies, the Sith, another monastic organization who use the Dark side of the Force to achieve their goal of ruling the galaxy.

Grand Master or Master of the Order, is one of the two separated titles given to the leader of the Jedi Order, and head of the Jedi High Council.

Jedi Code
The Jedi Code is a set of rules and teachings that governed the behavior of the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, these teachings as well as the code were flawed, as it eventually led to the Jedi Order's downfall.
 * Apprentice(s): A single a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master is forbidden to have more than one Padawan at a given time.
 * Attachment(s): All from Jedi are forbidden to form attachments, such as individual bonds, romantic love, family or having children; such as individual bonds, romantic love, family or having children; Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are the only known Jedi to have secretly broken this rule on more than one occasion.
 * Unarmed Opponent(s): All from Jedi are forbidden to attack and kill an unarmed opponent; Anakin Skywalker is the only known Jedi to have secretly broken this rule, albeit Palpatine encouraged Anakin to kill Dooku on the spot, but he was uncomfortable about what he had done, as it was against the Jedi Code, Mace Windu attempted to break this rule, when he deciding that Palpatine was too dangerous to be kept alive, Mace prepared to execute the Dark Lord of the Sith, Anakin stopped Mace by cutting off the hand wielding his lightsaber.
 * Age Restriction: Sentient beings at certain ages are not allowed to join the Jedi Order as apprentices, it is unknown at what age they are not allowed to become apprentices, Anakin Skywalker was nine years old at the time, when Qui-Gon Jinn that he be trained as a Jed, however, most members of Jedi High Council (with the exception of Ki-Adi-Mundi) believed Anakin was too old to begin training as an apprentice, the Jedi Council reluctantly agreed to allow Anakin to be trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi, mainly because Obi-Wan had made it clear that he intended to train Anakin with or without the approval of the Jedi Council, as it was Qui-Gon's dying wish, but also because the Sith Order had come out of hiding and Anakin's potential made him someone who could one day defeat them.

Jedi ranks

 * Jedi youngling: Jedi youngling is a rank granted to Force-sensitive children (between the ages of four and eight) who have been accepted into the Jedi Order as apprentices, they underwent their training in the Force, particularly at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, they would remain under the tutelage of a Jedi instructor; until they are selected or assigned to a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master.
 * Padawan: Padawan is a rank granted to Jedi younglings who have been selected or assigned to a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master, at the age of eight or in their early teenage years, they would remain under the tutelage of there mentor(s); until the Jedi High Council believes they are ready for the Jedi Trials.
 * Jedi Knight: Jedi Knight is a rank granted to a Padawan who has passed the Jedi Trials (the Trial of Skill, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of the Flesh, the Trial of the Spirit and the Trial of Insight) becoming a full member of the Jedi Order; it is the second highest rank in the Jedi Order.
 * Jedi Master: Jedi Master is a rank granted to a few Jedi Knights, depending on their experience, intelligence, wisdom, mastery of the Force or skills in lightsaber combat, after serving as a Jedi Knight for three years, Anakin Skywalker advanced to the point in his training that he correctly felt he deserved the rank of Jedi Master, though the Jedi Council incorrectly did not agree, when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine appointed Anakin to the Jedi Council as his personal representative, the Council, reluctantly agreed, but hoped to use him as a means to spy on Palpatine, the Jedi Council did not grant Anakin the rank of Jedi Master, Anakin correctly took this as an insult, as no Jedi in the history of the Jedi Order had ever been placed on the Jedi High Council without receiving the rank of Jedi Master.

New Jedi Order
The Jedi Knights dedicate themselves to the Light side of the Force which is accessed through positive, controlled, or non-aggressive emotions and feelings, such as happiness, love, joy, selflessness, and restrained passions.

The Jedi serves as the peacekeepers and protectors of the New Republic, unlike the Old Jedi Order, there is only one title given to the leader of the New Jedi Order, and head of the Jedi High Council; Grand Master. However, the New Jedi Order of the original expanded universe is no longer considered Canonical since the creation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and is instead part of the Legends continuity.

Notable Jedi

 * Yoda (Jedi Master; Grand Master; deceased)
 * Count Dooku (Jedi Master; formerly; resigned; deceased)
 * Qui-Gon Jinn (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Mace Windu (Jedi Master; Master of the Order; formerly; deceased)
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Plo Koon (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Kit Fisto (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Depa Billaba (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Luminara Unduli (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Shaak Ti (Jedi Master)
 * Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Jedi Knight; formerly; defected to the Sith Order; deceased)
 * Aayla Secura (Jedi Master; deceased)
 * Asajj Ventress (Padawan formerly; deceased)
 * Ahsoka Tano (Padawan; formerly; resigned)
 * Kanan Jarrus (Jedi Knight)
 * The Grand Inquisitor (Jedi Knight; formerly; defected to the Galactic Empire; deceased)
 * Ezra Bridger (Padawan)
 * Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master; Grand Master)
 * Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Padawan; formerly; defected to the Knights of Ren)

History
After the end of the Great Scourage of Malachor, the Jedi Order believed they had wiped out the entire Sith Order, unaware that there was still one surviving Sith; Darth Bane. This victory made the Jedi arrogant and this arrogance as well as their inability to acknowledge or learn from their mistakes would eventually lead to the Jedi Order's downfall.

During the Clone Wars, members of the Jedi Order, particularly members of the Jedi High Council, served as Jedi Generals and Jedi Commanders, of the Grand Army of the Republic. They fought bravely alongside the Clone Troopers - in vain.

When Caleb Dume (a human boy Jedi Padawan) was only fourteen years old, there were at least ten thousand Jedi Knights alive; prior to the events of Order 66.

By the end of the Clone Wars, Palpatine, the leader of the Sith Order, initiates Order 66; ordering the Clone Troopers to turn against their Jedi comrades and kill them, beginning the Second Jedi Purge, also known as the Great Jedi Purge.

Only a small fraction of the Jedi survived this operation and the surviving members were hunted down to the brink of extinction, by the time the Jedi Purge had ended almost every member of the Jedi Order who had the rank of Jedi Master was killed. There were, however, several surviving members of the Jedi Order bearing the rank of Jedi Padawan and Jedi Knight. Out of arrogance, Palpatine ended the purge, convinced that the surviving Jedi were no longer a threat to him and his Galactic Empire. The Jedi would remain in hiding until Palpatine was killed by the redeemed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader; by the end of the Galactic Civil War, all Jedi Masters were killed; despite this, there were still several Jedi Padawans and Jedi Knights alive.

Adding to this, Palpatine spread rumors that the Jedi were the Clone War's instigators, turning public opinion against them. As time passed, the Jedi and the Force became viewed as legend and myth by the public, further shrouding them in mystery.

Sometime after the downfall of the Galactic Empire and the founding of the New Republic, Luke Skywalker, the son of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, tried to establish an New Jedi Order and started training a new generation of Jedi Knights.

The Jedi teachings were thought to be lost, until Luke discovered the Jedi Archives on the planets; Mimban, Toola, Dathomir, Dantooine and Ossus.

Realising that the old Jedi teachings as well as the old code were flawed and to avoid the New Jedi Order from making the same mistakes as the Old Jedi Order - Luke altered some of the Jedi teachings and code, as there were no Jedi Masters left alive to officially grant Luke the rank/title, Luke was forced to promote himself to the rank of Jedi Master and the title of Grand Master - becoming leader of the New Jedi Order and head of the New Jedi Council.

The First of Luke's students was his nephew Ben Solo and several other force users. His nephew, however, unfortunately fall to the Dark side of the Force, as Snoke preyed on Ben's internal conflict, Ben then became known as Kylo Ren. Kylo, aided by the Knights of Ren, killed most of Luke's apprentices.

Luke was one of the few who managed to survive and escape the Jedi massacre, this devastating tragedy would greatly his plan to restore the Jedi Order to it's former glory. An after-effect of this is that any impact the Jedi might have had by this point was practically forgotten; Luke and his exploits by this time were considered to be myth by the the majority of Galaxy at large. Only a few, such as Lor San Tekka and his organization, the Church of the Force, knew the truth 30 years after the Battle of Endor.

In the aftermath of the Jedi massacre; Luke was deeply grieved and wracked with guilt, blaming himself for his students' deaths and Ben's turn to the dark side.

Luke then mysteriously disappeared; as he chose to seek out the First Jedi Temple. The First Order under the orders of Snoke, were to find and kill Luke, as Snoke knew that as long as Luke lived, a new generation of Jedi Knights could rise again.

The force-sensitive human girl Rey eventually would find Luke on the planet of Ahch-To and present him with his father's lightsaber, showing him that the galaxy needed him once more. With Luke's return and Rey ready to train under his tutelage, the New Jedi Order could set on the path to be restored and bring peace and justice to the galaxy once again.

Old Jedi Order
The Old Jedi Order served as the protectors of the Galactic Republic, maintaining peace and justice throughout the galaxy. They were governed by morality and honor and lead by the wisdom and guidance of the Jedi Masters who comprise the Jedi High Council. The Jedi, however, did not function entirely independently as they remain answerable to the Galactic Senate and their leader; the Supreme Chancellor.

The members of the Jedi Order were restricted by the Jedi code and were forbidden to form attachments, fall in love or have families - as their immense responsibility toward the protection of the galactic life-forms remains their foremost priority and as such - they were disallowed the opportunity to nurture any and all forms of distraction that may hinder or serve as a potential risk to the fulfillment of their duty.

New Jedi Order
Luke Skywalker began rebuilding the Jedi some time after the Battle of Endor, but was denied the opportunity to rebuild the Jedi Order when his nephew, Ben Solo, turned to the Dark side and slaughtered several of his fellow students with the Knights of Ren's help. Thus, the structure and organization of the New Jedi Order is unknown as only Luke and a few others survived to escape.