Jedi

The Jedi Order was a centuries old organization that has served as the watchmen and guardians of the Galactic Republic. The Order itself was founded on the planet Tython by philosophers, priests, scientists, and artists who gathered to study and explore a hidden power that would come to be known as the Force. For thousands of years the Order has defended Republic from numerous threats both domestic and external and in doing so have become the arch enemy of a group known as the Sith. The Jedi choose to use the Force for knowledge and defense are noted for the use of their signature weapon, the lightsaber.

In the Clone Wars, Jedi were the key factor for victory in battle for the Republic. Their knowledge, skills, and positions as guardians of peace, stood in the way of total domination over the Republic from Droid Army forces. In this time of war most Jedi were chosen to be Generals and Commanding Officers over regiments in the Grand Army of the Republic, though only if they had attained a certain rank as a Jedi.

Ranks of Jedi
Members of the Order progress through four tiers of rank, at times referred to as levels:
 * Youngling: A Jedi Youngling is a child, a Jedi-in-training, learning to control the Force and wield a lightsaber. The title of "Youngling" is the first part of Jedi training. Younglings were seen training under Jedi Master Yoda in a scene on Attack of the Clones and hiding during the assault on the Jedi Temple inRevenge of the Sith.
 * Padawan: A Youngling who successfully completes training then undergoes Padawan training under the tutelage of a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master. They are also called "Apprentices" and "Padawan learners". As a rite of passage and the final test before the trials to knighthood, Padawans must build their own lightsabers. In the Old Republic, Padawans usually wore a hair braid on the right side of their head which was removed with a lightsaber upon attaining knighthood. They also served as Commanders in the Clone Wars. The term Padawan appears to originate in Sanskrit and can be understood as “learner," both in Sanskrit and by contemporary native speakers of Sanskrit-based languages.[1][2]
 * Jedi Knight: Disciplined and experienced, Jedi Knights become so only when they have completed "the trials" (final tests). This, the most common rank, is interchangeably referred to as "Jedi", "Jedi Knight" and "Master Jedi" (although the latter are only used by Younglings and Padawans when addressing Jedi Knights or above). The five tests are usually known as Trial of Skill, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of the Flesh, the Trial of Spirit, and the Trial of Insight or Knowledge. In Return of the Jedi, Master Yoda gives his apprentice, Luke Skywalker, the trial of confronting Darth Vader for a second time so he might become a full-fledged Knight. Occasionally, performing an extraordinary (usually heroic) act can earn a Padawan learner Jedi status, such as when Obi-Wan Kenobi defeats the Sith Lord Darth Maul. By the time of the movies distinct battle classes were not necessary as the Republic had not seen war in over a thousand years, and the title of Knight was simply a rank once again.
 * Jedi Master: A Jedi Knight may become a Jedi Master after successfully training a Padawan learner to Knight status. Though this is the most common manner, there are other ways of attaining the rank.
 * Jedi Grand Master: The Grand Master is usually the oldest, most experienced and best trained of all Jedi. A Grand Master is chosen by the Jedi Council to lead the entire Jedi Order, while the Master of the Order is elected by the council to chair its meetings and serve as the Grand Master's junior partner in charge of the day-to-day administration of the order. In Star Wars, Yoda is considered to be both the Grand Master and the Master of the Order, although neither office is ever mentioned in any of the six films of the saga. His position as the leader of the council is inexplicably acquired off-screen when Mace Windu, his predecessor and one-time pupil, ceases to hold the title of Master of the Order at some point in the period between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

Jedi Temple
In the Star Wars saga, the Jedi Temple is located in the capital planet of Coruscant. It is the official headquarters/school/monastery of the Jedi Order.

In Revenge of the Sith, the temple is attacked. Even though the temple was severely damaged and most of the Jedi perished, it was not completely destroyed, and is visible in the celebrations on Coruscant at the end ofReturn of the Jedi over twenty years later. The New Jedi Order indicates that the Jedi Temple on Coruscant is no longer standing but it is rebuilt as a gift to Jedi for their services and achievements during the Yuuzhan Vonginvasion. The new temple is in the form of a massive pyramid made from stone and transparisteel that is designed to fit into the new look of Coruscant, though internally it is identical to the design seen in Revenge of the Sith.

Architects Journal rated the temple third on its top-ten architecture of Star Wars list behind the second Death Star and Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine, and ahead of Coruscant, capital city of the Old Republic.[3] The temple is described in the article as adapting "the robust typology of Mayan temples, with durasteel cladding specified for the external stone walls for improved defensive strength" and said to be a ziggurat that "is built above a Force-nexus and has ample room for training facilities, accommodation and the Jedi Archive."[3] The temple has five towers, the tallest is Tranquillity Spire, that are stylistically similar to the minarets surrounding the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.[3] Star Wars Insider listed it as the one hundredth greatest thing about Star Wars in its one hundredth issue special.

Dark Jedi/Sith

 * Main article: Dark Jedi

Dark Jedi is the name given in the Star Wars universe to fictional characters attuned to the Force and adept in its dark side. They exist by that name only in the Expanded Universe, including video games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Star Wars: The Old Republic and the Jedi Knight series.

Rogue JediEdit
Rogue Jedi is the term that refers to Jedi who don't always follow the Jedi Code or the decisions of the Jedi Council.

Equipment
See also: Lightsaber

Within the Star Wars universe, the Jedi are usually portrayed wearing simple robes and carrying specialized field gear for their missions. The most notable instrument wielded by a Jedi is the lightsaber.

Both Jedi and Sith use lightsabers as their main weapon. The Jedi's lightsabers emit blue or green blades (or purple, as seen in the case of Mace Windu), while the Sith emit red ones.

Lightsabers can be of many different colors depending on the crystal fixture. Although a Jedi class used to be defined by the color of the lightsaber, most Jedi choose to make his/her lightsaber any color they see fit. Most Jedi use naturally-formed crystals, whereas Sith tend to use synthetic crystals which are usually red in colour.

Religion

 * Main article: Jediism

One of the enduring influences the Star Wars saga has had in popular culture is the idea of the fictional Jedi values being interpreted as a modern philosophical path or religion,[4] spawning various movements such as the controversial Jediism (religious) and the Jedi census phenomenon.

In popular culture
The US Army had a group of officers in the early 1980s who promoted maneuver warfare tactics, and who were derisively known as Jedi by more conventional officers who were satisfied with attrition tactics and methods.

Jedi Knights have made their way into certain areas of pop culture, such as in: "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "The Saga Begins", a parody of "American Pie". The Jedi influence begins with the lyrics from "American Pie", This'll be the day that I die changed to Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi.

The 2009 film The Men Who Stare at Goats stars Ewan McGregor as a reporter named Bob Wilton who follows a former soldier (George Clooney) who claimed to be a "Jedi warrior", a nickname for psychic spies in the US military. McGregor previously starred as Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy.