I want you to write about who you think, is the truest Jedi. Any Jedi in the history of our order. A brief summary of their life and their actions, but mainly, I want you to write about why you believe they are. What makes them, the model Jedi, that all other Jedi should strive to be like. Any Jedi is game, from the Great Master Yoda to the ancient Lord Hoth.

Jedi Master Yoda
True Inspiration of a Jedi

This may come as ‘unoriginal’, but for this assignment, I picked one of the most known Jedi - the Grand Master Yoda. I’m very much keen to start with my reasons as to why I picked him and not some other Jedi, however, I’ll start with some history lesson first, so I clarify who Master Yoda was, how his life was and his actions throughout his life.

Brief history & personality

At first sight, Yoda could be deemed as weak and exploitable, as he was rather small. But he was perfect example of his own saying, that ‘Size matters not’. During his rather long life-span, he managed to get an incredible understanding of the Force, perhaps even possibly beyond of any other Jedi. Master Yoda also was able to excell in most lightsaber forms, except Form VII. It is known that he was practicioner of Form IV - Ataru, putting some sort of preference to that lightsaber Form.

Master Yoda was considered one of the greatest warriors of the Order, with the strongest attunement to the Force. Yet, he always was aware of the importance of teaching. Letting new generations of Jedi to grasp the secret of the Force, helping nearly every single youngling with their first steps when it comes to Jedi training. Master Yoda was a teacher at heart, always sharing his experiences and knowledge.

I tried to do some research on Master Yoda’s early life, sadly, the Archives are slightly brief about that part of his life. At first, he was unaware of his Force sensitivity. He and human friend of his picked up a ship, with intention of looking for some sort of employment in the Core Worlds. It turned out that they didn’t make it there, the ship being hit by the asteroid. The damage was serious and both Master Yoda and his friend spent several days in the space, with no response to their distress signal. Things didn’t look too well for them, until the ship sensors picked up a star system nearby. With effort, they crash-landed on a swampy planet covered by dense fog.

After days on the planet, they encountered Jedi Master N’Kata Del Gormo - who revealed the Force sensitivity of both Master Yoda and his human companion. Master Gormo took them to his home, where he eventually trained both Master Yoda and his friend in the ways of the Force. Interestingly enough, shortly after their Jedi training was complete, a Republic ship picked up the distress signal and took both friends off the planet. It is debatable if it was a coincidence or Master Gormo’s doing.

Master Yoda was granted the rank of Jedi Knight in 796 BBY, which is when he started training his first apprentice as well. The Archives do not mention the name of his first Padawan.
Meanwhile, Master Yoda was able to fulfill his Jedi duties, such as facing followers of Potentium theory in 200 BBY or saving native X’Ting from disaster. They decided to honour Yoda’s deed by building a big statue of him inside the X’Ting Hall of Heroes.

Master Yoda found a child by the name of Dooku in 102 BBY - and he was often instructing him in the lightsaber arts, turning Dooku into one of the most formidable saberists in the Order. By then, he had no idea about how that would backfire on him.
In 32 BBY, things got to move, when the Trade Federation imposed blockade against small planet Naboo, as protest to Senate’s legislation. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum and Master Yoda sent two Jedi - Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi - to negotiate with the Trade Federation. The negotiation was short - leader of the Trade Federation wanted to kill these two Jedi, who eventually escaped. However, the Trade Federation invaded Naboo, capturing Queen Amidala. The Jedi rescued her in the end, bringing boy by name of Anakin Skywalker in front of the Jedi Council. Master Yoda was rigorously against his training, as boy’s future was uncertain and there were worries that Skywalker would not be able to let go, as he was strongly attached to his mother.

After insisting of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda allowed Skywalker to be trained. This was one of first events, which led to Second Jedi Purge. Master Yoda played a leader during Clone Wars, he was an inspiration for his peers, and even for the Clone troopers. He and the Clones rescued remaining Jedi from the Geonosis arena. As the Archives mention this, it proves that he was not only a skilled diplomat, but he was also able to lead the front lines along the Clones, such as he did at the Battle of Axion or Battle of Muunilinst. In both cases, he managed to save and protect lives of his fellow warriors.

His diplomatic abilities were shown in his negotiation with Toydarian, King Katuunko. It wasn’t smooth diplomatic mission, as the Separatists decided to gain support of King Katuunko as well. Assaj Ventress forced Master Yoda and three Clones to face her contingent due to bet he and Assajj Ventress agreed to - if Master Yoda manages to beat her forces, she’d leave and have him to have treaty with King Katuunko. Master Yoda and the clones did manage to get in one piece to them, but Assajj Ventress didn’t intend to keep her end of the bargain, attempting to kill Toydarian king. Master Yoda came just in time to stop her and turn her to fleeing. The treaty was signed soon after.

Master Yoda witnessed the raise of Chancellor Palpatine to power. He helped everywhere he could, usually not resorting to violence, instead using his other cunning skills and his natural talent for leadership. Shortly before infamous Order 66, also known as Knightfall, he helped to defend Kashyyk, where his companion - Commander Gree tried to assassinate him, as response to Order 66. Master Yoda saw through the attempt on his life and escaped with the helo of the wookies. He sensed great disturbance in the Force, as many of the Jedi were slaughtered. His worries were proven true, once he arrived to destroyed Jedi Temple - finding the trust about Anakin skywalker soon after. In order to warn other Jedi, he changed the signal which was being broadcasted to warn Jedi and order them to keep away from Coruscant at all costs.

Finally, he faced Chancellor Palpatine, now the Emperor, in the Senate. According to Archives, it was intense fight. In the end, Master Yoda was unable to defeat Palpatine, falling down and retreating with the help of Bail Organa. This is where he decided that he had to go to ‘exile’, that he failed. Once Skywalker’s children were born, Master Yoda departed to distant planet - Dagobah. It would look like that his life-story would end by now, but there was one more person he taught - son of Anakin Skywalker; Luke.

He was very old by time Master Luke Skywalker arrived to Dagobah, to seek out ‘great warrior’ Yoda. He was hesitant in training old Luke, probably as much as he was, when they brought his fater to him. According to Master Yoda - He was too old for the training. When a Force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi made his appearance, he convinced him to train Skywalker’s son. Luke Skywalker was the last person Master Yoda trained, in hopes that he would restore the peace in the Galaxy, with rebuilding the Jedi Order once more again.

I hope that would be enough for brief summary of Master Yoda’s life and deeds.

Why did I choose him?

Now, onto the part why I chose him above any other Jedi. To me, he represents what a true Jedi should strive for. He was capable and knowledgeable about the Force, very strong and skillfull with his lightsaber. One would say that in a way, he was one of the most powerful Jedi in the history. But, that’s not the reason why I chose him as true Jedi and as someone, who is here as inspiration for further generations of Jedi. It’s not the Force or lightsaber skills what make Jedi a Jedi. Master Yoda could be all powerful, but we wouldn’t get to see him using either of his abilities on a whim. He was very cautious when it came to actually drawing his lightsaber or the Force. He was firm in his beliefs, that violence is the last resort.

Master Yoda was a great example of the second tenet of the Jedi Code - There’s no ignorance, there’s knowledge. He was open-minded, and next to that, he was a mentor figure. He taught so many Jedi, it’s even hard to imagine. He was a teacher who would have healthy sense of humour, next to him being completelly serious. I appreciate the fact he was able to find healthy balance between his duties as a Jedi and his unique sense of humour. I found out that students often disagreed with him, found him strict even, until they got to know him better.

To be able to uphold Jedi teachings and protect life, he was cunning both with his lightsaber and diplomacy. I’d say that he would make great Form Zero practicioner. Even mere his presence would solve the conflict. He had so huge impact on others; yet, he remained humble. A lot of Jedi were flawled by hint of arrogance, because they felt special due to their gifts, but Master Yoda stayed very humble, which is another reason why he was a role model. Not to mention his compassionate nature, always protecting others from harm.

There are so many Jedi heroes. Yet, a lot of them killed so many people without further thinking. That is why I didn’t pick Master Skywalker for example. As much as I respect him for his deeds and renewing the Jedi Order basically from scratch, he was far from ‘true’ Jedi, in the meaning of the word. True Jedi is knowledgeable, have strong character, they display capability to defend and protect others, they are calm, controlled and serene, free of negative emotions. And, one another, very important aspect each Jedi should have - compassion. I believe that Master Yoda represents all of the Jedi qualities, and he was close to what I’d call a ‘perfect’ Jedi. So, in the end, my choice of ‘true’ Jedi was maybe unoriginal, however I believe that if there was a single Jedi, who would serve as inspiration for the Jedi, it would be Master Yoda. It’s the character what describes Jedi, not their power…

At the beginning, I’d like to define what ‘integrity’ means. Sentient beings mostly have a set of morals and ethics they adhere to. Some sentient beings may lower themselves when it’s convinient for them and actually do something against these principles. It’s not that uncommon to see someone getting bribed and ‘failing’ the set of morals they claim they adhere to.

However, some sentient beings are convinced, they hold true to their set of morals and ethics no matter what. These people usually have extremelly strong character. Now, I could go into various ethics and morals, as these are in no way the same for every single being, but that’s not the topic for this essay. However, integrity stands for honesty, for strenght of character, while being completelly ‘loyal’ to one’s principles, morals and ethics.

True integrity requires strong character. Because sometimes holding true to set of principles can do more of harm to the person who is standing up for them. For example, if I look into history, namely Second Jedi purge - most Jedi would not give up on their brethren. They’d do anything to upkeep the Jedi Order and to protect their own. These were hard times for the Jedi, yet some of them held true to their beliefs and ethics. In this case however, that led to their own demise for most part. Some people would consider this foolish, however these Jedi were example of what integrity means in practice.

True integrity also requires the person to truelly believe in said set of ethics/morals. If one doubts them, there’s greater chance that the person would falter and ultimately, at some point, they’d not hold to these aspects firmly. Being convinced one hundred percent is one of key aspects, next to having strong character. I’d say that Integrity has a lot to do with honour as well.

Now, how does all of that apply to a Jedi?

Jedi are known for having various sets of beliefs, moral codes and ethics. I dare to say that Jedi are honourable beings, protecting life, listening to the guidance of the Force. Being a Jedi requires pure heart, open mind and strenght of character. Jedi are true to their beliefs. So, integrity is in my opinion very important for each Jedi. Because when Jedi fails to follow their very own principles, they are less of a Jedi. Jedi never fail to follow set of principles Jedi Order holds as crucial. For example, Jedi will not kill just because for personal, selfish reasons. That would be against our moral and ethic principles. Jedi should not act on their emotions, as that would go against our principles as well. I could continue with these exmaples, but I believe these two serve well for basic understanding of what I was about to say.

It is important for every single Jedi to remain on the path of Jedi, with their ways, principles and beliefs, no matter what the difficulties are. Life of a Jedi is about learning, overcoming struggles and dificulties, while being true to the path. Because that is what I believe to be the biggest strenght of the Jedi.

The class covered one of the biggest events which contained whole galaxy and the Jedi Order. He began his teaching with describing the situation in the galaxy - about the Republic and CIS. Now, some people didn’t know the definition of what CIS meant, and if Moza wasn’t made aware of that by one of the students, he would not go about to explain it. I know his time for class was limited, but still, I believe that some definitions should be made clear from the start. especialy with younger students, who still struggle with reading, so it’s harder for them to study in the Archives.

Nonetheless - Moza continued his class talking about Chancellor Palpatine, about his rise to power. I believe he could go a bit more into detail, but then again, putting emphasis on the fact that his class was limited to certain amount of time, he managed to summarize all important facts regarding Palpatine’s raise to power. What I did lack was Moza’s knowledge on which Jedi were sent to arrest Chancellor Palpatine shortly before Order 66 and Skywalker’s betrayal. He then followed by with Second Jedi Purge, how it started and why. I didn’t miss any information which could be of importance here.

Next topic was about Republic transforming into Empire. In this part, I’d use more specific informations. As Moza mentioned, not everyone in the Senate was happy with Palpatine’s move, so the rebellion was formed with several members of the Senate being behind the idea. This was first step of the rebellion’s birth, and it took many years to restore the freedom in the Galaxy.

I think Moza studied the subject throughfully, the lesson was well presented. On another note, nobody fell asleep during the class, so Moza managed to keep attention of even the youngest students, which I realize can be tough at times. I personally would prefer more ‘interactive’ lesson, with students being required to discuss, but that’s just personal preference, as i’m not too good with just sitting and listening. I hope that my brief summary of the class was sufficient, and I apologize for briefness - I’m not much of writer.

Be strong and mindful Padawan.
May the Force be with you.

When I started this research, I admit I was slightly biased. However, upon studies, I came to conclusion the theory as a whole is wrong. There are parts which I don’t see as logical. The Potentium theory is just putting another extreme to use by claiming that the Force is only ‘good’. And that everything ultimately leads to some greater good, no matter how it’s achieved, because the Force itself as ‘light side’ would not allow something ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ to happen. The orthodox belief of the Order is that the Force has two sides, as the opposite of the Potentium, which claims that the Force itself is ‘the light side’.

When I first started the research, I misunderstood the concept of the theory. I believed the theory itself was about the Force having no sides and that the ‘good’/'evil’ being only dependant on the Force user themselves. In no way I agree to the assumption that the Force is inherently good. I’d jump from one absolute to another absolute theory. That would be foolish and rather naive belief to have. If this theory was correct, it would mean that, for example if I killed someone for credits, it could lead to greater good. Now, I know there could be lenghty discussion as to what is considered ‘good’ and ‘evil’, but if I simplify this, and make the example clear, without space to listen to my own devil’s advocate - if someone kills a person for their pure selfish reasons, that can hardly serve some “higher, greater good”.

With writting these lines, I’m glad my mind was open enough to finish the studies, to finally comprehend the theory, and it’s real meaning.

While I do agree with parts of it, like the one about ‘evil’ and good’ being only in the Force user and their intents, the theory contradicts itself by claiming the Force is only ‘Light Side’ - Every action doesn’t lead to good and therefore I do not agree with the theory as a whole. The theory would need an overhaul to be considered as less controversary and more applicable to Jedi Beliefs.