Jedi A Jedi was a Force - sensitive individual , most often a member of the Jedi Order , who studied , served , and used the mystical energies of the Force ; usually , the light side of the Force . The weapon of a Jedi was the lightsaber , a blade made of pure energy which have different colours . Jedi fought for peace and justice in the Galactic Republic , usually against their mortal enemy : the Sith , who wielded the dark side of the Force . Philosophy . The Jedi Knights focused on calmness and peace to channel their powers in the Force , using the light side of the Force to serve in the capacity of guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy . Even so , the Jedi sought to preserve balance in the Force ; the ancient prophecy of the Chosen One foretold one who would bring balance to the Force . In combat , whereas an enemy may grow impatient and rely on their overwhelming strength , a Jedi would meditate and find serenity in their mind to focus . A Jedi used their lightsaber only for defense , not for attack , and used the Force for defense and knowledge rather than use it to gain power over others . Because of this , some Jedi were capable of appearing after death as Force spirit s . The Jedi fit themselves as peacekeepers during the time of the Galactic Republic , not soldier s . History . The Jedi were of ancient origins , having been present in the galaxy for over one thousand generations . Originally established at the first Jedi Temple on Ahch - To , they established numerous sites throughout the galaxy on Coruscant , Ossus , Tython and Jedha . The Jedi eventually came to align with the democratic Galactic Republic and owed their allegiance to the Galactic Senate . There were ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy before the Clone Wars , the first pan - galactic war in over a millennium since the rise of the Galactic Republic and the alleged extinction of the Sith . At the end of the war , however , which had secretly been engineered by the long dormant Sith in a bid for power , they were all but destroyed by the Sith during and after the execution of Order 66 , leaving very few Jedi survivors . Nonetheless , a new age Jedi , Luke Skywalker , son of the fallen Anakin Skywalker , would be trained by Jedi Master s Obi - Wan Kenobi and Yoda during the Galactic Civil War . Luke went on to redeem his father , who killed Darth Sidious , the Dark Lord of the Sith and ruler of the Galactic Empire , and thus destroyed the Sith and brought balance to the Force . With his masters and father dead , however , Luke had become the last of the Jedi . Skywalker worked to rebuild the Jedi Order in the years after the Galactic Civil War during the time of the New Republic , eventually gathering a group of Jedi students , among them his nephew , Ben Solo . However , Luke sensed a growing darkness in Ben and eventually went to confront his nephew in the night . When Luke peered into his nephew ' s mind while he slept , he saw the machinations of the mysterious dark side wielder Snoke and Ben ' s darkness , which would lead to death , destruction , and despair in the galaxy , and , in a moment of pure instinct , ignited his lightsaber . Luke , whose family had a history with the dark side , was quickly overcome by shame and regret , but before he could put away his blade , his nephew woke up , and , in the confusion of the moment , ignited his own lightsaber to clash with his uncle and brought down his hut on him . Ben went on to raze Luke ' s temple and slaughter most of his fellow Jedi students while taking the rest with him . Ben eventually joined the Knights of Ren and became Kylo Ren , a student of Snoke . Sometime later , as war erupted between the First Order and the Resistance for control of the galaxy , an orphaned scavenger named Rey approached Luke at the first Jedi Temple on Ahch - To , seeking to be trained as a Jedi , having been sent by General Leia Organa , leader of the Resistance , Luke ' s sister , and Kylo Ren ' s mother . Though Luke rejected her at first , he eventually agreed to train her . A Force bond that connected Kylo Ren and Rey brought her to the " Supremacy " , where Kylo turned her over to his master , Supreme Leader Snoke . However , Kylo killed his master , and fought with Rey against his Elite Praetorian Guard . When Kylo usurped his master ' s power , Rey abandoned him and joined with the fleeing Resistance on Crait , where the Battle of Crait had erupted . As Rey helped the few Resistance survivors escape aboard the " Millennium Falcon " , Luke projected an image of himself on Crait to distract Kylo Ren and the First Order . He warned Kylo that he would not be the last Jedi , naming Rey his successor , before becoming one with the Force . Luke ' s tale went on to spread across the galaxy as a symbol of hope in a dark time as the First Order rose to power . Jedi ranks . Members of the Jedi Order held various positions within the Order at times . These included : Jedi occupations . Some members of the Jedi Order had specific titles and roles within the Order . These included : Jedi military ranks . At the onset of the Clone Wars , the Jedi , the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic , were chosen by the Galactic Senate , whom the Jedi owed their allegiance to , to lead the new Grand Army of the Republic . They were thus given either of the respective ranks in the Republic military :