The Jedi Order

The Jedi Order is an ancient, monastic peacekeeping organization, unified by its belief in and observance of the Force, specifically the light side. Before the rise of the Empire, the Jedi served the Galactic Republic as guardians of peace and justice for more than a thousand years. While well known as diplomats, the Jedi carried lightsabers, the symbol and weapon of choice of the Order. Led by the Jedi High Council, Jedi Masters would instruct young Padawans in the ways of the Force and the Jedi Code, training them until they had achieved full status as Jedi Knights. Centered in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Jedi used the Temple as a base of operations—from which they would be sent out on missions or to study the nature of the Force, historical accounts, or otherwise, from the vast Jedi Archives.

Jedi ranks and hierarchy:
Initiate: Trained from a young age in the ways of the Force, a Jedi Initiate is a Padawan from the Jedi Order who has completed their fundamental training and has decided to join the ranks of the Jedi Army. Initiates, while able to receive one-on-one training like Padawans do in the Order, they are more often encouraged to apply their skills and knowledge for the first time in missions and assignments. Initiates are capable combatants, thoroughly trained in the ways of the Force to a considerable degree as they are usually not far off from taking their Trials. They are a deadly force in their own right as they seek to bring justice to the galaxy, and they are not to be underestimated.

Jedi Knight: Forming the bulk of the Jedi Army are the fabled Jedi Knights. They are powerful Force users who have completed their training and undergone several considerable trials to prove their skills, knowledge and dedication to the Light Side of the Force. The Jedi Knights are the most publicly recognized members of the Army, often assigned to distant and volatile worlds on peacekeeping missions. In that capacity, Jedi Knights serve as diplomats, protectors, scholars, archaeologists, and more in their time in the Army. With remarkable skills with the light saber and the Force alike, they are some of the most formidable warriors in the galaxy.

Jedi Knights are the protectors of justice and guardians of the innocent, aiming to defend the Republic and the Galaxy from the Sith invaders. This has led to the Knights becoming the public face of the Jedi Order rather than the Jedi Council. The Jedi Knights are still seen as outsiders by several galactic agencies, including the Senate and the Grand Army of the Republic, but that does not stop the Jedi Knights from intervening where they deem necessary. The Jedi Knights are paladins in the war with the Sith, knowing that sometimes one's light saber is needed for more than just defense.

Jedi Generals & Masters: The Jedi Generals form the leadership of the Jedi Lord's army, having sworn to defend the Republic and the galaxy against the Sith invaders. Forsaking the traditional rank of Jedi Master, these Generals understand that, while the Jedi prefer non-violent paths, sometimes combat is inevitable, a belief that has been forged by millennia of wars with the Sith. They are highly experienced in strategy and warfare tactics, leading the Army of the Jedi with unwavering resolve.

The Jedi Masters, while still sharing their titles with those from the Jedi Order, are individuals who may not show the leadership qualities of a General but are far more advanced than a Knight. Jedi Masters are wise, often containing decades of knowledge that they pass to their peers or use to bring to the fight against the Sith Brotherhood.

While the rank of General and Master are the only titles given by the Jedi Leadership, that has not stopped certain Jedi from self-appointing themselves with titles over the years.

Jedi Lord: Outsiders who put stock in rumors sometimes believe that the Jedi Lord led a schism away from the Jedi Order, bucking the authority of a Jedi Council that wanted to avoid yet another war with the Sith. This belief is mistaken, however, as the Jedi Lord operates with the begrudging approval of the Jedi Council, and leads the Army without their involvement. The Jedi Lord is a leader as much as a follower. Whereas the Sith see "lord" as meaning supreme noble authority, the Jedi view it as meaning a high ranking authority that bows to one higher than themselves; in this case, they respect the authority of the Jedi Council and the Will of the Force as higher than their own. Furthermore, the adoption of a rank largely associated with nobility and that privilege entails responsibility for those who are not so fortunate.

The first Jedi Lord was once a member of the Jedi Council, but forsake that position in favor of leading the Jedi Knights, as a lord and their knights protecting the realm. The Jedi Lord is a reminder to the Jedi Knights of what it means to have power and authority to lead others, but to not let it unconsciously seduce them to the dark side of the Force and abuse that power. For if the Jedi Lord and their army were to forget that lesson, it would be a dark time for the galaxy indeed.

Specializations
Jedi Peacekeeper: Those Jedi wishing to pursue a peacekeeping role were stationed within planetary or sectoral government's security agencies where they worked as the area's special police. Helping to quell riots and capture terrorists, the Temple Security Force was made up of Peacekeepers. Within its ranks, Jedi could be trained as Gate Master, Sniper, or Brute.

Jedi weapon-master: A Jedi Master who mastered the technique of wielding an exotic weapon was dubbed a Weapons Specialist, or Weapon Master. The Weapon Master was among the greatest physical fighters of the Order.

Jedi Ambassador/Diplomat: The face of the Republic to each newly discovered world, Ambassadors worked closely with bureaucrats to assist in greeting unaligned governments and helping them join the Republic. Some Ambassadors were designated as advisers to certain Senators or even the Supreme Chancellor upon request.

Jedi Healer: Some Jedi would focus on the more humanitarian aspects of the Force, manipulating the Living Force to perform the art of healing. Led by the Circle of Jedi Healers and headquartered out of the Coruscant Temple's Halls of Healing, healers were also deployed to serve aboard MedStar frigates and, occasionally, in Republic's mobile surgical units, or Rimsoos.

Jedi Lore-Keeper: Jedi wishing to contribute to the growth of the Jedi Archives would become Lore Keepers, a group directed by the Librarian's Assembly. Divided into historians, archivists, and librarians, each group worked for the proliferation of knowledge and preservation of the past.

Jedi Seer: Those Jedi specifically predisposed to receive visions through the Force were known as Seers, maintaining and updating the Order's holocrons. The most perceptive of these Jedi were known as Prophets and foretold the future of the galaxy.

Jedi Recruiter: Working as members of the Acquisition Division of the Order, the recruiters honed the talents learned from Jedi Investigators to track down and identify Force-sensitives to assess whether they belonged in the Jedi Order. Republic law required all newborns undergo testing, with potential candidates' names being recorded in the Division's prized Kyber memory crystal. After the child had aged a few months, the Order would dispatch a recruiter to test the child and see if they met the qualifications to begin training on the Jedi Path.

Jedi Shadow: The secret police of the Order, Shadows worked under the supervision of the First Knowledge Council and were dispatched to destroy all agents of the dark side. Heavily employed after the New Sith Wars, the Shadows were responsible for erasing the word "Sith" from the minds of the majority of galactic citizens.[2]

Jedi Watchman: Charged with overseeing a particular system or sector, watchman served as a liaison officer between the system or sector and the High Council as well as the Republic in general. Jedi Watchmen were often highly skilled in diplomacy and possessed knowledge of the culture of the system or sector they oversaw; typically having spent many years living amongst the people of said world.[2]

Jedi Consular/Sage: Focusing not on physical force but on mastery of the Force and the sharpening of mental skills, the Jedi Knights who became Consulars worked closely with the Republic Diplomatic Corps and medical facilities. Overseen by the Council of Reconciliation, Consulars worked as healers, prophets, and researchers, wielding a lightsaber only for self defense. The most studied masters of this specialization were known as Sage Master.