Summary

• The history of the Jedi Order goes back 25,000 years.
• So far, Star Wars has only dropped tantalizing clues about their true origin.
• The truth will surely be revealed in James Mangold's Star Wars movie.

James Mangold is making a "Dawn of the Jedi" movie.

Mangold's movie will apparently serve as something of an origin story for the Force itself; in fact, he's hinted the word "Jedi" may not even be used in the script. Looking beyond Mangold's movie, though, Star Wars has dropped quite a flew clues and hints about the origin of the Jedi Order. Here's everything we know so far.

The Bendu Monks Were The "Precusor" Of The Jedi

George Lucas' original idea for the Jedi is canon

George Lucas' first draft called the Order the "Jedi Bendu," and that name has made its way into canon. The Bendu monks have been referred to as the "precursors" of the Jedi, and they may well be tied to the mysterious creature known as the Bendu in Star Wars Rebels. If that is indeed the case, then the Bendu monks presumably share his philosophy; they viewed themselves as neither light nor dark, but rather as "the one in the middle."

The Bendu are known to have had a massive presence on the galactic capital of Coruscant in ages past; one of the days of the Coruscant week is even called "Benduday" in their honor. Although the Jedi apparently arose as an offshoot from the Bendu, the original Force cult did not die out with the emergence of the Jedi. Rather, it appears to have flourished until the days of the Jedi and Sith war, when the Bendu left the galactic capital; they founded the planet Kijimi, seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but then mysteriously vanished.

Lightsabers Appear To Be Older Than The Jedi

Did the Jedi inherit lightsabers from the Bendu?

Surprisingly little is known of the origin of lightsabers, but there are hints the first lightsaber forms predated the Jedi - which would indicate the lightsabers themselves did as well, of course. It's possible the first lightsabers were used by the Bendu, and the Jedi simply kept using them. Whatever the truth may be, it wasn't long before the lightsaber became viewed as the symbol of the Jedi. It's likely the first lightsabers were more cumbersome and harder to use, while lightsaber forms were much more basic.

Interestingly, there may have been other lightsaber-like tools used by these Jedi precursors as well. Star Wars: The High Republic has introduced a lightsaber shield, designed to be wielded telekinetically to protect others by deflecting attacks. This is said to be an ancient device that is not of Jedi origin; perhaps it comes from the beings who first created the lightsabers.

The Prime Jedi Established The Order Roughly 25,000 Years Ago

His mural is seen in The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi showed a mural dedicated to the first Jedi, known as the "Prime Jedi." According to Star Wars Timelines, the Prime Jedi established the order 25,025 years before the Skywalker saga. Little is known of the Prime Jedi, but they certainly appear to be nonhuman; some have speculated the Prime Jedi was in fact a Zeffo, an ancient Force-sensitive race introduced in Jedi: Fallen Order. Some Zeffo fell to the dark side, becoming part of an intergalactic empire alongside the Nightsisters of Dathomir.

The sacred Jedi texts seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker seem to hint that the ancient Jedi knew secrets of the Force that have since been forgotten. They were aware of the Mortis gods - cosmic beings who serve as avatars of the Force, and are apparently also somehow linked to the Zeffo-Nightsister empire, given there are statues of them on the Nightsister homeworld of Peridea in another galaxy. They even knew of the World Between Worlds, a place beyond time and space.

Ahch-To Is Believed To Be Site Of The First Jedi Temple

But why did the Prime Jedi settle here?

The Bendu cult is associated with the Galactic Core; Coruscant even has an official day of the week named "Benduday." For all that's the case, though, the Jedi Order seems to have been born on the Galactic Rim, in the Unknown Regions. Luke Skywalker believed the planet Ahch-To, lost for millennia, was the site of the original Jedi Temple. Star Wars Timelines hints that may not be the case, however, raising the possibility he was wrong.

What is certain, though, is that Ahch-To is a so-called Force vergence, a planet rich in the Force. Its Jedi Temple is clearly a very early one, containing a mural dedicated to the Prime Jedi, which suggests it was established during their lifetime. Other Force vergences were sacred to these early Jedi, including the likes of Tython and Ossus (seen in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett respectively).

The First Jedi Seem To Have Served Balance, Not Light Or Dark

They were agents of balance

The mural of the Prime Jedi hints that the first Jedi had a very different philosophy of the Force; he is shown as the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. This fits with an ancient Jedi mantra introduced in Cavan Scott's Dooku: Jedi Lost, which describes balance as a distinct aspect of the Force:

"We call upon the three — light, dark, and balance true. One is no greater than the others. Together, they unite, restore, center, and renew. We walk into the light, acknowledge the dark, and find balance within ourselves. The Force is strong."

This mantra may well represent the views of the original Jedi. According to this, the three aspects of the Force are each seen as equally strong, and they are supposed to be embraced as a unity. There have been hints agents of balance have access to Force powers that are not accessible to those bound to the light or dark sides, which may explain some of the legendary Jedi feats.

The interesting question, of course, is why this changed. The most likely explanation is that a schism occurred among the early Jedi, with some choosing to swear allegiance only to the dark side; a precursor of the Jedi schism that would ultimately create the Sith. These early Jedi must have then chosen to commit themselves only to the light, essentially setting up the whole Star Wars saga.

The Lightsaber Droid Huyang Was Built When The Order Was Just 50 Year Old

He's been around a long time

Ahsoka featured the live-action debut of Huyang, a droid who helps Jedi Younglings construct lightsabers. Huyang is far older than most viewers would realize, though; according to Star Wars Timelines, he was activated when the Jedi Order was just 50 years old. He may well have been constructed by the Prime Jedi himself, and he's served the Jedi Order faithfully for 25,000 years.

This doesn't necessarily mean Huyang re the entire history of the Jedi Order, of course; in fact, there's evidence he doesn't, because even the Jedi have forgotten many of their origin stories. Every droid only has so much memory, and Huyang's memory banks are probably occupied by his encyclopedic knowledge of lightsabers alone. Ahsoka and the other Star Wars heroes will need to look elsewhere if they want more clues to galactic history.