Jedi (old)

:For other uses of this and similar words, see Jedi (disambiguation).
:Because Dark Horizons holds only the Original Trilogy to be canon, our vision of the Jedi and their history differs from that seen in the prequels. The information contained in this article is not necessarily of an in-character nature. Speak to a staff member for further instruction.
:"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, Episode IV
The Jedi are an order of knights and masters headed by a council that meets on Coruscant. The Jedi Knights' history extends back into antiquity and is related to the founding of Republic itself. They appear to be rather decentralized and their inner workings are known only to the Jedi themselves and a trusted few. One Jedi might serve as counselor to the king of a member-world of the Republic, resolving conflicts and keeping the peace from within. Another might seek out injustice in a cavalier fashion, flitting about the Outer Rim to do battle with the forces of corruption that threaten the Republic's security or are beyond the Republic's writ. Within the Republic, the Jedi operate with great autonomy recognized by the Galactic Senate: "According to long-standing precedent and Senate acts three hundred times confirmed, the Jedi Knights are the 'prop of the Republic...'"
The Jedi are known for their integrity, their usually voluminous robes and their weapon of choice, the lightsaber.
==Purpose==
For some of the Jedi, the Republic is remembered as an idealistic concept that it is their duty to preserve. Others feel their duty in the most concrete of terms: to serve and protect the Republic as it exists, holding in balance Republic law and the teachings of their master.
Just as religions split and take on the feeling of their preachers, so what it is to be a Jedi has split and taken on the feeling of its masters; but there is an underlying spirit to the Jedi that binds their purpose and this is the Force. While they walk in the light, all Jedi are like brothers and sisters to one another.
==Training==
There is no organized testing throughout the Republic for Force potential, although it is a tradition among the Jedi to choose apprentices when they are young. The Jedi are always trained as Padawan, apprentices, by other Jedi-- either knights or masters. Padawan are not chosen at birth and it is not the sort of thing one can walk up to the Jedi and 'sign up' for. Jedi Knights and Masters pick their own apprentices and most of them are choosy about whom they pick.
Each master is free to teach his or her apprentices as he or she sees fit. Over the millennia, various schools of thought have come and gone. Some of them have focused solely on the Force and others have focused on the use of the lightsaber and there have been countless others that have sought a balance between the spiritual and the concrete with varying degrees of success.
When the master has taught all that there is to learn, the Padawan is sent on his Trials, a personal journey beyond the order that can lead to many outcomes, some good and some bad. The visible symbol of successful Trials is the construction of a lightsaber. Those who return to the order are considered to have achieved the rank of Jedi Knight.
==Ethics==
Each Jedi has his or her own code to follow. Jedi may share the same code imparted to them by a shared master, forming a school or they may have their own. A vendor of books at the Jedi Retreat on Coruscant provides a small sample of these codes, thoughts and meditations.
==Dark Jedi==
:"Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the Dark Side. Anger, fear, aggression: the Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
:::-- Yoda, Episode V
The Dark Side of the Force represents all that is forbidden to the Jedi Knights and yet it remains a temptation and a peril, especially to the young. Although it is very rare, Jedi have fallen to the Dark Side; some of these disappear while others rove about like rabid beasts until their hatred has been silenced by an opposing lightsaber. They are the rarest and the most deadly villains known to the Jedi at this time.
The Dark Jedi are hunted ruthlessly. Without cunning to match their cruelty, these fallen heroes do not have long to live.
==See also==
*Jedi Order
*Jedi Rules
Category:Factions
Category:The Force
Category:Jedi Order