The Bokken Order, alternatively known as the New Jedi Order, the Rebel Jedi, Anakin Skywalker's Jedi, the 66 Survivors, the Guardians or the Force Fighters of the Rebellion, was a loosely organized group of Force-sensitive individuals formed in the age of the Galactic Empire, when its members fought for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Founded and led by Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight who had chosen to leave the Order mid-way into the Clone Wars and the prophesised "Chosen One", the Bokken Order, as its name implied, was largely comprised of a motley collection of survivors from Order 66 and Bokken Jedi apprenticed to such individuals after the fall of the Republic. However, it also included among its members several who did not consider themselves Jedi, despite being able to use the Force, as well as a few who were not able to wield it at all. The Order was first created several months after the Clone Wars ended in the near-complete annihilation of the Jedi Order and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's proclamation of the New Order, which saw the Galactic Republic reorganized into an Empire, but was not officially founded until 2 BBY, when the Rebel Alliance was created. Its leader, Anakin Skywalker, had fought bravely for the Galactic Republic in their war with the Confederacy of Independant Systems throughout the war, but grew disillusioned with how their monastic order association with politics had introduced corruption and restrictions to how it could act and therefore chosen to leave because of this and his love for his then-secret wife, Padmé Amidala, his departure leading to some referring to him as being the twenty-first of the Lost Twenty. Later into the war, Anakin met and took on the young Togruta female Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan learner, Tano having been passed over in her Initiate trials at the Temple.
When Order 66 was initiated at the end of the Republic-Separatist conflict, neither Skywalker nor Tano were at the Jedi Temple, having instead joined forces with Bo-Katan Kryze for her siege of the planet Mandalore in order to capture the rogue Sith Lord Darth Maul. Thus, the pair escaped death alongside Clone Commander Rex, who's inhibitor chip had been removed and went into hiding, the Jedi having been declared enemies of the new state. Along with his wife, Padmé, and several others, Anakin Skywalker later became on the Rebel Alliance's founding members and was crucial to its formation, while Ahsoka Tano continued to train under her master, the two being thought by some as "Gray Jedi". During their missions for the Rebellion, Anakin and Ahsoka made contact with their fellow Jedi survivors, several of whom had taken apprentices since then, and ultimately, a vague net of connections was made between the various Force-sensitive members of the Alliance's separate groups, several of whom would later join the Bokken Order. Among those that did join include Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus and Master Cere Junda, their respective apprentices Ezra Bridger and Cal Kestis, the Nightsister Asajj Ventress and Isaac Narmora, who was the Lothalite nephew of the infamous Separatist Head of State Count Dooku and a young Force-sensitive that was largely self-taught, having gained the title of Lord while also acquiring the talents befitting a Jedi Master, despite the fact that, except for several early lessons by his uncle, he had trained himself. Other members included the Nightsister Merrin, Chiss Padawan Nuru Kungurama, and former Jedi Knight Barriss Offee, while several allies of organization that fought alongside it on Geonosis, including Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Rex and General Hera Syndulla, were considered honorific members. Together, these individuals formed the core of the Bokken Order, but among its other members, the group also included Padmé Amidala and Clone Commander Rex. The Order, however, was loosely connected to the point of being largely non-existent at the beginning of the Galactic Civil War due to how scattered its members were, assembling together for the first time at the Third Battle of Geonosis, where their existence and Skywalker's survival became known to the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious — publicly known as Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine — and his apprentice Darth Kuthi. From then on, the Bokken Order operated with greater unity, although it still remained diverse, and fought as part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic throughout the rest of the war.
Despite its name and culture being taken from the fallen Jedi Order, the Bokken Order held to a number of precepts that would have been frowned upon by many of the Jedi of old, chief among them being their refusal to abandon attachment, with Skywalker coming to believe that only fearing that a relationship might coerce one to the dark side of the Force could just as easily turn them to it. As a result, the Jedi and other Force-sensitives were permitted to have families and partners, with several laws in place to ensure their order remained unbiased and allowing an individual to leave if they felt they could no longer adequately serve. As a result, several members of the Order had romantic partners, such as Ferus Olin, Kanan Jarrus and Skywalker himself. The views of the Order also lacked biases concerning its members sexual orientation, the relationship shared between Olin and Roan Lands being a prime example. Because of its predecessor's previous association with the government, the Bokken Order was close to the New Republic but strived only to fulfill the Jedi Order's founding duties, namely, to protect those that could not protect themselves and serve the people of the galaxy, regardless of where their planets aligned. Because of this, in the Outer Rim Territories, Bokken Jedi were occasionally referred to as the Guardians, and swore an oath that proceeded as follows:
"I am a Guardian for the people. From this night on, I dedicate my life to the protection of those who cannot defend themselves. I shall not swerve in my duty. I shall support my brother and sisters of the Bokken Order in times of battle as well as in times of peace. I am the eyes in the night, the silence within the wind. I am the blade through the fire, the shield that guards the innocent. I shall seek to wear no crown, nor win any glory. And all these things I do swear upon my honor as a Jedi of the Order until my days on this universe cease to be. This be my vow. This be my life."
Biography[]
Origins[]
Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One and both founder and leader of the Bokken Order
And these are."
"Wanderers. Anakin Skywalker, and his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano.
—Qolmeest introducing Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano to an elder
Prior to its creation, the Bokken Order first two members were its founder, Anakin Skywalker, and his Padawan apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, who had both left the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars, a pan-galactic period of warfare between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. Although Skywalker had fought bravely with the Jedi Order during the Battle of Geonosis and later led the Republic's armies as one of its finest generals, his growing exposure to the corruption that he experienced with the Senate and bureaucracy led him to question whether the democracy that the Republic had been founded upon still exist. Skywalker, who had grown up a slave on the Outer Rim planet Tatooine, was thought to be the Chosen One spoken of in prophecy, but the loss of his mother, coupled with his secret marriage to Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, resulted in Anakin later deciding to leave the Jedi Order and return to the Outer Rim in an attempt to help fight not only the war, but also against the injustice and suffering that was rampant there.
Beliefs and attitudes[]
Ideology and culture[]
Light, dark. There is a little in all of us. The trick is finding balance. Taking both and accepting them as part of the whole."
"Master Skywalker, with all due respect, you do not know this woman like I do –"
"Never presume to know the heart of another! Focus on your own inner peace. Are you so sure you know the best path?
—Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Knight Feric, discussing the beliefs of the Bokken Order
As an offshoot splinter faction of the Jedi, the individuals that belonged to the Bokken Order adhered to a code that in itself was inspired by certain elements of their mainstream counterparts, but diverted on a wide manner of different subjects, including the allure of the dark side of the Force that manifested through emotional attachment. Disagreeing with the outlook that the Jedi Order took regarding the light side in contrast to its counterpart, although Bokken Jedi largely identified for their own usage of the light, their members believed that both sides, being of the larger Force, had their own roles to play and the path to enlightenment was accepting this and thus finding balance with this acceptance. As a culture, the Order that was founded around supporters of democracy valued collaboration, freedom and equality. Their outlook was built on the principle and belief that wisdom could be found from any number of sources, whether from a seasoned Jedi Master or the youngest initiate, and that all voices should be heard. Emotional expression, rather than being suppressed, was seen as a natural part of the human experience and an essential component in their path of balance. Members were encouraged to explore their emotions because such individuals also knew the danger. The openness of their philosophy meant that, even with such a wide variety of backgrounds, most members of the Bokken Order found the opportunity for personal growth, introspection, and mutual support among their sister and brother Force-wielders. When faced with conflict, followers of their creed seek to resolve the fighting through dialog and consensus rather than through force or authority, which enforces their belief in non-dominance and mutual understanding. Nonetheless, the Order was built on the refusal to turn a blind eye to the suffering that existed in parts of the galaxy and its members known that there were times when, in the course of truth and justice, a person must accept the need to take arms and defend others, least their pacifism become apathy.
Among the mainstream version of the Jedi, opinions about the Bokken Order were mixed throughout the Clone Wars until the implementation of Order 66. Some Jedi compared members of the splinter faction to Wayseekers, although this viewpoint varied from acceptance to severe disapproval.
Sanctity of life[]
Please, my friends. Choose to live.
—Isaac Narmora, when confronted by several stormtroopers.
A member of the Bokken Order, keeping their lightsabers lowered, implores their opponent to make the choice to live.
Like their mainstream counterparts, the Jedi of the Bokken Order believed that every incarnation of life was sacred that their organization sought to preserve. Though most members wielded lightsabers - a weapon most often affiliated with Force-users of some description - and several were indeed counted among the most talented fighters that the likes of Mace Windu had ever seen, the Bokken Order considered death a final resort, believing that one must never take being entrusted with the lives of others for granted. Whenever possible, Jedi trained in the Bokken Order would offer their opponents a chance to retreat before attacking, often with the phrase, "Please, (my) friend(s), choose to live."
We are all of us stardust, held together by love, for an instant.
—Anakin Skywalker, to Ferus Olin, when the two of them meet for the first time after the Great Jedi Purge.
Certain members of the Order expressed their different notions about the nature of life and existence after death, including Anakin Skywalker. Though most ideas circulated the concept of the Cosmic Force, some felt that the living energy of life manifested through various different ways. When Skywalker found Ferus Olin among the ruins of the ruins of the Mon Cala Jedi Temple several months after the purge, he consoled his former rival as the distraught man mourned their lost order. Seeking to pull Olin out of his perpetual state of despair, Anakin told him that every living being was 'stardust', claiming that they were held together by love for an instant.