Summary
James Mangold is making aStar Warsmovie exploring the “Dawn of the Jedi,” but what has the franchise already revealed about the Jedi origin in canon? The oldStar WarsExpanded Universehad told pretty much the entire story of the Jedi, from its founding 25,000 years before the Skywalker saga to 100 years later. Disney chose to era the EU from canon, however, branding it “Legends” so they could tell their own stories. That’s exactly what James Mangold intends to do in his"Dawn of the Jedi" movie.
Mangold’s movie will apparently serve as something of an origin story for the Force itself; in fact, he’s hinted the word “Jedi” may not even be used in the script. Looking beyond Mangold’s movie, though,Star Warshas dropped quite a flew clues and hints about the origin of the Jedi Order. Here’s everything we know so far.
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The Bendu Monks Were The “Precusor” Of The Jedi
George Lucas' original idea for the Jedi is canon
George Lucas' first draft called the Order the “Jedi Bendu,” and that name has made its way into canon. The Bendu monks have been referred to as the “precursors” of the Jedi, and they may well be tied to the mysterious creature known as the Bendu inStar Wars Rebels. If that is indeed the case, then the Bendu monks presumably share his philosophy; they viewed themselves as neither light nor dark, but rather as “the one in the middle.”
The Bendu are known to have had a massive presence on the galactic capital of Coruscantin ages past; one of the days of the Coruscant week is even called “Benduday” in their honor. Although the Jedi apparently arose as an offshoot from the Bendu, the original Force cult did not die out with the emergence of the Jedi. Rather, it appears to have flourished until the days of the Jedi and Sith war, when the Bendu left the galactic capital; they founded the planet Kijimi, seen inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but then mysteriously vanished.
Lightsabers Appear To Be Older Than The Jedi
Did the Jedi inherit lightsabers from the Bendu?
Surprisingly little is known of the origin of lightsabers, but there are hints the firstlightsaber formspredated the Jedi - which would indicate the lightsabers themselves did as well, of course. It’s possible the first lightsabers were used by the Bendu, and the Jedi simply kept using them. Whatever the truth may be,it wasn’t long before the lightsaber became viewed as the symbol of the Jedi. It’s likely the first lightsabers were more cumbersome and harder to use, while lightsaber forms were much more basic.
Interestingly, there may have been other lightsaber-like tools used by these Jedi precursors as well.Star Wars: The High Republichas introduced a lightsaber shield, designed to be wielded telekinetically to protect others by deflecting attacks. This is said to be an ancient device that is not of Jedi origin; perhaps it comes from the beings who first created the lightsabers.
The Prime Jedi Established The Order Roughly 25,000 Years Ago
His mural is seen in The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedishowed a mural dedicated to the first Jedi, known as the “Prime Jedi.” According toStar Wars Timelines, the Prime Jedi established the order 25,025 years before the Skywalker saga. Little is known of the Prime Jedi, but they certainly appear to be nonhuman; some have speculated the Prime Jedi was in fact a Zeffo, an ancient Force-sensitive race introduced inJedi: Fallen Order. Some Zeffo fell to the dark side, becoming part of an intergalactic empire alongside theNightsisters of Dathomir.
The sacred Jedi texts seen inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerseem to hint that the ancient Jedi knew secrets of the Force that have since been forgotten. They were aware of the Mortis gods - cosmic beings who serve as avatars of the Force, and are apparently also somehow linked to the Zeffo-Nightsister empire, given there are statues of them on the Nightsister homeworld of Peridea in another galaxy. They even knew of the World Between Worlds, a place beyond time and space.
Ahch-To Is Believed To Be Site Of The First Jedi Temple
But why did the Prime Jedi settle here?
The Bendu cult is associated with the Galactic Core; Coruscant even has an official day of the week named “Benduday.” For all that’s the case, though, the Jedi Order seems to have been born on the Galactic Rim, in theUnknown Regions. Luke Skywalker believed the planet Ahch-To, lost for millennia, was the site of the original Jedi Temple.Star Wars Timelineshints that may not be the case, however, raising the possibility he was wrong.
What is certain, though, is that Ahch-To is a so-called Force vergence, aplanet rich in the Force. Its Jedi Temple is clearly a very early one, containing a mural dedicated to the Prime Jedi, which suggests it was established during their lifetime. Other Force vergences were sacred to these early Jedi, including the likes of Tython and Ossus (seen inThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fettrespectively).
The First Jedi Seem To Have Served Balance, Not Light Or Dark
They were agents of balance
The mural of the Prime Jedi hints that the first Jedi had a very different philosophy of the Force; he is shown as the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. This fits with an ancient Jedi mantra introduced in Cavan Scott’sDooku: Jedi Lost, which describes balance as a distinct aspect of the Force:
“We call upon the three — light, dark, and balance true. One is no greater than the others. Together, they unite, restore, center, and renew. We walk into the light, acknowledge the dark, and find balance within ourselves. The Force is strong.”
This mantra may well represent the views of the original Jedi. According to this, the three aspects of the Force are each seen as equally strong, and they are supposed to be embraced as a unity. There have been hints agents of balance have access toForce powersthat are not accessible to those bound to the light or dark sides, which may explain some of the legendary Jedi feats.
The interesting question, of course, is why this changed. The most likely explanation is that a schism occurred among the early Jedi, with some choosing to swear allegiance only to the dark side; a precursor of the Jedi schism that would ultimately create the Sith. These early Jedi must have then chosen to commit themselves only to the light, essentially setting up the wholeStar Warssaga.
The Lightsaber Droid Huyang Was Built When The Order Was Just 50 Year Old
He’s been around a long time
Ahsokafeatured the live-action debut of Huyang, a droid who helps Jedi Younglings construct lightsabers. Huyang is far older than most viewers would realize, though; according toStar Wars Timelines, he was activated when the Jedi Order was just 50 years old. He may well have been constructed by the Prime Jedi himself, and he’s served the Jedi Order faithfully for 25,000 years.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Huyang remembers the entire history of the Jedi Order, of course; in fact, there’s evidence he doesn’t, because even the Jedi have forgotten many of their origin stories. Every droid only has so much memory, and Huyang’s memory banks are probably occupied by his encyclopedic knowledge of lightsabers alone. Ahsoka and the otherStar Warsheroes will need to look elsewhere if they want more clues to galactic history.
