Star Wars, his struggles reveal reaching a certain rank within the Jedi Order doesn't mean a Jedi has it all figured out. In fact, a Master represents only one level with the most powerful Jedi ranks, and far from the highest.
The most powerful Jedi ranks in Star Wars movies, television, and other media reveal an order far more complex than it initially seems. From Younglings to Grand Master, a Jedi goes on a long journey through difficult tests and trials, and not every path is the same for the wisest and strongest Jedi.
Youngling
Younglings represent the lowest caste within the Jedi order. These Force-sensitive children train at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, typically in groups with an elder. Yoda trained many Younglings at the temple, as seen in the prequel trilogy. Younglings like Reva trained in various skills, including lightsaber combat.
Younglings arrived in the order after being identified by Jedi for their potential. As Obi-Wan told Leia in Part III of his series, he re little of his original family. Younglings leave their families behind and go on to become Jedi, though all don't follow the same path or reach the same rank within the order.
Padawan
The first step any Youngling takes from their early training is to Padawan. A Jedi Knight or Master chooses a Youngling for their Padawan, as Obi-Wan did with Anakin, or sometimes has one chosen for them. The Jedi Council selected Ahsoka Tano for Anakin's Padawan in the Clone Wars animated movie, hoping the challenge would help mature the young Jedi.
Padawans serve with their Masters for an unspecified amount of time, going wherever the Republic needs them. At some point, they undertake a series of trials to graduate from their Padawan status to full-fledged Jedi Knight, though this isn't always guaranteed or even desired in some cases.
Service Corps
Some Padawans fail to their trials or don't seek to become Knights. These Jedi the Service Corps, a broad category including four different concentrations: Agriculture, Medicine, Education, and Exploration. The latter group played a key role in Outbound Flight, a major Jedi exploration project from Star Wars Legends continuity.
Jocasta Nu represents perhaps the best example from the movies. The custodian of the Jedi Temple archives belongs to the Service Corps, though she certainly proved her value as a powerful Jedi warrior. She fought against Darth Vader after Order 66 in some of the best Star Wars comic book arcs ever.
Knight
Jedi Knights represent the frontline standard in the order, but they rank fairly low within the larger hierarchy. Still, Jedi Knights protect the Republic from all threats and maintain peace across the galaxy. They ed their trials and shed their former title, along with their distinctive Padawan hair braid.
Jedi Knights occasionally ascend without going through a formal trial. Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Darth Maul on Naboo in The Phantom Menace and his apparent killing of a Sith Lord easily met the standard. Unlike most new Jedi Knights, he immediately took an apprentice in Anakin Skywalker.
Jedi Temple Guard
The Jedi Temple Guard protects the sacred facility on Coruscant with unique golden lightsabers. These Jedi stand among the most powerful and most dedicated Knights in the order. Temple Guards abandon any attachment to their own identity, concealing their faces behind ceremonial masks and maintaining few if any connections.
The Grand Inquisitor once served as a Jedi Temple Guard and he may have betrayed the order, allowing clones to enter the temple during Order 66. Star Wars fans know The Inquisitors, in general, include former Jedi younglings, and possibly other Temple Guards as well.
Master
Jedi Knights achieve sufficient experience or mastery of the Force and then graduate to Master, a rank that leads down different paths. Above all else, the ability to train younger Jedi separates Masters from Knights, a crucial fact reflected in the complicated dynamic between Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka.
Several Jedi Masters make up the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars, with Obi-Wan Kenobi establishing the standard in A New Hope. Luke Skywalker becomes a Master in the sequel trilogy, training Ben Solo and ultimately Rey Skywalker, ing down his knowledge to a new generation.
Battlemaster
The Jedi Temple Guards report directly to the Battlemaster, Cin Drallig. This powerful Jedi Master served as Chief of Security at the Jedi Temple. The Battlemaster trained other Jedi in lightsaber combat and Drallig was considered the best swordsman in the order, though he fell to Anakin Skywalker during Order 66.
The Battlemaster appears briefly in Revenge of the Sith, played by Nick Gillard, the stunt coordinator for all three prequel trilogy movies.
High Council Member
Some Jedi Masters achieve high positions within the Order like Battlemaster, and others gain the rare honor of serving as Jedi High Council . Twelve Jedi serve on the council and make decisions affecting the entire order, including lower councils that govern different disciplines like the Jedi Service Corps.
The Jedi High Council includes five who serve lifetime appointments, four long-term, and three short-term. The short-term appointees rotate in and out, explaining the turnover in the prequels.
Master Of The Order
Mace Windu served as the Master of the Order in the prequel era. This singular rank belongs to a Jedi who demonstrated superior knowledge and experience in the Force. Windu attained this rank after gaining a lifetime appointment to the High Council and arguably becoming the most powerful Jedi in the order.
Windu attempts to relinquish the role in Shatterpoint, among the best Star Wars book ever, because he believes his failure to stop Count Dooku on Geonosis - as well as his inability to see the former Jedi's duplicity - led directly to the Clone Wars.
Grand Master
The highest rank within the Jedi Order belongs to the Grand Master. This role differs from the Master of the Order mainly in that its honorific, though the Grand Master possesses singular power and skill. In Legends continuity, Luke Skywalker took on the title after establishing his new Jedi Order after the fall of the Empire.
Grand Masters do exist within continuity, with Yoda serving in the role during the prequels and other Grand Masters appearing in The High Republic novels and comic books.
