Summary

• Rey has a lot to learn from the Jedi Order of the past when rebuilding her own, and there are a few important changes she should make.
• The Jedi Code itself needs improvement, as it ultimately led to the downfall of the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars.
• Rey's goal with her Jedi Order is to establish new trust between the Jedi and the people of the galaxy, something these changes can make possible.

If Rey Skywalker is to succeed in Star Wars: New Jedi Order, she should make these 10 changes to the overly strict rules of the Jedi Order. New Jedi Order is set 15 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and will take a whole new approach to the galaxy. While not much is known about the plot, it promises to depict a galaxy that is struggling with the necessity of the Jedi after decades of war and unrest.

The fate of the Jedi Order was left in flux after the end of The Rise of Skywalker. While Star Wars: The Last Jedi's broom boy showed that there are still Force-sensitives wandering around the galaxy, the Solos and Skywalkers died. As such, how Rey would build a new Jedi Order alone has been a question since the sequel trilogy came to an end. Perhaps an even bigger question has been how she will structure her new Order, regarding whether she follows her predecessors or not. Here are a few changes Rey could make to improve the Jedi Order.

10 Jedi Trained Among Their Own Communities

There is strength in diversity and community

One of the issues with the old Jedi Order was their insistence on taking younglings out of their communities to raise them at the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant. This came from their extreme rejection of any kind of personal attachment. However, learning about their culture and community is an important part of a child's development.

Further, parental and community relationships can enhance a Jedi's abilities. Din Djarin and Grogu prove this. Even though he isn't a Jedi, Din Djarin helped Grogu practice using his Force abilities. He's also been able to train his adopted son in the ways of the Mandalorians, allowing Grogu to celebrate both the culture he was raised in for the first few decades of his life and the culture he was adopted into. If Rey's Jedi were to allow Padawans and younglings to be trained within their communities, they could benefit from the wisdom and techniques of multiple cultures.

9 The Jedi Code Changed To Allow Relationships

Having no personal relationships at all is unhealthy

The Jedi's rejection of personal relationships wreaked untold havoc, and it was part of what led to their downfall. If they had allowed personal relationships, they could've taught Anakin Skywalker how to have a healthy one. Instead, because of their insistence on rejecting attachments, the only advice Grandmaster Yoda could give Anakin when he went to him for advice about how to respond to his dreams of Pé Amidala dying was to do nothing and not mourn the dead. This wasn't what Anakin needed to hear, and it drove him away from the Jedi and toward then-Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.

As such, Rey should abandon this part of the Code in favor of encouraging healthy attachment. After all, it doesn't help to tell people not to be jealous if the only encouragement to do that is to reject normal, healthy emotions. Telling someone who is struggling with anything to just "let it go" isn't a good way of teaching coping skills.

8 Less Emphasis On A Central Jedi Temple

Rey's Jedi should avoid symbols of status

The Jedi have always moved around. Few Jedi stayed at the Temple for long periods at a time. They would travel around acting as peacekeepers and scholars, learning about the Force from different cultures and planets. Rey's new Jedi Order should do the same. There's so much wisdom to be learned about the Force and life in general in the Star Wars galaxy, and focusing too much on one specific building would be a waste.

While having a Temple with archives to store knowledge and artifacts isn't necessarily bad, the emphasis that the old Jedi Order placed on the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant became a problem. The Jedi kept too many of their important artifacts in the Jedi Archives in the Temple on Coruscant. This became a problem when the Temple fell. Rey's Jedi Order should diversify where they store their knowledge, so it's more difficult for someone who shouldn't have it to get their hands on everything the Jedi have collected.

People who have suffered through war, tyranny, and political unrest aren't going to respond well to a Jedi Order that makes a show of wealth and power.

Another reason Rey should forgo having a central Jedi Temple is that she is dealing with a galaxy that is unsure about the Jedi. The Jedi Grand Temple became a symbol of status and opulence during the days of the Republic. This is the last thing Rey needs to convince people that they should trust and her Jedi. People who have suffered through war, tyranny, and political unrest aren't going to respond well to a Jedi Order that makes a show of wealth and power. Rey's Jedi should be more humble to convince the population that they have changed.

7 The Removal Of Midi-Chlorian Count As A Qualification For Entering The Jedi Order

Sabine Wren's Jedi journey should become standard practice

George Lucas said anyone can learn to use the Force, and Dave Filoni made this canon by having Sabine Wren learn to wield the Force in Ahsoka, despite her implied low Midi-chlorian count. If a person has a lower Midi-chlorian count, it will be harder for them, but it was never impossible. The old Jedi should've gotten rid of this rule. If they hadn't acted so picky and elitist, they'd have had far greater numbers during Order 66, making it easier to defend themselves.

Further, the Force isn't something that should be gatekept. It flows around and in everyone. It doesn't belong to the Jedi or people with high enough Midi-chlorian counts. Rey's Jedi should take a more open and holistic approach to training Jedi and sharing the Force with others.

6 More Jedi Should Be Encouraged To Undertake Scholarly Pursuits

Rey's Jedi should rebuild knowledge lost in the Jedi Purge

The Jedi Order started in part as a group of scholars, but by the time of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, they were mostly just political pawns and warriors. This especially came out during the Clone Wars, when they became leaders and high-ranking officials in the Republic army. At that time, scholarly pursuits were really put on the back burner. Now that the First Order has been defeated and Emperor Palpatine destroyed once and for all, Rey's Jedi should get back to this part of their mission.

5 Jedi Should Place More Emphasis On Their Role As Peacekeepers

To restore peace to the galaxy, Rey's Jedi need to move away from being mostly warriors

The Jedi have been involved in several wars. However, their primary mission and hope was always to act as peacekeepers, only using violence if they felt they truly had no other choice. Yet, the last several decades have seen the Jedi act almost solely as warriors, first during the Clone Wars and then during both the Rebellion against the Empire and the resistance against the First Order. If Rey's Jedi want to succeed, they need to return to their original mission and prove to people once again that they are more than just warriors.

4 More Emphasis On Humanitarian Efforts

The Jedi should help rebuild the galaxy after years of hardship

With their Force abilities, Jedi are more equipped than anyone to help with humanitarian aid, like cleaning up after natural disasters and delivering supplies to refugees. They should use their abilities to help people who need it like they originally did. This would also help to improve public perception of the Jedi, which it has been revealed Rey's Order will need.

3 Jedi Shouldn't Be As Involved In Politics

The politics of the prequel era caused the Jedi to lose sight of who they were

The Jedi cannot get away from all involvement in politics. If they are going to act as peacekeepers, they will at least have to be aware of the political happenings and be competent to act as mediators. However, Rey's new Jedi Order shouldn't be controlled by politics the way the Jedi were during the Clone Wars.

The Jedi of the Clone Wars era frequently chose to place politics over the good of the common people.

The Jedi of the Clone Wars era frequently chose to place politics over the good of the common people and even their own on occasion. For example, they chose to send Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin to save the Chancellor over sending them to rescue Mandalore from Darth Maul and caved to political pressure to kick Ahsoka Tano out of the Order. This led people to lose faith in the Jedi, which is something Rey's Jedi Order is already struggling with.

2 More Input From Jedi Outside Of The Jedi High Council

Each Jedi's voice should matter, not just a few powerful ones

Sometimes people disagree with their bosses in real life and need to trust them anyway, but the prequel era Jedi, in particular, was very much ruled by the Council. Lower-ranking Jedi were often afraid to defy the Council and thus felt pressure to do things that they were uncomfortable with. While there's value in having a council of experienced masters to make decisions, the Jedi aren't a government. They are a group of scholars, peacekeepers, and, when necessary, martial arts warriors. Rey's Jedi could benefit from allowing non-Council to have more input.

1 The Jedi Should Be Allowed More Individuality

As scholars, the Jedi should encourage their to pursue their own interests and knowledge

Because the old Jedi tended to be rigid and strict, there wasn't a lot of encouragement for individual expression. However, this can be of great value. Celebrating and learning from people's unique gifts can be of great benefit to the collective. Rey's Jedi in New Jedi Order should recognize this and allow its to explore who they are as people and their own personal connection to the Force.

All Star Wars movies and TV shows are available to stream on Disney+