An Overview of Jedi Philosophy, Traditions, and Vocations

[Tharnanion]

The Jedi Order
Paths, Dispositions, and Philosophical Schools of Thought

 

 

Introduction & Notices

The Halls of the Jedi have been abuzz with discussions of perspective and attitude for all of its long and illustrious history. Never has the Order been unified in its approach or disposition towards the means by which it intends to serve the Force. The intention of this guide is to inform the reader of the multitude of philosophies, positions, vocations and paths of the Order, a showcase of it’s members’ dynamism and various spectrums so as to allow for more nuanced, complex characters to be created within the Order’s ranks. With that said, a few considerations:

 

Note that this is intended to be a dormant, yet living document, updated when the need arises or more is revealed of the nature of the Jedi, I will do what is in my power to keep this as current with information as I possibly can.

 

Note as well that due to the current state of the galaxy, the Jedi Order is not presently in a place to accept all of these specialties, sects, and other such roles. Currently unavailable or not yet permitted roles that a character could feasibly fill will be denoted as such with an asterisk. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the status of a given category, contact site admins for assistance.

 

Please notify me (Tharnanion#3056 on Discord) immediately of any errors or areas of debate concerning anything to do with this text. This could be something derived from the lore involved, or errors of grammatical, syntactical, or structural nature. It is my intention to see this a polished, well-constructed work, and whilst I edit profusely, I am bound to miss something. All assistance is most appreciated.

 

Part I - The Paths & Specialties

Paths

The paths of the Jedi are the philosophical dispositions that form the foundation by which a member of the Order elects to serve their duty as Jedi: to become the manifested intent and will of the Force itself. The paths are static, though display elements of dynamism throughout each constituent role. Members of each path are firm in their beliefs, but have not formed this as the basis of much debate within the Order. During the height of the Order, one’s path was declared and set in stone - typically somewhere between the stages of padawan and knighthood - though some elected not to ascribe to any path in particular. The following are the three paths of the Jedi: Guardians, Consulars, and Sentinels.

 

Guardians | The Force Made Physical
Blunt, unrelenting, aggressive. These are all terms commonly attributed to those who align with the path of the Guardian. Considered the Swords of the Order, many Guardians take up roles as peacekeepers, warriors, and combatants within the Order. But what founds such a martial focus out of the Order’s members?

 

A more nuanced approach to the Guardian Path reveals that Guardians are not just martial in nature, but rather physical in their approach. The Guardian emphasizes the grounded, physical application of the Force’s will upon the world. As such, they find merit and focus in honing their physical form (by conventional means, or through the Force itself) to better serve its will.     

 

Guardians are commonly found among the Order’s martial specialties due to their incredibly physical orientation towards the Force. However, they are seen throughout the entirety of the Order’s careers and vocations. Archivists, Instructors, even Artisans have all taken the Guardian path.

 

Consulars | The Force Made Spiritual
Anathema to the standpoint of the Guardian, the Consular stands in stark contrast to the foundations of thought purported by the Swords of the Order. The Consular is infamous as the path which hosts the Order’s intellectuals, being those who are often characterized as being of keen mind and wit rather than the martial, athletic focus of the Guardians. The path emphasizes the use of the Force in a far more intimate, spiritual way. They place special focus upon internal dispositions and the growth of one’s relationship in the Force via mental and spiritual means. This often results in Consulars being given the impression of having the greater capabilities in the Force of the three paths.

 

Consulars often find themselves in intellectual, scholarly roles within the Order. Philosophers, teachers, archivists, to name a few. Just as well, their dedication to spirituality has made them far more level-headed and amenable than most. During times of great integration in the Order, Jedi Consulars were often known to serve as diplomats and mediaries to negotiate deals and barter agreements.

 

Sentinels | The Force Made Practical
Embedded in the rustic sensibilities and practical realities of the world, the Sentinel path characterizes itself as the road less traveled. Members of this path are far fewer and seldom seen than others, both by merit of them serving as the smallest of the three paths proportionally, and their tendency of its members to be rather decentralized in nature. The Sentinel is often known as the middle path, as it loosely represents a blend of the philosophies of the Guardians and Consulars -  placing equal emphasis on the physicality and spirituality of the Force, finding a mixed application somewhere to their individual preference. Furthermore, and rather central to the philosophy of many Sentinels, the Sentinel is known to be decentralized as opposed to the other paths. Those Sentinels that are not decentralized are often found to serve within specialized roles in the Order such as Shadows or the Temple Guard, whereas most Sentinels are found to embed themselves within the galaxy’s many worlds, serving as local public servants, healers, constables, and sages.

 

Specialties

Whilst one’s path within the Order made clear their disposition and philosophy towards the application of the Force, there are also a litany of vocations from which a Jedi can choose to embrace as their own. The following is a brief outline of more famous, or common, vocations known within the Order.

 

Weapon Masters
Among the Order’s finest warriors, the Jedi Weapon Master was less a vocation than an honorific title, being bestowed upon a Jedi for their prowess in combat with atypical, unorthodox implements of war. Most weapon masters eschewed the use of the standard lightsaber in favor of such non-traditional weaponry.

 

Battlemasters
The office of Battlemaster is a title held by the premiere lightsaber duelist within the ranks of the Order. The Battlemaster’s foremost duty was to coordinate and supervise the instruction of students, making it less of a combative position, and far more one of instruction.

 

Ace
The Jedi Ace were considered the Order’s foremost starfighter pilots, being a member of the Jedi starfighter corps. Jedi Aces utilized the Force and specialized fighters to perform complex maneuvers, aiding their ability in perfecting themselves in the art of space combat.

 

Peacekeepers
Among the oldest and most prolific of vocations in the Jedi Order, Peacekeepers were known for their collaboration with local law enforcement, protecting and serving the public as mediaries and aiding to suppress violence before it erupted.

 

Healers
The Jedi Healers and Jedi Medical Corps are comprised of Jedi who specialize in the art of using the Force for the purposes of medicine and healing. They will implement their abilities as a public service, often on worlds of destitute and impoverished status.

 

Archivists
Jedi Archivists specialize in the collection and study of a given subject in the academic field. The Jedi Archivists preside over the Jedi Archive, curating and adding to its knowledge with the aid of Jedi Researchers.

 

Researchers
Similar to Archivists, Jedi Researchers comb the galaxy in search of artifacts, going on special missions and collecting special objects or scientific data for collection and storage in the Jedi archive.

 

Shadows
Shadows are considered one of the most covert and secretive of the Jedi’s vocations. Jedi Shadows are dedicated to the eradication of the Dark Side, in any form, and dedicate themselves to active efforts to destroy the Sith Order and its supporters through coordinated, precise strikes.

 

Temple Guard
The Jedi Temple Guard serve as a vanguard force dedicated to the protection and security of Jedi installations and temples. An ancient and honored tradition in Jedi history, knights of the Order were often plucked at random to serve in the anonymous robes of the temple guard, eschewing their identities so as to be perceived as the judgment of the Force itself. The temple guard were not just assigned at random, however, and there were Jedi who chose to make the Temple Guard their permanent vocation.

 

Artisans
A Jedi Artisan was a specialization that could be attained by those Jedi Knights who tried to understand creativity as a central aspect of the will of the Force. Considered artists and charged with creative endeavors, Jedi Artisans are known to create devices, artifacts, and other implements, most famously specializing in the design and construction of lightsabers.

 

Naturalists
Jedi Naturalists are pathfinders, explorers, and survivalists. They are often most at home in the wilderness of the countless planets in the galaxy, learning the flora and fauna, the terrain, and the secrets that nature holds. Within the Order, they serve their roles as scouts and protectors, and as early warning for potential corruption on a planet, whether it be one that the Jedi already have an established presence on or one they have just come to.

 

 

Part II - Political Dispositions
  

The Spectrum of Jedi Political Thought

Across the Jedi’s long history, the Order - and its constituent individuals - are known to have exercised a great deal of varied and dynamic thought. The Order’s interpretation of its code, its place in the galaxy, and its obligation to lead the Order and its members have been areas of debate in Jedi halls for as long as the Order has existed. The following intends to denote the three primary areas of debate: How the code shall be interpreted, the Order governed, and the galaxy aided. While no one school of thought as listed below will be deemed correct, there will certainly be ‘prevailing’ and ‘outlying’ schools in a given era. Depicted below are examples of these ideologies put to their extremes, no one Jedi must conform to any extreme, but rather, be along a place within these spectrums.

 

Liberalism v Traditionalism
Presiding over the Jedi Code and its interpretation, this first spectrum encompasses a given Jedi’s thoughts and dispositions toward the doctrine of the Order. Attributing the labels of ‘Liberalism’ and ‘Traditionalism,’ one can find these to be self-explanatory. Traditionalists are far more rigid and unrelenting in their interpretation of the Code and their prescribed view as what is ‘right’ for a Jedi to be and do, and their thoughts on the Dark Side are often tantamount to heresy. Liberals are far more lax in their interpretations, deeming the Code as less essential, or perhaps finding it to be anathema to one’s role as a Jedi entirely. Their stance on the Dark Side, as well, may be far more rehabilitative.

 

Integrationism v Isolationism
This spectrum concerns the role of the Jedi in the galaxy. There are those among the Jedi who advocate for the Jedi to rule and preside as a governing body of the galaxy and its denizens, replacing - or leading - entities such as the Galactic Republic. Those who take this school of thought are known as integrationists. Conversely, isolationists are those who believe the Jedi have no role in the galaxy at large whatsoever, preferring the role of the Jedi to be a monastic Order, with no duty or responsibility to anyone.

 

Decentralization v Centralization
Concerning the governance of the Order itself, the spectrum of Centralization and Decentralization encompasses a Jedi’s opinion of how the Order ought to be administratively organized. Those who consider themselves paragons of ‘Centralization’ would be those who believe the Order should be centrally governed, with the high council as the exclusive, authoritarian administration of the Order and it’s members. Centralization at its extreme also purports the concentration of the entire Order into a singular temple by which the Order is governed, with no satellite locations permitted. Proponents of ‘Decentralization’ would be those who believe the Jedi ought not to be governed by any council whatsoever, with no temple to speak of, and an anarchic, nomadic structure on the whole.

 

 

Concluding Thoughts

It is my hope that you have gleaned some utility from this text, and that you can better inform your Jedi character as a consequence. I am welcome for further dialogue and inquiry via discord (Tharnanion#3056) and am more than happy to assist accordingly. Further additions and elaborations to this text are planned, and any suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thank you all for your time, and may the Force be with you.
 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Tharnanion

[Tharnanion]

Documentation

The following are a few attached documents I believe may be of interest / intrigue to some of the members of our Jedi Order. Take a look, drop some input if you wish, and feel free to comment / discuss any elements of any documents in the Discord!

 

The Survey of Jedi Political Thought and Philosophy

This document is a spreadsheet encapsulating the spectrum of political thought as described above. All will have edit access to this document, so be sure to be careful with it (if the document needs to be fixed, DM me on Discord). The sheets themselves explain their purpose and provide a helpful visual array for the various schools of thought within the Order.

 

And a little bonus - WIP and not yet published IRP:

'A Principal Analysis of the Jedi Code' by Jedi Master Kerriwarr

Edited April 7, 2023 by Tharnanion