With the swiftness of Order 66, Disney erased the Star Wars extended universe to create a new mythos to its films. Popular and powerful Jedi, including Revan, Galen Malek, and Nomi Sunrider were designated as Star Wars “Legends”, rather than part of the official Star Wars canon. This means that fans of the series have to rethink the Star Wars characters they know and love.
This list was developed with a specific lens; it is a collection of of the Jedi Order who remain a part of the official Star Wars canon. Force-sensitive s who were never of the Jedi Order, whether they remained neutral, were Dark Force wielders, or Sith. Former of the Jedi order, however, who became Sith or used the Dark side of the Force, were still considered in the making of this list.
Here is Screen Rant's list of the 12 Most Powerful Jedi in the Star Wars Universe, so you can know where the universe stands ahead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. NOTE: Entries have been listed in alphabetical order - not in order of most power!
12. Anakin Skywalker
Born into slavery on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker was conceived by the Force, without any father (cue the Biblical references). He used his naturally acute Force sensitivity to become an ace pilot, ultimately winning his freedom in a podrace (as seen in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace). Despite many Jedi believing Anakin was too old to be trained at the age of nine, Qui-Gon Jinn, and later, Obi-Wan Kenobi took on the mantle of training him. Anakin possessed the highest recorded midi-chlorian count in the Star Wars universe, and was believed to be the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force through the destruction of the Sith – something he would only achieve after becoming his Sith persona Darth Vader. By killing Darth Sidious in order to save his son, Luke Skywalker, Anakin truly does bring balance to the Force.
After beginning his training as a Jedi knight, Anakin fought in countless battles in the Clone Wars. For his ability, sacrifice, and bravery in the Clone Wars, he was promoted to the status of Jedi Knight without taking the official Jedi Trial. After numerous duels with Count Dooku, Anakin faced him for the last time on the Confederacy’s flagship. After Obi-Wan Kenobi was knocked out in combat, Anakin single-handedly defeated Dooku, slicing off both of his hands, and ultimately, his head.
11. Count Dooku
Dooku, the son of aristocracy on the planet Serenno, was Yoda’s last official Padawan during the Galactic Republic. After attaining the rank of Jedi Master, Dooku took on Qui-Gon Jinn as his apprentice, and later would train Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, iral Grievous, and Quinlan Vos. Disenchanted with the Jedi Order, Dooku left and returned to his home world of Serenno. Later, he ed Darth Sidious as Sith apprentice Darth Tyranus and became the leader of the Separatist faction in the Clone Wars.
Known as a skilled duelist and a master of Makashi combat, Dooku successfully fought multiple difficult adversaries, defeating both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at the First Battle of Geonosis. In Son of Dathomir 3, Dooku s Darth Maul to face off with Jedi Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Aalya Secura, and Tiplee – during the fight, Dooku force pulls Tiplee into his lightsaber, killing her.
10. Ki-Adi Mundi
Ki-Adi Mundi is a Cerean Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council before and during the Clone Wars. At the First Battle of Geonosis, he fought alongside his fellow Jedi, assisting Pé Amidala and Kit Fisto in combat. Master Mundi fought in many Clone War battles. He was the only Jedi of six left standing after facing off with General Grievous at the Battle of Hypori, and on the siege of the Geonosis Droid factor, he killed more droids than Anakin Skywalker, earning the Jedi’s hard-earned respect.
When his entire family was killed at the Battle of Cerea, he did not succumb to grief, but instead increased his devotion to the Jedi Order and the fight against the Separatists. When Obi-Wan Kenobi was believed to be dead, Mundi acted as Anakin’s Jedi Master. Eventually, Mundi was murdered at the end of the Clone Wars by his own Clone Troopers, acting on Order 66, which decimated the Jedi Order.
9. Kit Fisto
Kit Fisto is a Jedi Knight who trained under Grand Master Yoda and later became a Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council in the final years of the Clone Wars. A Nautolan from the planet Glee Anselm, Fisto possessed some abilities that other Jedi did not, including the ability to breathe underwater.
During the Clone Wars, Fisto acted as a Jedi General and as one of the Jedi advisors to Chancellor Palpatine. At the First Battle of Geonosis, he led Clone troopers into battle. In subsequent battles, he cut off one of the hands of General Grievous in a duel, and also led armies at the underwater Battle of Mon Cala. Fisto was killed in combat when he, along with Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin attempted to arrest Darth Sidious. Sidious killed Kolar and Tiin in a matter of seconds, and Fisto fell soon after, stabbed by the Dark Lord’s lightsaber.
8. Luke Skywalker
George Lucas has said that Luke Skywalker is the most powerful Jedi of all time, but he also named Obi-Wan Kenobi’s home world of Stewjon after Jon Stewart, so everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, Luke has repeatedly illustrated his powers in the face of adversity. Unlike most Jedi before him, Luke was a teenager and around twice the age of Anakin when he began training with Obi-Wan. With almost no training, he used his Force-sensitive abilities as a pilot to single-handedly destroy the first Death Star. While most Jedi train for decades before becoming a Knight, Luke was largely self-trained, with limited mentorship from Obi-Wan and Yoda. After losing his hand and Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber in a duel with Darth Vader, Luke constructs his own lightsaber from scratch using the tools he could find in Obi-Wan’s hut on Tatooine. Despite his limited training, Luke survives his first confrontation with Vader and later bests him in a lightsaber duel.
Luke is the center of the original trilogy – he is the New Hope and the Return of the Jedi. As the last known Jedi in the Star Wars Universe, Luke is in a crucial position. Slated to appear in J.J. Abrams film, he will inevitably go on to define what it means to be a Jedi Knight in the coming trilogy.
7. Mace Windu
Before and during the Clone Wars, Master Mace Windu was the most senior member of the Jedi Council other than Grand Master Yoda. A talented and dexterous fighter, Windu killed bounty hunter Jango Fett at the Battle of Geonosis and beat Mother Talzin, the leader of the Nightsisters, in combat.
Windu was part of a group of Jedi Masters, along with Kit Fisto, who went to arrest Chancellor Palpatine when he is confirmed to be Darth Sidious. While the other three Jedi Masters fell in the fight, Windu, the only Jedi to master all seven forms of lightsaber fighting, managed to defeat Sidious, knocking his lightsaber from his hand. Anakin Skywalker, believing that Sidious was the only way to save Pé intervened in the fight, and as a result, Windu was killed by Darth Sidious’s Force lightning. Without Anakin’s intervention, Sidious would have likely been defeated by Windu in combat, as Windu had successfully disarmed the Sith Lord.
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a Jedi Master who defeated the Sith Darth Maul on Naboo, dueled with Count Dooku on numerous occasions during the Clone Wars, vanquished General Grievous, and removed three of Anakin Skywalker’s limbs in a duel. In addition to being a skilled warrior, Obi-Wan was a strategist and one of the lead Jedi Generals in the Clone Wars. While Obi-Wan begins as the impulsive Padawan of Qui-Gon, he grows to become a temperate and wise Jedi mentor to both Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
After avoiding the Great Jedi Purge, Obi-Wan went to Tatooine to look after Luke Skywalker. He died in a duel against Darth Vader, his former Padawan; Obi-Wan’s sacrifice allowed Luke, Princess Leia, and Han Solo to escape the Death Star. At the moment of his death, Obi-Wan warned Vader that he would become more powerful than Vader could imagine. He returned as a Force Spirit to aid Luke, helping him to destroy the first Death Star, guiding him Master Yoda, and revealing Leia as Luke’s long-lost sister.
5. Plo Koon
During the final years of the Galactic Republic, Plo Koon was a Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council. Koon was known for his calm and collected personality, even in the most perilous of situations. During the Clone Wars, Plo Koon played an active role in the military, serving as Jedi General of the 104th Battalion. Before its destruction by the Separatist Malevolence, he also commanded the Star Destroyer Triumphant. He led key military operations, including the successful rescue mission for Jedi Master Adi Gallia.
A talented pilot, Koon flew heroically in the Battle of Felucia and later alongside Anakin Skywalker against Zygerrian slavers. After a successful aerial victory at the Battle of Cato Neimoidia, he was killed by his own troops, who shot down his fighter in response to Darth Sidious’s Order 66.
4. Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn was the apprentice of Count Dooku and later went on to become the Jedi Master of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan claimed that Qui-Gon would have been on the Jedi Council if it was not for his rebellious nature.
Qui-Gon Jinn may not have been the most powerful living Jedi, but after his death, he proved to be one of the most powerful Jedi in the Star Wars canon. Qui-Gon had spent years studying the possibility of life after death, and after being killed in a duel with Darth Maul, he returned as a voice to Grand Master Yoda. Qui-Gon went on to guide and teach both Yoda and Obi-Wan about the possibility of immortality. Qui-Gon is the first known Jedi to return from the grave to assist another Jedi, and without his teachings, Obi-Wan and Yoda would not be able to return as Force Spirits in order to aid Luke Skywalker.
3. Quinlan Vos
Quinlan Vos is a Jedi Knight with the unique ability of being able to see the memories of individuals by touching objects that these individuals have touched. During the Clone Wars, Vos was given the rank of Jedi Master and went on an undercover mission to assassinate Count Dooku. For this mission, he found and trained with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress on her home world of Dathomir. During their failed assassination attempt, Vos and Ventress fought both General Grievous and Count Dooku. Vos was captured and fell to the influence of the Dark side, becoming Count Dooku’s apprentice. However, when Dooku turns on Vos and attempts to kill him, Ventress sacrifices herself, throwing her body in the way of Dooku’s force lightning. Vos defeats Dooku in combat, but chooses not to kill him, in contrast with Anakin’s later decision. Instead, Vos declares himself a Jedi and res the Order.
While Vos previously survived Order 66 and lived on the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, his canonical whereabouts, and whether he survives Order 66, is unknown.