"It will be a hard life; one without reward, without remorse, without regret. A path will be placed before you. The choice is yours alone. Do what you think you cannot do. It will be a hard life, but you will find out who you are."
The training of students of the Jedi Order changed and evolved over its many millennia of existence. Throughout its history though, the idea of a Master and an Apprentice was consistent; though at times more than one apprentice could be taken by a single Master. Training was harsh and difficult, consisting of nearly two decades of tutelage before an apprentice became a full-fledged Knight.[3]
The earliest recorded training methods come from Tython, with the archaic version of theJedi Trials. Students were tested at their Master's discretion and only achieved Knighthood at their say. Tests such as the ancient Trial of Skill saw students forced to maintain focus while enduring stressful challenges, such as balancing upside-down on a post in the midst of a storm. Combat tests withForce-imbued swords and archaic versions of thelightsaber were extremely difficult and sometimes dangerous. This method of testing was eventually abandoned when it was understood that Masters sometimes pushed their students too far, with the bar set far too high for success to be possible.[3]
When a Master chose a student in these early days, their decision was unquestioned and undisputed. Age restriction of later centuries was not observed, with ancient Masters taking on adult apprentices and raising them to full knighthood at varying paces. As Jedi spread out from Tython to the larger galaxy, many training facilities were established, often on a Master's homeworld. Taking on more than a single student at a time, these Jedi Masters ran their schools in a loose organization, meeting with other Masters at periodicconclaves.[4] Eventually, the world ofOssus became a center for Jedi teaching when MasterOdan-Urr founded theGreat Jedi Library in the city ofKnossa. As the Jedi cities on the world expanded, more and more students were admitted and completed their training in the ways of the Jedi.[3]
As the Order began to take form and align with theGalactic Republic, aJedi High Council was established and a more fluidacademy was formed to train students along loose guidelines. The creation of some new tests began to evolve during this time as the Order took to fighting theDark Lords of the Sith. During these wars, Trials of Courage and of the Flesh, two of the canonized Trials of Knighthood, were once considered complete if a Padawan shown heroics on the battlefield against a Sith Lord. However, the Council eventually done away with this practice, since they realized that it's difficult to sort out courage from recklessness in these situations.[3]
ThePius Dea Era of the Galactic Republic saw a surge in rather cruel tests to become a Knight. Known asthe Burning, this version of the Trial of the Flesh involved torturous applications of shock weapons, low-powered blaster fire, or cuts from a blade. Eventually, trials like this were banned by the High Council for its barbaric methods.[3]
Around the time of theOld Sith Wars, Knights would continue their training even later in life, and a Master would have more than one Apprentice, such asTott Doneeta,Ulic andCay Qel-Droma[5] They would sometimes continue under different masters, such asAndur Sunrider, who planned to further his training under MasterThon. Jedi would offer to train Force-sensitive members of their own family, something that Andur planned to do with his wifeNomi and baby daughterVima.[6] After his death, Vima was trained by her mother.[7]
MasterYoda teaches lightsaber combat to younglings.
Following the end and supposed extinction of the Sith and the passage of theRuusan Reformation, the Jedi Order completely reformed its academy under the leadership ofGrand MasterFae Coven and theCouncil of First Knowledge. Closing many of the ancient praxeums of the early order in favor of a more centralized academy on Coruscant, those that remained open were overseen by aCouncil of Masters as opposed to a single administrator. The formation of theAcquisition Division was a necessity with the newly implemented age restriction: allInitiates in the Order were restricted to infants and very young children. In order to help, theGalactic Republic passed a law requiring all member worlds to check forForce-sensitivity upon delivering each child. According the standard protocol, the Jedi asked for parents consent prior the adoption of the initiate.[8] The Council also took the time to codify a formal battery of five tests of Knighthood, in addition to restricting apprenticeship to one Master and one apprentice.[3]
As the academy flourished, so did the Order. Initiates were placed inclans and learned together for over a decade along a strict, structured regimen of academics and combat. The Jedi Academy on Coruscant structured an Initiate's day and the lessons progressed in difficulty as a student moved through the academy system. Lessons were taught by Jedi Masters and unranked Jedi from the Education Corps, and designed to give the Initiates the skills they would need in the field. Mandating that Force studies take place in the morning, students were taught the ways of the Force and its three applications: Control, Sense, and Alter. Midday studies focused on traditional classroom instruction, where non-Jedi instructors taught an assortment of lessons including political strategy, galactic law, the sciences, and language. The afternoons were dedicated to physical activities, including lightsaber training. TaughtForms I throughForm VI oflightsaber combat by highly qualifiedinstructors, Initiates practiced withtraining lightsabers until they crafted their own in thecaves ofIlum. Five mandatory mediation sessions were mixed into the day, as well as communal meals. Following passage of thegraduation tests, Initiates were eligible to be selected by a Master or Knight for one-on-one training. The High Council had little to do with this process, unless a student failed their tests or a Master never chose them; these individuals were placed in theJedi Service Corps by theCouncil of Reassignment.[3]
Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Training did not cease after graduation from the academy. Padawans continued to train in the ways of the Jedi with their masters on long journey-missions or on brief assignments from one of the Councils. Some pairs traveled with the Service Corps on specialized missions related to diplomacy or exploration.Praxeum ships were used as academies away from the confines of the Temple for extended study and research. As a Padawan, students set their own schedule to work around assignments and missions. Master-Padawan teams lasted for years, typically over a decade, but had no set time period. When the student had learned all they could from their master, they were recommended to the High Council for the Trials of Knighthood. The Trials took place over a period of time and if they were completed successfully the Padawan wasknighted.[3]
Again, once a Knight, training did not stop. Knights were given the option of further study as either aGuardian,Consular, orSentinel. This study led to the specialization in fields such as theWatchmen orSeers. As this study continued, a Knight could take on a Padawan of their own and pass down their wisdom, learning from their students as much as their Padawan learned from them.[3]
Dark years[]
During theImperial Period the former Order was reduced to scattered rogue Jedi. Even so, common Force sensitive individuals were introduced to the Jedi beliefs during theGalactic Civil War, who were the seeds of the laterNew Jedi Order; although their training was very hasty and brief compared to the formal, lifelong training of the actual Jedi.
Luke Skywalker was trained in the ways of the Force by Grand Master Yoda.
Luke Skywalker was introduced to the Force by an elderly Ben Kenobi, and his actual training began by Yoda.
In the first years of theNew Republic,Kyle Katarn had comparable beginnings; guided only by thespirit of former MasterQu Rahn, he managed to become a self-taught Jedi Knight after some trials, within the course of some days. It was Skywalker who recognised that his self-training was complete and welcomed him to Knighthood.[9] Furthermore, with Rahn's help, Katarn experienced avision in which heaccessed the memories of ancient Jedi MasterTal; calling upon his techniques, he managed to defeat signlehandedly more experiencedDark Jedi of theImperial Remnant, even the all-powerfulJerec.[10]
"We receive countless requests for assistance from all over the galaxy. Since we believe in learning by doing at the Academy, students of all levels help with these requests."
The system of Jedi training was more lax in the post–Galactic Empireera in that Jedi students often did not begin training until much older than the younger age required in the Galactic Republic. They usually traveled to a Jedi academy to learn combat and Force techniques. Due to the destruction of much of the knowledge and thepurge of many masters, lightsaber combat became simplified and many Force techniques were lost.ASP-19s were used for training.
During this period, almost every Jedi was at some point trained personally by MasterLuke Skywalker, with a few exceptions, such asKyle Katarn, who would go on to teach at theJedi academy onYavin 4. Also, due to the lack of fully trained Jedi, it was common for masters to train multiple apprentices at the same time.[11]
Following theYuuzhan Vong War, the system of training Jedi became more regimented and organized, more closely resembling the setup of training in theOld Republic era. Students were divided into groups based on age, each group having a predetermined set of techniques to be learned, likeForce Jump,Telekinesis,Force Persuasion, and centering exercises. Age groups includedWoodoos,Rontos, andBanthas. As a student progressed into a new group, the level of training became more complex, calling for greater reliance onthe Force. After the students built their own lightsaber, they were simply known as apprentices. One such program was a game calledSkorch, where two teams of older apprentices used acrobatics andForce powers to send balls through the air, though it is the referee of the game who was being trained, his or her job being to discover the secret goals of each team, which was shown through the patterns of their movements.[12]
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Qui-Gon Jinn: One Destiny onStarWars.com(backup link)