Jedi Trials chamber
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Jedi Trials chamber
General information
Location
Chronological and political information
Affiliation
History[]
Erected within the Temple Ziggurat, this chamber was destroyed and rebuilt several times in the Temple's long history, seeing completion in1000 BBY under theGalactic Republic. In use for nearly a millennia after, the Trials Chambers served several generations ofPadawans as they attempted to successfully join the ranks of theJedi Knights.[1]
Housing the largestJedi academy inthe galaxy during the last millennia of the Old Republic, theCouncil of First Knowledge saw the need for a permanent area in which they could administer the Jedi Trials effectively and efficiently. Within this specialized chamber, Padawans ready to face the Trials would face a set of tests that would try their skills and spirit by pitting them against simulacrums of the most fierce Jedi and Sith ever to travel the galaxy.[3]
While not all Trials were held in this chamber due to the number of students the Temple's academy produced and the different circumstances surrounding each apprentice's knighting, throughout the centuries, the Temple elevated several thousand Knights.[3]
At the end of the violentClone Wars, the Republic which the Jedi had served for so long was dissolved and transformed into theGalactic Empire. The Temple was placed under martial law by decree ofContingencyOrder 66. The501st Legion of theGrand Army of the Republic, led byDarth Vader, stormed the Temple and executed its occupants, damaging the Temple in the process. The Temple's Trial Chamber escaped with only a few blaster-burns and toppled statues but was structurally sound.[3]
In2 BBY, with a small contingent ofstormtroopers still occupying the Temple, Darth Vadersent hissecret apprentice,Starkiller, to the Temple in order to complete theTrial of Skill. Having passed through the stormtrooper-guardedentry hall, Starkiller made his way deep into the Temple where he located the Trials Chamber. Upon entering the room the old Trials Program activated and the simulacrum ofDarth Desolous stalked out of the shadows and engaged the assassin in a duel. After an exhausting lightsaber fight, Starkiller usedthe Force to topple the statue ofEmperorPalpatine which had been installed at the far end of the chamber. The Trial passed, Starkiller left the Temple with a newmission from his master.[3]
A few weeks after the duel in the chamber took place, the hall leading down to the chamber collapsed, leaving the room inaccessible. The Hall would stand in silence for several more decades, collecting dust and slowly crumbling. When Darth Sidious and Vader were slain, the Empire lost balance and was eventuallyousted from Coruscant by theNew Republic. During theYuuzhan Vong War Coruscant was devastated byterraforming, causing the Temple to crumble and reveal parts of the foundation.[4] When theGalactic Alliance reclaimed the world,Chief of StateCal Omas, ordered theReconstruction Authority torebuild the ancient edifice as a gift for the great sacrifices made by thereformed Order against theYuuzhan Vong. While the structure was rebuilt using blueprints of the old building, it is unknown if the Trials Chamber was reconstructed or replaced.[5]
Layout and style[]
Located deep in the Temple Ziggurat, this high-ceiling chamber was constructed out of a dark stone and was dimly lit. Located off an ancient passage way, this doorless hall consisted of several stepped areas lined with stone andbronzium statues of Jedi Masters long dead. Within the architecture of the room, the Jedi Trials Program was stored, capable of constructed simulacrums of ancient warriors capable of dueling and injuring Padawans sent to defeat them.[3]
Upon the fall of the Order, this room was opened for touring by the Emperor, who would bring the elite of Coruscant inside to view the downfall of the Jedi. Within the Trials chamber, Palpatine had erected a massive statue of himself depicting his dominance over the Jedi.[3]