Jedi Council

Etymology

The word Jedi has several possible origins. It is possible it was adapted by George Lucas from Japanese 時代劇 (jidaigeki) (meaning 'period drama' motion pictures about samurai), or perhaps inspired by the words "jed" (leader) and "jeddak" (king) in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a series that Lucas considered adapting to film. Jedi can originate from the Arabic Al-Jeddi', which means 'master of the mystic-warrior way.' Another potential influence on the word jedi is the Hebrew term ידיד (yadid), which means friend. In his book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that Lucas may have been influenced by this term when creating the name for his knights. Kaminski notes that Lucas has cited Jewish mysticism as an inspiration for his work, and that he may have been drawn to the idea of his heroes being beloved protectors.

In-universe, according to the Star Wars: Rogue One – The Ultimate Visual Guide, Jedi is derived from Jedha, a planet that was once home to a Jedi temple and was a source of kyber crystals. Kyber crystals are used to power lightsabers and were considered sacred by the Jedi Order.

In his book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, J. W. Rinzler notes that Lucas originally considered using the term "Jedidiah" for his knights, but ultimately settled on "jedi." Rinzler suggests that the word may have been influenced by the term "bodhisattva", which refers to a Buddhist concept of an enlightened being who chooses to remain in the world to help others.

Influences

George Lucas acknowledged that the Jedi, Sith, and other Force concepts have been inspired by many sources. These include: knighthood, chivalry, paladinism, samurai bushido, Shaolin Monastery, Feudalism, Hinduism, Qigong, Greek philosophy and mythology, Roman history and mythology, Sufism, Confucianism, Shintō, Buddhism and Taoism, and numerous cinematic precursors. The works of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and mythologist Joseph Campbell, especially his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), directly influenced Lucas, and was what drove him to create the 'modern myth' of Star Wars.

Lucas explained that the Jedi are trained, allowed and expected to love people (even their enemies, the Sith), but they are not to form attachments because attachment leads to the dark side of the Force. When one has, gets or wants a person or experience and attaches to them, one becomes afraid to lose them. The fear of loss feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, thus, an attached person is selfish and unable to let go. The fear of loss turns into anger, which will lead to hate, and hate will lead into suffering, mostly on the part of the one who is selfish, because then one will spend their lives being afraid rather than actually living. The light side is focused on compassion and giving; thus it is love, and the opposite of attachment – it is everlasting joy, devoid of fear of loss and the pain of loss. "As long as you love other people and treat them kindly, you won't be afraid".

Lucas, identifying himself as "Buddhist Methodist" or "Methodist Buddhist", stated that his philosophy of non-attachment depicted in his movies was influenced by the fact that he was from San Francisco, the "Zen Buddhism capital of the United States". In 2020, he indicated that the Jedi were "designed to be a Buddhist monk who happened to be very good at fighting".

Depiction

As depicted in the canon, the Jedi study and utilize the Force in order to help and protect those in need. The Jedi members, known as Jedi Knights, respect all life by defending and protecting those who cannot do it for themselves, striving for peaceful and non-combative solutions to any altercations they encounter and fighting only in self-defense and for the defense of those they protect. By training the mind and the body, the Jedi seek to improve themselves by gaining unfettered access to the Force while also seeking to improve those individuals and groups they come in contact with. Like their evil counterparts, the Sith, the main weapon of the Jedi is the lightsaber. However, according to Lucas, "The Force really doesn't have anything to do with the lightsaber. Anybody can have a lightsaber. It's just a weapon like a pistol".

Qui-Gon Jinn gives an insight into the Force in The Phantom Menace when he tells Anakin: "Your focus determines your reality". And later, he explains: "Midi-chlorians are microscopic lifeforms that reside within all of your cells. And we are symbionts with them. Lifeforms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of The Force. When you learn to quiet your mind you'll hear them speaking to you". In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker: "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together." ". . . a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. It [partially] controls your actions, but it also obeys your commands".

The Skywalker Saga

The prequel trilogy depicts the Jedi in their peak of power, headquartered at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and dealing with the rising presence of the dark side of the Force and the return of the Sith. In Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) discovers nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), whom he believes to be the "Chosen One" of a Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force. At the end of The Phantom Menace, following Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul (Ray Park), Anakin is paired with his apprentice, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), who promises to train him.

The sequel, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, establishes that the Jedi forswear attachments, being in the same category of possession and striving to cultivate compassion, unconditional love instead. As revealed in the Clone Wars series, the Jedi believed romantic feelings are natural and as such, they did not prohibit them, but for a Jedi Knight, it was essential to make the right choice for the Order and not neglect their Jedi duties in the favor of their beloved, even if that would mean the end of the relationship. This proves problematic when Anakin, now a young adult (Hayden Christensen), falls in love with Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). The Clone Wars, first spoken of in the original 1977 film, begin with hundreds of Jedi participating in the battle of Geonosis, before escalating into a galactic war with the Jedi as generals of the newly formed Clone Army.

In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Yoda confides to Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) that the prophecy of the Chosen One could have been misread. Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who is revealed to be Darth Sidious, manipulates Anakin's attachment for Padmé and distrust and resentment of the Jedi in order to turn him to the dark side and become his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. Betraying the Jedi and becoming a Sith, Vader begins helping Sidious to hunt down and exterminate the Jedi during the events of Revenge of the Sith; Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Ahsoka Tano are among a handful of Jedi that avoided the initial purge.

As revealed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, each clone trooper was implanted with a chip that Palpatine would activate with the verbal command Order 66. This resulted in the clones being forcibly brainwashed into viewing their Jedi generals as traitors to the Republic and subsequently summarily executing them. Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker led the 501st Legion to carry out "Operation Knightfall" against the Jedi Temple, burning and slaughtering all Jedi within, including Temple-Defender Shaak Ti. Sidious deceived the people of the Republic that the Jedi were corrupted warmongers responsible for prolonging the Clone Wars, labeling them criminals with bounties placed on them. Darth Vader continued to hunt and kill nearly every surviving Jedi during the early years of the Empire, in what became known as the Great Jedi Purge.

Anthologies and derivative works

In a deleted scene from Attack of the Clones, the "Lost Twenty" is the name given to a group of Jedi Masters—numbering twenty in total—who left the Jedi Order throughout its history. The first 12 of this Lost Twenty became "Dark Jedi" who eventually founded the first Sith Empire. In the years preceding the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Dooku left the Jedi Order as a result of differences with his fellow Jedi, becoming the 20th Jedi Master in the history of the Order to do so. To showcase the failures of the Jedi they created statues of the fallen Jedi and placed them in the Jedi Temple Archives.

The animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars depicts the battles of the Clone Wars, focusing on the Jedi and clone troopers they lead against the Separatists and its Sith leaders. The series reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Later arcs explore the foundations of Order 66 and Darth Sidious' manipulation of the Jedi Order.

The animated television series Star Wars Rebels reveals that Ahsoka and a Jedi named Kanan Jarrus survived the purge; the latter trains a new apprentice, Ezra Bridger. The series also reveals that, following the start of the purge with Order 66, Sidious commissioned the Inquisitorius, a group of former Jedi who had turned to the dark side for various reasons, to aid Darth Vader in hunting down the remaining Jedi.

The Clone Wars spinoff series Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the titular group of enhanced clones, whose genetic mutations allow them to disobey Order 66 and instead choose to save a younger Kanan after his master is killed by the other clones.

The canon video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduces Cal Kestis, a former Padawan hiding from the Empire who accidentally exposes his Force abilities to aid someone, putting him on the Inquisitors' radar. Kestis gets aid from Cere Junda, another Jedi Knight in hiding. In the 2023 sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it is revealed that mercenary Bode Akuna was also a survivor of Order 66.

In the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Great Jedi Purge is depicted in a flashback in which Reva Sevander, future Inquisitor called Third Sister, escapes from the clones during the night of Order 66.

Members

The exact size of the pre-purge Jedi's membership and operations are never specified. However, in the Star Wars Rebels episode "Path of the Jedi", Kanan Jarrus stated:

There were around 10,000 Jedi Knights defending the galaxy. Now, we are few. But in those days, we had small outposts, temples spread throughout the stars. The Empire sought out these temples and destroyed many of them...

Yoda was a wise, experienced, and powerful Grand Master of the Jedi of an unknown species and the oldest known prophet in existence (having lived at least 900 years), considered the wisest and most powerful Jedi Master within the Star Wars universe.

Mace Windu was a human Jedi Master of the Order and one of the last members of the Order's upper echelons before the fall of the Galactic Republic.

Plo Koon was a Kel Dor Jedi Master who served as a General during the Clone Wars and a member of the Jedi Council. Koon led the 442nd Siege Battalion in the Battle of Cato Neimoidia, in which he was shot down by his own troops upon the occurrence of Order 66.

Kit Fisto was a Nautolan Jedi Master, who served as a member of the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. During the attempted arrest of Chancellor Palpatine, Fisto was killed by the Sith Lord in a duel, leaving Mace Windu to face the Chancellor alone.

Count Dooku was a human Jedi Master who was trained by Yoda and mentored Qui-Gon Jinn, who later fell to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus. He is one of the main antagonists of the prequel trilogy. He led the war against the Jedi and the Republic until his demise aboard General Grievous' ship in the Battle of Coruscant at the hands of Anakin Skywalker.

Qui-Gon Jinn was a wise human Jedi Master, who was trained by Count Dooku and mentored Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unlike other, more conservative Jedi, he valued living in the moment as the best way to embrace the Force. He was well-known for listening to the Force more than to the Jedi Code, a trait that often put him at odds with the Jedi High Council. He refused to take a seat on the Council, despite him being among the wisest of the Jedi. Jinn was both the Jedi to discover the Sith's return after a millennium, upon being attacked by Darth Maul during a mission to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo, and the one to find the ability to become a Force spirit after death, though he wasn't capable of having a physical body. Following his death at Darth Maul's hands, Jinn guided both Yoda and Obi-Wan to the ability to become a physical Force spirit after death. Within the Disney+ TV series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn appears as a force spirit following Darth Vader's defeat to Obi-Wan Kenobi in a duel. He communes with Kenobi before returning to the Force. In Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, he appears as a disembodied voice alongside other past Jedi, empowering Rey to face a rejuvenated Darth Sidious.

Force-sensitive organizations

Not every "dark side"-user is a Sith; nor is every "light side"-user a Jedi. Within the Star Wars Expanded Universe, people of all species have demonstrated varying "force-sensitive" powers and abilities. These "force-wielders" are often depicted with little to no formal Jedi training in the Force, originating from primitive planets.

A dark side adept is someone with the power to use the dark side of the Force outside of the traditions of the Jedi or the Sith. They were often steeped in the lore of the dark side and opposed to those who used the light side, such as Jedi. While all Sith were technically dark side adepts, non-Sith individuals such as Asajj Ventress, Kylo Ren, and the Grand Inquisitor were also considered dark side adepts. Dark side adepts were referenced in passing in James Luceno's canon novel Tarkin.

The Bendu, introduced in the Star Wars Rebels Season 3 episode "Steps into Shadow", is a Force-sensitive individual who resided on the remote planet of Atollon and represents the "center" of the Force, between the light side and the dark side. When he is first met by Kanan Jarrus, he states that "Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark. I'm the one in the middle. The Bendu...". He is depicted as one who seeks balance, and has been likened to Tom Bombadil of The Lord of the Rings. The term "Bendu" first appeared in the original script for Star Wars as the name of the Jedi Knights, the "Jedi-Bendu". A term used to describe Force-sensitives that are not part of the Jedi nor Sith is "Force-sensitive outcast", with three such cases being Ahsoka Tano, who left the Jedi Order but continued adhering to the light side by helping those in need and operated as a spymaster for the early and formal rebellions against the Empire, Maul, who was expelled from the Sith Order and the Rule of Two by Darth Sidious, but continued following the dark side and formed the criminal syndicates the Shadow Collective and Crimson Dawn, and Asajj Ventress, who after being rejected as a Sith apprentice, took up bounty hunting, occasionally aiding the Jedi and the Republic before finally rejecting the dark side and living a quiet life as a security guard during the Imperial era.

Description

The Jedi Code

The Jedi Code was a set of rules that governed the behavior of the Jedi Order. It taught its followers to not give in to feelings of anger toward other lifeforms, which would help them resist fear and prevent them from falling to the dark side of the Force.

The Code:

There is no emotion, there is peace.There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony.There is no death, there is the Force.

The Four Councils

The Four Branches of the Jedi Council are fictional institutions from the Star Wars universe. They serve the Jedi Order as an organized administrative body that provides the necessary auxiliary and support services that sustain and governed the Order's academies, temples, interests and organizations.

The Jedi High Council is the main ecclesiastical leadership of the Jedi Order with both legislative and executive powers. The Jedi High Council is made up of some of the strongest, wisest and most experienced members of the Jedi Order. They are elected to lead the Jedi. The Jedi High Council has twelve members at any given time: five members who serve for life, four members who serve long-term, and three limited-term members. Sifo-Dyas had a seat on the council until his extremist views on a war that he foresaw caused his removal. Other older members include Jor Aerith, Tera Sinuba, and Yula Braylon.

In Jedi: Fallen Order - Dark Temple (which is set an unknown amount of time before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace), the Jedi Council includes Yoda, Mace Windu, Eeth Koth, Yarael Poof, Poli Dapatian, and Jocasta Nu. In Master & Apprentice, set seven years before The Phantom Menace, the council includes Yoda, Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, Poli Dapatian (who is in the process of retiring), Eeth Koth, and Saesee Tiin.

In the final days before the end of the Clone Wars and the extermination of the Jedi Order, the Council consisted of the following members:

The Council of First Knowledge administered the Temple-based academy and its curriculum and funded scholars' scientific research. To this end, the Council guarded and maintained the Temple Archives and its Holocron vaults, as well as the "Shadow program" at the Jedi Temple: Jedi Sentinels tasked with hunting down Sith artifacts.

The Council of Reconciliation dealt with the Galactic Senate and the Republic Diplomatic Corps in order to help bring diplomatic resolutions to conflicts and end political standoffs. The "first face" of the Republic presented to worlds interested in joining the Republic, this council would dispatch Jedi diplomats and ambassadors to moderate debate and hammer out treaties

Ranks of authority and educational progress

Every Jedi, regardless of species or homeworld, is trained for their career at Jedi Academy. Entrance is determined by rigorous examination and psychological tests. When Jedi Sentinels, known as "Seekers", discover or test a suitable "force-sensitive" candidate, they are taken to the Jedi Academy at the age of 5 (for humans; varies depending on the species and arbitrary calendar years) with the parent's permission. Jedi scholarship educations are considered prestigious, as most parents are portrayed as either happy or proud of the opportunity presented to their child, who could never afford an education. However, most parents also are generally sad since they know they are unlikely to see their child again before adulthood.

Jedi members could technically leave the Order whenever they want, but most of these children were essentially orphaned. Because they were removed from their family at such a young age, they were detached, being indoctrinated into the Jedi way of life through a structured system. The Jedi Archives holds records of every known force sensitive child; Yoda destroyed these records during the Jedi Purge, before Darth Vader assaulted the Jedi Temple, to protect these children from being exploited by the Sith.

Members of the Order progress through four educational stages, at times referred to as levels:

Initiation is the first part of Jedi training; they are mentored by Jedi Masters in rudimentary control over the Force and basic self-defense techniques.

Most Initiates were typically Younglings (a child Jedi-in-training), receiving an early and first-class education. The first ten years of a youngling's training demands segregation from outside distractions and is deliberately designed to reinforce detachment from earthly emotions, including loyalty or love for their parents. Initiates are taught to abandon ego, and that discipline, selflessness and truthfulness will lead to harmony with The Force. This is why Yoda initially denied both Anakin and Luke Skywalker for being "too old for training".

Abandon ego. Release all your earthly attachments; let go of all you've grown to love... Surrender yourself.

Specializations and occupations

Various careers, occupations, ranks and titles were available to all Jedi. Upon a Padawan's ascension to "Knighthood-status", a Jedi pursued higher education or vocational education and training in a field of expertise; choose a career based on preference, personal talents and skills. Before the Great Jedi Purge, numerous divisions existed across the whole of the order, but most personnel are represented within the three order divisions: the Order of the Guardian, the Order of the Consular, or Order of the Sentinel. In addition to their specialization, in times of war, the High Council could demand that the members of the Order assume military ranks in order to defend the Republic.

Grand Master of the Jedi Order: The Grand Master is the oldest, the most experienced, the most accomplished and the best trained of all Jedi. A Grand Master is voted unanimously by the Jedi High Council. The Grand Master serves as the organization's figurehead in charge of ceremonial duties and dictates the organization's general policies while providing direction and guidance to the entire Jedi Order. Yoda and Luke Skywalker were Jedi Grandmasters.

Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archives: The overseer of the Jedi Archives, Holocron Vault, Librarian's Assembly and the Educational Corps. Second only to the Grand Master in administrative importance, the Chief Librarian worked closely with the Council of First Knowledge. Around the time of the Clone Wars, the Chief Librarian was the elderly Jedi Master Jocasta Nu.

Chief Master of the Jedi High Council (or 'Master of the Order'): The Chief Master of the High Council is elected by the Jedi High Council, which effectively acts as chairman, Chief of staff and chief operating officer. Its chief responsibilities include; presiding over High Council meetings of the assembled group, conducting Jedi businesses in an orderly fashion, managing the executive particulars of the day-to-day administration of the Jedi Order, acting as representative or spokesperson to the Galactic Senate, and serving as the Grand Master's junior partner. Jedi Master Mace Windu filled this position at the time of the Clone Wars.

Jedi General: A title given to those given commanding roles in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.

Resources and technology

In the Star Wars universe, the Jedi are usually portrayed wearing simple robes and carrying specialized field gear for their missions. Their philosophical lifestyles mirror those of real-world religious vows and evangelical counsels, as their personal possessions are provided exclusively by the Jedi Order, and are only meant to allow self-sufficiency.

The most notable instrument wielded by a Jedi is the lightsaber. Both Jedi and Sith use lightsabers, though the former regard them as a tool, the latter, a weapon. The Jedi's lightsabers emit cool colors, usually blue or green blades (sometimes yellow, or purple, as seen in the case of Mace Windu), while the Sith emit warm colors (red). Lightsabers can be of many different colors depending on the crystal fixture and reflective of the wielders' psychological profile. Most Jedi use naturally formed crystals, frequently ranging between blue, green and yellow; whereas Sith tend to use corrupted or synthetic crystals, which are usually red in color.

Although rare, spear-like, whip-like and multi-bladed lightsabers can exist, especially among Sith such as Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber, the Inquisitors' double-bladed/rotating ones, or Kylo Ren's crossguard-bladed one (due to a cracked kyber crystal).

Eta-2 Actis Jedi interceptors first appeared in Revenge of the Sith. Delta-7 Aethersprite Jedi starfighters appear in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, while the Delta-7B variant appears in The Clone Wars film. In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi travels via Jedi starfighter to Kamino to investigate the attempted assassination of Padmé Amidala; he also flies a Jedi starfighter to Geonosis in an attempt to track down the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Lacking a hyperdrive, the starfighter relies on an external sled to propel it through hyperspace. Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) fly updated Jedi starfighters (called Jedi interceptors) in the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith. Later, Plo Koon (Matt Sloan) flies a Revenge of the Sith-era starfighter when he is shot down by clone troopers carrying out Darth Sidious' (Ian McDiarmid) Order 66.

The Jedi starfighter's triangular shape in Attack of the Clones stems from the shape of Imperial Star Destroyers in the original Star Wars trilogy. Industrial Light & Magic designer Doug Chiang identified the Jedi starfighter as one of the first designs that bridges the aesthetic between the prequel and original trilogies. Chiang noted that viewers' familiarity with the Star Destroyer's appearance and Imperial affiliation gives added symbolism to the Jedi craft's appearance and foreshadows the Empire's rise to power. The starfighter seen in Revenge of the Sith is a cross between the previous film's vessel and the Empire's TIE fighters from the original trilogy. Hasbro's expanding wings in the Attack of the Clones Jedi starfighter toy inspired the opening wings in the Revenge of the Sith vessel. The starfighter in the Revenge of the Sith is called a Jedi interceptor.

Legends depiction of the Jedi

With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.

In novels and reference books now considered Legends, the interpretation of the Jedi teaching on not forming attachments was alternating between being in line with George Lucas' vision and using "attachment" in the sense of affection, fondness and loving commitment, stating that the Jedi Code prohibited these emotional bonds. Furthermore, the Jedi were depicted as a quasi-militaristic organization with strict political alignment to the Galactic Republic.

Je'daii

Precursors to modern Jedi, the Je'daii Order studied both light and dark sides of the mysterious Force, striving to balance them equally. The preview Dawn of the Jedi issue dates the Je'daii origins to 36,453 years BBY. Before lightsabers and hyperspace travel, the Je'daii journeyed across the planet Tython, training at the Order's nine temples and mastering the lessons of each.

The New Jedi Order

In novels set after the events of the film series, Luke Skywalker re-established the Jedi High Council as part of his New Jedi Order. The most notable difference between the format of the new council and the old is that only half of the council are made up of Jedi, while the other half consisted of politicians. Following the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, the Jedi withdrew their support from any one political entity and relocated to Ossus, where Luke had a full Jedi Council re-established.

The New Jedi Order was the restored and reformed Jedi organization, in the wake of the Great Jedi Purge and the subsequent fall of the Galactic Empire. The Jedi Knights, reduced in number to only a handful, were slowly restored, primarily under the leadership of Grandmaster Luke Skywalker. Skywalker abolished the traditional Master/Padawan system. He believed all Jedi should be both teachers and students; that they should both learn from and mentor each other, and not just from one Master.

Within the Expanded Universe, The New Jedi Order indicates that the Jedi Temple on Coruscant is no longer standing but it is rebuilt as a gift to Jedi for their services and achievements during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. The new temple is in the form of a massive pyramid made from stone and transparisteel that is designed to fit into the new look of Coruscant, though internally it is identical to the design seen in Revenge of the Sith.

Cultural impact and critical response

The United States Army had a group of officers in the early 1980s who promoted maneuver warfare tactics, and who were derisively referred to as Jedi by more conventional officers who were satisfied with attrition warfare tactics and methods.

Analysis

In Star Wars and Philosophy, William Stephens compares the Jedi to Stoicism:To recap, the virtues the Jedi shares with the Stoic sage are patience, timeliness, deep commitment, seriousness (as opposed to frivolity), calmness (as opposed to anger or euphoria), peacefulness (as opposed to aggression), caution (as opposed to recklessness), benevolence (as opposed to hatred), joy (as opposed to sullenness), passivity (as opposed to agitation), and wisdom. Given all these virtues, Yoda certainly resembles what the ancient Stoics described as the sage—the ideal person who has perfected his reason and achieved complete wisdom.

Functionally, the Jedi order resembles a Praetorian Guard.

Media

Jedi have made their way into certain areas of pop culture, such as "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "The Saga Begins", a parody of "American Pie". In the film The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), a reporter follows a former soldier who claimed to be a "Jedi warrior", a nickname for psychic spies in the US military.

Religion

One of the enduring influences the Star Wars saga has had in popular culture is the idea of the fictional Jedi values being interpreted as a modern philosophical path or religion, spawning various movements such as the Jediism (religious) and the Jedi census phenomenon.