JEDI INITIATE TRIALS

 

The Jedi Initiate Trials are the tests by which Jedi Initiates are given as prerequisite in order to progress to the level of Padawan within the Jedi Order.

Like the Trials of Knighthood, these tests are required to be taken by all students in order to proceed to the next rank in the Jedi Order.

 

The Initiate Trials are begun as tests used to gauge an Apprentice's progress in the Order. Often times, because a Master might have two or more students under their tutelage, the test would be given simultaneously. Because of the less restrictive age discrimination rules, the test was often taken by students well into their teens or even twenties.

 

The first test is designed to test one's knowledge of the Jedi Code. A vital part of Jedi teachings, the Code is reviewed over and over throughout an Initiate's life, typically everyday during meditation or class. If an Initiate did not memorize the mantra, then they would no longer be a member of the Order.

 

The second is to test self-discipline. Demonstrating competency through meditation or staged lightsaber combat with a hood, this test is not so much a demonstration in skill so much as technique.

 

For the third and final trial, sometimes Initiates would be assigned to perform a specific yet simple task, such as solving a judicial case or providing aid to a citizen in need. Some Councils required Initiates in the Order to complete a task to see the dark side for themselves and find a way to conquer it. Also, Initiates were asked to prove that their connection to the Force was strong and that they were capable of meeting the standards of being a Jedi.

 

Following the successful completion of each of these tasks, an Initiate would follow one of three paths.

 

Most Initiates went on to be chosen as a Padawan by a Knight or Master. To gain the attention of a potential master, students participated in the annual "Apprentice Tournament" at the Jedi Temple so that they could exhibit combat skill and Force talents.

 

The Padawan shall make the "Jedi Oath" before a Knight or Master: "I vow to follow the Jedi Path, to study and reverence the Living Force, to defend and be faithful to Jediism, to keep always in the way of the Light and to reject the Dark Reverse, to obey my superiors in rank and to fulfill the tasks, duties or probes that the Jedi Order may send to me. That I swear upon my Honour."

 

On the other hand, some students are never chosen and are then sent to the Jedi Service Corps by order of the Council of Reassignment. While still members of the Order, these students do not continue training in the Force, instead using their limited abilities to aid the World from a grass-roots level.

 

The third option left open to an Initiate is to leave the Order. Some may not be content with life in the Service Corps, or the High Council may not see them walking the Jedi Path. Should this be the case, the Order recommends a student walk away in peace, and use what they had learned to better society.

 

JEDI TRIALS OF KNIGHTHOOD

 

The Jedi Trials, also known as the Trials of Knighthood, Jedi rituals, or Jedi ceremonies, are the challenges by which Jedi Padawans are given as pre-requisites for achieving Knighthood, and are sometimes retaken by Knights to earn the rank of Jedi Master. The trials are administered by the High Council to any Padawan they deem worthy of becoming a Jedi. The primary trials are a set of five, and are the Trial of Skill, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of the Flesh, the Trial of Spirit, and the Trial of Insight. In addition, the Council could assign substitute tests or use an exceptionally trying mission in place of the traditional tests. Like the Initiate Trials, these tests were required to be taken in order to proceed to the next rank in the Jedi Order.

 

The Jedi trials have been an integral tradition within the Jedi Order since its conception. Before the formation of the High Council and the mainstreaming of the Jedi academy's teachings, the Trials were highly informal, administered by a Padawan's Master and known to be quite harsh and sometimes impossible. As time passed, the trials became slightly more lax and saw a dramatic drop in standards. To rectify this, the High Council formalized five tests that would be given at the Jedi Temple, within the Jedi Trials Chamber. In addition to the combat aspect of the Trials, the room was designed to test other skills, many of which were created to replicate the uncertainty a Jedi would face in the field.

 

Overseen by the High Council and the current Battlemaster, the Trials were over once all tests were completed. If the Padawan was successful in completing the series of challenges, the Master would then prepare their apprentice for the Knighting ceremony.

 

As the scheduled ceremony approached, the Padawan would spend an entire day in deep meditation within the Preparation room. As the time came to ascend to the Hall of Knighthood, the Padawan would enter the darkened chamber and kneel before the Grand Master of the Order and have their Padawan braid severed. Should the apprentice be unsuccessful in completing the trials, they were permitted to take them again until they passed.

 

Exceptions were sometime made in the passing of the trials, but they were few and far between. In times of turmoil, the trials could be bypassed at the discretion of the High Council if the Padawan had shown great skill, courage, or dedication to the Order. In such cases the apprentice was considered to have passed the trials through their various accomplishments, negating the need for formal testing.

 

TRIAL OF SKILL

The Trial of Skill was one of the oldest trials in the battery of tests preferred by the Order. While the test did consist of numerous displays of lightsaber technique, the main thing that the Battlemaster looked for when judging a potential Knight was their ability to avoid distraction through self-discipline. Before its formalization, the trial was made up of acrobatic feats, while using the Force. As the test was incorporated into the more standard academy testing, the High Council required that each participant face off against some form of adversary, and could be made of flesh and blood or a clever simulacrum created from archived data. In some cases, Padawans were forced to compete with the Battlemaster in a duel, or even the Grand Master, and outlast their attacks. Other students might face many opponents, some of them attacking with a lightsaber, others manipulating perception or altering the environment in the chamber. Additionally, the Council could opt to use the simulacrum program and send any number of Sith Lords to test the stamina of a young Padawan.

 

TRIAL OF COURAGE

Because courage is a vital quality in a Jedi, the Trial of Courage is seen as appropriate to give even to those who don't specialize in combat. Because it is important to remain in the dark about what one would face during the test, most Jedi do not divulge details on individual tests. Before the test was mainstreamed, battlefield heroics or facing down a Sith Lord qualified as passing. Later on, the Council required a different sort of challenge in order to stay relevant. The Council could simulate a dangerous mission in the Trials Chamber, or send a student on an actual mission out of the Temple. These tests have the potential to be deadly and extremely challenging, illustrating why the Council does not just let anyone take the Trials.

 

TRIAL OF FLESH

The Trial of the Flesh is the most trying test given at the Temple. Involving the apprentice overcoming great physical pain, hardship, or loss, the test sometimes resulted in death or dismemberment. Throughout history, the Trial was known to involve bloodshed of some form. The Order subjected its apprentices to burst of energy applied directly to the skin, known as the Burning. While this type of torture was abandoned by the Order, battle scars were accepted as passage. It wasn't that uncommon for Padawans who defeated a Lord of the Sith on the battlefield to pass the Trials of the Flesh, Skill and Courage at the same time.

 

TRIAL OF THE SPIRIT

To pass the Trial of the Spirit, apprentices have to look deep within their souls, on a quest of self-discovery. This test is designed to pit a potential Knight against their most dangerous enemy: the darkness within themselves. Often times, apprentices do not like what they saw, and it could be a highly traumatic experience. Because of this grueling self-examination, this Trial is often known as "Facing the Mirror". While bearing similarities to the Trial of Skill, this test does not involve moving at all in most cases; instead a Padawan delved deep into a meditative trance to combat their inner fears and demons. Because of the ultra-personal details of the test, it is not one that even the High Council dare dictate, a Padawan must write the script for what will transpire on the journey. Because of the dangers of such deep meditation, a Master is always present to help guide a student back, after they push them past where they least desired to go in their thoughts. The worst that could happen following a failed trial is awakening from meditation screaming and mentally broken.

 

TRIAL OF INSIGHT

The Trial of Insight was the last test offered as part of the Trials of Knighthood. This test help a Jedi to see what is really in front of their eyes through use of the Force. Seeing through illusion, evaluating an individual's true persona, and unveiling lies are essential to a successful mission. To complete the test, Padawans are forbidden from reviewing any of the possible puzzles in the Jedi Archives; such an advantage would make the test moot.

 

KNIGHTING CEREMONY

The Knighting ceremony is the ceremony in which a Jedi Padawan or apprentice is made into a full Jedi Knight. An ancient ritual, it is presided over by members of the High Council or of the other three Councils and led by the Grand Master. This ceremony could be repeated for a Knight who achieved the rank of Master.

 

The Knighting ceremony is an ancient ritual and each Padawan are responsible for preparing themselves and reviewing their role in the ancient rite. Only the High Council can promote an apprentice to the rank of Knight; though sometimes  the student's master is also permitted to knight their own students. After passing the Jedi Trials, the student is assigned a date that the ceremony is set to take place on. The day before the ceremony the Padawan is required to meditate within the Preparation chamber. While typically alone, sometimes several Padawans meet there at once; though socializing was frowned upon as each apprentice was supposed to be searching for their future path.

 

The following day, the Padawan is summoned to the Hall of Knighthood. Entering into the darkened chamber, the Padawan would kneel in the center of the room as the Masters present ignited their lightsabers in a ring around the student. Led by the Grand Master of the Order, the other Masters are typically those who sat on the High Council and other prominent Jedi who helped in the apprentice's journey. If the High Council was unavailable, members of the other three Jedi Councils could step in to complete the ring. Reciting the ancient passages used in the traditional ceremony, the Grand Master will lower their lightsaber to just above each of the Padawan's shoulders and then sever the braid that hung behind the ear of the newly appointed Knight. Then Grand Master hands the lightsaber to the Padawan, and the new Jedi Knight is then able to collect the braid and depart the chamber in silence, the ritual completed.

 

While the ceremony is the norm, sometimes expedience overrode tradition. During times of war or on extended journey missions, Masters would knight their own students if they could not return to the Temple or field promotions were necessitated by another ranking military personnel's death.

 

In addition to raising a Padawan to Knighthood, the Council also brings Knights to the Hall to grant them the rank of Master. To achieve this rank, a Knight could opt to take a modified version of the Trials, or successfully train a Padawan to Knighthood themselves.

 

At each formal ceremony, the Grand Master recites the same ancient ritual words when knighting each Padawan. The formal opening of the ceremony welcome the participating Masters, and focuse their minds on why they are there.

 

"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed."

 

With that said, the Grand Master will call the Padawan by name and bring his lightsaber down above each of the kneeling student's shoulders.

 

"By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Knight of the Order"

 

Then hand one the lightsabers to its owners and severed their braid. With the ceremony complete, the Knights will take up their lightsaber and the severed braid and exit the chamber in silence, signaling the end of the ritual.