A noble order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force, the Jedi hearken back to a more civilized, classical time in galactic history. Their order is ancient, spanning over a thousand generations. As the Galactic Republic throve and grew over the centuries, the Jedi came to serve it as guardians of peace and justice.
Headquartered on Coruscant, the Jedi trained, studied, and planned from the impressive Jedi Temple, a towering edifice rising high above the surrounding structures on the city-planet. They are governed by a High Council of 12 Jedi -- most of them Jedi Masters -- who contemplate the very nature of the Force.
To become a Jedi requires the deepest commitment and most serious mind. It is not a venture to be undertaken lightly. As such, Jedi instruction is rigidly structured and codified to enforce discipline and hinder transgression. Only 20 Jedi have ever voluntarily renounced their commissions. It is with great regret that the Jedi order recognize the so-called "Lost Twenty." A Jedi who fails in his training can be a very serious threat. The dark side of the Force beckons to the impatient, and students in the past have been lured to its call with devastating consequences.
Jedi candidates are detected, identified and taken into the order as infants. One method of detection is through blood sampling -- those with great Force potential often have high midi-chlorian counts in their bloodstream. A prospective Jedi begins training in infancy. All connection to previous family life is lost. In this early stage of training, a single master instructs groups, or clans, of Jedi hopefuls.
As the Jedi mature, the apprentice is paired with a master to continue the next phase of the training. According to the Jedi Code, a Jedi Master may only have one Padawan at a time. Near the end of the Padawan's training, she must undergo trials before ascending to the rank of Knight.
The next level of rank in the Jedi order is the Jedi Master, reserved for those who have shown exceptional devotion and skill in the Force. It is from the ranks of the Jedi Masters that the High Council is chosen, which is the main interface between the Jedi and the government of the Republic.
The Jedi dress in simple robes and carry specialized field gear for their missions. Their signature weapon, the lightsaber, is both elegant and deadly when in the hands of a trained master.
The sworn enemies of the Jedi are the Sith -- a cult-like order bent on domination through subservience to the Force's dark side. Founded by former Jedi, the Sith abandoned the precepts of knowledge and defense, and instead seek abandon and strength through the Force's hateful energies. Centuries ago, the Jedi destroyed the Sith order. A dangerous complacency set it, wherein the Jedi believed the Sith extinct. Little did they know the order would arise anew, to destroy their ranks.
At first, the signs were few. The sudden appearance of a Sith attacker during the Battle of Naboo was startling to the Council, but that threat was dispatched. Still, according to Sith lore, the dark villains always traveled in pairs -- a master, and apprentice. For a decade, there was no physical signs of the remaining Dark Lord, but evidence of his power began to appear.
The Jedi ability to use the Force inexplicably began to diminish. This, coupled with increasing violence in the galaxy sparked by a Separatist movement overburdened the valiant protectors. Their ranks were spread thin trying to maintain the peace, and many Jedi fell during the crisis. When it came to war, and the first shots of the Clone Wars were fired on Geonosis, only a scant 200 Jedi were readily available for the conflict. Most of this taskforce was killed in the battle, but reinforcements, in the form of the Republic's new military, secured a victory against the Separatists.
The origins of the Jedi order are forever lost to time, but much of their early history has been recorded in specialized information modules known as Jedi Holocrons. These lore repositories can only be activated by those talented in the Force, and exploring its deepest confines requires the skill of a trained Jedi.
From the few Holocrons that remain some scholars theorize that the Jedi order began on the ancient world of Ossus. Throughout the millennia, the Jedi Code has evolved and changed. For instance, while it now dictates that a Jedi Master may only have one Padawan at a time, in the ancient past, it was not always so. Revered masters, like Arca Jeth of Arkania, had several students, including the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta. It is likely that events such as the Great Sith War, in which many Jedi apprentices were lured to the dark side by the promises of Sith power and rose against their masters, were a factor in the changing the existing Jedi Code.
While the Code contains many layers of interpretation and information, at its core it reads as follows:
In the final era of the Republic, the Jedi Knights operated out of the Judicial Department, under the office of Supreme Chancellor. During the Separatist crisis, the Jedi had to weather not only the flashpoints of violence scattered across the galaxy, but increasing public backlash against their apparent shortcomings. While the Jedi undoubtedly saved many lives through their duties, many disenchanted citizens saw only their failures.