James Mangold will direct a Star Wars movie set in the new “Dawn of the Jedi” era, which will be different from the same era seen in Legends. The film will focus on the first Jedi in Star Wars canon, just like Dawn of the Jedi explored the Order’s origin in Legends, and the different continuities mean that Mangold can’t take the same approach. However, there are ways that the Dawn of the Jedi movie can take inspiration from the old Expanded Universe, which was rebranded as Legends before Dawn of the Jedi could truly flourish. Even so, it’ll be just as interesting to see what new elements, if any, Mangold incorporates.
Star Wars has teased the long history of the Jedi Order ever since Ben Kenobi claimed that “For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.” This naturally raised several questions about how the Jedi Order began, how the Republic came to be, and how both changed over such a long period of time. Mangold’s movie can continue expanding on this era, offering Star Wars a new chance to explore the early Jedi, making it important to understand Dawn of the Jedi in Legends and how it will shape a different approach in canon.
The Je’Daii Order Explained
In Star Wars Legends, the Jedi Order was preceded by the Je’Daii Order, which began over 36,000 years before A New Hope. The mysterious Tho Yor, eight pyramid-shaped ships of unknown origin, traveled the galaxy and called out to any Force-sensitives. Species from several worlds heard the call and boarded the Tho Yor, which brought them into the galaxy’s core to the Force-rich planet Tython. The eight smaller ships gathered around the ninth and largest Tho Yor, depositing the travelers before dispersing across the planet. The Force-sensitives began studying the energy field that had brought them together, and over the next 10,000 years, they grew into the Je’Daii Order.
By 25,793 BBY, the Je’Daii Order had grown and created temples all across Tython, each one centered around a Tho Yor. Because Tython was so dangerous to those who couldn’t touch the Force, many left Tython over the years to settle other worlds in the system, with some dreaming of one day venturing back into the larger galaxy. Unlike the later Jedi Order, the Je’Daii of this time firmly believed in maintaining a balance between the light and dark sides of the Force, never delving too deep into either one. However, a schism would later lead to the Force Wars between those who followed Ashla, the light, and Bogan, the dark.
Dawn of the Jedi Books & Comics
While the era before the Republic had been explored through guidebooks, the first stories set in this time were the Dawn of the Jedi books and comics. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema began in 2012 with a #0 issue that gave an overview of the Je’Daii Order and other elements of the upcoming series. This story focused on the Je’Daii Order fighting the Rakatan Infinite Empire, first introduced in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. Dawn of the Jedi ran for 15 issues across three story arcs, ending when the Star Wars comic license was acquired by Marvel.
The comic also received a tie-in novel called Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Into the Void by Tim Lebbon, set around the same time as the run’s first story arc. The book followed Je’Daii Ranger Lanoree Brock on a mission to stop her mad brother, whose quest to leave the Tython system threatened to create a black hole that would destroy everything. A Dawn of the Jedi novel meant that this era could be expanded in greater detail and focus on the life of one Je’Daii, instead of several like in the comic. These stories are great for those eager to prepare for Dawn of the Jedi in canon.
What We Know About the Jedi Order’s Origin In Canon
The Jedi Order’s origin in canon was explored in Star Wars: The Last Jedi when Rey found Luke Skywalker at the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To. Luke claimed that the temple was built a thousand generations prior to house the original Jedi texts, and the temple contained a mural of a being known as the Prime Jedi. The Jedi eventually settled on worlds such as Ossus, Jedha, and Ilum, and over time they became the guardians of the Galactic Republic. After that, much of the Order’s early history is similar to Legends, with a schism called the Hundred-Year Darkness leading to the creation of the Sith.
How James Mangold’s Dawn Of The Jedi Will Compare To Legends
Despite the differences between each timeline, there are some ways that Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie can be similar to Legends. The mural of the Prime Jedi shows them at perfect balance between the light and the dark, something Luke tried explaining to Rey, so the early Jedi in canon may share the same view as the Je’Daii Order in Legends. The Jedi in canon were also preceded by the Dai Bendu, the same order that the Je’Daii took inspiration from in Legends, meaning Mangold could take inspiration from other elements, too. In Legends, the Je’Daii Order was born on Tython, which has since been depicted in The Mandalorian, so this planet could be explored again.
Of course, there will be major differences between Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi and the Legends universe. The Je’Daii Order began on Tython over 36,000 years before A New Hope, but Mangold’s movie is implied to take place only 25,000 years in the past. The Dai Bendu connection shows that the Jedi could have existed in some form before that, but it’s clear that it won’t be the same in canon. The other notable difference is that the Jedi Order began on Ahch-To in canon, as opposed to Tython in Legends, so even if the Tython system shows up again, it won’t be the same as it was in Legends
Dawn Of The Jedi Could Tie Into Other Star Wars Movies
Since Dawn of the Jedi will build off elements introduced in The Last Jedi, it’s possible that Mangold’s movie will connect to other Star Wars movies. The most obvious is Rey’s New Jedi Order movie, where her possession of the original Jedi texts may lead her to hold a similar view of balance as the first Jedi. This would also be an effective way to reveal more about the Jedi Order’s early history, showing how it continued to grow after the events of Mangold’s movie. How Mangold’s Star Wars movie will influence the events to come remains to be seen, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the Dawn of the Jedi era in canon compares to Legends.
