Who Was The First Jedi? Star Wars' Biggest Mystery Explained
Even if you're a casual "Star Wars" fan, the chances are you can name several Jedi, but who was the first ever Jedi? Which powerful being from a galaxy far, far away was the first to wave their hand around after getting in touch with that famous energy field created by all living things? Well, the special soul that tapped into this mysterious presence is known in "Star Wars" lore as the Prime Jedi, and they're responsible for establishing the Jedi Order that so many heroes would come to be a part of.
First appearing in a mosaic in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi," the Prime Jedi is presented holding a lightsaber while meditating. The figure brings to mind yin and yang, with half of them being dark and the other half being light, representing both sides of the Force. The Prime Jedi set up the Jedi Order around 25,025 BBY on the planet Ahch-To, which Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) would eventually travel to and train Rey (Daisy Ridley) on.
While it may have taken some time for the history of the first Jedi to be revealed, the idea of exploring such a pivotal moment in "Star Wars" history was actually considered by the franchise's creator, George Lucas, before a major redirection in plans. There was a time before we learned about the story of Anakin Skywalker that Lucas wanted to go right back to the beginning of the Force.
Episode I was originally going to explore the first Jedi
As revealed by Gary Kurtz (the producer of "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" and "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back") back in 1999, George Lucas initially intended to explore the first Jedi in the prequel trilogy instead of showing us Anakin Skywalker's origins. The original plan was to have considerable time jumps between the stories. Audiences would be let in on the formation of the Jedi Order in the first prequel film. Episode II was going to be about Obi-Wan Kenobi and his early days as a Jedi, showing us how he learned the ways of the Force, while the film that became "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" would shift the focus to the beginning of Darth Vader.
Of course, while that didn't come to pass, some of the core elements of Lucas' original blueprint remained, with the prequel trilogy looking into an early era of the Jedi Order before it was wiped out with the help of Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi eventually got his own show rather than a film, and as for going back to the earliest days of the Force and its discovery, that's a story that is now finally going to be told by James Mangold, who will be directing one of the three big films set to be added to the "Star Wars" franchise in the future.
James Mangold might tell the story of the Prime Jedi
While details are limited on what James Mangold's upcoming "Star Wars" movie will include, the fact that it's set during an era known as the Dawn of the Jedi suggests that the Prime Jedi will likely make an appearance. Speaking to Gizmodo about the project, Mangold discussed the idea he brought to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and the epic comparisons he has in mind for it. "What I really wanted to do, what I told her, was just can we make a kind of 'The Ten Commandments' of the Force, you know? A kind of origin story of how the Force came to be known, understood, wielded, and harnessed."
Given what Mangold (who was once set to direct a Boba Fett movie before it got canceled) has said about his new project and how it relates to the origins of the Force, it would be odd if the film overlooked the person who started it all. Sure, the galaxy is a pretty big place, and the Force could have been discovered by more than one person, but having the Prime Jedi in Mangold's big screen chapter seems essential. There may not be much known about this legendary figure just yet, but that could all change if these future plans stay on target.