From Padawans to Grandmasters: Every Jedi Rank in Star Wars Canon

Anakin Skywalker puts in the work for the Jedi Order in Star Wars. As soon as he links up with Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, he proves his worth by jumping into the cockpit of a starfighter and blowing up a Trade Federation ship that’s causing problems for Naboo. And Anakin doesn’t miss a beat after Obi-Wan Kenobi takes him under his wing, becoming the Order’s most skilled duelist and embracing his destiny as the Chosen One. The Jedi Council doesn’t necessarily support Anakin’s methods, but they can’t argue with his results – at least until Chancellor Palpatine tries to get the young Jedi a promotion.

After helping turn the tide of the Clone Wars, Anakin believes he deserves to reach the next rung on the ladder. After all, it’s tough to get respect in the Order before hitting a certain rank. But the movies really don’t show just how many hoops Anakin has to jump through. Here’s every Jedi rank in Star Wars canon.

7) Initiate

Jedi are always on the recruiting trail, looking for young people with high midi-chlorian counts to take back to Coroscaunt. Before a child gets approval from the Jedi Council, they are known as an “Initiate.” Usually, the application process doesn’t take much deliberation, but as Anakin proves, the higher-ups in the Order don’t give the green light without considering all possibilities.

6) Youngling

Once an Initiate is good to go, they set up shop in the Jedi Temple and begin taking classes that get them up to speed with all things Force, earning the rank of “Youngling.” It’s at this point in the process that the kids venture out into the stars and build their own lightsaber, which is far from a simple task, as Star Wars: The Clone Wars explains.

5) Padawan

Younglings don’t get to take their lightsaber and start knocking heads immediately. After finishing their training in the Temple, they are assigned a Jedi Master who continues to pass down knowledge. Not all of the lessons come in a classroom, though, as a Master and their Padawan will usually go out into the field and protect the defenseless.

4) Knight

Once a Jedi Master believes their apprentice is ready, they can nominate them to take the Jedi Trials and become a Knight. The tasks are never the same, changing depending on the Jedi, and they usually push a person to their limits. A Jedi might not even know they’re participating in the Trials, such as when Ahsoka Tano learns that proving her innocence after a bombing allows her to graduate from the Padawan rank.

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3) Master

Anakin causes a stink in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith because he believes he’s ready to turn in his Knight robes and become a Master, having trained Ahsoka and proven his skills on the battlefield time and time again. In most cases, those achievements would earn a Jedi the highly coveted rank. However, the Council reserves the right to hold people back, even if they get a seat at the table.

2) Master of the Order

While being a Master and sitting on the Council seems like the highest honor a Jedi can get, there are a couple of levels above. The Master of the Order oversees the day-to-day operations of the Order, a role Mace Windu embraces at the beginning of the prequels. Windu still answers to someone, though, as not even a warrior of his caliber can claim to have more experience than the greatest Jedi of all time.

1) Grand Master

The highest rank in the Jedi Order is the Grand Master, who is always looking at the big picture for the light side. Of course, Yoda assumes that role during the prequels, guiding his subordinates in the right direction during the Clone Wars. While Grand Masters would prefer to stay at the Temple and watch over the Younglings, they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, especially when the fate of the entire Order is up in the air.

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