Star Wars: Legendary Jedi Trials

Highlights

• Jedi Trials, unique to each examinee, are crucial in becoming a powerful Jedi. They test courage, flesh, insight, skill, and spirit.
• Tenel Ka Djo refuses a prosthetic arm after a training accident, choosing to train better and adapt to the loss instead.
• Ahsoka Tano rejects her promotion and leaves the Jedi Order after being wrongly accused of bombing a temple, choosing to forge her own path.

A powerful Jedi in the Star Wars universe is not just born, they are made in their Jedi Trials. Throughout a Jedi Padawan’s training in their respective Jedi Temples, their masters eventually put them on these Trials before making them into Jedi Knights. Afterward, Knights may even have to take another series of Jedi Trials to attain the rank of Master.

All Jedi Trials in Star Wars are unique to the examinee, but are always based on five principles: Courage, Flesh, Insight, Skill, and Spirit. However, compared to other military tests, Jedi Trials are often metaphorical, with the Jedi’s experiences being taken into account.

7 Tenel Ka Djo

Refusing To Replace Her Dismembered Arm During Training

Poetic repetition is a popular trope associated with Star Wars, with Luke losing his right hand and his father Anakin losing his right limb being popular examples. While Anakin’s bravery in fighting Count Dooku would be Obi-Wan’s main argument to the Jedi Council to accept the incident as his Trial of the Flesh, another future event would mark a Trial that didn’t need to convince a Council in order for it “to count.”

This came in the form of Apprentice Tenel Ka Djo, the heir of the Hapes Consortium. In a sparring session with fellow Padawan Jacen Solo, Tenel Ka’s future husband, a lightsaber malfunction forces Tenel Ka’s lightsaber to shut down and Jace’s to dismember her limb. While trends at the time would allow her to have a prosthetic arm in the same vein as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Tenel Ka refuses the procedure. She instead said she needs to train better to adapt to this loss.

6 Galen Marek

A Duel With A Dark Future That Convinced Him To Turn Back On His Master

Despite being a video game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed paved the way for one of the more iconic non-Skywalker Force users in the franchise: Galen Marek. As a child strong in the Force, Darth Vader orphaned Galen, brainwashed him to remove his memories, and molded him into the perfect assassin, Starkiller. Much of Starkiller’s missions involved furthering the cause of the Sith, while at the same time slowly helping Darth Vader defeat Emperor Palpatine.

To hone Galen’s skills further, Vader periodically instructs Galen to visit the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to embark on various Jedi Trials. While Galen succeeds in all of them, his most pivotal Trial is his Trial of the Spirit. This occurs in his final visit to the Temple, where he encounters a holocron of his father apologizing and reminding him that his destiny is his to control. Galen falls into a trance afterward and fights a masked specter in his mindscape. This was revealed to be Galen himself but fully immersed in the Dark Side. After defeating his specter, Galen turns his back on his master.

5 Padawan Anakin Skywalker

Became A Symbol Of Hope In The Clone Wars

While Yoda reluctantly accepted Obi-Wan’s tutelage of a young Anakin Skywalker, the young Padawan would prove his worth on multiple occasions. The Force was indeed strong in Padawan Anakin, and the energy of his youth would extend to various exploits and hijinks that would result in missions being completed in unexpected ways.

The height of Anakin’s recklessness came at the height of the Clone Wars, where Jedi at the time were viewed negatively due to their militant role. Compared to other Jedi who often became tacticians, Anakin wanted to join the action. As a result, Anakin often led dangerous missions and showed regular concern for others, even towards “expendable” clones. After the Clone Wars, Anakin’s bravery and defeat of Asajj Ventress on Yavin 4 deemed him worthy of promotion to Jedi Knight. However, the promotion was also deemed necessary due to the few fighting forces on the Republic’s side.

4 Obi-Wan Kenobi

Defied His Training To Avenge His Master

When Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn fell at the hands of Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi took it upon himself to avenge the fallen Qui-Gon and stop the growing threat of a new Sith organization. In their rematch, Obi-Wan defeated his master’s assailant despite their difference in strength.Technicalities-wise, Qui-Gon used the mobile and aggressive Form 4 (Ataru) against the extremely aggressive unpredictability of Darth Maul’s Form 7 (Juyo), eventually resorting to a war of attrition that the former inevitably lost.

While Obi-Wan had learned the same style, he switched to Form 3 (Soresu) instead, countering Darth Maul’s offensive power with sheer defense. Since his defeat of Darth Maul and promotion to the rank of Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan has used Soresu as his primary fighting style.

3 Luke Skywalker

A Vision Where He Unmasks Darth Vader To See Himself

Yoda training Luke Skywalker meant having to bear witness once again to one of the challenges a new Jedi has to face: the Trial of Spirit. It’s in this challenge where they have to face their inner darkness and conquer it, and such is its inherent danger that a Jedi Master like Yoda must be present to get participants out of danger. Luke’s experience on Dagobah is one of the most iconic training montages in popular culture, with his Trial of the Spirit involving his future fight with Darth Vader.

In Luke’s vision, he sees Darth Vader and manages to defeat him in a duel. However, when he decapitates Darth Vader, he sees his face inside his mask. It’s said that this Trial is meant to show Luke that he can only defeat Darth Vader if he manages to defeat his self-doubt. Luke manages to do so, in the end helping his father return to the light and redeem himself as the Chosen One.

2 Knight Anakin Skywalker

A Vision Where A Prophecy Hints At His Dark Future

Being the Chosen One, the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker undergoes some of the most important Jedi Trials during his training. One such challenge is his Trial of the Spirit, where he sees a vision of the Holt Kazed during his stay in Nelvaan. According to Nelvaanian legend, the Holt Kazed, or Ghost Hand, will aid the Nelvaanians in a time of great need. This hero will lose his hand to a monster and get a new one that can defeat any enemy. However, the warrior would lose control of his powers, eventually leading to the deaths of his friends, the strangulation of loved ones, and losing even himself.

Fans and even Nelvaanians would consider Anakin as the Holt Kazed. However, perceptive observers would realize that the legend was a prophecy of Anakin’s dark future. After this vision, Anakin aids the Nelvaanians against Skakoans in the Battle of Nelvaan. While their victory marks Anakin’s completion of the Trial, his mercilessness in the conflict reflects his growing internal turmoil.

1 Ahsoka Tano

Rejected Her Promotion Out Of Disbelief Of The Jedi Order

A Jedi Knight being assigned a Padawan to train has become a tradition in the Jedi Order, with a young Ahsoka Tano promoted to the rank of Padawan and partnered with Anakin Skywalker throughout the Clone Wars. Being a Jedi with her version of a warrior’s spirit, Tano quickly formed a kinship with her master, even adopting his adaptable combat methodologies.

Unfortunately, their faith in the Jedi Order is put to the test when Ahsoka is accused of bombing a Jedi Temple on Coruscant. When Admiral Tarkin requests Ahsoka be tried as a civilian due to the extent of the damage, the Jedi Council immediately strips her of her rank. Thankfully, Anakin helps Ahsoka prove her innocence, and the Jedi Council apologizes. Jedi Master Mace Windu says this was Ahsoka’s “Great Trial,” and she would only grow stronger with this taken to heart. However, Ahsoka rejects this promotion and quits the Order before the Jedi Council, with her faith already shaken. After this, Ahsoka is considered a Gray Jedi and is in pursuit of her own path.