At their height during the waning days of the Old Republic, it’s safe to assume there were thousands of Jedi in the Galaxy. Of course, a certain Emperor felt that this ratio of Jedi to Sith wasn’t very fair, and created an order to wipe out pretty much every Jedi – Before this time though there were a few standout Light-siders milling around the Temple who you may have seen but don’t know very much about. Don’t worry though, Papa Will is here to educate you on these lesser know space monks who, while they never had a feature film on their exploits, were none the less some badass individuals!
Let’s start, and in no particular order…
Sure, maybe it sounds like a pornstar name, but Master Fisto (Gods that just makes it worse…) is one of the most powerful Jedi on the High Council at the time of the Clone Wars. This much is clear from him being a part of Grand Master Windu’s strike team sent to bring in the newly revealed Sith Master Palpatine. Sure he is taken out early in the fight, but he lasts longer than the others in the group besides Mace! During the aforementioned war, the Nautolan was a savvy leader with his abilities in the force, and with a Lightsaber leading to him very nearly besting the Jedi Hunter General Grevious in combat, even after the cybernetic monster had killed Kit’s former apprentice in front of him. The master simple focused, grabbed his apprentice’s ‘saber and went to town schooling Grevious in the Jedi ways! Kit lead from the front with a winning smile, and his race’s natural abilities to swim and breathe underwater making him just the man you’d want on any aquatic planet. Sorry you had to die Fisto!
Master Drallig was an important man in the Jedi Temple, head of the white-robed Temple Guards, he commanded a lot of respect and was renowned as one of the finest Lightsaber duellists of the current generation. The older master was in charge of training most, if not all Younglings in basic ‘saber combat before they were apprenticed to a master, and his teachings lead to the sort of skilful flourish-filled swordplay of the prequel trilogy; notice that in subsequent eras the Jedi are a little more all over the place and slower in battle. Keeping the temple secure throughout the Clone Wars was no easy feat, but Cin managed it, at least until the last days of the conflict. When the newly christened Darth Vader marched into the temple with the 501st behind him, there wasn’t much Master Drallig could do, and he was eventually killed by the Sith Lord himself after slaying more than his share of clones. Solid defence there Cin!
Another Clone Wars era high council member, Master Billaba was a power and patient Jedi who, in her youth, was apprenticed to Mace Windu. Well versed in Lightsaber combat, Depa favoured Form 3, or Soresu, just like her fellow council member Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her skill with the style allowed her to capably train her apprentices to a high level – Speaking of Padawans, Master Billaba’s most famous achievement would likely be that she trained young Jedi Caleb Dume. During the events of Order 66, Billaba and Caleb were attacked by their Clone troopers and the master immediately jumped in to defend her terrified apprentice. Ordering him to flee and promising she would be right behind him, Depa died facing down her former allies. Her sacrifice had a ripple effect on the galaxy however, since Caleb escaped and eventually changed his name to Kanan Jarrus; that’s right, the leader of Star Wars: Rebels’ Spectres.
Now here’s a polarising type – Quinlan Vos is an odd Jedi since he doesn’t really follow the rules and the council just sort of tolerates it; making use of his unconvential ways and inner rage to send him behind enemy lines, often as an underground informant. Helped in this endeavour by his gift of retro-cognition, where simply touching an object would allow him to access the memories of whoever else had come into contact with it, Quinlan was an expert tracker. Several times Vos was paired up with Master Obi Wan Kenobi since their opposing personalities brought a balance between the two that made a great team! Quinlan eventually was sent on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku alongside former Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress – Unfortunately, they failed in their mission, and during it Vos very nearly fell to the Darkside, but resisted thanks to his growing love for Ventress. After order 66, Vos’ fate is unknown, but even the Empire believe he survived so we may see some more of the rogue Jedi in the future!
In honour of the upcoming Mandalorian series, I guess I can’t avoid mentioning the ONLY Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order. Vizla was said to be a powerful Jedi who lived roughly 1000 years before the main series – He was brought into the Order and created the iconic and unique Darksaber, a black bladed weapon which instantly set him apart. Vizla’s lineage would eventually take the Darksaber from the Jedi after Tarre died, and it became a symbol of their power and lead them to take complete control of their homeworld of Mandalore. The members of House Vizla would go on to construct a huge statue of Tarre on their planet to remember his legacy, and his memory would go on to inspire his family many generations later, though not always in the best way. Pre Vizla would go on to claim the Darksaber during the Clone Wars, and would try to use his family name to rule the planet with Death Watch. Luckily the ‘saber would eventually fall into the hands of Rebel Sabine Wren, and with it and the backing of the Mandalorian Resistance, she would go on to liberate her world from the Empire.
So there you have it! A list of Jedi that perhaps haven’t had the most recognition in the Galaxy, but should be paid attention to and have a light shone on them! Let me know if there are any that I may have missed that you’d like on the list down in the comments below!
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