The Jedi Temple was the headquarters of the Jedi Order from the start of the the Great Hyperspace War in 5,000 BBY to 17 BBY. It was restored as the center for the Jedi in 8 BBY, after the Star Wars; it was built upon a source of strong Force energy known as the Sacred Spire. The Spire was a mountain on Coruscant that was given to the Jedi via the Galactic Republic.
The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was the home of the Order's major training, educational, dormitory, war command and archival facilities. It housed the Jedi Library, the Jedi Council chambers, the four Councils comprised of the Council of First Knowledge, Reassignment Council, Council of Reconciliation and the Jedi High Council, the Republic Defense Space Force Headquarters, the Jedi Homing Beacon and several other functions.
The Temple was used for the incarceration of criminal beings, primarily the Sith. It was partially destroyed in the First Jedi Purge in 3,954 BBY, during the Sacking of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY and during the Great Galactic War in 17 BBY. It remained the lone existing Jedi sanctuary and possession until the restoration of the temples on both Tython and Ossus sometime after 8 BBY.
History[]
Construction[]
The construction of the Jedi Temple was completed by the Four Masters of the Jedi Order just prior to the outbreak of the Great Hyperspace War in 5,000 BBY. The Galactic Republic granted the Jedi a piece of land on Coruscant over a mountain that was sacred to Coruscanti people and the Jedi. The mountain contained a Force nexus, a place with a massive amount of Force energy. The Republic hoped that the Jedi would build a fortress, like those the Order had built on Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut, but, to their disappointment, the Temple consisted primarily of Four Spires for the Four Councils, a training area, dormitories, a hangar and library. The Temple was a much smaller and less fortified version of their bases on those other planets.
The construction took roughly three hundred years to complete. According to official records, the building process began in 5,309 BBY and finished in 5,000 BBY. The record books disputed the theory that Four Masters built the entire temple, instead believing that it was four masters who oversaw the construction at a given time. When one master died, another would replace the deceased master to help the other three continue the construction. Another popular theory, among researchers and historians, stated that four different masters led the construction over a period of three centuries, each at a different time. Some theorists believed that these individuals were the Grand Masters of their generations.
Old Republic[]
The Jedi Temple at twilight in 22 BBY
The Jedi Temple on Coruscant eventually replaced the Temple located on the later-devastated planet Ossus. The Temple on Coruscant soon replaced the Jedi's Ossus holdings as the headquarters for many wars, including the Great Hyperspace war. This caused the Jedi to construct a military command center for the day to day operations of the war efforts the Jedi Order would undertake for the Republic. The Temple also increased its size by constructing a political observation room to view the proceedings of the Galactic Senate. The Jedi became more and more entrenched in the Republic and Coruscant and abandoned its former strongholds for one central one located on the capital of the Republic.
After the destruction of Ossus in 3,996 BBY during the Great Sith War, all of the Jedi moved permanently to the Temple on Coruscant, making it their lone settlement in the Republic for years to come. The size of the library archives increased with the inclusion of the archives from the Great Jedi Library on Ossus.
The Temple was temporarily abandoned during the First Jedi Purge in 3,954 BBY. When the Order reconvened five years later, the Jedi created the Jedi Beacon room to serve as a quick and efficient way to recall the Jedi in case of emergency or in case of urgent news. The rebuilding and recovery effort to repair the Temple after the official reconvening lasted until 3,885 BBY.
The Temple and the Jedi Order were almost destroyed by the Sith two centuries later, but the Jedi were able to prevent the Sacking of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY and repel the Sith attackers. The attack led to the Galactic War, not to be confused with the Great Galactic War, which lasted another thirty years.
A few years later, the Room of a Thousand Fountains was constructed within the Temple in 3,634 BBY to relieve the Jedi of the stresses of war and from the allure of the dark side. It was the first peace-centered construction within the Temple since its construction over 1,300 years before.
Starting in 3,600 BBY the Jedi Order expanded its operations around the galaxy. They established academies on Dantooine, Telos IV, Arkania, and Taris. The Arkanian enclave failed almost immediately due to the Jedi Massacre that occurred in 3,590 BBY. The academy on Taris folded in 3,430 BBY. The Jedi Library, as well as the Temple itself, underwent massive expansions in 3,519 BBY, 2,519 BBY, 2,019 BBY, and 1,000 BBY, the latter of which stood until 17 BBY.
After many years of conflict, the First Republic Dark Age, and the Ruusan Reformation, the galaxy fell into a long state of peace. The Jedi would fully concentrate and consolidate their operations within the Coruscant Temple, which resulted in the closing of most of their remaining off-world training academies. They were occasionally interrupted with minor conflicts, but none on the scale of the Hyperspace War, the Galactic War, or the Great Sith War.
Great Galactic War[]
During the Great Galactic War, the Jedi Temple once again served as the Military Command Center for the Republic's war effort. Nearly a thousand years after the Ruusan Reformation, the Jedi were called upon to lead the Republic in battle. The Temple served as strategic command and as the headquarters for the militant organizations known as the Shadow Vengeance and the Republic Defense Space Force.
The war halted any plans to expand the Temple and caused the premature completion of the Tranquility Spire, the Temple's largest and most central spire. Following many years of battle, the opposing forces pushed into Coruscant and partially destroyed the Temple, causing the Jedi to abandon the structure.
Layout and significant areas[]
Spires[]
Overhead layout of the Jedi Temple.
The five spires were the Temple's most recognizable feature. They also played significant importance to the Jedi Order. One of the Spires, known as the Jedi High Council spire, was used for the deliberations and meetings of the Jedi Order's leadership. The Jedi Council led and counseled the Jedi Order and held meetings to discuss the direction of the Order. The fates of Padawan and Jedi Knights were decided in the chamber. The Jedi, from the council chambers, would also advise the Supreme Chancellor.
Another spire housed the Council of First Knowledge. The purpose of the Council of First Knowledge was to advise Jedi on matters which required use of ancient Jedi lore; the Spire was directly connected to the Jedi Library and Jedi Archives. The bottom of this spire served as the center of Jedi training during the reign of the Galactic Republic.
Within the third spire was the Council of Reconciliation. The purpose of the Council of Reconciliation was to seek out resolutions to conflicts within the Republic, mostly political disputes, and then assign Jedi on missions to implement these solutions. The council also passed judgment on Jedi accused of falling to the dark side or committing a crime. The bottom of the tower served as the hub of the Temple Security Force, maintenance, and upkeep crews during the Republic.
The fourth tower held the Reassignment Council. This Council was created to help find work for Jedi students who did not get chosen to become a Padawan by a Jedi Knight or Master, or if they had become ineligible due to age. This Council led the Jedi Service Corps and created developmental organizations such as the Agricultural Corps. The Council also arranged for employees at the Temple and assigned Padawans and Knights to duties throughout the Order's many enclaves and academies. For instance, the Shadow Vengeance, a mercenary and military organization, was hired by the Jedi as security through the Reassignment Council. The council also assigned Jedi advisers to Galactic Senators and the Chancellor.
The Tranquility Tower was the last constructed spire and it was the tallest of the five spires. The other four spires were added 4,000 years earlier, during the initial construction. This spire contained the oldest and most sacred documents from the founding of the Order within the Pinnacle chamber, the uppermost chamber in the spire. The spire was regarded by the Order as the most sacred spire, as it contained ancient texts, and it was said to emanate a contemplative atmosphere. The Tranquility Spire contained the Hall of Knighthood below the Pinnacle room; meditation chambers directly below that chamber served as an area where soon-to-be-Knighted Padawans spent the night communing with the Force. Large memorial statues of the most revered Jedi were suspended in the tower by repulsorlift pads. The peak of the original sacred spire was encompassed by a meditation balcony. Below that was a lower balcony presenting a series of holo-depictions of the history of the Jedi. The smallest younglings were brought there for their education. Ancient meditation chambers and access points to the original cave chapels were located at the bottom of the spire along with the Chamber of Conclave.
The base[]
The Library of the Jedi Temple.
The base of the spires served as the main quarters of the Jedi Temple. Many of the Jedi lived within the central section of the ziggurat. The base of the High Council Spire served as the meeting place for the Council, political dignitaries, and other important beings. The base of the Council of First Knowledge served as the location for the central training ground and the Jedi Archives. The base of the Reconciliation Tower housed the security and maintenance crews, such as the Shadow Vengeance. The Reassignment area held the dormitories and cafeteria for the Jedi Order.
At base of the Tranquility tower was the Room of a Thousand Fountains and various other gardens that served as food repositories and nourishment providers. Hangar bays and speeder parks flanked the spires, and landing zones were located on the roof of the ziggurat. The Four Masters' statues flanked Processional Way, the long set of stairs that led from the base of the Temple to the main entrance. Sith containment cells were lined up along the wall near the Spire of First Knowledge.
The military command center was built near the High Council Spire and served as the second of two primary briefing chambers—the High Council Chambers was the other location—for the Jedi. The meditative walkway, a large hallway that encircled the base of the Temple, was decorated with an array of stained-glass windows and statues relaying the events of the Hyperspace Wars. It was also dotted with statues holding the Jedi Code on tablets.
A menagerie was held in the basement level of the Temple, near the base of the Force-imbued mountain that the Temple was built on. Other known features included the Jedi Medical Corps Infirmary, the Jedi Temple Detention Center near the Sith cells, rotunda chapels, holographic training rooms near the Spire of First Knowledge, Jedi Agricultural Corps Research Labs near the Reassignment Council, communication centers, banquet halls, lightsaber crafting areas, and the Chamber of Conclave.
During the Great Galactic War, the Temple also housed military-style briefing chambers and war rooms to fulfill the Jedi Order's needs as the leaders of the Army of the Republic. The outer walls of the Temple were made of durasteel plating; the plating covered duracrete brick to secure the integrity of the structure and make it more durable. The windows were made up of stained transparisteel and polarized transparisteel.
Inhabitants[]
Occupants[]
Most Jedi spent a majority of their life inside the walls of the Jedi Temple. It served as the shelter and training ground of the Jedi located inside. Most of the young Jedi spent time in classrooms and sparring rooms to hone their skills and expand their knowledge of the galaxy. Mess halls and dorms were also popular places for the Jedi initiates and Padawans when they were not on a mission with their masters.
Jedi Knights populated nearly every corner of the Temple. Due to their wide-ranging skills and abilities, Jedi Knights could have been spotted anywhere from the Jedi Hangars to Temple war-rooms. Mechanics spent most of their time in the massive hangars, mostly the Shadow Vengeance and Republic Defense Space Force hangars and speeder docks. Meditative Jedi would be located in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, a meditative garden.
Jedi Masters spent most of their time in their personal quarters or one of the four governing towers. The top ranked Masters contemplated and ran the Order from the High Council Chamber; these Masters were called Jedi Councilors. They also assigned missions from that chamber. They spent a lot of time in the Knighting Chamber because of the many students located in the Temple and the many that faced the Jedi Trials yearly. Despite their ability to freely roam Coruscant, an ability not given to apprentices, they rarely ventured out voluntarily, mainly leaving the Temple to locate a missing Jedi or to perform gate duty. Along with some Jedi Knights, a number of Masters liked to go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, a room many Jedi thought was peaceful and calming.
Hobbies[]
The Main Hangar of the Jedi Temple.
The Temple hosted a number of opportunities to partake in hobbies that the Jedi Knights were interested in. Whether they were mechanics, historians, or swordplay enthusiasts, the Temple was able to satisfy nearly all the needs and wants of any individual in the Order. Hangars were often occupied by mechanics and craft enthusiasts. The massive hangars often held some of the best pilots and mechanics in the galaxy. Many modifications and changes to crafts were initiated there and applied around the galaxy or in manufacturing plants.
Historians and historical period buffs crowded the archives and the library, which scholars said held the greatest collection of historical documentation and knowledge the galaxy had ever seen. The archives held a large collection of holodiscs and datafiles catered to every possible historical specialty, and it had information about nearly every known system and location in the galaxy. The technology present in the Temple allowed computer technicians and techno-specialists to achieve their every whim and taught them the skills necessary to be the best in the entire galaxy. Every Jedi had an outlet to express their hobbies and interests safely and privately.
Restrictions[]
The Jedi Temple Military Command Center.
No Padawan was allowed to roam the halls past curfew or leave the Temple without express permission from their specific Master or another Jedi Master. Jedi were required to eat two meals a day but were not allowed to bring in food from outside sources. Food was kept plain and basic to avoid allergen reactions and other dangers to Jedi. Sword practice and harmful Force practices were restricted to the sparring training rooms and practice chambers.
All Jedi who did not have specific authorization, or was below the rank of Jedi Master, were not allowed in the restricted section of the Holocron Vault/Archives. Jedi were not allowed to add or erase information from the archives for any reason without the consent of the High Jedi Council. The hangars were locked at all times during the Coruscanti night except during wartime. The holding cells and Sith containment chambers were off-limits to all, but Jedi Masters and Sith holocron storage were off-limits to all non-Jedi Council members or the Chief Librarian. War-room holoprojectors and equipment were accessible to those with proper activation codes.
Dorm rooms were locked after midnight, Coruscanti time, to enforce the curfew rules. Each Jedi had their own private quarters that became more spacious and personalized with each higher rank they earned. Specialized equipment was included in each room and became more abundant with each higher rank. Special conditions were provided if needed. Temperature, atmosphere, humidity, and liquidity adjusters were included in each chamber. Many of the general rooms and every meditation chamber were accessible to all. Simulators were available upon request and were used to help Jedi prepare for battle or an upcoming mission.
Life was structured and limited for young Jedi to help guide them towards Knighthood. More freedoms were allowed with increased age and rank. The Jedi Grandmaster and the Jedi Council adjusted and set the restrictions and rules. They could be adjusted with each succeeding Grandmaster, or if the Grandmaster deemed it necessary, with the agreement of the Council at a recorded conference.
Behind the scenes[]
The Jedi Temple in the Epic of the Star Wars Saga, adapted from the canon location of the same name, was developed by fan fiction author I'm the Chosen One during his initial brainstorming sessions for his fan fiction series. His version of the Jedi Temple was inspired by the portrayal of the Jedi Temple in the canon prequel trilogy. It also had some inspiration from the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, Israel. The Jedi Temple was damaged or destroyed several times and was located on a major religious focal point, similar to Solomon's Temple. They also housed important religious artifacts from their respective universes; the Jedi Temple held important scrolls and holocrons and Solomon's Temple was, according to Judeo-Christian religious lore, the location of the Ark of the Covenant.
Like the canon Jedi Temple, this version was the primary shelter and place of business for the Jedi Knights. Many of the locations in the canon Jedi Temple are also used in this version, such as the High Council Chambers, the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and the Jedi Beacon Room. Some differences include the usage of several war-rooms during non-wartime operations and the Republic Defense Space Force's headquarters.
Appearances[]
- Dreams are for Wookiees (First appearance)
- Knight Blindness (Canceled)