Summary
Sometimes a story is more nuanced regarding good and evil, butStar Warsis not one of those stories, which is part of its appeal. It’s easy to see who the heroes and villains are in one of the entertainment world’s most popular and endearing franchises, with the benevolent Jedi and Republic on one side andthe malevolent Sithor the Empire on the other.
The Jedi Masters appear in various forms throughout the history of theStar Warsgalaxy, taking roles as peacemakers, neutral negotiators, and warriors when the situation makes it a necessity. There will always be some discussion and disagreement regarding whom the most powerful Jedi is, but here are some of the leading candidates.
Updated February 13th, 2025, by Ben Painter:Star Wars is one of the most loved and explored franchises in all of media. Starting with Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope and generating sequels, prequels, TV series, video games, books, and comics. There is a piece of the galaxy far, far away from everyone. A large part of the universe of Star Wars is the Jedi, and there are hundreds of them throughout the lore, which goes far beyond the movies. The latest piece of media in Star Wars, The Skeleton Crew,even featured a Jedi in the form of Jod Na Nawood. However, he proved nothing of note to be included among this elite list. This update adds five new Jedi who are considered the most powerful Jedi masters from the lore of Star Wars.
28Vernestra Rwoh
The Youngest Jedi To Be Made A Knight
A powerful and wise Jedi Master who lived during the High Republic era, she rose to the rank of Jedi Knight at the age of 15, making her the youngest Jedi to do so. She first appeared inThe High Republic: Light of the Jedibut made her on-screen debut in the Disney+ series,The Acolyte.
She was unique as she wielded a purple lightsaber,which could be elasticated to form a lightwhip, which she proved to give her an edge during many battles. Vernestra Rwoh’s true potential was never really explored in the series, but with the potential of season 2, there is hope that fans will see her unique lightsaber reach its peak.
27Jocasta Nu
The Librarian of The Force
The power of a Jedi Master isn’t just in their skills as a warrior. As Yoda says, war does not make one great. Jocasta Nu had a reputation for skill with a lightsaber, but her real strength came from her role as the caretaker of knowledge.
Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archives was Jocasta’s official title. While she helped protect and preserve the archives, she was also part of the Jedi High Council. She was instrumental in saving most of the information that was later found by Luke Skywalker andused to rebuild the Jedi Order.
Although Jocasta survived Order 66, she was later caught and killed by Darth Vader when trying to retrieve a Holocron from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She was able to convince the former Jedi to destroy the Holocron rather than give it to his master, which also says something about her powers of persuasion.
26Cal Kestis
A Survivor Of Order 66
Although not a Jedi Master in the traditional sense, Cal Kestis more than proved himself to earn the title thanks to his exploits against the Empire in the aftermath of Order 66.
A former padawan during the Clone Wars, Kestis survived the purge of the Jedi and went into hiding but was forced to reveal himself, which kick-started his campaign against the Empire. With the training of fellow survivor, Cere Junda, Kestis relearned his former Jedi skills and rose to become a very powerful Jedi. His force skills were unmatched and his unique lightsaber, which could act as a single blade, dual blades, double-bladed and even as a cross guard, only made him more powerful.
25Kelleran Beq
The Legend Of The Sabered Hand
While many Jedi remain aloof and distant, Kelleren Beq was a beloved teacher and an exception to the unemotional visage typical of the masters of the Force. He served under the Jedi Order for most of his career and guided countless students through their first Jedi trials. His abilities with the Force were impressive, but he’s best known for his skills with a lightsaber, which earned him the nickname The Sabered Hand.
Kelleren Beq first appeared as a character on the children’s game showStar Wars: Jedi Temple Challengewith his droid assistant AD-3. And later appeared in a flashback in the Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorianwhere it was shown he was instrumental in Grogu’s escape from the Jedi Temple during the 501st assault during Order 66.
24Quinlan Vos
An Expert Jedi Tracker
Quinlan Vos was a very different Jedi who preferred to work alone using his retrocognition skill, in which he would perceive memories when he touched objects that belonged to them, to work as a tracker for the order. Despite this, he did have an apprentice in Aayla Secura.
During the Clone Wars, he mainly focused on missions that involved the criminal underworld of the galaxy. He is briefly turned to the Dark Side by Count Dooku, only to be redeemed by his love for the former Sith, Asajj Ventress.Vos went on to survive the Jedi purgeand helped other force-sensitive individuals escape the Empire through the Hidden Path.
23Satele Shan
The Hero Who Rediscovered Tython
An important historical figure in Jedi lore, Satele Shan served as the Jedi Order’s Grand Master during the war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. She was one of the Jedi studying on Korriban when the Empire retook the planet and was able to escape and warn the Republic.
Satele Shan led various forces into battle successfully as a Jedi Knight, and by the time she earned the rank of Jedi Master, she was renowned as a hero of the Republic. She’s also credited with rediscovering the Jedi homeworld of Tython. Her son, Theron, was raised and trained in secret by the Jedi Order. When he came of age, he also became a powerful Jedi.
22Nomi Sunrider
Widow, Survivalist, Grand Master
Nomi’s story as a Jedi begins as the wife of one. Her husband, Andur, was in Jedi training when he was killed by a gangconnected to Bogga the Hutt. This strengthened Nomi’s resolve to become a Jedi Knight herself, and she trained under Jedi Master Thon and was an effective warrior and valuable ally in several battles.
It was not until after the Great Sith War that Nomi Sunrider became the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. It was under her leadership that the Order and its knowledge were preserved and passed down to future generations. Her legacy as a Jedi Master is one of knowledge and wisdom along with battle prowess and survival.
21Luminara Unduli
Powerful Even In Death
A native of the planet Mirial, Master Luminara Unduli only trained her fellow Mirialans in the ways of the Force because of a special agreement her people had with the Jedi Order. This is one of the reasons that the legends of her exploits also include her apprentice, Padawan Barriss Offee.
As a team, they were almost unbeatable on any Clone Wars battlefield, but it all fell apart when Barriss betrayed the Order and bombed the Jedi Temple. Luminara Unduli was captured after the Battle of Kashyyyk andexecuted according to Order 66. She was such a powerful Jedi Master, and her connection to the Force was so powerful, that the Empire used her remains to lure and trap other Jedi.
20Adi Gallia
An Enduring Legacy
Master Adi Gallia served with Anakin and Obi-wan as a leader of the Republic forces. She wasn’t only a Jedi Master, but also a member of the Jedi Council. She was Tholothian, originally from the planet of Thoth, and has been in variousStar Warsproperties including novels, games, and comics. Her most notable appearances were inStar Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clonesand theStar Wars: Clone Warstelevision series.
After many heroic exploits during the Clone Wars, some of which involved Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Adi Gallia fell in a battle on Planet Florrum. She was spared the fate of the other Jedi Masters, who were either betrayed by their clone armies or hunted down by Emperor Palpatine. One of the Jedi voices that spoke to Rey during the Battle of Exegol was Adi Gallia.
19Ben Solo
Better Known As Kylo Ren
Ben Solo was the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, as well as the nephew of Luke Skywalker. He inherited his bloodline’s raw strength in the force and was trained in the ways of the Jedi by his uncle. Upon finding out his grandfather was the Sith lord Darth Vader, he began to be disillusioned with his teachings and fell to the Dark Side, eventually becoming Supreme Leader of the First Order as Kylo Ren.
Just like his Grandfather before him, he had an act of redemption, turning back to the light side and aiding in taking down the Emperor once and for all. Solo had a unique bond with Rey, as the two shared a dyad in the Force; it was this that led him on his path to redemption.
