Summary
While the Force in theStar Warsuniverse is primarily used by the Jedi and the Sith, there are actually other Force traditions that express their mastery of the Force in different ways. Whereas the Jedi and the Seth represent the Light Side and the Dark Side of the Force, respectively, certain factions have other priorities when it comes to how the Force represents their life in the galaxy.
As revealed in theAhsokaseason finale, the Witches of Dathomir tap into the Force and shape it in nigh-supernatural ways, giving them access to powers from both the Light and Dark Sides. However, the Witches are just some of the Force traditions with their own agendas in theStar Warsuniverse, with theAhsokaseries possibly debuting more of them on the big screen. While limited in the material of the currentStar Warscanon, its previous Legends line offers a wide variety of Force Traditions.
The Fierce Protectors Of Kilia IV In The Unknown Regions
Founder
N/A, Core World colonists who ended up in the Unknown Regions
Kilia IV
Notable Skillsets, Activities
Mastery of the Shield Gauntlet and the Siang Lance, only five existed at a time
Unlike other Force Traditions, theKilian Rangerslargely operate on their home planet of Kilia IV. Unlikeother Outer Rim planetsthat are still within the galaxy’s borders, Kilia IV rests within the Unknown Regions, which is much closer to Wild Space than the Galactic proper. It’s said that the Kilian Rangers came from human colonists from the Core Worlds who ended up in Kilia IV, being forced to learn how to defend themselves after losing contact with the rest of the Galactic Empire.
Kilian Rangers swear an oath to protect both the local nobles and Kilian citizens, respecting justice and the rule of law. Force-sensitive children were often inducted within their ranks, with Kilian Rangers said to only have five members at any given time: one Kilian Lord, two Rangers, and two Squires. They are known users of the Siang Lance (a sporting blaster rifle with a bayonet) and a Shield Gauntlet.
Kashi
Use the Breath of the Living Force to inspire life in the environment, healing the sick, and growing crops
Members of theGuardians of the Breathhave an innate connection to the Living Force, the manifestation of all life among living things that eventually lead to the Cosmic Force of death before its revival. Originating on planet Kashi even before 24,500 BBY, the Guardians are one of the oldest-known Force Traditions to ever be recorded. Unfortunately, the organization “died” with the Kashi Mer culture when it was destroyed by a supernova that engulfed its entire system.
However, the propagation of the Guardians and their traditions reached various parts of the galaxy ensured some aspects of their culture remained. In Kashi Mer culture, the Force is known as the Breath that the Kashi Mer Mystics use to “feed” life into living things. This results in changes in the cell growth of the living, inspiring the growth of crops or the healing of wounds. While many who hail from Kashi are compatible with the Breath, only a handful can use it and can therefore undergo training.
Gand
Members of the Gand race, who use Force-channeled divination via mists, chemicals, and trances to find targets
Compared to more powerfulForce users inLegendslore, theFindsmenare often hired as bounty hunters due to their ability to divine signs and omens to locate their targets. However, within the Gand species, Findsmen are revered as legendary figures that were granted the status during the prestigious ceremony of Janwuine-jika. Unfortunately, it’s said that the Findsmen tradition has begun dying out on the planet, while some Findsmen still find themselves roaming the galaxy.
Findsmen train and fulfill their duties through the channeling of the Force within the mists of the planet Gand. Alongside genetic manipulations and chemicals, Findsmen find themselves with genetic growths on their exoskeletons that they then use as weapons in their unique martial arts. Their talents in divination also had Findsmen hired as advisors, assassins, bodyguards, and investigators.
Dyspeth
Defenders of Dyspeth’s civilians who use the Force to manipulate light and shadow
Dyspeth is a moon permanently located in the shadow of itshome planet in the Outer Rim, subjecting its citizens to eternal darkness. Rumors of Force users among its stalwart defenders began when theDisciples of Twilightappeared as protectors of the innocent, led by a Force-sensitive female known only as “Twilight” who is also rumored to be a former Jedi. Unlike other traditions, the Disciples of Twilight didn’t have any strict teachings, and Force-sensitives willing to protect the innocent from the powerful are invited to join them.
However, while the Disciples of Twilight didn’t have direct teachings, its practitioners are known to use the Force to bend light. This originally helped them adapt to Dyspeth’s dark surroundings, but their reintegration to the galaxy helped them use their light-bending to take advantage of combat against stronger foes. They’re known to use both light and shadow to overwhelm their enemies, masking their presence or creating phantoms.
N/A, but first served under Jagged Fel
Coruscant, Bastion
Armored fully-trained Jedi tasked to protect a Light-affiliated Emperor, created their own Praetoria Vonil and Praetoria Ishu combat forms
Conceptalized around 22 ABY when the Empire of the Hand (under the Galactic Empire) offered a position to Mara Jade Skywalker and hoped to attract Luke Skywalker into establishing an academy in the Galaxy’s outer rim. When Jagged Fel transformed the Imperial Remnant back into the Galactic Empire around 137 ABY, theImperial Knightsserved as the Emperor’s personal guard. Their main duty is to protect the Emperor as long he remains within the Light. Should the Emperor fall to the Dark Side, the Imperial Knights should either redeem them or commit regicide.
Despite being fully-trained Force users, the Imperial Knightstreat their lightsabers as mere toolsto accompany their trademark crimson armor and a cortosis-empowered right gauntlet that can disable lightsabers upon touch. They also created combat-oriented offensive (Praetoria Vonil) and defensive (Praetoria Ishu) forms, while they trained in both Light Side and Dark Side techniques to further their cause.
Kro Var
Channel the Dark Side to use the natural elements of fire, air, water, and earth. Persecuted those who used invisible Force abilities
When the thousand-year conflict of the New Sith Wars ravaged the galaxy, some refugees found their craft crash-landing on the hostile planet of Kro Var. Conflict for the planet’s resources split the survivors into clans, with Force-sensitives taking the lead as Shapers. Having been in Kro Var since around 1000 BBY, their sudden rediscovery by the Jedi and Sith had thrust the clans into a brief conflict that was resolved peacefully.
Due to the aggressive nature of inter-clan conflicts back then, Shapers relied heavily on outward displays of the Force through the elements, much likeBending inAvatar: The Last Airbenderwhere users become focused on a particular style. Most Shapers persecute those that use “invisible” Force powers such as telepathy, while more free-spirited ones also seek studies from other Orders to learn more about the Force.
Ssevfi
Mistakenly thought the Jedi stole their learnings from the Sith, value their armor more than lightsabers, harmoniously blends Jedi and Sith teachings
While mostlyconsidered Gray Jedilargely due to their unorthodox perspective on the Force, theJensaaraialso had a complicated history. Their name comes from ancient Sith that meant “the hidden followers of truth,” reflecting their founder Nikkos Tyris and his fallout with the Jedi Order after mistakenly believing from an ancient text that the Jedi “stole” what they know from the Sith. However, Tyris dies before fully teaching his ways. The current Jensaarai leader, Saarai-kaar, hasn’t fully graduated and has been able to “reinterpret” Jensaarai teachings according to her own understanding.
While at first delighted that the Jensaarai can “practice” their ways after the fall of the rigid Jedi Order, the mercilessness of the Sith of the Galactic Empire forced the Jensaarai into hiding, and only to return to the light after Luke Skywalker helped repair their relationship with the Jedi. The Jensaarai are known to care for their armor as much as the Jedi care for their lightsabers. Their current teachings encourage the use of the Sith’s Dark Side to help in the creation of their armor and combat styles, but not to an extent that it corrupts them, allowing the Jensaarai to unconsciously stay within the Light.
Dathomir Magic, Symbiosis between Force-sensitive Witches and Rancors, Matriarchal Society
Whilethe Nightsisters of Dathomirseem to have a malicious agenda inAhsoka, their group is simply one of many clans in the matriarchal society of theWitches of Dathomir. Founded and propagated by Jedi Allya during her exile on the planet Dathomir, Allya spearheaded the creation of a female-dominated civilization out of the planet’s existing humans who once found themselves threatened by ravenous rancors. Through the Force, Allya not only learned how to tame these creatures, but also helped her new warrior brethren bond with them.
Over time, the Witches divided themselves into clans whose traditions could be traced in the conflicts between Allya’s Force-sensitive daughters. While these clans have different cultures, all of them are known to channel the Force through spells. Channeling the Dark Side with so-called “night spells” and using anger to fuel Force powers are prohibited, although the banished Nightsisters remain users of such methods.
Corscant (Imperial Palace), Prakith (Citadel Inquisitorious)
Truth Officers of the Emperor in charge of eliminating the remnants of the Jedi Order post-Order 66
Due to their affiliation with Emperor Palpatine, it’s easy to mistake theInquisitoriousasmembers of the Sith. In truth, they are Dark Side Adepts who fall outside the purview of the Sith. Since the Great Jedi Purge through Order 66, the Inquisitorious was formed in an effort to eliminate the remnants of the Jedi Order, with surviving Jedi either forced to turn to the Dark Side or eliminated entirely.
Unlike other Force users, the Inquisitorious are trained in subterfuge and espionage due to the secretive nature of their missions. Inquisitors are trained on combining the Dark Side in conjunction with methods of manipulation and torture to achieve their objectives. Thanks to shows such asThe Clone Wars,Rebels, andThe Mandalorian, the Inquisitorious, or the Inquisition, has become one of the most popular Force Tradition outside the Jedi and the Sith.
Thape, Ando Prime, Tython, Kalimahr
Peaceful numerologists, one of the first people to discover the Force, formed the Je’daii Order
Unlikecultures like the Mandaloriansthat have many recorded texts, theOrder of Dai Benduexisted so far back in galactic time that their true origins are unknown. It’s said that they existed in the Early Hyperspace Age, or before 25,053 BBY, which marked them as older than the first iterations of the Galactic Republic. The Order consisted of peaceful monks studying numerology, who, at the time, were also one of the first groups to discover and use the Force and its carrying bodies in the form of the midi-chlorians. After discovering a Tho Yor spacecraft, they were transferred to Tython where other Force-sensitives also gathered.
After this initial migration, the Order and its new companions formed the Je’daii Order, the predecessor of the Jedi. While the Order remained active during this time, the Je’daii Order became a more widespread organization. The Je’daii Order was then succeeded by the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights.
