Grand Master / Legends Grand Master was a title used in both the Old and New Jedi Orders to describe the recognized head of the Order . While separate from the title Master of the Order , which was used to describe the elected leader of the Jedi High Council , the positions were often filled by the same person . History . The title of Grand Master had existed within the Jedi Order for much of its history , representing the elected head of the entire Order . Appointment of a Grand Master was reserved to the Jedi High Council , with a unanimous vote needed to install the Order ' s leader . Bestowed only upon the Order ' s greatest and wisest of all Masters , it was not unheard of for several Masters to hold the title , forming elite guilds before the Ruusan Reformation of the Galactic Republic . Held by several Masters throughout the Order ' s history , the earliest recorded Grand Master was Biel Ductavis , who was appointed in 10 , 966 BBY . The Kel Dor Zym , who was the Grand Master throughout the Great Galactic War , was assassinated shortly after the fall of the Jedi Temple in 3653 BBY . Sometime later , Satele Shan was elected as Grand Master , becoming the youngest known individual to ever receive the title . Several millennia later , Master Fae Coven held the title , leading reforms within the Order as it moved away from its militant position it held throughout the Old and New Sith Wars . During the Republic ' s Golden Age , Coven authored the Jedi Temple guidebook , " " , with the help of some of the leading Masters of the era . Master Coven served a long term , even meeting her eventual successor , Yoda . Master Yoda was the last Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order , holding the title as early as 82 BBY . Under Yoda , the Order was disbanded as the Dark Lords of the Sith returned to power in 19 BBY and ushered in a new era which saw the initiation of the Great Jedi Purge . Before his death , the exiled Master Yoda helped Luke Skywalker complete his training as a Jedi ; Skywalker would eventually rebuild the Order and declare himself Grand Master during the Swarm War of 36 ABY . Leading the Order he had built for many years , Skywalker was held responsible for the actions of the Jedi - turned - Sith Jacen Solo by the Galactic Alliance government . After trying the Grand Master , Chief of State Natasi Daala exiled Skywalker from the galactic capital of Coruscant and the Jedi Order in 43 . 5 ABY until he could prove what had caused Solo ' s turn to the dark side of the Force . In the meantime , Skywalker and Daala agreed to the appointment of Master Kenth Hamner as acting Grand Master , until Skywalker returned or the High Council elected another Master . When tensions between Daala ' s Galactic Alliance and the Jedi Order grew , the Jedi refused to continue appeasing her demands of the Order . The Masters wanted to launch a wing of StealthX starfighters to help Skywalker fight a new Sith threat , but Hamner feared that the Galactic Alliance would think the launch was against them and would open fire on the StealthXs . However , when the Council discovered that Hamner had taken unilateral actions in making an agreement with Alliance Admiral Nek Bwua ' tu to stall the launch until Bwua ' tu gave him permission , they removed him from his position as acting Grand Master and decided to launch the wing , forming a plan with Booster Terrik to keep the starfighters safe . Hamner attempted to stop the StealthX launch , and in the ensuing skirmish with Master Saba Sebatyne , he fell to his death . The Masters then unanimously voted for Sebatyne , who had led the vote of no confidence against Hamner , as the new acting Grand Master . She felt that the appointment was wrong , as she was deeply upset over her failure to prevent Hamner ' s death , but eventually accepted the position . Following a Jedi coup that removed Daala from power and placed the Jedi in charge of the government , Skywalker ' s sentence was revoked , allowing him to resume his position as Grand Master . He did not return to Coruscant immediately , however , instead staying on the planet Nam Chorios to defeat the dark side entity Abeloth , who was his primary concern for the moment . Skywalker eventually returned to Coruscant and convinced the Jedi to leave the planet in order to lure the Sith out . Behind the scenes . " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " introduced the title ' Master of the Order ' , used to denote the leader of the Jedi High Council . " " cleared up the confusion between titles of Grand Master and Master of the Order .