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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceintroduced the idea of Jedi Padawans toStar Warscanon, and here’s everything that has been revealed ever since. Until George Lucas introduced the idea of Padawans in prequels, Jedi-in-training were simply referred to as “apprentices.” Since then, viewers have learned there aresix ranks among the Jedi:
But what exactly is a Padawan? When does a Youngling become a Padawan, and how? These questions, and many others, have been explored in detail in canon.
8At What Age Does A Jedi Become A Padawan?
Truly Wonderful The Mind Of A Child Is
The tricky thing about Jedi apprentices is that their graduation to higher ranks is decided by skill level and the passing of certain Trials rather than age alone. Some Younglings train for longer than others, depending on their skills and capacity to learn.After completing a series of trials that typically happen in their early teenage years, Younglings officially become Padawans.
Padawans are generally in this training stage for about a decade, usually longer.Obi-Wan Kenobi was 25 when he took his Trialsto become a Jedi knight, while Anakin Skywalker was considered very young when he was Knighted at age 19. Vernestra Rwoh was a special case, becoming a Padawan extremely early and becoming a Knight at an astounding 15 years old.
7How Is A Padawan Chosen For A Master?
Not A One-Size-Fits-All Process
The relationship between a Padawan and their Master is incredibly special and important.These formative years of training are what shape a Youngling into an effective Jedi, so it’s crucial that an apprentice is learning from the right teacher. Sometimes, the choice is a matter of the Jedi Council pairing up a Master with an apprentice who shares a compatible mindset or skills.Anakin Skywalker took a Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, without ever meeting his new apprentice.
Other times, Padawans can be chosen by specific Jedi Masters who feel connected to a certain Youngling, such as in the case of Yoda and Count Dooku. Dooku and his friend, Sifo-Dyas, were both Younglings at the same time, and both were eligible to be taken on as Yoda’s apprentice. It was the Grandmaster who ultimately made his choice, surprising both young Jedi.
6The Jedi Code Forbade Training More Than One Padawan At A Time
Undivided Attention Only
When Qui-Gon Jinn requests to train a newly discovered Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan, he is denied the opportunity on the grounds that he couldn’t take on another apprentice while he was still training Obi-Wan. In fact, Yoda calls the idea “Impossible” before Qui-Gon asserts that Obi-Wan is ready to graduate to the rank of Knight. Their current Padawan would have to have graduated before a Jedi could take on their next Padawan.
The reasoning behind limiting each Jedi to a single apprentice is clear. When building the Master-Padawan relationship, both Jedi need to be able to completely trust and rely on one another.Each Master needs to be able to give their entire attention to their Padawan, paying close attention to their apprentice’s needs and weaknesses without any distraction.
At this stage in a Youngling or Padawan’s life, they’re much more susceptible to the dark side’s temptation, increasing the need for a Jedi Master to rely on.
If a Jedi Master wanted to take on another Padawan, they would have to wait until their first one graduated.
5The Master-Padawan Bond Explained
Closer Than Just A Teacher and Student
Padawans and their Masters form an incredibly special bond. Obi-Wan and Darth Vader retain a portion of this bond even years after their connection was meant to be dissolved. During his time as a Padawan inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Anakin comments that Obi-Wan is the closest thing he’s had to a father.After renouncing all personal ties to one’s family and training one-on-one for over a decade, it’s no wonder that a Padawan would connect so completely to their Master, and vice versa.
How Powerful Is The Bond Between A Jedi Master & Apprentice - & How Did It Affect Obi-Wan?
The bond between a Jedi Master and their apprentice is quite powerful in Star Wars, so how did it affect Obi-Wan when he was training Anakin?
The bond between Padawans and their Masters is more than one of the personal relationships the Jedi avoid. The Jedi shared a strong tie to each other through the Force, learning each other’s inner workings as well as creating an almost tangible connection. They are able to sense each other’s presence and moods, even after years apart. Beyond their Force connection, years of training and meditating together allow them to get to know one another better than anyone else.
4Padawans Are Apprenticed To Specific Jedi, But May Be Assigned To Anyone
Kind Of Like Being On-Loan
Just because a Padawan has a certain Master doesn’t mean they can’t work with others. ThroughoutStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano was often seen working with Jedi Masters besides Anakin, even though she was assigned as Anakin’s Padawan.
This strategy also works as a way to use other Masters as “substitute teachers” when necessary. As Grand Master, Yoda was always important to the Jedi Council and often had responsibilities to see to. While Count Dooku was his Padawan, he sometimes sent Dooku to learn alongside his friend, Sifo-Dyas, under the tutelage of Jedi Master Lene Kostana.
3Padawans Served As “Commanders” During The Clone Wars
Not Too Young For Battle
Youth has never meant unworthiness inStar Wars. Still, it might come as a surprise to realize just how young some of them were during their time in the Clone Wars. Not only did they fight in the galaxy-wide conflict, but they also served as “Commanders,” leading clone troopers into battle and discussing strategies with those Jedi with higher rank.
10 Times Ahsoka Tano Proved She Was Anakin Skywalker’s Perfect Padawan
Although Anakin and Ahsoka’s relationship is anything but simple, she really was a perfect Padawan for Anakin—and these 10 examples prove it.
This wasn’t to say that Padawans weren’t protected by their Masters when it came to particularly dangerous missions.They could be denied access to certain information or clearance for certain missions if the Masters stationed above them deemed it too dangerous for such a young Jedi. When a supervising Master wasn’t able to accompany a Master on dangerous missions, that Padawan often remained stationed on Coruscant.
The Acolytesubtly hinted masters made that decision based on an independent assessment of risks. Master Sol, for example, took his Padawan Jecki Lon on a fateful mission to Khofar, while Yord Fandar chose to leave his Padawan behind. Yord was proved right when Sol’s entire party was slaughtered by a Sith Lord.
2A Padawan Must Pass A “Jedi Trial” To Become A Knight
They Must Prove Themselves First
Before graduating to the rank of Jedi Knight, a Padawan must complete a series of Trials. The Trials would prove to the Council that they were ready for the responsibility and power of being a Jedi Knight. This usually happens when a Padawan is a young adult, though there are a few special cases in which the Trials take place while the Padawan is still a teenager.The Trials include a test of skill, courage, flesh, spirit, and insight.Each Trial showcases an important aspect of being a Jedi, showing the Padawan learned the lessons they were meant to.
What Are The Jedi Trials & How Did Anakin Pass His?
The Jedi Trials are an important step in a Jedi’s journey. For a select few, like Anakin Skywalker, Padawans can become Knights in unique ways.
In some cases, a Padawan might go through a particularly trying experience that their Master could approve as their Trials. Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Trials were unconventional, as he and a select few others were allowed to count his combat experience in the Battle of Geonosis as all five of his Trials. Ahsoka would have been Knighted as a result of her role in the Clone Wars, had she chosen to rejoin the Jedi Order.
1The Padawan Braid Is Removed At The Knighting Ceremony
More Than Just a Haircut
The Padawan braid originated inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, with Obi-Wan Kenobi as its first model. The braid was grown behind a Padawan’s right ear, growing longer while the rest of the hair remained short. By the time they were ready to take their Trials, most Padawans had braids reaching well past their shoulders. Padawans without hair, such as Ahsoka Tano, wore silka beads instead.
Tradition runs deep with the Jedi, and though Shin Hati was being trained as “more than a Jedi”by Baylan Skoll, she still wore the Padawan braid over her shoulder as a nod to the Jedi practice.
Though it hasn’t been seen inStar Warslive action yet, a Padawan would have their braid ceremoniously cut off by their Master’s lightsaber when they were Knighted. If a Padawan failed to graduate to the rank of Knight for some reason, their braid or silka beads would be removed. When Ahsoka left the Jedi Order, she left her silka beads with Anakin, who held onto them until he saw her during the siege of Mandalore.
