History of the Universe: The Ranks of the Jedi. Jedi: Who is Who is a Star Wars Jedi

You can call me childish, but periodically I like to revisit one old movie "Star Wars" - one of the most famous fantasy sagas, directed by George Lucas. Its main characters are Jedi Knights, who control supernatural power and deftly wield lightsabers. So they sunk into the soul. So much so that I wanted to know where the idea itself came from. Isn't it interesting? Moreover, there is another song that seems to overthrow their disinterestedness.

A year in 1975, a young American film director visited Japan, who was in love with the work of the great Akira Kurosawa and dreamed of creating something similar. In Japan, there is a special genre of historical drama dedicated to the adventures of warlike samurai. It is called jidai-geki (時代劇). The American, whose name was George Lucas, also liked the name itself. A few years later, this word turned into "Jedi". The Jedi Order has not only a father (of course, Lucas), but also a mother - the famous science fiction writer Leigh Brackett. And it was she who began to develop the theme of the Jedi, their philosophy and a special Path. Alas, two years before the film premiered in 1980, Brackett died of cancer. But literally millions of followers all over the world followed the paths of the Jedi in her footsteps! In the Star Wars universe, the Jedi originated approximately 25,000 years before the events of the classic film trilogy. They are star knights, defenders of peace and justice in "a very distant galaxy." They use their abilities to protect themselves and others, but never to attack. The essence of their life is to serve others. In their actions, the Jedi use the Force. It is described as an energy field that all living beings create that binds together everything in the galaxy. In fact, this is an analogue of the Chinese concept of qi. The Force also has a scientific basis: in the process of “cellular respiration”, chemical reactions occur that generate an electrical impulse, albeit a microscopic one. In the SG universe, interaction with the Force, which provides the adept with telekinesis, levitation, super-fast reactions, extra-sensory perception and much more, causes microscopic midi-chlorians. However, they are no guarantee - mastery of the Force takes a long time to learn; ideally for life. When they talk about the Force, they certainly mention its Light and Dark sides. They are, however, part of one whole. Adversaries of the Jedi who use the Force to achieve selfish, evil ends are called the Sith. Once it was simply the Dark Jedi. Lost in battle and banished to the outskirts of the galaxy, they enslaved one of the local peoples and began to call themselves after him. The battle between the Jedi and the Sith, often taking on the character of a galactic war, is the essence of the age-old Battle between Good and Evil. The Jedi are armed with a special weapon, inextricably linked with the world of adherents of the Force - lightsabers. The sword handle is a high-tech device with a capacious energy battery. When turned on, the device generates a powerful blade of pure energy, capable of cutting through any material with rare exceptions. Each adept of the Force, after preparation, had to assemble his lightsaber himself. The ability to wield it requires a perfectly honed skill and concentration, mastery and achievement of complete harmony with the Force. The Jedi have their own special Code, according to which they constantly compare and comprehend their actions, they are guided by it when making decisions and choosing an alternative. “There are no emotions – there is peace. There is no ignorance - there is knowledge. There is no passion - there is serenity. There is no chaos - there is harmony. There is no death - there is a Great Power.
Looking for information about the Jedi, I found out that I was not the only one who moved on my head. It turns out that it came to the emergence of a new religious movement - Jediism, which experts, however, consider more of a subculture or philosophical movement. Jediism is quite popular, because its moral standards and principles of life correspond to both traditional religions and secular ethics. adult toys? No matter how! After studying public opinion, the UK Department of Justice in 2000 entered the code 8968 Jedi Knight (“Jedi Knight”) into the lists of religious movements used for the population census! According to updated data, today in the UK alone there are 390,000 adherents of Jediism. Agree that there is something attractive in this albeit invented doctrine. In the end, why is it worse than the story about ...?

The Jedi are one of the main characters in the Star Wars universe, a kind of knightly order that performs mainly a peacekeeping function during armed conflicts. The main task of the Jedi Order is the protection of the Republic and democracy. Any humanoid capable of controlling the Force could join their ranks. The ability to handle the Force gives the Jedi some superpowers.

The Jedi have never sought power per se, supporting the Republic only to the extent that its policies were consistent with the Code. In the new franchise trilogy, the Order was subordinate to the government, but after the revival of the Republic, it took the form of an organization independent of the state. Nevertheless, when making decisions, the Jedi always took into account the opinion of the authorities.

origin of name

The word "Jedi" itself was coined by franchise creator George Lucas. He claims that he took the name of the Japanese cinematic genre "jidaigeki" as a basis. This genre refers to historical drama, the leitmotif of which is the life path of a samurai. Since George Lucas is a big fan of Japanese culture, most likely the image of the samurai was taken by him as the basis of the Jedi as a character.

So who is the Force with?

According to the plot, the Force exists because all life in the universe is interconnected through symbiotic creatures - midi-chlorians. The greater their content in the cells of the body, the stronger the contact with the Force. However, the presence of midi-chlorians does not guarantee proper control over the Force, this art requires long and hard work.

Children with a high content of midi-chlorians were specially found and, with the permission of their parents, were given to the upbringing and training of the Order. Those who completed the training to the end and coped with the five tests received a knighthood. Occasionally, one could become a knight without any trials - in the case of an exceptional feat.

The most famous weapon of the Jedi is considered to be a lightsaber, consisting of plasma released by the hilt. According to tradition, the newly-born knight must make a light "blade" with his own hands. The ability to wield this weapon well, as a rule, is combined with high concentration and harmony with the Force. In addition, thanks to the Force, the Jedi are characterized by increased dexterity, possession of telekinesis, hypnosis, as well as the gift of foresight.

Of course, the Jedi have sworn and strong opponents - the Sith. Unlike most Jedi, they have a rather unpleasant appearance, since the appearance of a person who has chosen the dark side changes under its harmful influence. The most striking distinguishing feature of the Sith are the "cat" eyes.

The Sith themselves were once Jedi, however, carried away by the dark side of the Force, they chose the path of separation and moved to the desert planet Korriban. The planet was inhabited by a race of red-skinned humanoids who also had Force abilities. After a couple of millennia, the settlers enslaved them and became known as the Sith Order.

The Jedi Code

Many books in the Star Wars universe contain the Jedi Code, which includes the following truths:

• There is no excitement - there is peace.
• There is no ignorance - there is knowledge.
• There is no passion - there is serenity.
• There is no chaos - there is harmony.
• There is no death - there is Power.

Hierarchy of the Order

As in any professional environment, the Jedi have a hierarchy based on their level of proficiency in the Force:

• Yongling. So called children with the ability to the Force, selected by the Order and raised by the Jedi as younglings.
• Padawan. The knight could take one of the younglings as an apprentice. The Padawan followed his mentor everywhere and received invaluable first-hand knowledge. When the teacher saw fit, the Padawan could take tests to determine the strength of the spirit.
• Knight. After successfully passing the tests, the padawan was recognized as a knight and could take his own student. Knights were full members of the Jedi Order and were subject to the Council.
• master. The most honored and respected knights were elected to the Council and appointed masters.

Jedi among us

Due to the huge popularity of the stellar saga, a peculiar teaching of Jediism was born. Of course, it is more of a subculture than a religion, however, in the UK, Jediism is an officially registered religious movement. Only in this country the subculture has about half a million participants and is popular in many European countries, Australia, New Zealand. Modern "Jedi" consider themselves the same noble knights, following the path of Light and trying to live up to this title. Whether real followers of Jedi have the Force is a mystery.

The word "Jedi" he came up with, remembering the name of the genre of Japanese cinema - "jidaigeki" (jap. 時代劇) which made a great impression on him. The popularity of Star Wars and the Jedi led to the emergence of a self-proclaimed religious movement called Jediism.

The Jedi Code

The Jedi Code is featured in many Star Wars books and consists of five truths:

There is no excitement - there is peace.
There is no ignorance - there is knowledge.
There is no passion - there is serenity.
There is no chaos - there is harmony.
There is no death - there is Power.

The truth about chaos and harmony is not given in all publications of the Code.

Jedi Creed

The Star Wars books also include the Jedi Creed. Sometimes it is also called a code, which is incorrect and introduces some confusion. Symbol of the Jedi Creed Jedi Creed), in contrast to the Code (eng. Jedi Code), was written already during the New Republic era, after Luke Skywalker restored the Jedi Order. The creed consists of five basic postulates:

The Jedi are the protectors of peace in the galaxy.
Jedi use their abilities to guard and protect - never to attack others.
The Jedi respect every life, in whatever form.
Jedi serve others, not dominate them, for the good of the galaxy.
Jedi strive for self-improvement through knowledge and training.

original text(English)

Jedi are the guardians of peace in the Galaxy.
Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.
Jedi respect all life, in any form.
Jedi serve others rather than rule over them, for the good of the Galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

Primary Galactic, Huttian, Aqualish, Bokke, Lasatni, Ithorian, Ubese, Ewok, etc.

An excerpt characterizing the Jedi

Prince Vasily did not consider his plans. He even less thought to do evil to people in order to gain an advantage. He was only a man of the world who had succeeded in the world and made a habit out of this success. He constantly, depending on the circumstances, on rapprochements with people, drew up various plans and considerations, in which he himself did not fully realize, but which constituted the whole interest of his life. Not one or two such plans and considerations happened to him in use, but dozens, of which some were just beginning to appear to him, others were achieved, and still others were destroyed. He did not say to himself, for example: “This man is now in power, I must gain his trust and friendship and through him arrange for a lump-sum allowance,” or he did not say to himself: “Here, Pierre is rich, I must lure him to marry his daughter and borrow the 40,000 I need”; but a man in strength met him, and at that very moment instinct told him that this man could be useful, and Prince Vasily approached him and at the first opportunity, without preparation, instinctively, flattered, became familiar, talked about that, about what was needed.
Pierre was at his fingertips in Moscow, and Prince Vasily arranged for him to be appointed to the Junker Chamber, which then equaled the rank of State Councilor, and insisted that the young man go with him to Petersburg and stay at his house. As if absent-mindedly and at the same time with undoubted confidence that this should be so, Prince Vasily did everything that was necessary in order to marry Pierre to his daughter. If Prince Vasily had thought ahead of his plans, he could not have had such naturalness in his manner and such simplicity and familiarity in dealing with all people placed above and below himself. Something constantly attracted him to people stronger or richer than him, and he was gifted with the rare art of seizing precisely that moment when it was necessary and possible to use people.
Pierre, having suddenly become rich and Count Bezukhy, after recent loneliness and carelessness, felt himself surrounded and busy to such an extent that he only managed to remain alone in bed with himself. He had to sign papers, deal with government offices, the meaning of which he did not have a clear idea, ask the general manager about something, go to an estate near Moscow and receive many people who previously did not even want to know about its existence, but now would be offended and upset if he did not want to see them. All these diverse faces - businessmen, relatives, acquaintances - were all equally well, affectionately disposed towards the young heir; all of them, obviously and undoubtedly, were convinced of the high merits of Pierre. Incessantly he heard the words: “With your extraordinary kindness”, or “with your beautiful heart”, or “you yourself are so pure, count ...”, or “if he were as smart as you”, etc., so he he sincerely began to believe in his extraordinary kindness and his extraordinary intelligence, all the more so since it always seemed to him, in the depths of his soul, that he was really very kind and very smart. Even people who were previously angry and obviously hostile became tender and loving with him. Such an angry eldest of the princesses, with a long waist, with her hair smoothed like a doll's, came to Pierre's room after the funeral. Lowering her eyes and constantly flashing, she told him that she was very sorry for the misunderstandings that had been between them and that now she did not feel entitled to ask anything, except for permission, after the stroke that had befallen her, to stay for several weeks in the house that she loved so much and where made so many sacrifices. She could not help but cry at these words. Touched by the fact that this statue-like princess could have changed so much, Pierre took her by the hand and asked for forgiveness, without knowing why. From that day on, the princess began to knit a striped scarf for Pierre and completely changed towards him.

According to George Lucas, the word "Jedi" is derived from the name of the genre "jidaigyōki" (時代劇, lit. "historical drama") in Japanese cinema, which made a great impression on the director during his training. However, in a number of contexts (President Reagan's statements about the "Empire of Evil"), the Jedi are associated with GIs (GI is a slang term for US soldiers). This, of course, is nonsense. Reagan became president and started his "Evil Empire" tirades in 1981, and Jedi clearly doesn't go back to GI.

Jedi abilities

The Force grants Jedi supernatural powers:

• Significantly more agility
• foresight

Metaphysics of Force

According to the fantastic plot of the film, the Great Power exists because all living things in the Universe are in symbiosis with microscopic creatures called midi-chlorians and therefore are interconnected and can, thanks to this connection, influence animate and inanimate nature. These are echoes of the modern idea of ​​the gene as the basis of life and the idea of ​​genetic determination of the existence of living beings. If the amount of midi-chlorians in the human body exceeds a certain limit, then he is able to learn how to use the Force and thus become a Jedi. (There is some ambiguity here, since midi-chlorians are not mentioned anywhere in the episodes of the original Star Wars trilogy, and the Force can be presented as an integral part of living matter and life in general). This apparent contradiction is resolved simply: the Force becomes known and accessible to living beings through symbiosis with midi-chlorians, which therefore can rather be likened to viruses living in the cells of the body, and the abilities of the Jedi, therefore, are a kind of "disease".

The Jedi Code

The ethical code is the subject of meditation.

• There are no emotions - there is peace.
• There is no ignorance - there is knowledge.
• There are no passions - there is serenity.
• There is no chaos - there is harmony.
• There is no death - there is a Great Power.

Balance of Force

The balance of the Force is seen by the Jedi not as a balance between the light and dark sides, but as an analogue of the Buddhist "moon in the water" - if the water is calm and in balance, then the moon is reflected without distortion. The Sith, subject to their passions, violate this balance, since passions create ripples and waves on the "water", distorting the reflection of the "moon in the water". But this show is perfect. The balance of the Force also depends on the interaction of its sides, which is why the emperor felt "strong fluctuations in the Force" after Luke Skywalker began to master the Force.

Jedi Force Levels

• Yongling. In the Old Republic, children with Force abilities (large numbers of midi-chlorians) were taken from their parents with their consent by the Order and raised by the Jedi in small groups as younglings.
• Padawan. A Jedi Knight could take one youngling into his training as a Padawan - an apprentice who everywhere followed his teacher and comprehended the intricacies of his science by living example. When the teacher sees fit, the Padawan is tested for strength of mind.
• Knight. After passing the tests, the Padawan becomes a knight and can take his own apprentice. Knights are members of the Order and are subject to the Council.
• master. The most respected and disciplined knights are elected to the Council and become masters. Anakin was the first knight to be appointed to the Council, but not elected to it, and therefore did not receive the status of a master.

Enemies of the Jedi

The socio-philosophical significance of the Jedi

• A Jedi does not seek power and only supports the government insofar as its actions are consistent with the Code. In the new trilogy, the Order was subordinate to the government of the Republic, but after the revival of the Republic, the Order became a separate organization from the state. But the Order always looks at the opinion of the authorities, and only then develops its own opinion.
• The image of the Jedi is devoid of racism and the preaching of any national exclusivity. Anyone with the ability to use the Force, accept the Jedi code, and have a Jedi calling (unless, of course, the Jedi Council prohibits the training of a particular individual) can become a Jedi.

see also

• Head of the Order

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Jedi" is in other dictionaries:

Jedi- 1. Disc jockey (DJ). Do you know when the Jedi battle will be? Youth slang 2. Grandfather. Today I need to pick up a Jedi from the dacha! Youth slang … Dictionary of modern vocabulary, jargon and slang

Star Wars character Exile Activities Jedi Home planet Dantooine Race ... Wikipedia

Obi Wan Kenobi presents Luke Skywalker with his father's lightsaber A lightsaber is a fantasy weapon found in science fiction films and stories. It is a high-tech device that generates powerful energy ... ... Wikipedia

Blue lightsaber ... Wikipedia

This article lacks links to sources of information. Information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and removed. You can ... Wikipedia

The lightsaber is a very versatile weapon, with a unique lightness and the ability to cut in any direction. It can be easily wielded with one hand, but the Jedi have always been trained to wield the sword both with both hands and with each hand in ... Wikipedia