Nothing says "Star Wars" like the Jedi. And the history of the Jedi Order certainly is an interesting one. It may not be as expansive or fleshed-out as the original Expanded Universe (now known as "Legends" in Disney vernacular), but the new canon timeline still has plenty of interesting tidbits of Jedi lore strewn throughout it.
You've got the rise of the Jedi Order more than 20,000 years before the original Star Wars film. You've got the fall of the Jedi Order at the hands of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith. And you have the triumphant victory of the Jedi over the Sith at the end of The Rise of Skywalker. There are two sides to every coin, and though the Sith may have had a more bombastic win at the end of the prequel trilogy, we all know the light side always wins out.
Around 25,000 BBY: The Prime Jedi Form The Jedi Order On Ahch-To
Before the Jedi Order became a thing, there was the Dai Bendu. There isn't much to say about this group, at least in the new canon, outside of it being a religious order that apparently invented the Holocron. The Jedi that came spinning out of the Dai Bendu as the "Prime Jedi" formed the Jedi Order on Ahch-To sometime around 25,000 BBY. You read that correctly... never forget Star Wars lore goes back thousands and thousands of years.
When Disney gets around to fleshing everything out like the former Expanded Universe did, whoo, boy. There is a lot of ground to cover. And we're sure the Prime Jedi and their founding of the Jedi Order will be one of those things fans would love to know more about.
Sometime Before 5,000 BBY: A Rogue Jedi Forms The Sith Order During The Hundred-Year Darkness
Who wants to deal with keeping their emotions in check? Isn't it easier just to feel everything around you and let those feelings fuel you, no matter what they are? It worked pretty well for Anakin Skywalker! Wait...
Anyway, a nameless Jedi had enough of the rigidity of the light side, as well as the Jedi Order, and decided he wanted to lean heavily into the dark side of the Force to figure out that untapped potential. This happened way before the Clone Wars during a period of time known as the "Hundred-Year Darkness." This unnamed, rebellious Jedi was expelled by the Jedi Order for his dangerous praises of the dark side, and a number of Jedi went with him, seduced by the power he was tapping into. These Jedi would band together and form the Sith Order.
5,000 BBY: The Jedi Establish Their Headquarters On Coruscant
Photo: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith / 20th Century Fox
You know Coruscant. It's basically the Star Wars stand-in for Earth. According to the 2016 Star Wars: Complete Locations reference book, Coruscant is roughly the same size as Earth, complete with 24-hour days and 365 days per calendar year. It may have wild sci-fi technology and house trillions of people instead of billions, but - for all intents and purposes - it is Earth. The Jedi would make Coruscant their official home around 5,000 BBY.
Coruscant is featured heavily throughout the prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars television series due to both the Galactic Senate Building and the Jedi Grand Temple being housed there. In fact, the Jedi Grand Temple was eventually founded on a "holy site" that Force-wielders used to trek to and worship for thousands and thousands of years. It would eventually fall with the Jedi Order and become the Imperial Palace when Palpatine ruled the galaxy.
Sometime before 1032 BBY: The Jedi Engage In A Series Of Conflicts With Mandalore
As if contending with the Sith weren't enough, the Jedi came into conflict with Mandalore for a pretty good amount of time. As was fleshed out on The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and The Mandalorian, the culture of Mandalore is completely based around strength and what one can do with it. Do you like conquering other planets just to prove you can? Well, Mandalore is the planet for you!
The Jedi were a peacekeeping order, and that meant a lot of fighting (funny how that works). There wasn't one central Jedi-Mandalorian conflict, but a series of battles that were waged on Mandalore, as well as other planets. Mandalore became so ravaged by warfare, their once beautiful planet became a desolate mess where artificial environments became essential to survival.
1,032 BBY: The Jedi-Sith War Ends After The Jedi Recover Coruscant From The Sith
Again, this part of the timeline isn't all that fleshed out in Disney's current Star Wars canon. They'll most likely get to it eventually as the neverending assembly line of Star Wars books, comics, merchandise, video games, television shows, and movies moves ahead at a blistering pace. All you need to know is this: The Old Republic fell after the Jedi struggled to fight the Mandalorians and keep the Sith at bay at the same time.
The Sith actually held Coruscant for a time, but the Jedi would end up winning their home planet back by the time the conflict ended. The coolest thing about the Jedi-Sith War was that the Jedi forces were known as "The Army of Light," and the Sith forces were known as "The Brotherhood of Darkness."
300–82 BBY: The Jedi Maintain Peace Across The Galaxy During The High Republic Era
The High Republic era is just now really kicking off under Disney's control of the franchise. Beginning in early 2021, numerous "High Republic" branded books and comics were released, with more and more coming down the pipeline. There will even be a Disney+ show, known as Star Wars: The Acolyte, that will reportedly deal with the end of the High Republic era in some manner.
Lasting just over two centuries, the High Republic era saw the Jedi as the influential force in the galaxy. Their numbers were high, their influence was great, and their heroes were mighty. This era, though not without its conflicts - this is Star Wars, after all - was known as a time of great peace. Unfortunately for the many denizens of a galaxy far, far away, the High Republic era would eventually give way to the Imperial era, and we all know how that went for everyone... the Emperor isn't exactly what you would call a "peaceful ruler," now is he?
