History and Beliefs of the Jedi Order

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Brandon Rhea

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Hello, young Padawan. I am the keeper of the Jedi Archives here on Ossus. The High Council has asked that I take a few moments to help you learn more about the Jedi Order and the way of the Jedi. To do this, I have complied three basic learning scrolls for you. These scrolls contain:

  • Jedi History
  • The Jedi Code
  • The Nine Tenets
Learn these well, young one. They are a crucial and fundamental part of the life of all Jedi. Once you begin your training, you may learn more about these in-depth, and your master will expect you to understand all of it.
 
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The Jedi Order
History of the Order

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The early history of the Jedi Order is shrouded in mystery. Even the wisest Jedi Chroniclers have not been able to determine with full confidence the circumstances of our Order’s founding. The Force has guided us to some answers, but we may never know the full extent of what happened thousands of years ago.

Some generally accept that the Order was founded around the same time as the Galactic Republic, approximately twelve thousand years ago, but the earliest documents pointing to the existence of the Jedi Order come from nearly seven hundred years before that. It is relatively the same time when dealing with twelve millennia, but the Jedi were still, presumably, founded centuries prior to the Republic.

Numerous ancient and legendary groups were said to have been the ancestors of the Jedi, including the Order of Dai Bendu, the Followers of Palawa, and the Chatos Academy. No one has ever been able to conclusively link these groups to our Order’s foundation, but it is generally accepted this way. We also do not know what planet gave birth to our people. Some have suggested Coruscant, Ossus, Utapau, Corellia, and the mythical worlds of Had Abbadon and Ondos. What we generally agree upon, however, is Tython, as the galaxy’s greatest philosophers, priests, scientists, and warriors came to Tython hundreds of years before the Republic to discuss the discovery of the Force, the light side of which they came to call the Ashla while the dark side was the Bogan.

A few hundred years later, the Galactic Republic was founded on Coruscant, which became the government’s capital. Within the next century, we agreed to help defend it, though at the time we did not swear complete allegiance to it. The Republic mapped the Perlemian Trade Route, permanently connecting Coruscant with Ossus, where we fortified ourselves to defend the Republic and all the people of the known galaxy.

Centuries later, we saw the first schism in our history, the First Great Schism. Dissident Jedi who fell to the dark side and utilized the nature of the Bogan came together under the leadership of the Dark Jedi General Xendor, who founded the Legions of Lettow. They allied with Arden Lyn, a master of Teräs Käsi and a leader of the Followers of Palawa. In a devastating battle, Xendor and his followers were defeated, ending the schism.

These events led to further development of the Jedi Order, and these Jedi were able to develop a new technology: the lightsaber, a frozen laser beam used as a weapon. We used this for thousands of years as a tool of peace and justice, and we used it well. The Jedi participated in very few armed conflicts, as did the Republic, although there were multiple attacks on Coruscant from the Alsakan Union.

The worst of the Alsakan attacks came only twenty years ago during the Alsakan Union. During the conflict, our Grandmaster, Banik Kelrada, attempted to broker a peace between the Republic and the Alsakans by meeting with the Alsakan Vicar Lharra on Ossus, but the Alsakans murdered their own leader and implicated Kelrada in the crime. Something changed in Kelrada after that, and he injured Jedi Master Edo Tesu during the Conclave on Ossus shortly after the assassination. After he was accused of murdering Tesu the next day, many Jedi left the order, forming the now-lost Ospion Guardians. Kelrada disappeared shortly thereafter.

When the war ended, our Order realized that it had made many mistakes. There was no central Jedi authority, and we were not as allied with the Republic as we should have been. To fix this, the Jedi High Council recognized the need to revise some of the eight tenets, which we now know as the nine tenets. This was decided at the Conclave on Coruscant in the Jedi Temple, which became our central location following the war - thus abolishing the local Coruscant council - and our newfound allegiances to the Republic. It was only a few years later when the Great Hutt Wars began, and we have unfortunately been sucked into the conflict, where we nevertheless proudly defend the Republic.
 
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The Jedi Order
The Code of the Jedi

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Emotion, yet peace
Ignorance, yet knowledge
Passion, yet serenity
Chaos, yet harmony
Death, yet the force.


I) Emotions. Happiness, love, anger, resentment, fear, and excitement, these are all examples of emotion. No emotion is inherently bad or wrong in any way, and we recognize this, but as a Jedi you must learn to control your emotions. Your emotions can cloud your judgment and potentially cause you to make hasty decisions without properly thinking them through. You must transcend your emotions and come to a place of inner peace.

II) Everyone is ignorant in some way or another. It is the duty of the Jedi Order to continue to educate ourselves and each other. This process is never-ending, as no one has attained all the knowledge of the universe except those who are One with the Force. Remain vigilant and know that you are not all-knowing, there is still much to learn.

III) Emotions, and especially those in circumstances of extreme stress, must be understood and checked, lest you risk losing yourself to them and becoming a tool of the dark side. Always act with a cool hand and an even temper. Observe each situation and act according to the will of the Force, and not to the will of your unbridled passion.

IV) It is undeniable that sometimes things just go awry, or at least appear to. And while this is true, we Jedi understand that all events are interconnected and are simply part of life. Tragedies and failings are inevitable, it is how we deal with them that matters, and as a Jedi, you should take such things in stride. Without this knowledge, the rest of the tenets are meaningless.

V) Death is a natural part of life. Jedi can be killed, and often are in times of war. However, death is not a tragedy, but a necessary part of the life cycle. Without death, life could not exist. They balance each other out. When we die, we are just passing into another realm of existence, that of the Force.
 

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The Jedi Order
The Nine Tenets


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The Jedi Order is guided by two basic doctrines: the Jedi Code, and the Nine Tenets. While the Jedi Code is steadfast in its truthfulness, the Order recognized the need to revise some of the then-Eight Tenets following the Alsakan Crisis and the Great Jedi Schism that broke our Order in two.

To that end, the High Council called a Conclave on Coruscant to take place in the Jedi Temple, which had become our primary location due to our newfound stronger allegiances to the Galactic Republic (though it is currently closed for repairs). During this conclave, some of these tenets were revised, while others remained the same. A ninth tenet was also added.

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Jedi are the guardians of peace, justice, and order in the galaxy. We fight for all life, no matter how intelligent or how unintelligent, no matter how big or how small, no matter how significant or insignificant on a galactic scale. We defend civilization, as well as the freedoms and liberties of all people. The Republic shares these goals and they have become a close ally of the Order, as we are of theirs. We support them to maintain peace and stability enjoyed by this main galactic body and the people throughout the galaxy. When the galaxy is split, a Jedi will side with the Republic, even if there are disagreements with the Republic’s leadership, as we defend the people of the Republic. To rebel against this tenet is to create disorder and chaos.

Emotions are unavoidable, but lessons may be learned from the feeling of these emotions. However, emotions of such strength as to cause a Jedi to act or behave in a manner different from rational thought are dangerous, and must be avoided at all costs for a Jedi to truly master the Force.

Feelings of attraction and love are to be explored carefully and with rationality in mind. Romantic pathways must be treated with care so as to avoid pain and anger. A Jedi must not, however, explore the realm of marriage. To love another is dangerous yet acceptable if treated with care, but attaching oneself to another life in the bonds of matrimony cannot be allowed. Attachment leads to the dark side, and to commit to the way of the Jedi means giving up personal desires and living for the benefit of all life.

The Jedi are to respect life, in any form, and only take life when necessary. A Jedi must put the need of the community over the needs of individuals. A Jedi is not to act for solely personal gain or greed - the good of all must be his goal.

A Jedi is to protect the weak and defenseless. A Jedi may not kill a defenseless individual. Should a Jedi be in a position where aid may be given to the weak or the poor, then the Jedi should do what they can to aid the situation within the guidelines of the Code, the Tenets, and of course the law.

All Jedi are to respect the decisions of the Jedi High Council. While conclaves are held for all members of the Order to air concerns, the Jedi High Council is the governing body of the order. Centralized leadership is important, and this council of equals, led by an equal designated as Grandmaster, was chosen with trust to make these decisions for the Order. Jedi may disagree with the High Council but they must never openly oppose it, for we have seen the dangers in open opposition. Jedi are free, however, to make personal decisions on their own, so long as they do not conflict with standing Jedi policy.

Ruling power and financial wealth are not permitted for a Jedi, as these lead to arrogance and self-pride. Self-pride is a complex that eats the heart and mind of all, including Jedi. If a Jedi thinks he or she is greater than other beings, equal to other beings, or less than other beings then they have succumbed to self-pride. Guard against these three complexes night and day.

A Jedi must consider the living and cosmic manifestations of the Force - one must be mindful of the present, but also look to both the future and the past for guidance.

A Jedi does not fight for adventure or glory. A Jedi fights for the survival of civilization and the survival of the people within it. The greatest Jedi is not the one who defeats an army of thousands, but the one who triumphs over himself. Your importance lies in your devotion to life.
 
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