As the Jedi instructed their members in the ways of the Jedi Code and the Force, each member progressed through four basic levels of rank.
HIERARCHY
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JEDI INITIATE - The youngest members of the Order, these Force-sensitive children were given the rank of Initiate when they began their communal training in clans. Recruited from worlds throughout the galaxy where blood testing was required upon birth, Initiates were removed from their families and brought to a Jedi academy for formal training.
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JEDI PADAWAN - After being selected for individual tutelage under a single Jedi Knight or Jedi Master, Initiates were given the title of Padawan. Eligible for this rank following the successful completion of the Initiate Trials, Padawans were typically taken at adolescence and completed their training away from the academy. Per tradition, Padawans of a hair-growing species would wear a long braid of hair behind their ear; non-haired Padawans were encouraged to wear a type of jewelry, a tattoo, or other body modification. A Jedi Knight or Jedi Master could have only one apprentice at a time, and the Padawan had to be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight before another apprentice could be chosen; a practice that was formalized following the Great Sith War. While in place, the policy could be revoked should the Order see a decline in number, and necessity forces the apprenticeship of several students to a single master. Following several unsuccessful attempts at the Initiate Trials or if a student is not chosen by a Master, the Council of Reconciliation would place the student within the Jedi Service Corps. Depending on where the student’s talents lay, this might be the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, the Educational Corps or the Exploration Corps. If this role did not suit a particular student, they could choose to leave the Order entirely.
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JEDI KNIGHT - Following a period of nearly a decade of one-on-one training with a master, a disciplined Padawan was eligible to attempt the Jedi Trials. Upon successfully completing all tests put forth, a Padawan’s braid was severed by the High Council and their life as a Knight began. No longer attached to a master, Knights were free to accept missions from the Council, pursue specialized training on one of the three branches of Knighthood, or take their own Padawan.
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JEDI MASTER - An experienced Knight who demonstrated great wisdom and understanding of the Force could be elevated to the rank of Master by the High Council. Self-declaration of the title was frowned upon and rare practice in the latter days of the Order, but not uncommon during war times or periods of disbandment. Amongst the Order’s Masters, only a select few were appointed to one of the Jedi Councils. Made up exclusively of wise, experienced Masters, the Councils of the Order had different levels of membership, ensuring fresh perspectives were expressed as new events occurred. The High Council was made up of 12 masters, five of them holding life terms, four holding long-terms, and three holding short-terms. The elected leader of the Council was known as the Master of the Order and was often bestowed upon the acting Grand Master; the recognized leader of the entire Order.
SPECIALIZATIONS
Upon a Padawan’s ascension to Knighthood, they faced the choice of continuing down one of three branches of Jedi training. Choosing based on preference and personal talents and skills, the opportunity to join the ranks of the Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, or Jedi Sentinel was open to all who passed the Jedi Trials. In addition to their specialization, the High Council could demand that the members of the Order assume military ranks in order to defend the Republic.
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GUARDIAN - Knights preferring to take a physically active stance against the dark side of the Force and all other threats to the Republic were known to pursue the title of Guardian. Brandishing their lightsabers proudly, Guardians focused much of their training on perfecting their sparring and athletic skills, as well as the art of unarmed combat. The Force skills studied by the Guardians were typically those used for quickly disabling an opponent and aiding in agility and stamina. The most profound masters of this specialization were known as Warrior Master .
Sub-Specializations:
- Jedi Ace – Members of the Jedi Starfighter Corps were known as Aces and specialized and used a starfighter as an extension of their being, combining piloting skills with mastery of the Force.
- Lightsaber instructors – Stationed at the Jedi academy, these individuals were battle-scarred Masters who were determined to pass down their experience to the young students of the Order. The highest ranking instructor within the academy was given the title of Battlemaster by the High Council and was responsible for selecting and referring future instructors.
- Jedi Peacekeeper – Those Jedi wishing to pursue a peacekeeping role were stationed within planetary or sectoral government’s security agencies where they worked as the area’s special police. Helping to quell riots and capture terrorists, the Temple Security Force was made up of Peacekeepers. Within its ranks, Jedi could be trained as Gate Master, Sniper, or Brute.
- Jedi Weapon Master – A Jedi Master who mastered the technique of wielding an exotic weapon was dubbed a Weapons Specialist, or Weapon Master. The Weapon Master was among the greatest physical fighters of the Order.
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CONSULAR - Focusing not on physical force but on mastery of the Force and the sharpening of mental skills, the Jedi Knights who became Consulars worked closely with the Republic Diplomatic Corps and medical facilities. Overseen by the Council of Reconciliation, Consulars worked as healers, prophets, and researchers, wielding a lightsaber only for self defense. The most studied masters of this specialization were known as Sage Master .
Sub-Specializations:
- Jedi Ambassador – The face of the Republic to each newly discovered world, Ambassadors worked closely with bureaucrats to assist in greeting unaligned governments and helping them join the Republic. Some Ambassadors were designated as advisers to certain Senators or even the Supreme Chancellor upon request.
- Jedi Diplomat – Always right in the middle of a dispute, Jedi Diplomats were given the authority to hammer out a compromise or treaty during tense negotiations, backed by the full support of the Senate and Jedi Order. Jedi were often called upon to act as impartial diplomats. This was possibly due to the Order’s traditions of detachment from secular society and the phenomenon of Force-guided intuition. They would serve as moderators and negotiators during disputes, and their judgments were recognized as just and binding. When acting as diplomats, Jedi took the utmost care to be impartial and fair-minded.
- Jedi healer – Some Jedi would focus on the more humanitarian aspects of the Force, manipulating the Living Force to perform the art of healing. Led by the Circle of Jedi Healers and headquartered out of the Coruscant Temple’s Halls of Healing, healers were also deployed to serve aboard MedStar frigates and, occasionally, in Republic’s mobile surgical units, or Rimsoos.
- Jedi Lore Keeper – Jedi wishing to contribute to the growth of the Jedi Archives would become Lore Keepers, a group directed by the Librarian’s Assembly. Divided into historians, archivists, and librarians, each group worked for the proliferation of knowledge and preservation of the past.
- Jedi Researcher – Solving theory and updating the Archives of the Order, researchers chose specializations such as that in archaeology, geology, biology, mathematics, and astronomy.
- Jedi Seer – Those Jedi specifically predisposed to receive visions through the Force were known as Seers, maintaining and updating the Order’s holocrons. The most perceptive of these Jedi were known as Prophets and foretold the future of the galaxy.
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SENTINEL - Knights that sought a balance between the intensive combat training of the Jedi Guardians and the wider philosophical views and teaching responsibilities of the Jedi Consulars. These Jedi ferreted out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light. They were generally employed in scouting missions and were skilled in security, computers, or stealth techniques, and also had diplomatic skills.
Sub-Specializations:
- Jedi Investigator – Jedi specially appointed by the High Council to uncover hidden and obscure threats to the galaxy such as powerful criminal syndicates, corruption and conspiracy against the Republic and other shady menaces. The Jedi investigator would often work alone and undercover to infiltrate suspicious organizations or would be busy investigating some act of crime.
- Jedi Recruiters – Working as members of the Acquisition Division of the Order, the recruiters honed the talents learned from Jedi Investigators to track down and identify Force-sensitives to assess whether they belonged in the Jedi Order. Republic law required all newborns undergo testing, with potential candidates’ names being recorded in the Division’s prized Kyber memory crystal. After the child had aged a few months, the Order would dispatch a recruiter to test the child and see if they met the qualifications to begin training on the Jedi Path.
- Jedi Shadow – The secret police of the Order, Shadows worked under the supervision of the First Knowledge Council and were dispatched to destroy all agents of the dark side. Heavily employed after the New Sith Wars, the Shadows were responsible for erasing the word “Sith” from the minds of the majority of galactic citizens.
- Jedi Temple Guard – Anonymous sentinels who served as security force and reported to Jedi Master Cin Drallig, who headed the Temple’s security detail. They wore formal robes and identity-concealing masks, the ultimate expression of emotional detachment required in service to a higher calling. Temple Guards carried imposing lightsaber pikes—thick, double-bladed weapons that produced a rare and distinctive yellow blade.
- Jedi Watchman – Charged with overseeing a particular system or sector, watchman served as a liaison officer between the system or sector and the High Council as well as the Republic in general. Jedi Watchmen were often highly skilled in diplomacy and possessed knowledge of the culture of the system or sector they oversaw; typically having spent many years living amongst the people of said world.