Jedi Knight / Legends A Jedi Knight referred to a member of the Jedi Order , who had completed their Jedi training as a student in the Jedi academy , in addition to one - on - one training as a Padawan and the completion of the Jedi Trials . As a Knight and a full member of the Order , these individuals received assignments from the Jedi Councils and strove to find peace , and maintain order within the Galactic Republic . Making up the majority of the Order ' s members , the public was familiar with this title more than any other , and , thus , many addressed any Jedi as " Knight " . Overview and history . Seven hundred and thirty years after the Order ' s founding on Tython in the earliest days of galactic civilization , the Jedi Knights were brought into the Galactic Republic , working as peacekeepers for the fledgling government . A loose band of both philosophers and warriors , these early Knights had no central leadership , nor any formalized training at an academy ; instead , they completed a series of tasks set by their master , who would then bestow upon them the rank of a Jedi Knight . As the Order grew more centralized with the foundation of the Jedi High Council , following the Great Sith War , and the Republic ' s donation of the Sacred spire on Coruscant for use by the Knights , residing at the capital , the role of Knights in the Republic became more defined . Working as peacekeepers , diplomats , and investigators during peace time , the Knights helped to establish peace following the war . However , due to the High Council ' s seemingly complacent attitude during the Mandalorian Wars , many Knights turned away from the Order and joined the Revan chist ' s movement , which would eventually lead to the Jedi Civil War . When the Order recovered , the training of Padawans to Knighthood resumed more formally until the New Sith Wars and the creation of the Army of Light forced the Order to , once again , take on a militaristic way of life . When the Brotherhood of Darkness was defeated , and the Ruusan Reformation put into effect , formal training began again and the Order flourished . As the Sith returned , and the Clone Wars swept across the Republic , all active Jedi Knights became Jedi Generals , and were required to lead the Grand Army of the Republic on the front lines against the Confederacy of Independent Systems . However , the Order was betrayed by the Supreme Chancellor , whom they served , who was in reality the Dark Lord of the Sith , Darth Sidious . Sidious used his position as Supreme Commander Palpatine to issue Order 66 , which demanded the slaughter of all Jedi and began the second major Jedi Purge . Loyal to the Republic , the troopers of the Grand Army cut down their generals without hesitation , while the 501st Legion , under the command of a Jedi Knight , Darth Vader , the Jedi Temple on Coruscant , and slaughtered the instructors and Initiates stationed there . While there were several Knights that survived the initial wave of what became known as the Great Jedi Purge , Vader , the newly - anoited Sith Lord , took personal charge of hunting down those Jedi who had escaped to the Outer Rim . Eventually , during the Battle of Endor , Anakin Skywalker left the dark side , conquered Darth Vader from within and then saved his son , Luke , by destroying Palpatine to bring balance to the Force in fulfilling an ancient Jedi prophecy . After several decades of hiding at near extinction , the Order was reformed under Luke Skywalker , who , after the Galactic Civil War ended , established a new Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 and began using the basic skills taught to him by the former Grand Master , Yoda , to train the next generation of Knights . For a time , Knighting was much less formal as it had been in the past during times of rebuilding , but eventually , Skywalker led the Order to flourish , and adapted many of the Old Order ' s customs on knighthood . Service to the Order . Following the successful completion of a decade or more of one - on - one instruction from a master , Jedi Padawans were expected to pass the Jedi Trials and be raised to the rank of Knight . Only the High Council could promote a Padawan to the rank of Knight , though this rule was not always observed , especially in times when the Order was spread extremely thin or the Council could not be contacted for a great period of time . For those Jedi who did join this elite group of individuals , they were no longer attached to their master and were in charge of their own destiny . Knights were expected to continue their study in the Force , choosing between one of three fields of specialization so as to hone their personal strengths into the swords and shields of the Order . Either becoming a Guardian , Consular , or Sentinel , the Knights would accept solo missions from one of the four Jedi Councils that made best use of their skill sets . On their own , Knights were responsible for maintaining the Order ' s public appearance as they traveled throughout the galaxy , floating along the currents of the Force as they sought to provide justice to suffering worlds . Taking on their own path of studying , Knights learned the third and final discipline of the Force known as Alter : which allowed the user to manipulate objects and others ' minds with the application of the Force . Following the mastery of the Alter discipline and the completion of the study on specialized skills , a Knight might find themselves desiring to teach the next generation of Jedi . While not a mandatory practice , Knights could attend tournaments at the Temple to see potential Padawans ' exhibit their skills with the Force and a lightsaber . The Jedi of old warned against taking on an apprentice strictly out of duty , for this might ultimately lead to an irreconcilable incompatibility of Jedi and apprentice , leaving a Padawan without the proper guidance to gain a sufficient knowledge of the Force and Jedi Order skillsets in order to be successful during the Trials . Deeply focused meditation was performed before a selection was made , and while many Knights did choose to take on this sacred responsibility , there were a few that were unable to find a trainee who they felt would be the right fit or had no desire to take on such an all encompassing commitment . Following successfully training a Padawan to knighthood , the High Council would consider raising the Knight to the rank of Jedi Master ; though this was not always the case . Many Knights just simply were not promoted to Master if the Council did not feel that they had attained a knowledge of the Force that warranted the bestowment of such a title , or if the Force willed some other destiny for them . While some were promoted in old age , some Knights never ascended in rank . Because of the nature of the title and the importance of the Council , only Masters were elected to the Councils . On occasion a Knight would sit on the Council in the transition period between ascension in rank , though this was a simple technicality . The most unusual case was that of Knight Anakin Skywalker ' s appointment to the High Council by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the Clone Wars . While the Council reluctantly accepted the appointment , they refused to raise Skywalker in ranks , maintaining their stance that he had not mastered his emotions entirely . When the Order was disbanded during the reign of the Galactic Empire , no Knights were promoted as the majority of the Order had been slaughtered . It wasn ' t until Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Order that the term Knight was reused . Due to the informality of the Order in its early years , many of the old traditions were not observed simply out of ignorance to their existence . Rudimentary Trials were established at the Yavin 4 Jedi Praxeum without knowledge of the Order ' s traditional tasks ; these included demonstration of mastery of a set of skills and the ability to construct a lightsaber . Skywalker ' s inaugural class graduated in 12 ABY and were dispatched out into the galaxy to assist the New Republic in its endeavors to drive the Empire from civilized space . As more apprentices were taken , their masters would consult with Master Skywalker and could be granted permission to bestow the rank of knighthood following a successful mission that proved one ' s mettle ; such was the case of Jaden Korr whose master , Kyle Katarn , thought that his success on Vjun proved he had taught all Korr needed to know . The first recorded public knighting ceremony was in 24 ABY when Master Skywalker knighted Anakin Solo , Jacen Solo , Jaina Solo , Zekk , Tenel Ka , Lusa , Raynar Thul , and Lowbacca for their year of service in aiding in the defeat of the Diversity Alliance and Black Sun . Held at the Great Temple in front of the entirety of the Order and representatives of the Republic , the ceremony consisted of a lightsaber salute and a ballad by Master Tionne Solusar . Several years later , following the Yuuzhan Vong War and the procurement of several important holocrons and , formal knighting ceremonies likened to that of the Old Order were reincorporated into the way of the Jedi . With the Coruscant Temple rebuilt , ceremonies were once more held here in the Hall of Knighthood . Behind the scenes . The Jedi Knights were first mentioned in the of " " , ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and published in 1976 . The Jedi Knight is also a class in the Star Wars MMO , " " . This class is further customizable by selecting either the Sentinel or Guardian advanced classes . The Jedi Knights commonly appear in fan films ' plots , including in the famous , which introduces several fanon Knights . Lucas himself has compared the Jedi Knights to various real world religious and spiritual orders , citing Christian or Buddhist monks and priests and the Knights Templar . The Making of Star Wars reveals that the Jedi were at one point named the Jedi Templar , indicating that specific order may have been an influence . Wizards of the Coast ran a league for the Star Wars Trading Card Game called Jedi Nights , a word play on Jedi Knights .