The culmination of Luke Skywalker’s fight against the Empire in the original Star Wars trilogy is the founding of his new Jedi Temple on Ossus. The first canon glimpse Ossus comes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where Daisy Ridley’s Rey has a brief vision of the forested planet. It’s better seen in The Book of Boba Fett, where the Temple is still being constructed, or in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where Mark Hamill’s Luke recounts the Temple’s destruction. Despite only having a handful of on-screen appearances, the planet Ossus has a rich history in Star Wars Legends.
In Star Wars canon, Ossus was similar to Jedha, Ach-To, and Tython in that it boasted a deep connection to the Jedi religion. Similar to Star Wars Legends, Ossus was said to become an important Jedi stronghold around 12,000 BBY. According to one Jedi text, it was once mandatory for prospective Jedi to visit. While Luke’s Jedi Temple on Ossus never got the chance to become as popular or influential as the planet’s previous Jedi Praxeum, it did help Luke keep his promise to Yoda in The Return of the Jedi. Luke founded his Jedi Temple to help on what he’d learned as a Jedi.
Ossus Was The Jedi Homeworld In Star Wars Legends
Ossus had even deeper ties to the Jedi in Star Wars Legends than it does in canon. After the Jedi first discovered the Force and founded the Order on Tython, some Jedi Knights traveled to Ossus to create a Jedi school there. Furthermore, Ossus was the birthplace of the Jedi’s understanding of the light and dark sides of the Force, as well as the concept of Living Force. While Tython was where the Jedi Order was founded, Ossus is where Order took its first true steps in nailing down exactly what the Jedi religion was about.
Around 25,000 BBY in Star Wars Legends, Ossus officially became one of the most important planets in the galaxy far, far away. At this point, the Galactic Republic was only just beginning to take shape. However, the forces of the Tion Cluster and Hutt Empire posed a threat to the brand-new Republic. It was the Jedi on Ossus who first decided to utilize their connection to the Force as a means of protecting the early Republic. And without the Jedi’s protection, it’s likely the Republic may never have survived its infancy. The Republic lasted for over 25,000 years thanks to the founding Jedi on Ossus.
Luke Skywalker's Jedi Temple Was Founded On Ossus In 9 ABY
Luke’s Jedi Temple on Ossus was constructed in Star Wars canon far sooner than it was in Legends. Luke used construction droids to build his Temple. In The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, Din Djarin actually got to witness the construction of the Temple in 9 ABY, as well as Luke’s first student, Grogu. Meanwhile, the construction of Luke’s Jedi Temple in Star Wars Legends began over 20 years later in 30 ABY. Furthermore, Luke’s Jedi Academy lasted far longer in Star Wars Legends than it did in canon. Ben Solo destroyed Luke’s Temple in 28 ABY in canon, while his Temple in Legends lasted till 137 ABY.
There's also a big difference between the size of Luke’s Jedi Temple in Legends and canon. In Star Wars canon, Luke trained roughly 20 Jedi on Ossus before his Temple’s destruction, whereas Luke personally trained around 25 apprentices in Legends. However, in Legends Luke had the assistance of other Jedi to help keep the Order alive, to the point where his Academy housed well over one thousand staff . In Star Wars Canon, Luke only employed a Tw’lek named Enyo to help the younger children at Ossus Temple. And during Luke’s search for Exegol, he even left Ben Solo in charge of the Temple for a time.
Why Luke Skywalker Chose Ossus For His Jedi Temple
While there isn’t a canon explanation for why Luke chose to build the New Jedi Temple on Ossus, there are a plethora of reasons why it was the perfect choice. While traveling Ossus—before constructing his Temple—Luke discovered the original copy of the Sacred Jedi text known as the Rammahgon. Luke had been collecting and compiling the Sacred Jedi Texts for years, but his discovery of the Rammahgon could have been what convinced him to begin his Temple on Ossus.
Aside from finding one of the Jedi Texts on Ossus, the planet still retained most of its history from Star Wars Legends. Though it was destroyed long before the prequels, Ossus was once the site of the Great Jedi Library, which was said to be a vast collection of datacards and holocrons containing years worth of Jedi knowledge. Therefore, it’s possible Luke chose Ossus in the hope that he’d make even more discoveries about the Force there.
Finally, Ossus’ location in the Outer Rim may have been appealing to Luke for its safety. Similar to how Cal Kestis searched for the inaccessible Tanalorr to escape the Empire’s tyranny in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Luke may have chosen Ossus because of how removed it was from the galaxy’s proceedings. Luke knew that the remnants of the Empire would likely pursue him and the Jedi. However, while he planned on an attack from the outside, he never expected his Jedi Order to fall from within.
All Luke Skywalker's Confirmed Students At The Ossus Jedi Temple
Luke Skywalker trained over a dozen students after the original trilogy, though many of them are still unnamed. While Leia Organa Solo was one of his first students after Return of the Jedi, she did not train with him on Ossus. Instead, one of Luke’s first confirmed students on Ossus was Grogu. However, Grogu trained with Luke for around two years before deciding to return to the path of a Mandalorian. Almost 5 years later, Ben Solo was entrusted to Luke by Leia, though he too never completed his Jedi training. However, a few more of Luke’s students have been named in Star Wars books.
Adam Christopher's novel Shadow of the Sith introduced Enyo, who assisted Luke on Ossus. Nothing is known about her backstory, but it’s possible she—along with Ben Solo—was one of Luke’s earliest students. Charles Soule’s comic miniseries The Rise of Kylo Ren also featured three of Luke’s other Padawans; Tai, Hennix, and Voe. These three were the only Padawans to survive Ben Solo’s destruction of Luke’s Temple, though they were unfortunately cut down shortly after.
Another of Soule’s comics, See You Around, Kid, showed Kylo Ren returning to the Ossus Temple ruins before ordering them to be obliterated entirely. And while this brought an end to the Jedi’s presence on Ossus, it’s possible Rey may revisit Ossus to rebuild the Jedi Temple in her movie. Furthermore, the history of Ossus could also be explored in the Dawn of the Jedi movie. In any case, Ossus stands out as a planet of crucial importance to the Jedi in the Star Wars galaxy.
