Jedi Oath?

For those familiar with the EU (which I'm not), do Jedi every make any sort of oath/vow to the Order, such as when they graduate from padawan and become Knights? Or any sort of ceremony or ritual? For my story I want it to be Anakin, to contrast/balance the oath he swears to Sidious, but if there's something about any Jedi I can work with it. I can make something up if I need to, but if something is out there I'd rather not reinvent the wheel.

Thanks!

Elana

 

I don't believe there is. Well except a Jedi Apprentice cuts off their Padawan Braid, and gives it too their Master.

 

I think one of the most recent clone wars cartoons had Anakin's knighting ceremony. Try: http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/microseries/chapter/21.html or http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/microseries/chapter/22.html

They had him go into a dark council chamber and the masters suddenly turned on their lightsabers. He kneels and Yoda cuts off his braid with the lightsaber. I can't remember if there was an oath used though.

 

I know in the JA books Obi-wan leaves the Jedi for a time and when he comes back Siri yells at him saying that he broke his oath to the Jedi and the Masters are begining to doubt the other padawan's oaths as well. Sorry I cound't be more help.

 

I remember a scene in the Clone Wars comics where Quinlan Vos was being promoted from Knight to Master and Aayla Secura from Padawan to Knight. They were both kneeling (in the martial-arts both knees down / sitting on your heels style, I think, rather than the down on one knee style) and it was a darkened room in the comic as well.

I don?t remember any specific oath, been a while since I read it and my impression from memory was that it was pretty much ?Congratulations, you are good enough, you are now a??

Padawan doesn?t have to give the braid to their master, according to RotS novelisation Anakin gave his braid to Padmé (as a Jedi he is not allowed possessions, so his Padawan braid is the one thing that he can say is his and that he had earned. Possible mild extra element to Anakin?s Padawan->Knight ceremony as giving something of such significance to someone other than your Master could be used to suggest how Anakin has developed links outside the Order. If the giving of the braid is a symbolic thank you (the Master gave the training, the former-Padawan gives in return the symbol of the success of that training) then Anakin thanking someone other than Obi-Wan, or at least not thanking Obi-Wan, could cause surprise or comment.

 

I can't get to it now, but I'm thinking the old Star Wars encylopedia had a listing for the oath in it.

Edit: Okay just found the book:

From Page 149:

Jedi Code - The philosphy that sums up the beliefs of the Jedi Knights is embodied in this credo: There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the force. A jedi does no act for personal power or weatlh but seeks knowledge and enlightment. A true jedi never acts from hatred, anger, fear or agression but acts when calm and at peace with the force (SWRPG, SWRPG2)

Star Wars Encylopedia (Del Rey Publishing 1998)

 

Okay this is a thing I realized while watching AOTC. A Padawan is just a young Jedi. A Jedi being trained by a master is an Apprentice, Padawan isn't a term specifically for Jedi Master's trainees. It's just for Jedi who aren't Knights or Masters.

 

Um, Padawans are apprentices being trained by masters. Younglings are masterless children or you can call them Initiates. Knights are promoted Padawans...

 

Well, it's easy to get confused if you've been playing any of the KotOR games. In the Knights of the Old Republic Era, a Padawan was just a young Jedi Knight who occasionally, but not always, recieved additional training from a Master. However, that was four thousand years before the time of the movies, and by the time we got to TPM, the term "Padawan" had evolved into one synonymous with "apprentice". In the movies, a Padawan is NOT a young Jedi Knight.

EDIT: Padawans get to keep their braids when they get cut off. For example, Anakin got to keep his and gave it to Padme.

I think the best thing for you to do is make up your own oath. The Jedi Code itself is not an oath, it is what a Jedi swears to uphold when he or she takes the oath. In making up your own oath, you could make it more parallel to the one Anakin said to Palpatine in the movies, and it would probably be better suited to your purpose.

 

It's like this:

Youngling -> Padawan -> Knight -> Master

Although sometimes you call all the pre-Knight Jedi "Padawans", just like the general name for all the Jedi is "Jedi Knights". And also calling someone "Master" or "Master Jedi" doesn't always mean that the said Jedi is of the rank of "Master", it's simple politeness and showing respect.

 

Wasn't there an "Initiate" stage between youngling and Padawan?

 

I got the impression that initiates are all pre-padawans.

 

I get the impression that "youngling" is just a term for any child, no matter the Force sensitivity. So that works, yeah.

 

(Okay, seeing as how 5 more people responded since I started writing this...sorry if it's a bit redundant.)

I think an initiate and youngling are the same thing. They're called initiates in the Jedi Apprentice series, I believe, and younglings in the movies. Basically, they're young kids living in the temple who are receiving Jedi training in groups (as we see Yoda teaching them etc.) but have not been individually picked out for individual training as a Padawan has and been paired with a Knight/Master. (Those in the 'creche' are basically infants and toddlers, the creche is basically a nursery.)

Padawan is a term specificially for Jedi trainees. They may also be referred to as apprentice, as apprentice is a general term for anyone in training to become something (Jedi, blacksmith, or what have you). I'm sure there are some sort of 'oaths' taken when they officially become a Padawan but I'm not sure what they are. As stated in the JA #2, Qui-Gon says "Any apprentice is free to leave at any time. ... If they leave honorably, there is no mistrust."

Yet there's still Obi-Wan leaving in later books for a short time as someone else described in this thread. Coming back and wanting to retake those oaths, whatever they are, is a more serious issue.

A Padawan advances to the rank of Knight when they pass the Jedi trials. What's in these trials is unsure, but it happens sometime near the end of the Padawan's training. Personally I like to think of the trials as something that challenges the Padawan's greatest fears and their dedication and commitment to the Jedi to the extreme, and if they pass, then they are ready to ascend to the rank of Knight, but I don't think anyone really knows except Lucas. I'm sure there are definitely even more oaths uttered by at this point.

Also, the official SW databank entry on the Jedi describes "Only 20 Jedi have ever voluntarily renounced their commissions. It is with great regret that the Jedi order recognize the so-called "Lost Twenty."" Dooku, I believe, is one of those Lost 20 that officially became a Knight and then left the order. Padawans (i.e. apprentices) aren't counted among those lost 20, because they have not received a commission yet, i.e. become a Knight.

"The next level of rank in the Jedi order is the Jedi Master, reserved for those who have shown exceptional devotion and skill in the Force." Usually to officially receive that rank, you have to have trained a Padawan to the rank of Knight. But, as Mar17swgirl pointed out, calling someone "Master" or "Master Jedi" doesn't always mean that the said Jedi is of the rank of "Master", it's simple politeness and showing respect.

As far as oaths go...it's safe enough to make up your own, basically. The core of the code is already mentioned in this thread (though the Code is actually much larger, we only really know a part of it), the oaths could be something as simple enough as "Do you swear to follow and uphold the Jedi Code at all costs, do you dedicate your life to the life of a Jedi" etc. etc., probably with the Council scanning them with the Force to be sure they're being honest and they really know what it entails. Wish I could be of more help with the oaths.

-Mia

 

Thanks for that wonderful discourse, April. And I agree with the calling someone a Master not meaning that the person is a Jedi Master. Hence the little chubby-cheeked british kid who called Anakin "Master Skywalker."

 

Yeah it's honerary and respectful to call any jedi master. and I dunno where I heard this but I rememebr something about a promise and a oath..
Well Obi sauid "made a commitment to the Jedi Order... a commitment not easily broken"
Mybe you could interpret that as they make a promise.