Archive of Our Own ^beta

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INTRODUCTION:  SO WHAT DO THE JEDI SAY AND DO IN THE ACTUAL CANON?

This is a follow-up to this collection of quotes and commentary and scenes (now a series!) gathered together to show what the Jedi say and do in the current canon of Star Wars, which means that it is an extension of that guide, rather than one I think stands wholly on its own. I didn’t want to expand that one, as it would be too confusing to note which were new entries into the guide and which ones were those previously set in.  This is an attempt to make it easier to read everything that’s new, rather than making you read 23k+ that you’d already read!  Not a perfect solution, but I hope to one day meld them together--assuming that there will probably be a third one of these, at the rate things are going. 😂

The plan is to post in 25k-30k installments, and I would encourage thinking of these as a reference guide WIP, rather than any one being complete on their own.  The layout is as close to the previous one as I could make it, so if you’re looking for something in particular or a section seems rather empty, it should be easy to find the same section in the different installments (or future installments) where they should hopefully be!

Now, first it may help to establish just what do we mean when we say “canon”?

I would argue that there are five main “continuities” more than I would argue for a single canon and, while some may influence each other and things will be “recanonized” from one to another as well, they are still largely distinct and most things can be categories into them with relative ease.

1. GEORGE LUCAS CONTINUITY:
The first six movies of the Skywalker Saga + the first six seasons of The Clone Wars.  Anything beyond this, George Lucas never considered to be part of his Star Wars, which he has stated many, many times and others have backed him up on this:

• “The books are in a different universe. I’ve not read any of them, and I told them when they started writing I wouldn’t read any of them and I blocked out certain periods [they couldn’t touch where the real story happens].” –George Lucas 2003
  
• ”The novels and comic books are other authors’ interpretations of my creation.  Sometimes, I tell them what they can and cant do, but I just don’t have the time to read them all. They’re not my vision of what Star Wars is.”  –George Lucas 2004

2.  LEGENDS CONTINUITY:
Anything created before April 25th, 2014 that’s reasonably expected to be taken seriously.  Books, comics, video games, and reference books.  If you’re wondering if something is Legends, just check the date it was published and that’ll usually tell you!
     A notable exception is that roleplaying guidebooks (like the ones from Fantasy Flight Games or Wizards of the Coast, etc.) may not be included in what’s canon to this continuity, I haven’t heard a yea or a nay specifically about their relationship with the Legends continuity.
     STATUS UNSURE:  LucasArts pumped out a ton of games back in the day and I’m not sure how much you’re meant to take them as part of the Legends continuity.  Probably the more serious ones, yes, like KOTOR/SWTOR or Republic Commando.  Probably the less serious ones like the podracing game, no.  (But that’s just guessing on my part!)

3.  PRE-DISNEY, NON-SERIOUS STUFF:
Things like LEGO Star Wars or activity books or trivia books or storybooks are probably going to be canon-compliant, but they’re likely not meant to be taken as part of the Legends continuity.  Star Wars Infinities (like that comic where Darth Vader lived) are deliberate otherworlds stories.

4.  DISNEY’S LUCASFILM CONTINUITY:
Almost anything post-April 25th, 2014 that’s a serious movie, TV show, novel, comic, serious video game, reference book, etc.
     There are some exceptions, like some of the books that were in production during the Disney buy were still put out, but would have a disclaimer in the back about how it was based on Legends info.  Fantasy Flight Games roleplaying books are canon-compliant but should not be used as “canon” material, according to the Story Group.  (I don’t know if Wookieepedia is aware of this or if they disagree or it’s a gray enough area that they include it, but I have seen a lot of FFG material on the wiki, so always check the sources on something if you want to know!  This also applies to anything in this guide, always check the original source, if you have access!)  The KOTOR/SWTOR games are not meant to be included in this continuity either.  However, the story mode of Battlefront II is canon, so are Jedi: Fallen Order and Vader Immortal.  I believe the Forces of Destiny animated shorts + books are canon as well.
     STATUS UNSURE:  Mobile games that have background lore in them.  For example, the game Star Wars: Commander came out in August of 2014 and has some Tusken Raiders lore (that I only know about because I read about it on Wookieepedia, I admit 😂) but I have never seen a yea or a nay on whether they’re included in this continuity.
     STATUS UNSURE #2:  I swear I once read one of the story group say that the From a Certain Point of View anthology books might not be canon (which would make sense, given that they have A SENTIENT CAVE in one story or that Beru Whitesun Lars had a pov story after her death), but I can’t remember which one and I may have read someone else saying they read it, so I’m only including this for comprehension’s sake and something of a plea for it someone has seen a yea or a nay from an official source on this.
     PERSONAL NOTES:  I would put any trivia books on a very low level of “canon”, because a lot of times they’ll contain stuff like, “Finn isn’t Force-sensitive!” because it was written just after TFA came out and the ST went in the direction that he is Force-sensitive.
     While Lucasfilm said that their continuity is going to be a level playing field, that all things are equally canon, they’ve proven in the last year or so that that’s no longer true (when The Bad Batch overwrote the Kanan comics backstory on a very significant level, beyond just “changing a lightsaber color” level detail) and I would suggest going back to a tiered understanding of the canon.  Movies + TV shows > novels/comics/serious games >>>>> reference books.

5.  DISNEY’S LUCASFILM NON-SERIOUS CONTINUITY:
LEGO stuff still isn’t canon (even though it should be! 😂), mobile games like Galaxy of Heroes probably aren’t (but I can’t say that with 100% certainty), and I don’t think stuff like the Galaxy of Adventures shorts contain enough to say one way or the other.

6.  FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES’ CONTINUITY:
FFG works hard to be canon-compliant and consistent within their own world, and thus are their own separate continuity apart from the main one!  As I understand (as someone who has only vaguely flipped through a few pages of their books), they are consistent within their own world that contains both Legends and Disney’s Lucasfilm Canon.

IN CONCLUSION:
None of the above is any kind of value judgement or an attempt to make anyone, on a personal level, keep things separate.  You can (and, frankly, probably should) mix and match to your heart’s delight!  This reference guide isn’t about someone choosing what their own personal canon is.  This reference guide is purely about what Lucasfilm themselves have slotted things into, as best I can say.  This is about what Lucasfilm has said they are beholden to, not you as a fan.  You, as a fan, are free to do whatever the hell you want and I wish you well on slow roasting all continuities and carving out only the juicy bits!
     This guide is a mix of Continuity #1 (George Lucas canon + commentary) and Continuity #4 (the current ongoing Lucasfilm canon), as that’s the one I’m most familiar with and the one that I find most intriguing to talk about.
     I have decided to separate out The High Republic and the Prequels Jedi Order content for the most part, because that was the consensus of what most people would find useful, but I aim to keep them near each other for the sake of showing just how similar the High Republic Jedi and the Prequels Jedi are.  Occasionally, they will be mixed together, if something applies to both or there’s a specific point to it, but everything will be sourced as best I can, since I want this to be a useful guide to those who aren’t hip-deep in this stuff like myself. 😂

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE:
An important element of Star Wars storytelling is that it often relies heavily on unreliable narrators within the story, which means that what is “canon” is only that that character has said or thought the thing being said/thought.  The purpose of this guide is to help provide a frame of reference where you might see patterns that can paint a more reliable picture of the trends within the story itself.
     It’s also to provide limited word of god commentary, where I will primarily limit this to George Lucas’ commentary (....mostly....), unless something is very relevant, otherwise it would get far too messy, and as the creator of Star Wars, he gets an exception to “this is about what’s on the screen” rule. 😂
     But ultimately: Use it however you want!  As a guide for writing fic, as a guide to understanding the Jedi of Lucasfilm canon, as a fun piece of meta, whatever.  I made it because I enjoyed making it and others should enjoy it however it’s useful to them.

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SECTION 1 - HOW THE FORCE WORKS (AND OTHER STAR WARS THEMES):

•      BILL MOYERS: “Do you know yet what, in a future episode, is going to transform Anakin Skywalker to the dark side?”
       GEORGE LUCAS: “Yes, I know what that is. The groundwork has been laid in this episode. The film is ultimately about the dark side and the light side, and those sides are designed around compassion and greed. The issue of greed, of getting things and owning things and having things and not being able to let go of things, is the opposite of compassion–of not thinking of yourself all the time. These are the two sides–the good force and the bad force. They’re the simplest parts of a complex cosmic construction.” --George Lucas and Bill Moyers 1999, Time Magazine
•      “The core issue, ultimately, is greed, possessiveness - the inability to let go. Not only to hold on to material things, which is greed, but to hold on to life, to the people you love - to not accept the reality of life’s passages and changes, which is to say things come, things go. Everything changes. Anakin becomes emotionally attached to things, his mother, his wife. That’s why he falls - because he does not have the ability to let go.
       “No human can let go. It’s very hard. Ultimately, we do let go because it’s inevitable; you do die, and you do lose your loved ones. But while you’re alive, you can’t be obsessed with holding on. As Yoda says in this one, [The scene in which Anakin seeks Yoda’s counsel] You must learn to let go of everything you’re afraid to let go of.’ Because holding on is in the same category and the precursor to greed. And that’s what a Sith is. A Sith is somebody that is absolutely obsessed with gaining more and more power - but for what? Nothing, except that it becomes an obsession to get more. The Jedi are trained to let go. They’re trained from birth, they’re not supposed to form attachments. They can love people- in fact, they should love everybody. They should love their enemies; they should love the Sith. But they can’t form attachments. So, what all these movies are about is: greed. Greed is a source of pain and suffering for everybody. And the ultimate state of greed is the desire to cheat death.” --George Lucas, The Making of Revenge of the Sith, 2005
  
•      “The thing about Anakin is, Anakin started out as a nice kid. He was kind, and sweet, and lovely, and he was then trained as a Jedi. But the Jedi can’t be selfish. They can love but they can’t love people to the point of possession. You can’t really possess somebody, because people are free. It’s possession that causes a lot of trouble, and that causes people to kill people, and causes people to be bad. Ultimately it has to do with being unwilling to give things up.
       “The whole basis here is if you’re selfish, if you’re a Sith Lord, you’re greedy. You’re constantly trying to get something. And you’re constantly in fear of not getting it, or, when you get it, you’re in constant fear of losing it. And it’s that fear that takes you to the dark side. It’s that fear of losing what you have or want.
       “Sometimes it’s ambition, but sometimes, like in the case of Anakin, it was fear of losing his wife. He knew she was going to die. He didn’t quite know how, so he was able to make a pact with a devil that if he could learn how to keep people from dying, he would help the Emperor. And he became a Sith Lord. Once he started saying, “Well, we could take over the galaxy, I could take over from the Emperor, I could have ultimate power,” Padmé saw right through him immediately. She said, “You’re not the person I married. You’re a greedy person.” So that’s ultimately how he fell and he went to the dark side.
       “And then Luke had the chance to do the same thing. He didn’t do it.” --George Lucas, The Phantom Menace, An Oral History, 2019
  
•      “The secret ultimately like in Star Wars is that you have to not be afraid. Fear is the enemy; fear is the Dark Side. If you afraid, you are going to the Dark Side. The Light Side is compassion. As long as you love other people and treat them kindly, you won’t be afraid. So, the secret is to just love everybody - I know that sounds very 60s but that’s what I grew up in - but it its fear that cause the problem. So you have to stop being afraid and be kind to everybody.
•      “The main theme of Star Wars is that compassion is the good side, fear is the bad side.” --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021
•      “I kind of lost control of Star Wars so it’s going off a different path than what I intended but the first six are very much mine and my philosophy. And I think that philosophy sort of goes beyond any particular time because it’s based on history it based on philosophy.”  --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021
•      “The thing with Anakin is that he started out a great kid he was very compassionate, so the issue was how did he turn bad. How did he go to the Dark Side? He went to the Dark Side, Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments. They can love people, they can do that, but they can’t attach, that’s the problem in the world of fear. Once you are attached to something then you become afraid of losing it. And when you become afraid of losing it, than you turn to the Dark Side, and you want to hold onto it, and that was Anakin’s issue ultimately, that he wanted to hold onto his wife who he knew, he had a premonition that she was going to die, he didn’t know how to stop it, so he went to the Dark Side to find, in mythology you do to hades, and you talk to the devil, and the devil says ‘this is what you do’ and basically you sell your soul to the devil. When you do that, and you’re afraid and you’re on the Dark Side and you fall off the golden path of compassion because you are greedy, you want to hold on to something that you love and he didn’t do the right thing and as a result he turned bad.” --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021
  
•      “Obviously, there are people that just do the easy thing, and the easy thing is to be angry, which turns to hate. It’s not an active thing; it’s a passive thing. Being angry with somebody is a passive thing. You have to work not to be angry, and if you don’t work at it, you’ll just be angry for the rest of your life. Bitter, angry, and of course that leads to suffering - it’s the bad side.” --George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005
  
•      “The main theme of Star Wars is that compassion is the good side, fear is the bad side.”  --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson, George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview
  
•      “Whenever you’re telling mythological stories, you’re travelling in circles. Like in a mandala there are small circles and bigger and bigger circles until finally you encompass the universe. It’s the same thing telling stories, in that every person, or relationship or group of symbiotic relationships, is always travelling in a circle. It goes back to either where it started or it intersects with other circles. At the end they survive because they’re all connected.” --George Lucas
  

JEDI AND FACING THE DARK SIDE - PREQUELS:

•      "The scene in the garage here, we begin to see that what [Anakin]’s really upset about is the fact that he’s not powerful enough. That if he had more power, he could’ve kept his mother. He could’ve saved her and she could’ve been in his life. That relationship could’ve stayed there if he’d have been just powerful enough. He’s greedy in that he wants to keep his mother around, he’s greedy in that he wants to become more powerful in order to control things in order to keep the things around that he wants. There’s a lot of connections here with the beginning of him sliding into the dark side.
       “And it also shows his jealousy and anger at Obi-Wan and blaming everyone else for his inability to be as powerful as he wants to be, which he hears that he will be, so here he sort of lays out his ambition and you’ll see later on his ambition and his dialogue here is the same as Dooku’s. He says "I will become more powerful than every Jedi.” And you’ll hear later on Dooku will say “I have become more powerful than any Jedi.” So you’re going start to see everybody saying the same thing. And Dooku is kind of the fallen Jedi who was converted to the Dark Side because the other Sith Lord didn’t have time to start from scratch, and so we can see that that’s where this is going to lead which is that it is possible for a Jedi to be converted. It is possible for a Jedi to want to become more powerful, and control things. Because of that, and because he was unwilling to let go of his mother, because he was so attached to her, he committed this terrible revenge on the Tusken Raiders.“ --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary
•      "The key part of this scene ultimately is Anakin saying "I’m not going to let this happen again.” We’re cementing his determination to become the most powerful Jedi. The only way you can really do that is to go to the Dark Side because the Dark Side is more powerful. If you want the ultimate power you really have to go to the stronger side which is the Dark Side, but ultimately it would be your undoing. But it’s that need for power and the need for power in order to satisfy your greed to keep things and to not let go of things and to allow the natural course of life to go on, which is that things come and go, and to be able to accept the changes that happen around you and not want to keep moments forever frozen in time.“ --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary
•      “It’s fear of losing somebody he loves, which is the flipside of greed.  Greed, in terms of the Emperor, it’s the greed for power, absolute power, over everything.  With Anakin, really it’s the power to save the one he loves, but it’s basically going against the Fates and what is natural. “ –George Lucas, Revenge of the Sith commentary
•      “Well, a lot of people got very upset, saying he should’ve been this little demon kid. But the story is not about a guy who was born a monster – it’s about a good boy who was loving and had exceptional powers, but how that eventually corrupted him and how he confused possessive love with compassionate love. That happens in Episode II: Regardless of how his mother died, Jedis are not supposed to take vengeance. And that’s why they say he was too old to be a Jedi, because he made his emotional connections. His undoing is that he loveth too much.” --George Lucas to Rolling Stones, 2005
  
•      “The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through his life and that [Anakin] cannot hold onto things, which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn’t willing to accept emotionally and the reason that is because he was raised by his mother rather than the Jedi. If he’d have been taken in his first years and started to study to be a Jedi, he wouldn’t have this particular connection as strong as it is and he’d have been trained to love people but not to become attached to them.
       “But he become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation. And it feeds into fear of losing things, which feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, wanting to keep his possessions and things that he should be letting go of. His fear of losing her turns to anger at losing her, which ultimately turns to revenge in wiping out the village. The scene with the Tusken Raiders is the first scene that ultimately takes him on the road to the dark side. I mean he’s been prepping for this, but that’s the one where he’s sort of doing something that is completely inappropriate.
       “He’s greedy in that he wants to keep his mother around, he’s greedy in that he wants to become more powerful in order to control things in order to keep the things around that he wants. There’s a lot of connections here with the beginning of him sliding into the Dark Side.  [....]
       “Because of that, and because he was unwilling to let go of his mother, because he was so attached to her, he committed this terrible revenge on the tusked raiders.” --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary
  
•      “When you start to care about yourself and the things that you own and the things that you have and you’re greedy and you want things all the time and you don’t want to give them up because you’re afraid to give them up, you turn to the dark side.  And that’s what happened to Anakin.” –George Lucas Q&A: Field Museum, Chicago 5/8/2010
  
•      “Luke is faced with the same issues and practically the same scenes that Anakin is faced with. Anakin says yes, and Luke says no. [....] We have the scene when Anakin decides to save Palpatine and join him, so they could learn how to save Padmé. The equivalent scene in VI is when the Emperor’s trying to get Luke to kill his dad so he can save his sister.” --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005
  

JEDI AND FACING THE DARK SIDE - HIGH REPUBLIC:

• While the prequels Jedi don’t seem to view emotions quite so strictly, the High Republic Jedi say (and one might argue that this is an idealized version, that the Jedi have never said you must live up to those ideals, not then, not in the prequels, not anywhere):
       “Mostly, what [Bell] sensed was panic and fear—emotions the Jedi worked very hard to purge from themselves. According to the teachings, a true Jedi's only contact with fear was supposed to be sensing it in other beings; a common enough experience.” --Bell Zettifar, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

JEDI AND THE NEED TO FOCUS, TO BE CALM WHEN USING THE FORCE - PREQUELS:

• When Anakin is trying to drag Padme and Clovis back up, he can’t lift them, despite that he’s very strong in the Force and we’ve seen other Jedi do similar (Mace lifting the two clones to safety on Ryloth), because his emotions are running wild with Padme in danger and he can’t focus. [Star Wars: The Clone Wars - “Crisis at the Heart”]

JEDI AND THE NEED TO FOCUS, TO BE CALM WHEN USING THE FORCE - ORIGINALS/SEQUELS:

•      “Breathe,” Luke said once more. “Just breathe.”
       Out and in went her breaths, slowly but surely. With them went her confusion and her questions. Peace returned, deeper than before.
       “Now,” Luke said, “reach out with your feelings.”
       Rey didn’t think about what he had said. She just let it happen. Every one of her senses reached out, rather than one dominating the others. A new awareness of the world came to her, informed by the little things she would have missed otherwise. She felt moisture on the boulder beneath her. Smelled the algae that flourished in the seashore pools. Tasted a gust of moldy air coming from within the cave. Heard the mating song of some faraway leviathan. --Luke Skywalker and Rey [The Last Jedi junior novelization]
•       “No!” Rey screamed. She forced herself to stop running.  Still--she had to stay still. She was going to lose her new friend to a hungry worm.  She closed her eyes, drew in a big breath, and let it go.  She imagined her mind focusing down to a narrow pinhole of light. She thought of nothing but the worm. Where was the worm? The worm didn't want to hurt BB-8. It was just an animal.  It was hungry.  It was another living thing. --Rey [ Forces of Destiny novelization]

JEDI AND THE NEED TO FOCUS, TO BE CALM WHEN USING THE FORCE - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• When Ady Sun'Zee’s Padawan falls into an urn and is nearly crushed by a piece of building falling on her, she’s scared enough that she can’t lift the debris away to save Nooa.  While still trapped inside, Nooa calms herself and says, “It’s okay, Master. I can do this.” and gets herself out.  When a Jedi panics, their grip on the Force becomes slippery and difficult to hold. --Ady Zun’Zee and Nooa [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge - Last Call]
•     "Indeed it does," Stellan told her. "Strong passions are something we try to control within ourselves, as emotions can cloud our judgment, especially in stressful situations. They can blind us to the truth, and to the leading of the Force." --Stellan Gios [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
  

JEDI EMOTIONS ARE ABOUT CONTROL NOT SUPPRESSION:

•      The Jedi leaned forward so her head was beside Lula's. She was smiling. "Of course! Being a Jedi isn't about not having feelings or caring about anything. You know that."
       "I do?"
       Vernestra laughed. "If Jedi weren't supposed to feel anything, we might as well be droids. And even they feel things, if you think about it. The fact that we feel, that we care, is what makes the Jedi great." --Vernestra Rwoh and Lula Talisola, Race to Crashpoint Tower

THE JEDI AND “ATTACHMENT” AND THE ART OF LETTING GO - PREQUELS:

•    Ahsoka: “ Master, on the ship, Barriss was gone, and she wanted me to kill her. She told me--”
       Anakin: “But you couldn't do it.”
     Ahsoka: “No. No, I couldn't. But should I have? I mean, it worked out now, but if we had failed, if the ship docked and the worms spread, and...”
     Anakin: “Ahsoka, it's your duty to save as many lives as you can. Barriss knew you could save thousands if the worms were destroyed, which she thought meant destroying her too. But you did the right thing. You knew the freezing cold would kill the worms. Letting go our attachments is a difficult struggle for all of us.” --Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, The Clone Wars, “Brain Invaders”
  
•     “[The Jedi] trained more than anything else to understand the transitional nature of life, that things are constantly changing and you can’t hold on to anything. You can love things but you can’t be attached to them, You must be willing to let the flow of life and the flow of the Force move through your life, move through you. So that you can be compassionate and loving and caring, but not be possessive and grabbing and holding on to things and trying to keep things the way they are. Letting go is the central theme of the film.“ --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005
  
•      “The whole idea of the movie, ultimately is that you have the Light Side and the Dark Side. The Light Side is compassion, which means you care about other people. The Dark Side is you care only about yourself. And you are obsessed with yourself. Getting your pleasure and getting all your stuff. The other one, you give it to everybody. You give goodness and health to everybody else.
      “So the issue of love, there’s a line between loving somebody compassionately and caring about them and helping them. But the other line is not to be greedy or once you are greedy then you get fearful. You don’t want to lose what it is you have that you are getting. So you have to learn to give up everything. And ultimately for a Jedi Knight, it’s very easy to give up.
      “One of the things they give up is marriage. They can still love people. But they can’t possess them. They can’t own them. They can’t demand that they do things. They have to be able to accept the fact, one, their mortality, that they are going to die. And not worry about it. That the loved ones they have, everything they love is going to die and they can’t do anything about it.
      “I mean they can protect them as you would ordinary protect, you know, ‘Get out of the way of that car.’ Somebody charges you with a gun, you knock the gun out, but there is an inevitability to life which is death and you have to accept that.
      “And this is a mythological idea that goes way back to Hades, where once you get power, it corrupts you. So, if you say Anakin. He fell in love with Padme then became possessive of her. He got jealous and all those things. Then when he found out that she was going to die, he would do anything to stop that from happening even to the point of making a pact with the devil to say, ‘Give me the power to save my wife and I’ll do your biding.
      “Well, he got the power to save his wife, but in the process he became powerful and the key to it, he said, ‘Okay I can save you from dying. I can even rule the universe.’ Everybody who gets the power wants to run the universe. They all want to be the Emperor.” --George Lucas, Celebration V     
•      “[Jedi Knights] do not grow attachments, because attachment is a path to the dark side. You can love people, but you can’t want to possess them. They’re not yours. Accept that they have a fate. Even those you love most are going to die. You can’t do anything about that. Protect them with your lightsaber, but if they die they were going to die. there’s nothing you can do. All you can do is accept that fact.
      “In mythology, if you go to Hades to get them back you’re not doing it for them, you’re doing it for yourself. You’re doing it because you don’t want to give them up. You’re afraid to be without them. The key to the dark side is fear. You must be clean of fear, and fear of loss is the greatest fear. If you’re set up for fear of loss, you will do anything to keep that loss from happening, and you’re going to end up in the dark side. That’s the basic premise of Star Wars and the Jedi, and how it works.
      “That’s why they’re taken at a young age to be trained. They cannot get themselves killed trying to save their best buddy when it’s a hopeless exercise.” --George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005
•     “The core of Anakin’s problem is that the Jedi are raised from birth so they learn to let go of everything. They’re trained, more than anything else to understand the transitional nature of life, that things are constantly changing and you can’t hold on to anything. You can love things but you can’t be attached to them. You must be willing to let the flow of life and the flow of the Force move through your life, move through you. So that you can be compassionate and loving and caring, but not be possessive and grabbing and holding on to things and trying to keep things the way they are.”  --George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005
•     “The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through his life and that he can’t hold onto things, which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn’t willing to accept emotionally and the reason that is because he was raised by his mother rather than the Jedi. If he’d have been taken in his first year and started to study to be a Jedi, he wouldn’t have this particular connection as strong as it is and he’d have been trained to love people but not to become attached to them.
      “But he has become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation. And it feeds into fear of losing things, which feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, wanting to keep his possessions and things that he should be letting go of. His fear of losing her turns to anger at losing her, which ultimately turns to revenge in wiping out the village. The scene with the Tusken Raiders is the first scene that ultimately takes him on the road to the dark side. I mean he’s been prepping for this, but that’s the one where he’s sort of doing something that is completely inappropriate.“ --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary
•     “[Anakin] turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things. It makes you greedy. And when you’re greedy, you are on the path to the dark side, because you fear you’re going to lose things, that you’re not going to have the power you need.” --George Lucas, Time Magazine, 2002
•     “In this film, (The Phantom Menace) you begin to see that he has a fear of losing things, a fear of losing his mother, and as a result, he wants to begin to control things, he wants to become powerful, and these are not Jedi traits. And part of these are because he was starting to be trained so late in life, that he’d already formed these attachments. And for a Jedi, attachment is forbidden.” --George Lucas to CNN, May 8, 2002
•      “[Anakin] turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things. It makes you greedy. And when you are greedy, you are on the path to the Dark Side, because you fear you’re going to lose things, that you’re not going to have the power you need.” --George Lucas, Time Magazine, 2002
  

THE JEDI AND “ATTACHMENT” AND THE ART OF LETTING GO - ORIGINALS/SEQUELS:

•    “It’s pivotal that Luke doesn’t have patience. He doesn’t want to finish his training. He’s being succumbed by his emotional feelings for his friends rather than the practical feelings of “I’ve got to get this job done before I can actually save them. I can’t save them, really.” But he sorts of takes the easy route, the arrogant route, the emotional but least practical route, which is to say, “I’m just going to go off and do this without thinking too much.” And the result is that he fails and doesn’t do well for Han Solo or himself. It’s the motif that needs to be in the picture, but it’s one of those things that just in terms of storytelling was very risky because basically he screws up, and everything turns bad. And it’s because of that decision that Luke made on [Dagobah] to say, “I know I’m not ready, but I’m going to go anyway.” --George Lucas, The Empire Strikes Back commentary
  
•      "You see a sort of calm come over Luke and he just lets go, like committing suicide." --Mark Hamill on the aftermath of Luke’s confrontation with Vader
  
•     “And then you have training as a Jedi in the Jedi arts, then you are committing yourself to communicating with the Force via the midichlorians if you will and you are finding a way to connect to it that’s unique.
         “But that takes training and it takes focus and it takes discipline.  You notice with Luke, when  you’re training with the focus and discipline, he enters a dangerous time, because he hasn’t completed his training, when he’ll be tempted by the dark side of the Force.  And that temptation is really about having access to power and will you then start using this power selfishly or selflessly?
         "And you might think rushing in to save your friends at Cloud City is a selfless act, but it can be a selfish thing.  Because you’re not letting them believe in their own agency.“
              –Dave Filoni, Celebration Chicago 2019, Rebels Remembered Panel
  
•     "Master Yoda... please. I'm lost. I don't know what to do.  I can still feel the Force, still use it, but I lost my lightsaber.  I lost.. a lot of things.  Please.  Master, I need your guidance.  Why won't you ANSWER ME?" --Luke Skywalker, in a direct parallel to Vader’s iconic dark side moment, Star Wars 2020, issue #2
  
•       “I know Jedi aren’t supposed to feel this way.  Master Yoda told me these emotions are a path to the dark side.  But not a Jedi yet.  Yoda made that very clear.  I’m still allowed to feel whatever I want.  I feel confused.  I’m angry.  I’m… afraid.”  --Luke Skywalker, Star Wars 2020, issue #2
  
•    ”His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears.  His anger.”
     ”All the more reason to train him.”
     ”No!  I’ve seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight.  To the best of us.  I will not start this child down that path.” --Ahsoka Tano, The Mandalorian, “The Jedi”
  

THE JEDI AND “ATTACHMENT” AND THE ART OF LETTING GO - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

•      "I'm like...just a big huge ball of attachments!" she moaned. "I'm attached to being alive! And to my friends being alive, too! And to Master Sy! Every day I go somewhere new in this galaxy and feel attached to it, meet more wonderful people that I don't want to be hurt or killed! The attachments just keep coming! If I live to grow old, I'll have thousands and thousands of them! I'm even attached to the Star Hopper, and that's just a silly ship! Ugh!" [....]
       “Let me ask you this: If saving Master Sy or Zeen meant that you’d never see them again but you’d have the knowledge that they’d be safe, would you still do it?” [....]
       “I would.”
       “Then you are saving them for them, Padawan, not for yourself.  It is not attachment.” --Vernestra Rwoh and Lula Talisola, [Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
  
•      But Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments, even to the past, even to a simpler, safer life. If this was the time she'd been born into, she would face it with everything she had. It was the only choice. --Lula Talisola, Race to Crashpoint Tower
  
•      Lula knew she wasn't supposed to form attachments, and she understood why—she could feel it jangling up her flow, twisting her connection to the Force into unintelligible knots. But what else was she supposed to do? She cared about her friends and didn't want them to get hurt. --Lula Talisola, [Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
• In the time of the High Republic, Ady Sun'Zee says, “I’ve been using my Master’s kyber crystal in my lightsaber.  As a Jedi, these attachments are forbidden.” (Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call)
       but in the prequels era, Obi-Wan uses Qui-Gon’s lightsaber until he makes his own, with no indication that this is considered attachment or is frowned upon at all.  Only, “In times of great need–such as the emergency of the Clone Wars–the Order kept replacement lightsabers for Jedi to use while they built a new one.” [Star Wars: Lightsabers - A Guide To Weapons of The Force]
  
•       [Ram had] been in his first real fight! He'd lived! And so had everyone else! Which was a huge relief, really. The idea of taking a life, even in battle, was almost as scary to him as the thought of losing his own. He hoped he'd never have to do it, and then, as he'd been trained to do, he did his best to release any attachment to outcomes and just exist in the gigantic spinning galaxy. --Ram Jomaram [Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
  
•      How many times had Lula ignited her saber to save her own life or those of her loved ones in just the past few months? She'd lost track.
       But Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments, even to the past, even to a simpler, safer life. If this was the time she'd been born into, she would face it with everything she had. It was the only choice. --Lula Talisola [Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower]

Chapter Text

SECTION 2 - JEDI CULTURE & PHILOSOPHY & TEACHINGS:

TEACHING IS A CENTRAL THEME TO THE JEDI:

• The Jedi are in synch with George Lucas’ themes in his movies and his views on education:
       “All of my movies are about one thing.  Which is the fact that the only prison you’re in is the prison of your mind.  And if you decide to open the door and get out, you can.  There’s nothing stopping you.“ –George Lucas (American Voices, 2015)
       is an echo of:
       "You said we would be trapped."
       "Not by the cave you were but by your mind. Lessons, you have learned. Find courage, you did.  Hope, patience. Trust, confidence, and selflessness." --Yoda speaking to the younglings in “The Gathering”
• "As they trained their new apprentices, the Jedi Knights themselves were still honing their own skills and their personal connection to the Force in hopes of one day rising to the rank of Jedi Master." --Luke Skywalker, Secrets of the Jedi

JEDI PHILOSOPHY + TEACHINGS - PREQUELS:

•     “A Jedi is never lonely. They live on compassion. They live on helping people, and people love them. They can love people back. But when that person dies, they let go. Those that cannot let go become miserable. That’s the lonely place.” --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005
  
•     “The Jedi believe that you don’t hold onto things, that you let things pass through you, and if you control your greed, you can resolve the conflict not only in yourself but in the world around you, because you accept the natural course of things. Anakin’s inability to follow this basic guideline is at the core of his turn to the dark side.” --George Lucas,  sci-fi online, 2005
  
•      “Anakin wants to be a Jedi, but he cannot let go of the people he loves in order to move forward in his life. The Jedi believe that you don’t hold on to things, that you let things pass through you, and if you can control your greed, you can resolve the conflict not only in yourself but in the world around you, because you accept the natural course of things. Anakin’s inability to follow this basic guideline is at the core of his turn to the dark side.” --George Lucas, Sci-Fi Online, 2005
•      “Love is a secret to the universe, which is compassion, which is love others, take care of others, help each other. […] Struggle in Star Wars is about passion against compassion. Which is greed, against giving and giving up primarily and the whole issue is the flipside of greed is fear of losing. So you are either trying to get things or afraid to lose things that you’ve got and the idea is to let go of those things.“ --George Lucas, 2007, Devin Kumar Productions
  
•      "The thing about Anakin is, Anakin started out as a nice kid. He was kind, and sweet, and lovely, and he was then trained as a Jedi. But the Jedi can’t be selfish. They can love but they can’t love people to the point of possession. You can’t really possess somebody, because people are free. It’s possession that causes a lot of trouble, and that causes people to kill people, and causes people to be bad. Ultimately it has to do with being unwilling to give things up.
       “The whole basis here is if you’re selfish, if you’re a Sith Lord, you’re greedy. You’re constantly trying to get something. And you’re constantly in fear of not getting it, or, when you get it, you’re in constant fear of losing it. And it’s that fear that takes you to the dark side. It’s that fear of losing what you have or want.
       “Sometimes it’s ambition, but sometimes, like in the case of Anakin, it was fear of losing his wife. He knew she was going to die. He didn’t quite know how, so he was able to make a pact with a devil that if he could learn how to keep people from dying, he would help the Emperor. And he became a Sith Lord. Once he started saying, “Well, we could take over the galaxy, I could take over from the Emperor, I could have ultimate power,” Padmé saw right through him immediately. She said, “You’re not the person I married. You’re a greedy person.” So that’s ultimately how he fell and he went to the dark side.
      “And then Luke had the chance to do the same thing. He didn’t do it.” --George Lucas, “ALL FILMS ARE PERSONAL”: AN ORAL HISTORY OF STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE
  
•      “The core of Anakin’s problem is that Jedi are raised from birth so they learn to let go of everything. They’re trained more than anything else to understand the transitional nature of life, that things are constantly changing and you can’t hold on to anything. You can love things but you can’t be attached to them. You must be willing to let the flow of life and the flow of the Force move through your life, move through you. So that you can be compassionate and loving and caring, but not possessive and grabbing and holding on to things and trying to keep things the way they are. Letting go is a central theme of the film.” --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives 1999-2005
  
•     “The thing with Anakin is that he started out a great kid he was very compassionate, so the issue was how did he turn bad. How did he go to the Dark Side? He went to the Dark Side, Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments. They can love people, they can do that, but they can’t attach, that’s the problem in the world of fear. Once you are attached to something then you become afraid of losing it. And when you become afraid of losing it, then you turn to the Dark Side, and you want to hold onto it, and that was Anakin’s issue ultimately, that he wanted to hold onto his wife who he knew, he had a premonition that she was going to die, he didn’t know how to stop it, so he went to the Dark Side to find, in mythology you do to hades, and you talk to the devil, and the devil says ‘this is what you do’ and basically you sell your soul to the devil. When you do that, and you’re afraid and you’re on the Dark Side and you fall off the golden path of compassion because you are greedy, you want to hold on to something that you love and he didn’t do the right thing and as a result he turned bad.”  --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson, George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview
  
•       “Well, a lot of people got very upset, saying he should’ve been this little demon kid. But the story is not about a guy who was born a monster – it’s about a good boy who was loving and had exceptional powers, but how that eventually corrupted him and how he confused possessive love with compassionate love. That happens in Episode II: Regardless of how his mother died, Jedis are not supposed to take vengeance. And that’s why they say he was too old to be a Jedi, because he made his emotional connections. His undoing is that he loveth too much.” --George Lucas, Rolling Stone, 2005
  
• Jedi doctrine was about not punishing people, but about helping them back to the light, even when they’d personally tried to kill you:
       “It is our duty to help him.  Bring him back into the light. That is the doctrine I adhere to.”  --Mace Windu, Jedi of the Republic - Mace Windu
•      “Sometimes it takes courage to stick to one’s beliefs, as any Jedi well knows.”  --Aayla Secura to Ahsoka Tano, The Clone Wars, “Defenders of Peace”

JEDI PHILOSOPHY + TEACHINGS - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

•     One of Sylwin’s (a Jedi Council member) favorite sayings on perseverance to her Padawan was, “Ady, you must push through.” [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
  
• Jedi believe the Force guides their lives in the High Republic:
      "You'll be ready when the Force says you are," Vernestra said gently. --Vernestra Rwoh & Imri Cantaros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage
•     "And then what?" asked Oppo Rancisis. "Do you have any sense of what you will do once the Nihil are found?"
      "Yes, Master Rancisis," Jora said. "Whatever the Force wills." --Oppo Rancisis & Jora Malli, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
  
•     “I believe that the Jedi should, at all times, present to the many peoples of the galaxy a way of life centered on peace. We must show them the way. The Republic is uniquely receptive to such an idea at this moment.”
      “Yes, but we are guardians of two ideals, are we not?” said Yarael Poof. “Sometimes, unfortunately, they come into conflict. We must always strive for peace, but also justice. Peace without justice is flawed, hollow at its core. It is the peace provided by tyranny.” --Jora Malli & Yarael Poof, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
•      “It’s how we foster growth.  Learn to look at a problem differently, and an enemy can grow to be an ally.  Or something even more beautiful, like a friend.  The flowers want the fallen seeds, we provide them with the guidance they need,” said when her Padawan objected to gently cleaning out the gross muck and vines from a space venus flytrap-like plant infestation at a Jedi Temple  --Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
  
•      “Fear, anger, hate, suffering.  They all lead to the dark side.” --Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
•      “So, you never get scared?”
       “No, but if you’re afraid of the dark, then you need to be the light.” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
•      Elzar sucked in air through his teeth. "Lucky the Innovator was there. The finest medlabs in the Republic."
       "Luck had nothing to do with it. The Force provided." --Elzar Mann & Stellan Gios [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
  

JEDI AND THEIR LOVE OF RIDDLES IN TEACHING - PREQUELS:

• Yoda and other Jedi often speak in riddles, which seems like an attempt to get other Jedi to have creative and critical thinking skills for themselves, to learn how to turn a situation over in their minds and figure it out for themselves, which is another way the Jedi reflect George Lucas’ own beliefs on education:
       "So what we’ve discovered is the way we feel when you get down to 'What IS education, what ARE we trying to do?’  We’re trying to teach kids how to find information, how to then test that information, and find out how accurate it is.  And then take that information and do something creative with it.  MAKE something. […]
      "If a student can do that, then they have critical thinking skills and, in the end, everything is changing so fast that you can’t teach people facts.  Because there’s way too many of them and they’re changing too fast.  So what you need to do is teach them how to find the facts of whatever period they’re in and say, 'I gotta figure out how to do this.  And I gotta figure out what I need to do it.  And I gotta figure out if it actually works.’” --George Lucas interview 2015
•      “I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got this character who is kind of like a little Dalai Lama’, so I came up with an Eastern-sounding name. Then I felt his dialogue and cadence should be unique. […] I had to come up with something that’s not a foreign language, not an accent, but somewhere in between those two things. That’s how I started Yoda’s backward style.” - George Lucas, The Making of Episode V - Empire Strikes Back      
• This fits with how Yoda teaches, like in Forces of Destiny with Ahsoka, where he gets her to puzzle it out for herself what he means.
       "What makes you unique, makes you strong. This you must use.  Yourself, you must always be."
       "I think I understand." --Yoda, Ahsoka [Forces of Destiny]
• Or when teaching the younglings in The Clone Wars, which teaches them valuable, important lessons:
      Petro:  “You-you said we would be trapped.”
      Yoda:  “Not by the cave you were but by your mind. Lessons, you have learned. Find courage, you did. Hope, patience Trust, confidence, and selflessness.” (The Clone Wars, “The Gathering”)

JEDI AND THEIR LOVE OF RIDDLES IN TEACHING - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• Like the prequels Jedi, they seem to think in riddles (which teach them to really learn to solve a problem, to have excellent critical thinking skills), when Ady Sun’Zee’s Padawan is trapped under some debris that’s about to crush her, it’s her Padawan that saves herself--by literally pushing through the side of the urn she was trapped in.  “I followed your lessons, I pushed through [the panic and fear]. I was scared, but with patience, I was able to find balance.  Also, I literally pushed through that panel.”
       “You really looked at the problem in a different way.  I never thought about taking those words... literally.” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]

JEDI AND THEIR STUDENTS:

• Jedi see their students as growing beyond them as the nature of their relationships, that each of them will go farther than their Master did:
       - "I should change my perspective?  Yes... for my Padawan, I will.  I will go farther than you, Master.  And in turn, I expect my Padawan to go farther than me." --Lily Tora-Asi, The Edge of Balance
       - “You’ve been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan.  You are a much wiser man than I am. I forsee you will become a great Jedi Knight.”  --Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace
       - “You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you.  And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be.”  --Obi-Wan Kenobi, Revenge of the Sith
       - “We are what they grow beyond.”  --Yoda to Luke Skywalker, The Last Jedi
•      “But, Nooa, thank you for reminding me that the flow of knowledge goes both ways. You’ve taught me something today.  A lesson my Master meant to teach me years ago.” --Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge - Last Call]
  
• Students were given privacy and were valued for what they could teach other as well:
       “Finally he reached the Padawans' dojo. Here, younger Jedi could train and practice together, both to spend time with friends and to learn from their peers. Able to teach one another much, Padawans are, Yoda had explained, and far more able are they when their Masters watch not.” --Yoda [Master & Apprentice]
  
• When Obi-Wan is looking for advice about the missing planet of Kamino, Yoda directs him to listen to the younglings in the room, valuing what they have to say:
       “Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.” --Yoda, Attack of the Clones
  

EARLY JEDI  TEACHINGS:

• Jedi are taught to kill as a last resort, but when they do, they will carry that burden with them always:
        A Jedi didn't kill unless there was no other option. A Jedi protected. A Jedi defended. [....] Ember barked, Indeera fought, and Bell pressed down hard on the trigger. He didn't see the lasers lance out, but he saw the result. The Nihil ship exploded in a ball of light, silent in the void, but Bell felt as though he could hear the screams of everyone on board. The lives he had snuffed out to save others. As a youngling Bell had been told this was the burden of every Jedi who took a life, no matter how justified: that every silenced voice would stay with them until the end of their days. He had never believed it until now, but welcomed the truth of it. The voices would be a reminder to always look for another way. --Bell Zettifar [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
•      Bell could feel it, the Force burning brighter than ever, ready to consume him, ready to transform him from... what? What did the teachings say? He struggled to remember. Sitting on the cold slabs of Elphrona Outpost. Listening to the Masters. Not even a Padawan yet. Just a youngling being led into a wider world.
       "Transform you the Force will, from this crude matter to the light. Become luminous you will. Become energy. The energy of all living things, from the cinderhawks in the air, yes, to the charhounds howling in the night. From the Force you came. To the Force, you'll return."  --Bell Zettifar & Yoda [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
  

MIDDLE JEDI TEACHINGS - ALL:

•      There is a consistent theme of, after a period of learning to use the Force, a young Jedi is in a very vulnerable place, where the dark side is much more alluring.  It happens with Luke, with Anakin, with Ezra, with Rey, etc.  The dark side can affect a Jedi at any point in their life, but it seems especially critical during the middling years, when they have some foundation, but not yet the full discipline of a Jedi.

MIDDLE JEDI TEACHINGS - ORIGINALS:

•      “And then you have training as a Jedi in the Jedi arts, then you are committing yourself to communicating with the Force via the midichlorians if you will and you are finding a way to connect to it that’s unique.
          “But that takes training and it takes focus and it takes discipline.  You notice with Luke, when  you’re training with the focus and discipline, he enters a dangerous time, because he hasn’t completed his training, when he’ll be tempted by the dark side of the Force.  And that temptation is really about having access to power and will you then start using this power selfishly or selflessly?
          "And you might think rushing in to save your friends at Cloud City is a selfless act, but it can be a selfish thing.  Because you’re not letting them believe in their own agency.“
               –Dave Filoni, Celebration Chicago 2019, Rebels Remembered Panel

MIDDLE JEDI TEACHINGS - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

•      “Being focused--it can mean sparing the life of another or, maybe, saving your own.” --Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
•      “I just... we have this power.  Sometimes it feels good to use it.”
       “Okay, that emotion you’re describing is a release.  A release of frustration and rage. Those are not the tools of a Jedi.” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
  
•      “Aren’t the Jedi supposed to defend the Outer Rim?  I mean, I know we’re peacekeepers, but how are we supposed to keep the peace without some muscle?”
       “The true measure of a Jedi isn’t when they are the most powerful in the room, it’s when they’re not. Physical prowess and training is good, it is, but our goal is peace.  So, the mental side, the discipline, the clarity of thought and focus, that is the core of our strength.” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
•      In the Jedi temple on Valron, Ady Sun’Zee explains the meaning behind one of the exercises there to her Padawan:  “They’re ancient devium stones, Padawan.  And the key here is balance.  Use the Force to arrange the stones.  It’s not solely about balance within, either.  You need to consider balance with every decision as a Jedi.  The balance of nature, if you need to relocate a settlement.  Of a treaty and how it affects all parties.  Balance doesn’t always mean an even split of weight.  Texture, density, shape, there are many aspects to consider.  And that’s just for these stones.  The world outside this temple only gets more complex.”  [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
  
•      “What use is an obstacle?”
       “They don’t have a use!  They’re just in the way.”
       “They are.  But an obstacle also presents us with a challenge.  And challenges push us, make us grow.” --Ady Sun’Zee and Nooa [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
• When Ady is too panicky to help get Nooa out of being crushed by debris, Nooa calms herself and is able to rescue herself instead, which makes Ady feel guilty about being unable to help her.  “No, don’t.  It’s what Master Sylwin said, ‘Challenges make us grow.’ If you had helped me, I wouldn’t have learned anything.” --Ady Sun’Zee and Nooa [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
• The life of a Jedi Padawan is not an easy one (even when your Master isn’t pushing you off a cliff or only giving you a rare hour off!), but it’s not done without care and without making the student better:
       “He had been training at the Jedi Temple for fifteen of his eighteen years, and it had never been easy, but being Loden's Padawan was on an entirely different level. Every day, without exception, pushed him to his limits. Any personal time Bell ever got was spent desperately collapsing into the deepest sleep of his life until it all began again. But...he was learning. He was better now than he was even six months ago, at everything.”  --Bell Zettifar, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

JEDI KNIGHTING CEREMONIES:

• Jedi of all eras share Knighting ceremonies, at least including similar phrasing.
• “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do, Jedi.  Knight of the Republic.” --Yoda [Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 2003] (This is Legends, not part of Lucasfilm canon, but is included because it seems to be the origin of the phrase and the connection is important.)
•     “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Kanan Jarrus, you may rise.”  --Yoda, through the Grand Inquisitor’s Jedi form.  [It being Yoda using the appearance of the Grand Inquisitor is from Rebels Recon/word of god commentary from Pablo Hidalgo.]
•     “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Cal Kestis.  Rise, Jedi Knight.” --Cere Junda [Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order]
•     “Keeve Trennis, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I name thee Jedi, Knight of the Republic.” --Avar Kriss [Star Wars: The High Republic comic]
  
• There is a room in the main spire of the Jedi Temple where: “Meditation chambers where Padawans awaiting Knighthood spend the night before the ceremony, communing with the Force.” [Star Wars Complete Locations, 2016]

JEDI MANTRAS:

• “Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter.” and variations on it/references to it have existed for at least from the High Republic to the prequels to the OT:
       - "You are a luminous being," he said. "There is no pain, there is no fatigue, there is no fear. You are light and speed and there is nothing in this world more beautiful. I am here with you. We are together. We will do great things. We will save this family." --Porter Engle, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
       - “Not only that, but she sensed that other Jedi had brought their focus to bear as well—from Coruscant, from across the galaxy. Even Yoda, wherever he was with his little crew of younglings—his great, wise mind sang its own part of the chorus, heartbreakingly beautiful, a voice of pure light belying his physical appearance. Not this crude matter indeed.” --Avar Kriss, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
       - “One with the Force, they are, and our job it is to remember that we will, in time, also pass on. Luminous beings are we, but temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all find ourselves here, in time. A moment of silence, I ask—to remember, and to move on." --Yoda, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much”
       - “My ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, yes, even between the land and the ship.” --Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
•     “There is no fear, only certainty.”
      “There is also sssuch a thing as rhetoric.  A Jedi does more than sssimply parrot ancient lore– a Jedi acts.” --Keeve Trennis & Sskeer, Star Wars: The High Republic
  

THE "JEDI CODE" - PREQUELS:

• The “Jedi Code” most are familiar with does not exist anywhere in the movies or the TV shows, it was originally created for a 1987 roleplaying game (and therefore was a product of the original trilogy, not the prequels). It has made its way into Lucasfilm canon books and comics (both with “there is no emotion, there is peace” and the “emotion, yet peace” version being taught and used by Jedi), but primarily seems to be used as a meditation mantra for calming one’s mind to better hear the Force.
       The only mentions of the “Jedi Code” for the movies/TV prequels Order are:
       - The Code forbids having more than one Padawan at a time. [Star Wars: The Phantom Menace]
       - The Jedi Code prevents the Jedi from murdering people in the face without restraight. [Star Wars: The Clone Wars - “Citadel Rescue”

THE "JEDI CODE" - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• The High Republic Jedi also have the “there is no passion, there is serenity” “Jedi Code” and that strong passions are dangerous for a Jedi:
       Stellan accepted the jibe in the spirit it had been given, smiling at the young woman who had asked to record the duel. "If only that was true. I know of at least two former students who chose to meditate whenever I launched into the intricacies of lightsaber history. It is a particular passion of mine."
       Rhil Dairo's eyebrow arched up. "Now, that is interesting. I thought the Jedi Code stated there is no passion."
       Stellan felt a wave of discomfort roll off the golden-haired Wookiee who was standing at a respectful distance behind the reporter and her cam droid, the same unease Stellan had sensed from the Padawan during the duel with his Master. Burryaga was one of the most empathetic Jedi Stellan had ever encountered, a gift that had saved hundreds of lives during the Great Disaster. However, on this occasion, his concern was misguided. Stellan wasn't embarrassed by Rhil's question. She was only doing her job, after all.
       "Indeed it does," Stellan told her. "Strong passions are something we try to control within ourselves, as emotions can cloud our judgment, especially in stressful situations. They can blind us to the truth, and to the leading of the Force. That said, it would be foolish to suggest that a Jedi has no desires or interests. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it would be dangerous, leading only to complacency. Yes, I have a passion for learning and teaching. It is part of who I am. But I am also prepared to set such things aside at a moment's notice. My ‘passions' must never be greater than my mission. Does that make sense?"  [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
• The Jedi Code recited as a meditation mantra brings Bell Zettifar comfort:
        Bell tried to remember Loden's words as he dropped his Vector into a barrel roll, laserfire streaking past the canopy. The Cloudship was too far out of range to return fire, but that would change soon enough. Indeera had told him not to glory in the death of his enemy, but there was no ignoring the sense of anticipation that burned in his belly, the longing to take revenge for Loden up here, where his Master had been lost. In the stars.
       He forced himself to breathe.
       "There is no emotion," he muttered, still focused on the Nihil craft. "There is peace."
       The Jedi Code brought him comfort, keeping his focus on the here and now rather than the pain of the past or the dangerous lure of a vengeance-filled future.
       "There is no passion, there is—" [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]

JEDI PUNISHMENT - PREQUELS:

•      When Darth Vader has a vision about a possible choice he could make--go find Obi-Wan and ask for help--during a brief moment of the dark side clearing from his eyes, even he knows that Obi-Wan would have accepted him back and helped him, just as the Jedi did for Prosset and Vos.

JEDI CULTURE - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• Jedi often believe in the Force providing for them:
       It made her proud to be a Jedi and glad that the Force had provided such an opportunity for her. --Vernestra Rwoh, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage
• High Republic Jedi have rising stars/more influential members than others: 
       He chuckled and held out a hand to Vernestra. "Ambassadors Weft, Janex, and Starstriker, please allow me to introduce you to the pride of Port Haileap, Vernestra Rwoh. Vernestra here—we call her Vern for short—is the youngest Padawan to pass her trials in a very long time. She is quite the rising star." --Douglas Sunvale, Star Wars: the High Republic: A Test of Courage
• Just as the prequels Jedi Council elected diverse voices to its body, so too does the High Republic Jedi Council have diverse voices who often argue loudly with each other.  [Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi]

JEDI CLOTHING:

• Jedi Masters of the High Republic were required to wear a tabard:
       "He did have his lightsaber, as a proper Jedi always would, but that was the only indication of his status. That night he had worn the required tabard of a Jedi Master, the gold scrollwork set against the snowy material impressive even if it was clear it had been hastily unpacked." --Douglas Sunvale, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage

Chapter Text

SECTION 3 - JEDI AS A PEOPLE:

JEDI VIEWS OF FAMILY AND CARE FOR THEIR YOUNG - PREQUELS:

•      “As the Clone War scorches its destructive path across the galaxy, it is the Jedi who bring order to the chaos. Though as the war progresses, the number of Jedi have declined, and new younglings are harder to find. When a youngling is located, they are brought to the Jedi Temple and learn quickly that their true family is now the Jedi Order.” --The Clone Wars, “The Gathering”
•      "I won't be a pawn in your political game.  The Jedi are my family." --Anakin Skywalker, in the original Revenge of the Sith script
•      “Anakin’s just gone and killed his family, more or less, so I’ve done a deed that I thought would’ve weighed on me. But George sees it as an outburst of almost accidental anger that Anakin then has to suffer the repercussions for the rest of his life.” --Hayden Christensen, The Making of Revenge of the Sith

JEDI SCHOOLING - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• The Jedi have "jumping off shit" classes apparently:
       “With a massive effort, [Bell] forced himself to focus, to find the flame of the Force within and fan it into greater life, and through it connect with the air currents rushing past his face and whipping through his dreadlocks. Loden had given him instruction on how to execute this maneuver safely, though he was frustratingly vague in his description of how it was supposed to work.
       “In general, the idea was to guide yourself to the updrafts, and use them as a foundation to slow your fall. Once you figured that out, you were somehow also supposed to use the Force to push against the ground as it drew closer. The two elements could slow you down enough to land safely. Bell had achieved it easily enough in Temple training when falling from lesser heights, or if dropping onto a repulsor pad that would prevent any real injury.
        “But now, when plummeting from a cliff, facing a horrendous maiming if he was lucky, he could barely even remember what Loden had told him to do. He knew the real challenge here was not mastery of the Force, but mastery of fear—always the Jedi's greatest test.” --Bell Zettifar, Star Wars: The High Republic, Light of the Jedi

JEDI RETREATS - PREQUELS:

• The Jedi have meditation retreats that last at least two weeks--even during a war that was stretching them thin they had them):
       "Hey, I'm supposed to be on a meditative retreat.  We should go away together.  [....] Oh, it's only two weeks." --Anakin Skywalker, The Clone Wars, “Hostage Crisis”

JEDI TRIALS & PADAWANS:

• “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force….” is a recurring rite of passage in both the prequels and the High Republic Jedi Order when Knighting a Padawan.  (While the 2003 Clone Wars series is Legends continuity, via Rebels Recon commentary, it’s Yoda who is Knighting Kanan in his vision, as well as Cere Junda from Jedi: Fallen Order is from the prequels Jedi Order, showing that it was part of their traditions as well.) --Star Wars: Rebels, Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: The High Republic comic
•      “Vernestra had undertaken her Jedi trials earlier than most on recommendation from her master and, to the surprise of many, had passed. [...] But as far as she knew, she was the only Jedi who had passed her trials on her first attempt at the age of fifteen, when most Padawans were in the early stages of their apprenticeships.” --Vernestra Rwoh, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage
• Douglas Sunvale thought that Imri Cantaros should start training for his trials (it’s unspecified how long that training would take) at age fourteen, though Vernestra Rwoh says it’s still early for him:
       "Don't worry, Imri! You have lots of time. Didn't you just turn fourteen?"
       "Yes, but . . ." Imri's voice trailed off and he sighed. "I'm ready to be a Knight."
       "You'll be ready when the Force says you are," Vernestra said gently. --Vernestra Rwoh & Imri Cantaros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage
• Jedi Trials are a test of strengths and weaknesses, no two are the same, though, Vernestra and Douglas avoid giving many details when asked about it by non-Jedi:
       "What exactly happens during the Jedi trials? Is it a test of strength or intellect?" Ambassador Weft asked.
       "The trials are both," Vernestra said with a smile, answering the ambassador's question. "They are designed to test an individual Jedi's strengths and weaknesses."
       "No two trials are the same," Douglas interjected, clapping the ambassador on the shoulder like they were old friends. "I have heard that your Metamorphosis Trials on Dalna are similar." --Vernestra Rwoh and Douglas Sunvale, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage

JEDI AND COMMUNITY:

•      ”Master, I sense something.  Are you afraid... now?”
       “Being here brings back a lot.  I feel Master Sylwin’s absence again.”
       “What was it like?  When you lost her?”
       “[heavy sigh] It was like falling.  You think there’s nothing you can do, no way to reach out and stop the descent.  Just... deeper and deeper.  And, uh, thankfully Master Yoda was there to guide me back.” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE HIGH REPUBLIC AND PREQUELS:

• Several familiar Jedi are around in the High Republic era that will still be around during the prequels, including Yarael Poof and Oppo Rancisis and Yoda on the Jedi Council. [Star Wars: Light of the Jedi]
• Tera Sinbue is already a Jedi Master during the High Republic and Stellan knows him as someone who has risen swiftly up the ranks recent years. [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]

Chapter Text

SECTION 4 - PSYCHIC SPACE WIZARDS DOING PSYCHIC SPACE WIZARD THINGS:

JEDI CARRYING A PSYCHIC WEIGHT/FEELING OTHERS’ WEIGHT ON THEM - PREQUELS:

• VENTRESS: I fight the urge to separate the El-ee-pee’s stupid rabbit-eared head from its narrow shoulders. It totters off, leaving me in Dooku’s presence. The imposing man doesn’t turn. He doesn’t even acknowledge that I am here.
       I wait, every muscle aching with the effort of appearing nonchalant.
       As if I can fool him.
       DOOKU: “Your feelings betray you.” --[Dooku: Jedi Lost]
• DOOKU: I listened to them work, picking over the rubble, looking for other survivors. I tried to tell them that we had been alone, but my voice was hoarse, dust coating my throat.  (COUGHS)
       SIFO-DYAS:  “Dooku. Try to relax.”
       DOOKU: Relax? How could I relax? I felt a presence sweep across the disaster site, a fury that was all too recognizable. --[Dooku: Jedi Lost]
•      “Some Jedi Knights’ sensitivity to the Force allowed them to expertly plumb the emotions of everyone around them, sifting through and assessing feelings in a way that allowed them to perfectly gauge their responses to all. This was a talent Qui-Gon didn’t share. He generally had to assess mood and tempers like any non-Force-user—through tone of voice, expression, things said and unsaid.
       “But Captain Deren’s shame and misery were so great that Qui-Gon not only felt them, but shared them as though the pain were his own.” --[Master and Apprentice]
•      But no matter how urgent the mission, when he visited a new world, Yoda would take a moment to open himself completely to the Force. He'd let his senses be flooded by the life energies around him. And everywhere he visited, he found beauty and wonder. Sometimes he had to look for them—look hard, even—but they were always there, and over the centuries he had decided they must be products of life, two more expressions of the ever-changing Force. --[The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, “Sharing the Same Face”]
•                                           Harmony, we seek.
      The swaying stream of existence brings shifting tides of chaos and order in measures that can never be fully understood, only recognized and confirmed.
                                             Reality, we accept.
       A patient agreement with existence does not mean one cannot influence or improve one’s position in the universe.  Acknowledgement does not equal passivity.
                                           The future, we behold.
      Meditation is not a body at rest or a stagnant state of selfishness.  It is the diffusion of self, a desire to reach further than the physical bounds that anchor us so we may attempt to experience the wider patterns at place.
      This moment of oneness paints itself upon an infinite canvas.  It is a fleeting concordance between the physical world and spiritual senses that look beyond. --[Yoda, From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, “The First Lesson”]
•      Sitting outside his meager hut, introspective and silent, Yoda let his awareness swirl out in all directions, connecting him to the diverse biome that was Dagobah. He had carried out this mental exercise countless times throughout his years spent in exile, yet each time experiencing it felt engaging and new.
       The ground was soft and damp. The air thick and hazy.
      The seasons were in transition on this planet of marshy mist. In this moment he felt each new sprout and rotting root. --Yoda, [From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, “The First Lesson”]
•      "Right away, General," said Thire, and Yoda could feel his eagerness as a pulse of emotion in the Force. Eagerness radiated from all three clones, in fact. They'd been assigned to diplomatic escort duty and sent to Coruscant, but the galactic capital was far from the war's front lines, and they wanted desperately to prove themselves in combat. As if death and destruction proved anyone's worth, and were anything other than a tragedy. --[The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, “Sharing the Same Face”]

JEDI CARRYING A PSYCHIC WEIGHT/FEELING OTHERS’ WEIGHT ON THEM - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

•      "Come on, Lula. We're both Jedi. Don't make me explain what I already know you know. Your heavy thoughts are taking up more room in this little ship than you are." --Vernestra Rwoh, [Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
•      Norel Quo had gone into overdrive fielding requests and arranging meetings for Lina Soh, who stood as calm as a Jedi Master as the tempest raged around her. If Stellan had been impressed with the woman before, his admiration had grown by the second in the midst of such a crisis. The tension in the room reached fever pitch within seconds, and yet she remained calm and controlled, at least on the surface. He could sense her true emotions, the concern that knotted her stomach, but they never even remotely approached panic. [--Stellan Gios [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]

JEDI AND IMPRINTS IN THE FORCE:

• Leia feels Maul’s rage still echoing in the hangar from The Phantom Menace, thirty years later:
      “Do you feel that...?  I feel... cold....”[ --Leia Organa, Shattered Empire]
• Despite not even being on the planet when the Temple bombing happened and his investigation doesn’t start until well after the fires are put out and the bodies are moved, Anakin can still hear their screams in his mind:
       “I can still hear the screams.” [--Anakin Skywalker, The Clone Wars, “Sabotage”]

JEDI ABILITIES - PREQUELS:

• Obi-Wan and Yoda were the ones that helped Anakin over to becoming a Force Ghost even without proper training:
       “There is a scene where Obi-Wan and Yoda have learned how to join the Force at will and then retain their individuality once they are part of the Force, which is unusual. And that’s the key to their being able to come back. It’s their connection to Anakin… and his being saved and resurrected at the end… that allows them to have him, when he dies as Darth Vader, to be transferred back into the self he was before he was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi - or maimed by Obi-Wan Kenobi - before he made his transition into Darth Vader.” [--George Lucas, Return of the Jedi commentary]
       “This little scene where he burns his father’s body— it wasn’t originally in the script. But I decided it gave more closure in terms of… Luke’s relationship to his father and letting go of his father… even though later on, as we get to the end of the movie, as [Anakin] joins the Force, he is able to retain his original identity. It’s because of Obi-Wan and Yoda, who learn how to do that, how to join the Force at will and then retain your identity. But it was his identity as he was when he died as Anakin Skywalker.” [--George Lucas, Return of the Jedi commentary]
•      “As explained in The Clone Wars episode “Voices”, Qui-Gon Jinn spent time with five Force Priestesses on their planet, the Wellspring of Life. They explained to him how he could keep his persona when he died and joined the cosmic Force.
       “Qui-Gon learned how to hear the cosmic Force and when he died in Episode I he joined the cosmic Force with his persona intact and was able to talk to Yoda in Episode III. When he was there, he learned more about how to become a Force ghost to keep your identity. Qui-Gon passed that information along to Yoda, Yoda taught Ben and Ben was teaching Luke how to do that.
       “So that’s how that symbiotic circle of people learned how to go from Heaven to Earth, so to speak. It’s based on Greek mythology - how to become a god, but in a much more practical sense and without the ego, without the identity.” [--George Lucas]
•      “That’s why I split it into the personal [living] Force and the cosmic Force. The personal Force is the energy field created by our cells interacting and doing things while we are alive. When we die, we lose our persona and our energy is assimilated into the cosmic Force.
       “If we have enough midi-chlorians in our body, we can have a certain amount of control over our personal Force and learn how to use it, like the Buddhist practices of being able to walk on hot coals. Some people can’t because they just don’t have as many midi-chlorians - that’s just genetics. So the more midi-chlorians we have, the more accessibility we have to the Force. So we have to be trained how to use it.
       “For example, we can be good at math and on the piano, but to become a physicist or concert pianist, you have to be trained. You have to be trained to use the Force, to use the genes that give you a talent that is different from everybody else.
       “So you have to be found and fostered. If you have more than a certain number of midi-chlorians, you can become a Jedi. The Jedi will train you to connect to your personal Force, and then to connect to the cosmic Force. You don’t have much power to control the cosmic Force, but you can make use of it. The Jedi by nature of their genetics have more midi-chlorians than most people, but there is no direct connection between our human world and the microscopic world.” [--George Lucas]
• In addition to being able to lift solid objects, Jedi are able to push back clouds of poison, when Palpatine orders gas bombs dropped on the rampaging Zillo Beast and the gas spreads across the people still trying to evacuate.  [The Clone Wars - “The Zillo Beast Strikes Back”]

JEDI ABILITIES - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• Jedi Empaths were rare in the time of the High Republic and there was a special test for determining them:
       "It happens. But don't worry, you'll get it. Did you ever consider asking Douglas to take you to the temple for the empath tests?" Vernestra asked. The capacity to perceive the feelings of others was a rare Force ability, but these were marvelous times. More and more it seemed that the Jedi would spread their light throughout the galaxy and make life better for all. [--Vernestra Rwoh to Imri Cantaros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage]
• Loden uses a mind trick on a civilian:
       "You will not worry," [Loden] said, in a low, resonant tone Bell recognized. Loden was using the Force to add weight to his words, to cut through the surrounding chaos and anxiety. "Focus on your family, your child. Keep them safe. I will take care of the rest." The woman nodded, and even smiled. [--Loden Greatstorm, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi]
•      “Avar suspected [Elzar] was considering a use of the Force right then, however—what most Jedi called the mind touch, and he called the mind trick. He found it a more honest way to describe what was actually being done. Elzar would lift two fingers in a subtle gesture and touch Marlowe San Tekka's mind with the Force, and then Marlowe would do whatever Elzar said next.
       “The mind touch was a tool of the light, Avar knew, but she preferred indirect approaches to such a focused intervention in another person's path. Elzar had his reservations as well, but viewed the technique as a way to open people to the truth, to provide clarity, to allow them to feel the will of the Force. To put it another way—he was a problem solver, and the mind touch certainly solved problems.” [--Avar Kriss, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi]

JEDI BONDS:

• It’s unclear the precise nature of what a “bond” means to the Jedi, but it seems to be a mix of emotional and Force-specific bonds
•      “We shall, however, use the strong bond that once existed between you and your master [Dooku and Yoda] to allow us to see things that we otherwise could not.” [Star Wars: The Clone Wars , –“Sacrifice”, ]
•      “Yoda said, on the day of the tournament, he said that the bond between a Padawan and his Master was sacred.” [Dooku: Jedi Lost]
•       “Obi-Wan’s crèche-mate Prie, for instance, had been partnered with a Master who was expert in two things: forming Force-bonds with animals and unarmed combat.” [Master and Apprentice]
  
•      “But he had forged a powerful bond with Dooku well before they’d been together for a year. Most Masters and apprentices did.” [Master and Apprentice]
•      “Anakin’s bond with his teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is strong.  They make a dynamic team in the Clone Wars, where Anakin proves to be a great leader.  Yet Anakin is troubled by feelings of anger and mistrust.” [Ultimate Star Wars]
•      “Mace Windu rescued Depa Billaba from space pirates who killed her parents, eventually taking her as his Padawan, where they developed a close bond.” [Ultimate Star Wars]
•      “Jedi Master Plo Koon discovers the toddler Ahsoka’s sensitivies to the Force while on a mission. He brings her to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be trained, and maintains a strong bond with her throughout her Padawan years.” –[one of the canon reference/trivia books, I’ll have to find the specific book again]
•      “The kyber crystals do determine the color of the blade, but they only take on their colors after their bond with the Jedi who’ve chosen them.”
          Fanry’s eyes widened. “Kyber crystals bond with Jedi? Does that mean you…communicate with them?” –Master and Apprentice
• It can sometimes be difficult to determine what’s a bond between two characters in the Force and what’s simply the Literal Psychic Empaths the Jedi are, like when Anakin says:
       “I sense some anxiety From you about the duchess.” --Anakin Skywalker to Obi-Wan Kenobi, [Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “Voyage of Temptation”]
• The Force can be very finnicky at times, sometimes it’ll let Jedi do things at one moment, but not at another.  While familiarity with another Jedi amplifies things (”The sensing of people is one of the biggest dilemmas, I think, in all of Star Wars, because people want to use it like a metal detector. I am very, very certain that it really just relates to how much you know somebody and intention of threat. You take those two things and combine them. “ --Dave Filoni, Star Wars Rebels, “Rise of the Old Masters” commentary), sometimes the Force just Does What It Wants.
• So, it’s unclear whether, in this example, Mace is particularly close with Obi-Wan and/or Anakin, if it’s a natural talent of his, if he’s projecting more than he usually would, or if the Force is just giving things a signal boost and letting his thoughts come in more clearly:
       "But Anakin felt another presence--Mace Windu, closer than they could have hoped.  
       “I'm coming for you.  It shouldn't have gone this far...  
       “Anakin didn't know what Mace meant.  He just knew they'd be safe soon.  That was all that mattered." [Choose Your Destiny: An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure]
• Jedi bonds could be very dangerous and easily manipulated without the person even being aware that there was a bond formed in the first place:
      "On occasion, the Force allows us to connect with another living being and communicate with them across great distances, seeing what they see and feeling what they feel.  Though this may seem like a harmless--and perhaps even valuable--ability, it is easily manipulated by those on the dark side.  Some powerful Force users have been able to create secret bonds with others who are unaware of their connection.  They then use those bonds to corrupt their target and steer their actions.  Even if the unwanted bond is detected, it can still be extremely difficult to break.”  [--Luke Skywalker, Secrets of the Jedi]

JEDI AND KYBER CRYSTALS + LIGHTSABERS:

•      "Calm your mind, and the blade will move as part of you," Master Kunpar always said at [lightsaber] practice sessions. [Star Wars: The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
•      Combat training had always felt like a kind of meditative exercise, learned more because of tradition than any dire necessity. Padawans learned the forms, memorized each step, and honored their lightsabers as a part of themselves, and in doing so, they walked the path of every Jedi before them, and every Jedi yet to come.” [--Lula Talisola, Star Wars: The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower]
• Lightsaber blades are not stronger than each other, only the ability to wield it:
       Fanry said, “Is a stronger Force user’s lightsaber stronger, too? What happens when two Jedi fight each other?”
       “The blade isn’t stronger. Only the Force user’s ability to wield it,” Obi-Wan said.  [Master and Apprentice]
• Jedi and their kyber are linked through the Force and the High Republic Jedi don’t really let others hold theirs:
       Avon had tried to talk Vernestra into letting her examine it more closely, but the older girl had politely refused.
       "A Jedi and her kyber are linked through the Force. It sings to me and my spirit returns that call. It's not a mere energy crystal, Avon. I am sorry. But no." [--Vernestra Rwoh to Avon Starros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage]
• A Jedi’s relationship with their lightsaber was personal enough it was considered as intimate as their underwear:
      A burst of happy excitement came from Avon as she plopped down next to him. "Is it okay if I watch? I keep trying to get Vern to let me hold her lightsaber, but she keeps telling me no."
      Imri laughed a little. "A Jedi's lightsaber is very personal. It's kind of like asking to borrow someone's underclothes." [--Avon Starros and Imri Cantaros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage]
•      "Each kyber crystal is unique and requires a Force-sensitive being to align and activate it during the lightsaber assembly proces.  Each kyber crystal starts out clear, but once it is awakened by the Force, its color shifts to match the nature of its master." [--Luke Skywalker, Secrets of the Jedi]
•      “Everything happened so fast. The hyperspace disaster struck before I was assigned a new master. And then the Nihil threat appeared.  I think I needed her... voice, in a way.” --Ady Sun'Zee on why she used her Master’s kyber crystal in her lightsaber, indicating that a Jedi’s connection with their kyber crystal can be ‘heard’ by other Jedi.  [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]
•      “Maybe now would is a good time to return [Master Sylwin’s] crystal.  Where will it go?”
       “There’s a vessel here in the Temple, early Ithorian, I think.  She always admired it.  [.....]  Now to remove the crystal.  Hello, Master.  I know you would probably frown on me taking this, but we parted too soon.”” --Nooa and Ady Sun’Zee when putting Master Sylwin’s lightsaber away in the garden on Valron [Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call]

JEDI AND ACCESS TO THE FORCE:

• At least, as of the time of the High Republic, there is no way to block the Force. (And, as far as I’m aware, nothing in canon through the prequels or the originals or the sequels has done so, either.)
       Vernestra laughed. "Avon, we've discussed this. The Force is all around and inside of us, as well. It isn't like your power crystals. It's impossible to block the Force.” [--Vernestra Rwoh to Avon Starros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage]

Chapter Text

SECTION 5 - JEDI TEMPLES:

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT:

•      "The heart and home of the Jedi Order, the Jedi Temple was reclaimed from Sith usurpers some 1,000 years ago--seemingly ending a cycle of victories and defeats that stretched back for millennia.  The ancient edifice, built and rebuilt over the centuries, fulfils several roles.  It is a place of spiritual growth--a center for contemplation, meditation, and study of the Force.  It's serves as a martial-arts academy, training potential Jedi and honing their physical skills to perfection.  It is the Order's administrative center and headquarters for operations during the Clone Wars.  And it is a repository of knowledge--open and forbidden, light and dark--that has been safeguarded and studied by generations of Jedi Masters." --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)
•      “Jedi scholars disagree on the location of the Order’s first temple, making cases for Coruscant, Jedha, and Ossus as well as worlds shrouded in myth, such as Tython and Ahch-To.“   --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)
•      "Jedi archaelologists teach that the Temple is not a single structure but agglomeration of many structures–one that tells a millienia-long story of expansion oand appropriation, ruin and reconstruction.  The Temple is an archaelogical treasure it itself, bearing the scars of Sith occupation and a patchwork of ancient architecture adapted for different functions over time.  Some sublime examples of earlier construction have been preserved intact as museums to the heritage of the Jedi.”   --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - MAIN SPIRE:
     --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

• “Pinnacle room of the Temple Spire, the most sacred Jedi site, comprising the oldest known suriviving Jedi texts, is a carefully controlled environment." 
• "Hall of Knighthood.  Padawans are raised to the status of Jedi Knight here in a ceremony of deep spiritual significance.  The status of Master is also formally conferred here.”
• “Meditation chambers where Padawans awaiting Knighthood spend the night before the ceremony, communing with the Force.”
• "Memorial statues of most revered Jedi, surrounded in tower by repulsorlifts.”“Peak of the original sacred spire around which the earlieest incarnation of the Jedi Temple was constructed.”
• “Meditation blacony surrounding original peak.”“Lower balcony around peak presents a series of holo-depictions of the history of the Jedi.  The smallest younglings are brought here for their education.”
  “The sacred spire in its natural state, with ancient meditation balconies and access points to the original cave chapels.”
  “Chamber of Conclave, where representatives of the Jedi Order from across the galaxy meet once a year to hear reports from the Jedi Council.”

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - RIGHT HAND SPIRE:
     --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

• “Meeting chamber generally used by Jedi High Council.“  
• "Holographic situation map of galaxy.”
• “Each Council Tower has a data and planning center linked to the Library and Archives.”
• “Hangar for Jedi starfighters with extendable launch/landing platform.”

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - LEFT HAND SPIRE:
     --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

• “Jedi Reassignment Council Tower houses Chamber of Judgement.”

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - MAIN ZIGGURAT:
     --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

• “Mosaic floor salvaged from the ancient Jedi Temple of Ossus.”
• “Communications control for Jedi Council Tower, where Obi-Wan alters the Jedi recall signall to broadcast instead a warning.”
• “Clerestories allow light into contemplation gardens.”
• “Offices of the Jedi Exploration Corps.”
• “Lightsaber crafting facility, with lightsaber practice gallery behind.”
• “Workshops, storerooms, and maintenence facilities, as well as control and switch rooms.”
• “Reading room of earlier Jedi Library salvaged because of its architechtual merit.  Now converted to a formal banqueting hall for ceremonial/diplomatic occasions.”
• “Ancient remnant of earlier Temple has been preserved as museum of Jedi history.”
• “Jedi Archives and Library includes holocron vauls with ancient lore accessible only by Jedi Masters.”
• “Temporary accommodation cubicles for Jedi Knights and Padawans in transit or awaiting re-assignment.”
• “Jedi Agricultural Corps research laboratory, containing alien flora for research.”
• “Library and Archives data storage stacks, with Analysis Rooms behind.”
• “Area around base of Tower of First Knowledge devoted to the ongoing training and education of Padawans.”
• “Arcade of stained-glass windows and statues honoring Jedi heroes who were instrumental in wresting control of Coruscant from the Sith a millennium ago.”
• “The Room of 1,000 Fountains lies beyond this arcade.”
• “Salvaged remnants of earlier Temple, believed to be about 2,000 years old.”
• “Holographic training area used by Padawans and Knights, in which realistic battle scenarios can be generated for practice in lightsaber skills.”
• “Tablets with the Jedi Code and laws.”
• “Service ducts running throughout the Temple.”
• “Early rotunda chapek, retained within modern structure, reserved as a place of meditation for newly selected Padawans.”
• “Ancient exterior wall of the Temple precinct, now closed by later sheathing.”
• “Medical center and infirmary, staffed by Jedi Medical Corps.”
• “Sith containment cells, constructed centuries ago to hold hostile Force-users and their creatures and servants.”

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - MAIN ENTRYWAY:
     --Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016)

• “The Processional Way to the Jedi Temple terminates in this ceremonial staircase, crowned with the statues of two Warrior Masters and two Sage Masters.”
• “Formal entrance.  Massive pylons are decorated with sculptures of the Four Masters who founded the Temple.”
• “Monumental Temple entrace hall, where Yoda and Obi-Wan discover many of the Jedi dead after the attack on the Temple.”

JEDI TEMPLE ON CORUSCANT - UNKNOWN (BUT PROBABLY  MAIN ZIGGURAT):

• “Together they walked throughout the Temple—not all of it, because it was too large for anyone to see the whole of it in a day—but the most important parts, the ones Qui-Gon had always been most curious to see. Dooku showed him the Padawans' sparring dojo, and let him take a look at the one for full Jedi Knights.” --Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn, 67 BBY [Master & Apprentice]
• “He finally saw the Great Assembly Room, reserved for those rare times when virtually the entire Order met.” --Qui-Gon Jinn, 67 BBY [Master & Apprentice]
• “Probably most other Padawans wouldn't have found the arboretum thrilling, either, but Qui-Gon spent long minutes wandering through the trees, flowers, and ferns of a thousand different worlds while Dooku patiently watched.” [Master & Apprentice]
• “At day's end, Master Dooku finally brought Qui-Gon to their last stop, the Jedi Archives. The new chief archivist, a woman named Jocasta Nu, welcomed Dooku with a familiarity that suggested they were friends.” --Dooku and Qui-Gon & Jocasta Nu, 67 BBY [Master & Apprentice]
• Generally, it seems Knights and Masters don’t go to the Padawans’ Dojo:
       “Finally he reached the Padawans' dojo. Here, younger Jedi could train and practice together, both to spend time with friends and to learn from their peers. Able to teach one another much, Padawans are, Yoda had explained, and far more able are they when their Masters watch not.
       “He paced the length of the hexagonal floor, centering himself as best he could before finally drawing his lightsaber from his belt. Its hum filled the silence, and his grip instinctively strengthened in response to its faint vibration. Breathing in deeply, Obi-Wan assumed battle stance and began the cadences.” [Master & Apprentice]
•       “Obi-Wan managed to stop in place without flinching or betraying surprise. He held his lightsaber poised horizontally across his chest, its blue light casting everything beyond it, including Qui-Gon, in black and white. ‘This is the Padawans' dojo,’ Obi-Wan said.
        “’I was once a Padawan, you know.’ Qui-Gon stepped farther into the dojo, looking up into its vaulted ceiling, where various hand marks and footprints testified to Padawans practicing more athletic styles of lightsaber combat.
       ‘I didn't mean that you wouldn't know where it was.’
       “Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. ‘You meant, what am I doing here, where I don't belong?’“ [Master & Apprentice]

JEDI TEMPLES ON OTHER WORLDS:

• VALRON: There’s a Sacred Garden Temple on the planet Valron that is used for training Padawans, with several pavilions placed on giant rocky spires.  The main pavilion has a giant statue and several circle-and-line designs as portals to the outer pavilions. (Which is a common Jedi aesthetic--as seen here and here.) The outer ones have training remotes that levitate out of the floor, some exploding remotes and some normal ones, for the Padawans to strike only the non-exploding ones or weighted balancing games, etc.

ANCIENT JEDI REFERENCES:

• Jedi scriptures + Wayfinder details from The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary
       “The sacred texts are words of wisdom dating back to the dawn of the Jedi Order, contained within eight bound books--an exceedingly rare format in a galaxy that has wholly embraced electronic information systems.  They describe tents, history, and specific guidence to those studying the path of the Jedi.  With foresight, the Masters of old encouraged furture students to amend and add to the books as the millennia passed, so they are not just a single snapshot of history, but rather an evolving tapestry describing the Jedi Order.  Luke Skywalker collected the volumes in his travels across the galaxy, and now the yare in Rey's care.”
•      "Not the farthest," replied Yarael Poof. "There have been times in our history when the Order was reduced to but a handful of members." --Yarael Poof, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

Chapter Text

SECTION 6 - JEDI AND THE BIGGER GALAXY:

JEDI’S TREATMENT FROM THE GALAXY - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• The Jedi were often looked to as miracle-makers time and again:
       “The Aurora IX might be state-of-the-art, but that didn't mean the ship could work miracles. Miracles were for the Jedi.”  --Finial Bright, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• And often saw themselves similarly:
        “If there was injustice out there, well...they would bring justice. The Jedi were justice.” --Bell Zettifar, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• Which parallels with Keven Tarr’s thoughts about being expected to perform miracles, showing this is how the galaxy far far away works:
        “If you said you would try to do something, people heard that as you would do something, and if you didn’t achieve the goal then they thought you had failed. And blamed you for trying at all.”
       “But this was the solution he had. He had to try—even though he knew what would happen to him if he failed. That’s what good people did.“ --Keven Tarr, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• And is touched on rather directly by Lina Soh’s thoughts:
        “ A senator, an admiral, a secretary, and, as always, Jedi. The Jedi were never anything less than helpful, solved every problem they were given and many they were not. Without their assistance, there was no question the mystery of the Legacy Run would not have been solved as quickly or decisively. Many of their number had died trying to help the Republic, including Master Jora Malli, whom she knew had been slated to run the Order’s temple on the Starlight Beacon station. They had sacrificed and fought and triumphed, as they nearly always seemed to. She loved the Jedi.  But sometimes she wondered if they were too useful.” --Lina Soh, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• There are brief moments of distrust as the disaster continues over the course of months, and the Nihil problem is not resolved:
       "You're Jedi.”
       "Yes.  Yes, we are, little one."
       "And you're not welcome here."
       "Not welcome?  We mean you no harm, sssitizen..." --Sskeer, Star Wars: The High Republic
• The Jedi are looked to solve the Drengir problem seemingly without many other considerations of what to do:
       The mention of the latest crisis to set root in the frontier only heightened the tension in the room. Rhil had seen the reports—most of them still classified. Entire worlds were being overrun by the things. There were numerous theories on how they spread, from barely conceivable ("They've lain dormant beneath the surface of every planet for millennia") to the frankly terrifying ("Their spores grow inside the bodies of unwitting victims"). Either way, there seemed to be no end in sight, although recent accounts suggested that the Jedi had found a way to stem the tide; accounts the Phindian senator was obviously now beginning to doubt.
       "You assured the Senate that the Drengir were being dealt with, Chancellor," Vaadu said, his voice laced with concern.
       "And they are," Soh told him. "By Marshal Kriss and the brave Jedi of Starlight." --Lina Soh [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]

JEDI AND POLITICS - PREQUELS:

• George Lucas is very explicit about the actively sought corruption of the Senate and Republic, but he does not say the same of the Jedi, but instead that they were forced into the wrong role.  Unlike the Senate who were the ones who fell out of symbiosis (a central theme of Star Wars movies):
        “For a thousand years, the Old Republic prospered and grew under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the venerable Jedi Knights. But as often happens when wealth and power grow beyond all reasonable proportion, an evil fueled by greed arose. The massive organs of commerce mushroomed in power, the Senate became corrupt, and an ambitious named Palpatine was voted Supreme Chancellor.” --George Lucas, Shatterpoint prologue
        “In Episode I, the Senators are more interested in themselves than they are in helping each other. They have fallen out of the symbiotic circle. They couldn’t agree on anything because their interests became so divergent, so they couldn’t get anything done as a Republic, and the Chancellor uses this division, which he helped create, to become Emperor.” --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives 1999-2005
• Contrast this against how the Jedi hold to the circle of symbiosis:
      “As explained in The Clone Wars episode “Voices”, Qui-Gon Jinn spent time with five Force Priestesses on their planet, the Wellspring of Life. They explained to him how he could keep his persona when he died and joined the cosmic Force.
      “Qui-Gon learned how to hear the cosmic Force and when he died in Episode I he joined the cosmic Force with his persona intact and was able to talk to Yoda in Episode III. When he was there, he learned more about how to become a Force ghost to keep your identity. Qui-Gon passed that information along to Yoda, Yoda taught Ben and Ben was teaching Luke how to do that.
      “So that’s how that symbiotic circle of people learned how to go from Heaven to Earth, so to speak. It’s based on Greek mythology - how to become a god, but in a much more practical sense and without the ego, without the identity.” --George Lucas
• “I wanted to convey the idea that Jedi are all very powerful, but they’re also vulnerable — which is why I wanted to kill Qui-Gon. That is to say, “Hey, these guys aren’t Superman.” These guys are people who are vulnerable, just like every other person.” --George Lucas, The Phantom Menace, Director’s Commentary
• “The Jedi are good, but they are not fantastic. They were never designed to be a superhero or anything like that. They were designed to be a Buddhist monk, who happened to be a very good warrior. […] The Jedi are not superheroes. They’re regular people like the rest of us. We all have midi-chlorians. We all have the Force within us. We can all do what the Jedi can do, but we’re not trained. And the secret is training.” --George Lucas, Star Wars Archives 1999-2005
• Palpatine seemed to often interfere in the relationships the Jedi had with other agencies, creating an incredibly unreliable narrative:
       “The Chancellor definitely seemed tired by these events, and struck me as so vulnerable when he imparted his growing unease with Jedi independence in maters of the war.” --Scum and Villainy
• It was largely impossible to be neutral towards the Republic and bodies were blacklisted for it, which the Jedi would have been in a similar position had they taken the same road:
       "Having won neutrality for the Mandalorian System, Duchess Satine now finds herself an outsider with little aid to her people.  Supplies are impossible to come by, except on the black market." --The Clone Wars, “Corruption”
• Even three years into the Clone War, even when the Republic had made negotiations with the Separatists illegal, the Jedi still tried to offer non-violent solutions for better paths forward:
       “My name is General Mace Windu of the Jedi Order. At this point of the Clone War, I have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 of you type one battle droids. I'm giving you an opportunity to peacefully lay down your weapons, so that you may be reprogrammed to serve a better purpose than spreading the mindless violence and chaos which you have inflicted upon the galaxy."  --Mace Windu, Star Wars: The Clone Wars:, “Unfinished Business”
• The Jedi were the ones to take down the Zyggerian Slave Empire before the Separatists supported them into starting it up again:
       “Long before this war, you Jedi destroyed the great Zygerrian Slave Empire.” --Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “Kidnapped”
• “Jedi are always sort of fighting this reality of the fact that they’re, in essence, diplomats. They sort of persuade people to do the right thing, but their job isn’t really to go around fighting people.  Yet they’re now being used as generals, they’re fighting a war, they’re doing something they really weren’t meant to do.  They’re being corrupted by this war, by being forced to be generals instead of peacemakers” --George Lucas, E! Behind the Scenes - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
• “A lot of people say, ‘What good is a lightsaber against a tank?’ The Jedi weren’t meant to fight wars. That’s the big issue in the prequels. They got drafted into service, which is exactly what Palpatine wanted.”  (George Lucas, The Phantom Menace: An Oral History)
•      GEORGE LUCAS: “No. They’re not like cops who catch murderers. They’re warrior-monks who keep peace in the universe without resorting to violence. The Trade Federation is in dispute with Naboo, so the Jedi are ambassadors who talk both sides and convince them to resolve their differences and not go to war. If they do have to use violence, they will, but they are diplomats at the highest level. They’ve got the power to send the whole force of the Republic, which is 100 000 systems, so if you don’t behave they can bring you up in front of the Senate. They’ll cut you off at the knees, politically.  They’re like police officers. As the situation develops in the Clone Wars they are recruited into the army, and they become generals. They’re not generals. They don’t kill people. They don’t fight. They’re supposed to be ambassadors. There are a lot of Jedi that think that the Jedi sold out, that they should never have been in the military, but… ”
       PAUL DUNCAN: “Do you think that?”
       GEORGE LUCAS: “It’s a tough call. It’s one of the conundrums of which there’s a bunch of in my movies. You have to think it through. Are they going to stick with their moral rules and all be killed, which makes it irrelevant, or do they help save the Republic?” --Star Wars Archives 1999-2005
• The Jedi did not believe they were perfectly right in their path during the Clone War, but that they were walking the only path available to them, they knew something fishy was going on, but they were on a tightrope of the Sith’s making:
       YODA: “Know now we do, that guide the creation of the clones from the beginning, Dooku did. Hmm. Our enemy created an army for us. […] Valiant men, the clones have proven to be. Saved my life and yours they have many times. Believe in them we must, win the war swiftly we must, before our enemy’s designs reach completion, whatever they may be.”
       MACE: “Are you sure we are taking the right path?”
       YODA: (sighs) “The right path, no. The only path, yes. Designed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, this web is. For now, play his game we must.” --Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “The Lost One”
• The Jedi believed in working together made people stronger, so they worked with the system of government to try to help better it.  This is what Ahsoka teaches to the Mandalorian cadets:
        “The point is That temptation is always there, And citizens must be vigilant So corruption can't take root. It's every citizen's duty to challenge their leaders, to keep them honest, and hold them accountable if they're not. By exposing corrupt officials For what they are. Lasting change can only come from within.“ --Ahsoka Tano [Star Wars: The Clone Wars - “The Acamdey”]
• This is echoed and paralleled by Padme’s views on democracy as well:
       "I suppose we can't just burn down the whole Senate and start over again with a system that makes sense?" Dormé asked.
       "I'm fairly certain that would be treason," Padmé said. "We're going to have to work with what we've already got."  --Padme Amidala [Queen’s Shadow]
•      “There are still those of us who work to overcome the corruption [in the Republic] and believe it to be possible."  -Padme Amidala [Star Wars: The Clone Wars - “Corruption”]
•      "The Republic did not come here because of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  They are because a Jedi called.  Being a Jedi is not just about power, or lightsabers, or even skill with the Force.  It is about connection.  Being part of something bigger.  I am stronger as part of the Jedi Order than I could ever be alone." --Obi-Wan Kenobi [Obi-Wan & Anakin]
•      "Many ways there are of serving the right," Yoda replied. "We work within our mandates, and there do as much good as we can. To do otherwise, to substitute our judgment for that of the Republic, is to repeat the mistakes of the past." --Yoda [Master & Apprentice]
•      “There has to be some end to this, Qui-Gon thought. Yoda's correct—the Jedi cannot assume the authority for putting a stop to slavery throughout the galaxy, not without taking on more power than we should ever have. But somehow, this must change.” --Qui-Gon Jinn [Master & Apprentice]
• This bears out when the queen of Pijal has absolute authority in within her own system, but still must answer to the Republic and cannot commit crimes against a designated Republic representative, which is what allows them to free the slaves and stop the horror.  Without the Jedi being part of the Republic, this would not have been possible.
         "Here's what we'll do," said Qui-Gon, as calmly as though he'd had this plan for years. "Rael, you and I need to board the Righteous and take custody of Fanry."
       Rael laughed. The sound was strange in his throat. "Arrest her? For what? She's got absolute power now. Doesn't matter what she does—it's the law."
       Qui-Gon shook his head. "The queen has absolute power in the Pijal system. However, she has no power that protects her from the crime of attacking a designated representative of the Republic." With that, he nodded at Obi-Wan.
       Obi-Wan didn't seem as confident. "Surely killing several thousand Czerka people counts as a pan-galactic offense."
       "It does," Qui-Gon said, "but Czerka sometimes ‘takes initiative' and pursues those who've committed crimes against the corporation. They claim to handle such matters without help from the courts—but sometimes, they wreak a bloody vengeance. I have no doubt they would here. Czerka must not be the authority to step in. It must be the Republic." --Qui-Gon Jinn, Rael Averros, Obi-Wan Kenobi [Master & Apprentice]
•      "Such as setting free the people currently rebelling within your ship," Qui-Gon said. "The former slaves."
       "How many more times must I tell you?" Col asked. "They will always be slaves."
       "The situation has changed, Supervisor Col, as you would know if you were better versed in Republic jurisprudence. ‘During extreme political upheaval, any group found to be imprisoned against their will, without having been convicted or accused of any offense against the law, shall be liberated. Anyone responsible for imprisoning these people is committing a criminal act.' "
       Col scoffed. "This is one day of problems, Jedi. The crown princess is now queen, as planned, even if the particulars are unfortunately very difficult. Who's to say that this counts as ‘extreme upheaval'?"
       "Only a designated representative of the Republic can make such a finding," Qui-Gon said. "Such as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Granted, Obi-Wan hasn't yet done so, but he'd be happy to once he gets the chance. And as it happens, Her Majesty has already been overthrown."  --Qui-Gon Jinn [Master & Apprentice]
•      "From you, Pax, I suspect that's a great compliment." Qui-Gon turned to Rahara. "Governor Orth tells me the ‘refugees' from the Leverage have begun traveling offplanet."
       She nodded, leaning against the Meryx door. "Some of them have home planets to go to. Others have been offered funds to help settle newly inhabited worlds, and are taking the Republic up on it. At least a couple of them want to stay here on Pijal. Despite the bad memories they must have, it's beautiful here." --Qui-Gon Jinn, Pax Maripher, Rahara Wick [Master & Apprentice]

JEDI AND POLITICS - HIGH REPUBLIC:

• Jedi are given far, far more influence and respect in the High Republic.
• The galaxy is in better symbiosis with each other during the time of the High Republic, in a very strong contrast to how the galaxy acted and treated the prequels Jedi:
       “It is the time of the High Republic: a peaceful union of like-minded worlds where all voices are heard, and governance is achieved through consensus, not coercion or fear. It is an era of ambition, of culture, of inclusion, of Great Works. Visionary Chancellor Lina Soh leads the Republic from the elegant city-world of Coruscant, located near the bright center of the Galactic Core.” --Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
       “This operation was hers. An admiral named Kronara was in command of the Third Horizon—itself part of the small peacekeeping fleet maintained by the Republic Defense Coalition—but he had ceded control of the effort to save Hetzal to the Jedi. There was no conflict or discussion about the decision. The Republic had its strengths, and the Jedi had theirs, and each used them to support and benefit the other.” --Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• The Jedi Council argues whether or not they should get involved in a military action and it has never been a simple thing, but also that peace without justice is a flawed peace:
        "This is a military action," Master Adampo said, stroking the long white whiskers dangling from her chin, her voice strong and direct. "The Jedi are not a military force. I believe it is that simple."
       "But we have been a military force in the past," said Oppo Rancisis. "In fact, our predecessors waged and won the Great Sith War. There is endless precedent in the chronicles for this sort of thing."
        "True, but we are not at war now. We are the farthest thing from it," said Rana Kant.
       "Not the farthest," replied Yarael Poof. "There have been times in our history when the Order was reduced to but a handful of members."
        "Why are we talking about history?" said Ephru Shinn, the newest member of the Council, a Mon Calamari, selected by Yoda to hold his seat while the great Master was on his sabbatical from Council business. "We should be concerned with now, not old empires or victories or defeats. What is our role in this Republic, at this precise moment?"
       She lifted a hand.
        "I believe that the Jedi should, at all times, present to the many peoples of the galaxy a way of life centered on peace. We must show them the way. The Republic is uniquely receptive to such an idea at this moment."
        "Yes, but we are guardians of two ideals, are we not?" said Yarael Poof. "Sometimes, unfortunately, they come into conflict. We must always strive for peace, but also justice. Peace without justice is flawed, hollow at its core. It is the peace provided by tyranny."
       "I do not believe there has been a single instance of the Jedi getting involved in the military matters of galactic government that has generated anything but endless complexity," Ephru replied.
       "So we should strive only for simplicity? The galaxy is not a simple place, Master Shinn," said Grandmaster Lahru. --The Jedi Council, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

JEDI INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC - PREQUELS:

• Rather than continuing to fight the droids, Mace stops to gently save a local citizen’s life and free the lifeform that Dooku had forcibly possessed: 
       “Whatever Dooku put into your minds... whatever he said to change you... you're free of that man's poison, you understand me?  You're free." --Mace Windu, Star Wars Adventures 2020, issue #10
• Mace smiles gently and comforts a young Twi’lek girl on Ryloth:
        “But you’re a Jedi, and I’m just a worthless–”
        “No, you’re not.  "Everyone thinks I am.”
       “Then everyone is wrong.  But not everyone thinks it.  I don’t.  Listen, everyone needs help now and then.  Everyone.“ --Mace Windu, Star Wars Adventures 2017, issue #12
• Mace disagrees with a local about the nature of what the “ghosts” of their ancestors are, but feels no need to force his view onto them, so he co-exists peacefully with their view:
       “"Well, Agon, who am I to tell you you're wrong?"  "Sir, do you really think that?  Were they... ghosts?" "I' mquite certain they're a subterranean species who only come to the surface during the eclipse.  I felt them--they're connected to the living Force... just like all of us."  --Mace Windu, Star Wars Adventures 2017, issue #12
• Obi-Wan casually picks up the young Twi’lek girl Numa, wraps a protective arm around her, speaks gently to her, and even pulls the hilarious dad hand over the eyes move. --The Clone Wars, “Innocents of Ryloth”

JEDI INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC - THE HIGH REPUBLIC:

• Generally, Jedi of the High Republic don’t let people hold their lightsabers:
       A burst of happy excitement came from Avon as she plopped down next to him. "Is it okay if I watch? I keep trying to get Vern to let me hold her lightsaber, but she keeps telling me no."
       Imri laughed a little. "A Jedi's lightsaber is very personal. It's kind of like asking to borrow someone's underclothes." --Avon Starros and Imri Cantaros, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage

JEDI AND THE INQUISITORIOUS:

• The Inquisitorious was made up of former Jedi that were tortured into the dark side (though, they were not Sith, just dark siders), under the charge of Darth Vader.  There were at least 12 of them, originally headquartered on Coruscant, but later moved to Fortress Inquisitorius on the water moon of Nur.  They had commander over the Purge Troopers and were tasked with hunting down and killing any Jedi survirors.
       "The Inquisitors are formidable fighters. They are former Jedi!" --The Grand Inquisitor, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith
       "As the Inquisitors were once Jedi themselves, and the clones were built to kill Jedi, well…you see the result." --Ferren Barr, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith

PARALLELS AND NARRATIVE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE HIGH REPUBLIC AND PREQUELS:

• The Jedi of the High Republic face a similar situation to the Jedi in the prequels--where an explosive event sets off a chain reaction of many smaller but deadly skirmishes across the Outer Rim and the Jedi must struggle with their role in the fighting, but ultimately decide that the people that will be hurt if they don’t fight are worth defending more than their unease with the fighting.
       The biggest difference is that the High Republic has much, much more time between each battle, where months can go by without fighting, while the prequels were set against an organized, massive army and had only days in between attacks.
        “In this case, I believe the answer is clear. The Nihil have snuffed out countless people across the Outer Rim, and caused endless strife and suffering. We should act to reduce their ability to do anything like this again. I will take the Ataraxia and accompany Admiral Kronara's fleet." --Jora Malli [Star Wars: Light of the Jedi]
        “I believe that the Jedi should, at all times, present to the many peoples of the galaxy a way of life centered on peace. We must show them the way. The Republic is uniquely receptive to such an idea at this moment.”
       “Yes, but we are guardians of two ideals, are we not?” said Yarael Poof. “Sometimes, unfortunately, they come into conflict. We must always strive for peace, but also justice. Peace without justice is flawed, hollow at its core. It is the peace provided by tyranny.” --Jora Malli and Yarael Poof [Star Wars: Light of the Jedi]
• The Jedi of the High Republic also must make an alliance with the Hutt cartel because it’s the only way forward in the politically complicated galaxy, if they’re going to be able to reach people to help, especially with the looming Drengir threat:
        On the screen, Kriss's expression darkened. "Senator? Is there something that you wish to say?"
       "Only that I wondered if the reports are true."
       "And what reports are those?"
       "That the Jedi of Starlight Beacon have formed an alliance with the Hutt Cartel."
       Rhil tried her best to hide her surprise. There had been rumors of a union with the Hutts, known across the galaxy as warlords at best and gangsters at worst, but she hadn't been able to get confirmation.
         Avar Kriss's expression didn't waver. "We are working with certain factions of the Hutt Council, yes."
       "And you think that's wise?"
       "We think it prudent considering the threat posed by the Drengir." [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
•      "A threat that at this point has not reached Valo," Soh interjected quickly.
       "Nor do we expect it to, especially with the leverage afforded to us by our... new allies," Kriss added.
       Noor was anything but mollified. "The Hutts cannot be trusted."
       "In this, we believe they can be," Kriss insisted. "They have as much to lose as the Republic if the Drengir aren't uprooted. Plus, once the current crisis is contained, I believe that we could petition for a new treaty with Nal Hutta..."
       "With criminals and racketeers, you mean!"
       "With powerful neighbors whom I truly believe could be influenced to put their considerable resources to good use. This could be a new beginning for the territories around Hutt space, a new era of peace between our peoples." [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
• This is a parallel to the prequels Jedi being cornered into a treaty with the Hutts again:
       “The Jedi must rescue Jabba's son.”
       “I don't like it, dealing with that criminal scum. This is a dark day for the Republic.”
       “I agree, my friend, but what choice do we have? The Hutts control the Outer Rim...
  ...and we'll need their space lanes in order to move our troops.” --Sheev Palpatine and Mace Windu [Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie]

JEDI AND DEATH AND LUMINOUS SPIRITS:

• Section 1 covers attachment (what it is and why both the High Republic and prequels Jedi forbid it, because it’s obsessive, fearful possession of someone/something, rather than just a connection to them) and Section 2 covers both eras of the Jedi Order sharing the “Jedi Code” as more of a meditation mantra, but both eras also view death and their existence as luminous spiritual beings the same way:
•      Bell could feel it, the Force burning brighter than ever, ready to consume him, ready to transform him from... what? What did the teachings say? He struggled to remember. Sitting on the cold slabs of Elphrona Outpost. Listening to the Masters. Not even a Padawan yet. Just a youngling being led into a wider world.
       "Transform you the Force will, from this crude matter to the light. Become luminous you will. Become energy. The energy of all living things, from the cinderhawks in the air, yes, to the charhounds howling in the night. From the Force you came. To the Force, you'll return." --Bell Zettifar & Yoda [Star Wars: The Rising Storm]
•      Not only that, but she sensed that other Jedi had brought their focus to bear as well—from Coruscant, from across the galaxy. Even Yoda, wherever he was with his little crew of younglings—his great, wise mind sang its own part of the chorus, heartbreakingly beautiful, a voice of pure light belying his physical appearance. Not this crude matter indeed.  --Avar Kriss [Star Wars: Light of the Jedi]
•      Porter Engle bent low over the neck of his steelee, whispering to it, even as he calmed its shaking muscles with the Force.
       "You are a luminous being," he said. "There is no pain, there is no fatigue, there is no fear. You are light and speed and there is nothing in this world more beautiful. I am here with you. We are together. We will do great things. We will save this family." --Porter Engle [Star Wars: Light of the Jedi]
•      "One with the Force, they are, and our job it is to remember that we will, in time, also pass on. Luminous beings are we, but temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all find ourselves here, in time. A moment of silence, I ask—to remember, and to move on." --Yoda [Star Wars: The Clone Wars - “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much”]
•       "The Jedi teach that life doesn't cease at death, merely changes form in the Force. “ --Kanan Jarrus [Star Wars Rebels - “Legacy”]
•      “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.“ --Yoda [Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back]

Chapter Text

SECTION 7 - EVERYTHING ELSE:

JEDI AND BUDDHISM:

• The Jedi are explicitly Buddhist monks:
       “The Jedi are good, but they’re not fantastic.  They were never designed to be a superhero or anything like that.  They were designed to be a Buddhist monk, who happened to be a very good warrior.  And they became the peacekeepers of the human world.”  –George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives 1999–2005
•      “Attachment says: I love you, therefore I want you to make me happy. And genuine love says: I love you, therefore I want you to be happy. If that includes me, great, if it doesn’t include me, I just want your happiness.”  - Tenzin Palmo Jetsunma
       is an echo of
       “He turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things. It makes you greedy. And when you are greedy, you are on the path to the Dark Side, because you fear you’re going to lose things, that you’re not going to have the power you need.” - George Lucas, Time Magazine, 2002
       and
       "You got the dark side, the light side, one is selfless, one is selfish, and you wanna keep them in balance. What happens when you go to the dark side is it goes out of balance and you get really selfish and you forget about everybody … because when you get selfish you get stuff, or you want stuff, and when you want stuff and you get stuff then you are afraid somebody is going to take it away from you, whether it’s a person or a thing or a particular pleasure or experience. Once you become afraid that somebody’s going to take it away from you or you’re gonna lose it, then you start to become angry, especially if you’re losing it, and that anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. Mostly on the part of the person who’s selfish, because you spend all your time being afraid of losing everything you’ve got instead of actually living.” - George Lucas, 2010
       and
       “The core of Anakin’s problem is that Jedi are raised from birth so they learn to let go of everything. They’re trained more than anything else to understand the transitional nature of life, that things are constantly changing and you can’t hold on to anything. You can love things but you can’t be attached to them. You must be willing to let the flow of life and the flow of the Force move through your life, move through you. So that you can be compassionate and loving and caring, but not possessive and grabbing and holding on to things and trying to keep things the way they are. Letting go is a central theme of the film.” - George Lucas, Prequels Archives
       and
      “[Jedi Knights] do not grow attachments, because attachment is a path to the dark side. You can love people, but you can’t want to possess them. They’re not yours. Accept that they have a fate. Even those you love most are going to die. You can’t do anything about that. Protect them with your lightsaber, but if they die they were going to die. there’s nothing you can do. All you can do is accept that fact.
      “In mythology, if you go to Hades to get them back you’re not doing it for them, you’re doing it for yourself. You’re doing it because you don’t want to give them up. You’re afraid to be without them. The key to the dark side is fear. You must be clean of fear, and fear of loss is the greatest fear. If you’re set up for fear of loss, you will do anything to keep that loss from happening, and you’re going to end up in the dark side. That’s the basic premise of Star Wars and the Jedi, and how it works.
      “That’s why they’re taken at a young age to be trained. They cannot get themselves killed trying to save their best buddy when it’s a hopeless exercise.”
      — George Lucas, Prequels Archives
•      “I thought, Okay, I’ve got this character who is kind of like a little Dalai Lama, so I came up with an Eastern-sounding name. Then I felt his dialogue and cadence should be unique. […] I had to come up with something that’s not a foreign language, not an accent, but somewhere in between those two things. That’s how I started Yoda’s backward style.” - George LucasThe Making of Episode V - Empire Strikes Back, by J.W. Rinzler
• “The essence of our experience is change. Change is incessant…Perpetual fluctuation is the essence of the perceptual universe.” -- Mindfulness In Plain English by Bhante Gunaratan
       is an echo of
  “The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through [Anakin’s] life and that he can’t hold onto things, which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn’t willing to accept emotionally.” –George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary

JEDI AND REAL WORLD ANALYSIS:

• The Jedi are often said to be a cult, but when compared to what specialists define as a cult (not to mention that the Jedi are basically just literally Buddhist monks with psychic powers, saying they’re a cult is a little maybe not great), they really don’t fit the bill, as questioning leaders is considered natural and often encouraged, they speak well of Jedi who leave, they’re given trials that specifically get them to think critically and individually, they are very often seen wearing individual clothes, including non-Jedi religious practices, and do not show any of the signs of being a cult.
• Pleasure vs joy is a psychological topic that has echoes in real world commentary and is echoed in Star Wars’ themes:
  ____
      “Happiness is pleasure and happiness is joy. It can be either one, you add them up and it can be the uber category of happiness.
      “Pleasure is short lived. It lasts an hour, it lasts a minute, it lasts a month. It peaks and then it goes down–it peaks very high, but the next time you want to get that same peak you have to do it twice as much. It’s like drugs, you have to keep doing it because it insulates itself. No matter what it is, whether you’re shopping or you’re engaged in any other kind of pleasure. It all has the same quality about it.
      “On the other hand is joy and joy is the thing that doesn’t go as high as pleasure, in terms of your emotional reaction. But it stays with you. Joy is something you can recall, pleasure you can’t.  So the secret is that, even though it’s not as intense as pleasure, the joy will last you a lot longer.
      “People who get the pleasure they keep saying, ‘Well, if I can just get richer and get more cars–!’ You’ll never relive the moment you got your first car, that’s it, that’s the highest peak. Yes, you could get three Ferraris and a new gulf stream jet and maybe you’ll get close. But you have to keep going and eventually you’ll run out.  You just can’t do it, it doesn’t work.
      “If you’re trying to sustain that level of peak pleasure, you’re doomed. It’s a very American idea, but it just can’t happen. You just let it go. Peak.  Break. Pleasure is fun it’s great, but you can’t keep it going forever.
      “Just accept the fact that it’s here and it’s gone, and maybe again it’ll come back and you’ll get to do it again. Joy lasts forever. Pleasure is purely self-centered. It’s all about your pleasure, it’s about you. It’s a selfish self-centered emotion, that’s created by self-centered motive of greed.
      “Joy is compassion, joy is giving yourself to somebody else or something else. And it’s the kind of thing that is in it’s subtlty and lowness more powerful than pleasure.  If you get hung up on pleasure you’re doomed. If you pursue joy you will find everlasting happiness.”  –George Lucas,  Academy of Achievement Speech from 2013
  ___
  You can see how this influences the foundations of the light side and the dark side, which at its core is about selflessness vs selfishness, about compassion vs greed, in that it’s about the pursuit of joy rather than pleasure.  It’s not that you can never experience pleasure, but you can’t get hung up on it, because pleasure is not sustainable long-term, only joy is.
       “The core of the Force–I mean, you got the dark side, the light side, one is selfless, one is selfish, and you wanna keep them in balance. What happens when you go to the dark side is it goes out of balance and you get really selfish and you forget about everybody … because when you get selfish you get stuff, or you want stuff, and when you want stuff and you get stuff then you are afraid somebody is going to take it away from you, whether it’s a person or a thing or a particular pleasure or experience.
       “Once you become afraid that somebody’s going to take it away from you or you’re gonna lose it, then you start to become angry, especially if you’re losing it, and that anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. Mostly on the part of the person who’s selfish, because you spend all your time being afraid of losing everything you’ve got instead of actually living.
       “Where joy, by giving to other people you can’t think about yourself, and therefore there’s no pain. But the pleasure factor of greed and of selfishness is a short-lived experience, therefore you’re constantly trying to replenish it, but of course the more you replenish it, the harder it is to, so you have to keep upping the ante. You’re actually afraid of the pain of not having the joy.
        “So that is ultimately the core of the whole dark side/light side of the Force. And everything flows from that. Obviously the Sith are always unhappy because they never get enough of anything they want. Mostly, their selfishness centers around power and control. And the struggle is always to be able to let go of all that stuff.
       “And of course that’s the problem with Anakin ultimately. You’re allowed to love people, but you’re not allowed to possess them. And what he did is he fell in love and married her and then became jealous. Then he saw in his visions that she was going to die, and he couldn’t stand losing her. So in order to not lose her, he made a pact with the devil to be able to become all-powerful. When he did that, she didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore, so he lost her.
       “Once you are powerful, being able to bring her back from the dead, if I can do that, I can become emperor of the universe. I can get rid of the Emperor. I can make everything the way I want it. Once you do that, you’ll never be satiated. You’re always going to be consumed by this driving desire to have more stuff and be afraid that others are going to take it away from you. And they are. Every time you get two Sith together, you have the master, the apprentice, and the apprentice is always trying to recruit another apprentice to join with him to kill the master. The master knows that basically everybody below him wants his job.
       “Only way to overcome the dark side is through discipline. The dark side is pleasure, biological and temporary and easy to achieve. The light side is joy, everlasting and difficult to achieve. A great challenge. Must overcome laziness, give up quick pleasures, and overcome fear which leads to hate.” --George Lucas, The Clone Wars writers meeting 2010
  ____
       GEORGE LUCAS:  “I try to be a good person.  But, of course, that’s a very complicated question.  It’s something you have to ponder because you’re doing it every day.  You’re saying, 'Should I do this or shouldn’t I do this?’  Through mythology and things we’re taught certain things that are good and certain things that are bad, but a thinking person questions all that.  Says, 'Is this REALLY good? Am I really doing the right thing here? Am I really being a kind, compassionate person?'
       "Because, to me, it’s really about a compassionate person as opposed to a person that is consumed with self-interest, a selfish person.  Those are the two things.  We all have good and evil in us, because we have the selfish side of us and we have the compassionate side of us.  The idea is, how do you keep those things in balance?  And by keeping those things in balance, you can do a lot of good things.
       "Everybody’s human, everybody’s greedy.  When you become greedy, then you do bad things to get stuff from other people.  Once you get that stuff, then you become afraid.  Once you become afraid that somebody’s going to take it from you, then you start striking out at people.  You get angry at things, you get worried, and that puts you in a whole psychological mindset that ultimately turns you into an evil person, where you’re doing horrible things to people, thinking you’re doing the right thing.
       "But you’re doing it because you’re afraid they’re going to hurt you before you hurt them.” --interview with Bill Bradley. 2015
  ____
  Now compare this (especially the first quote from Academy of Achievement Speech) to The Hijacking of the American Mind by Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, which is a book about how corporations have hijacked our pleasure centers to make us focused on reward over pleasure.  It talks about the exact same concepts, with only slight word adjustments, but otherwise might as well be verbatim:
       “At this point it’s essential to define and clarify what I mean by these two words—pleasure and happiness—which can mean different things to different people.
     “Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “pleasure” as “enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one’s liking”; or “gratification”; or “reward.” While “pleasure” has a multitude of synonyms, it is this phenomenon of reward that we will explore, as scientists have elaborated a specific “reward pathway” in the brain, and we now understand the neuroscience of its regulation. Conversely, “happiness” is defined as “the quality or state of being happy”; or “joy”; or “contentment.” While there are many synonyms for “happiness,” it is the phenomenon that Aristotle originally referred to as eudemonia, or the internal experience of contentment, that we will parse in this book. Contentment is the lowest baseline level of happiness, the state in which it’s not necessary to seek more. In the movie Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), middle-aged married couple Beatrice Arthur and Richard Castellano were asked the question “Are you happy?”—to which they responded, “Happy? Who’s happy? We’re content.” Scientists now understand that there is a specific “contentment pathway” that is completely separate from the pleasure or reward pathway in the brain and under completely different regulation. Pleasure (reward) is the emotional state where your brain says, This feels good—I want more, while happiness (contentment) is the emotional state where your brain says, This feels good—I don’t want or need any more.
     “Reward and contentment are both positive emotions, highly valued by humans, and both reasons for initiative and personal betterment. It’s hard to be happy if you derive no pleasure for your efforts—but this is exactly what is seen in the various forms of addiction. Conversely, if you are perennially discontent, as is so often seen in patients with clinical depression, you may lose the impetus to better your social position in life, and it’s virtually impossible to derive reward for your efforts. Reward and contentment rely on the presence of the other. Nonetheless, they are decidedly different phenomena. Yet both have been slowly and mysteriously vanishing from our global ethos as the prevalence of addiction and depression continues to climb.
     “Drumroll … without further ado, behold the seven differences between reward and contentment:
      “Reward is short-lived (about an hour, like a good meal). Get it, experience it, and get over it. Why do you think you can’t remember what you ate for dinner yesterday? Conversely, contentment lasts much longer (weeks to months to years). It’s what happens when you have a working marriage or watch your teenager graduate from high school. And if you experience contentment from a sense of achievement or purpose, the chances are that you will feel it for a long time to come, perhaps even the rest of your life.  Reward is visceral in terms of excitement (e.g., a casino, a football game, or a strip club). It activates the body’s fight-or-flight system, which causes blood pressure and heart rate to go up. Conversely, contentment is ethereal and calming (e.g., listening to soothing music or watching the waves of the ocean). It makes your heart rate slow and your blood pressure decline.
       - “Reward can be achieved with different substances (e.g., heroin, nicotine, cocaine, caffeine, alcohol, and of course sugar). Each stimulates the reward center of the brain. Some are legal, some are not. Conversely, contentment is not achievable with substance use. Rather, contentment is usually achieved with deeds (like graduating from college or having a child who can navigate his or her own path in life).
       - “Reward occurs with the process of taking (like from a casino). Gambling is definitely a high: when you win, it is fundamentally rewarding, both viscerally and economically. But go back to the same table the next day. Maybe you’ll feel a jolt of excitement to try again. But there’s no glow, no lasting feeling from the night before. Or go buy a nice dress at Macy’s. Then try it on again a month later. Does it generate the same enthusiasm? Conversely, contentment is often generated through giving (like giving money to a charity, or giving your time to your child, or devoting time and energy to a worthwhile project).
       - “Reward is yours and yours alone. Your sense of reward does not immediately impact anyone else. Conversely, your contentment, or lack of it, often impacts other people directly and can impact society at large. Those who are extremely unhappy (the Columbine shooters) can take their unhappiness out on others. It should be said at this point that pleasure and happiness are by no means mutually exclusive. A dinner at the Bay Area Michelin three-star restaurant the French Laundry can likely generate simultaneous pleasure for you from the stellar food and wine but can also generate contentment from the shared experience with spouse, family, or friends, and then possibly a bit of unhappiness when the bill arrives.
       - “Reward when unchecked can lead us into misery, like addiction. Too much substance use (food, drugs, nicotine, alcohol) or compulsive behaviors (gambling, shopping, surfing the internet, sex) will overload the reward pathway and lead not just to dejection, destitution, and disease but not uncommonly death as well. Conversely, walking in the woods or playing with your grandchildren or pets (as long as you don’t have to clean up after them) could bring contentment and keep you from being miserable in the first place.
       - “Last and most important, reward is driven by dopamine, and contentment by serotonin. Each is a neurotransmitter—a biochemical manufactured in the brain that drives feelings and emotions—but the two couldn’t be more different. Although dopamine and serotonin drive separate brain processes, it is where they overlap and how they influence each other that generates the action in this story. Two separate chemicals, two separate brain pathways, two separate regulatory schemes, and two separate physiological and psychological outcomes. How and where these two chemicals work, and how they work either in concert or in opposition to each other, is the holy grail in the ultimate quest for both pleasure and happiness.” – Robert Lustig, MD, MSL,  The Hijacking of the American Mind
  ____
  And that also ties into:
     “In the end, it’s about fundamentally becoming selfless moreso than selfish.  It seems so simple, but it’s so hard to do.  And when you’re tempted by the dark side, you don’t overcome it once in life and then you’re good.  It’s a constant.  And that’s what, really, Star Wars is about and what I think George wanted people to know.  That to be a good person and to really feel better about your life and experience life fully you have to let go of everything you fear to lose. Because then you can’t be controlled.
        “But when you fear, fear is the path to the dark side, it’s also the shadow of greed, because greed makes you covet things, greed makes you surround yourself with all these things that make you feel comfortable in the moment, but they don’t really make you happy.  And then, when you’re afraid of something, it makes you angry, when you get angry, you start to hate something, sometimes you don’t even know why.  When you hate, do you often know why you hate?  No, you direct it at things and then you hate it.  And it’s hard because anger can be a strength at times, but you can’t use it in such a selfish way, it can be a destroyer then.
        “These are the core things of Star Wars.“  –Dave Filoni, Rebels Rebembered