It all began a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, during an era of space ships and Jedi knights. The story of how a band of Rebels took on the Galactic Empire is one ingrained into the cultural consciousness and is counted among the great tales of good versus evil. But it did not begin with two droids crashing their escape pod on the desert planet of Tatooine to deliver a princess' message. The events of the main Star Wars saga began with The Phantom Menace.

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The Star Wars prequels have a bad rep. They disappointed many fans with their inconsistent writing, juvenile humor, and aliens whose existence seems rooted in uncomfortable ethnic stereotypes. Despite the backlash, the prequels expanded the lore and showed the Jedi Order at its height. Here are the ten coolest Jedi from the prequels.

Aayla Secura

The first entry on this list does not get nearly enough screen time in the actual prequel films, but Aayla Secura made her canon debut in Attack of the Clones. This Twi'lek is a member of the Jedi Council who took part in the Battle of Geonosis at the start of the Clone Wars.

While most of her appearances and story are fleshed out in the Legends material, Aayla studied under the Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Like Anakin, she had a secret forbidden romance, in her case with fellow Jedi Master Kit Fisto!

Kit Fisto

Like his lover Aayla, Kit Fisto does not get nearly enough screen time in the films, though he makes more than twenty in-canon appearances throughout the Clone Wars TV series. Fisto is a bit of a joker, finding mirth even in the most dire of circumstances, as can be seen when he nonviolently neutralizes the droid body C3PO's head is attached to with a smile and a wave of the Force.

He is one of the four Jedi Masters who tries to arrest Palpatine after it is revealed that Palpatine is actually a Sith Lord. A skilled lightsaber combatant, Kit keeps fighting after half the Masters are killed, until finally he too is cut down by the Sith's red lightsaber.

Plo Koon

With his breathing mask, eye pieces, and intense facial features, the Kel Dor Jedi Master Plo Koon has captured the imaginations of fans since he debuted in The Phantom Menace. He does not get a lot of screen time in the prequel films, and does not even have a speaking role, though his tragic death during Order 66 is unforgettable as he is shot out of the air by the very Clone Troopers he served with.

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Plo is also a mentor to Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, looking out for her throughout The Clone Wars. As a Kel Dor, he needs his mask to breath in any atmosphere with a lot of oxygen, as the planet Dorin has a helium-heavy atmosphere.

Ki-Adi-Mundi

While not quite as strong in the Force and lightsaber combat as either Masters Yoda or Mace, Ki-Adi-Mundi is actually one of the most powerful members of the Jedi Council. As a Cerean, he is recognizable by his high head. Interestingly, it is because he is Cerean that he has been allowed by the Jedi Council to marry, having a total of five wives as part of his culture's polygamous family structure.

During Order 66, the Clones fighting alongside Ki-Adi-Mundi wait for him to advance well ahead of them before they betray him. He still senses their intent, albeit too late, and turns in time to see them lining up to fire on him. He kills many of the Clone Troopers with parried blaster bolts before finally going down.

Quinlan Vos

As someone who operates almost entirely from the shadows, it makes sense that Quinlan Vos can be overlooked in the prequels. His first appearance is in The Phantom Menace, where he is seen in the background on Tatooine, his yellow horizontal face stripe giving him away . His only other mention in the films is when he is described as leading an army during the events of Revenge of the Sith.

Why is it then that Vos is so well loved? For one thing, he operates undercover as a Jedi who pretends to be part of various black market operations, even using the Dark Side to infiltrate Dooku's inner circle of Dark Jedi. He also shows himself as a capable field operative when working alongside Obi-Wan in The Clone Wars.

Yaddle

Right now, the coolest meme on the internet is the adorable Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian. Of course, not a lot is known about Yoda's species. It's just called Yoda's species on Wookiepedia. But before the Disneyfication of Star Wars decided to make Baby Yoda the most popular marketable thing since Baby Groot stopped selling, there were a handful of powerful Jedi from this species.

One of them is the Jedi Master named Yaddle, first seen in The Phantom Menace. Not a lot is known about her, though she's confirmed to be about half as old as Yoda and to have died on the planet Mawan before the events of Attack of the Clones. More than anything else, it is the mystery surrounding her that makes her so compelling.

Shaak Ti

There are two versions of Shaak Ti - the new canon version introduced by Disney, and the original one from the Expanded Universe, which has since been relegated to Legends continuity. Shaak Ti is definitely an awesome character in the canon material, having been part of the Jedi assault team that saved Anakin and Obi-Wan in the Battle of Geonosis, but she is at her best in the Legends stories.

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In the pre-Disney continuity, she is one of the only Jedi to survive Order 66. She later goes on to fight Vader's apprentice, Starkiller, on the planet Feluci - a world that she singlehandedly keeps from succumbing to the Dark Side of the Force.

Count Dooku

The fallen Jedi Count Dooku is one of the coolest characters in Star Wars. A suave, polite, and elegant man, he is among the most skillful lightsaber duelists in the galaxy. The curved hilt of his red-bladed lightsaber gives him an edge against his fellow Jedi, most of whom are already at a disadvantage as they have trained to fight against droids and blasters, not other lightsabers.

Dooku is more than just a Jedi who enjoys the power of the Dark Side. He is a Sith Lord, the powerful Darth Tyranus who easily bests both Anakin and Obi-Wan in combat on their first encounter (though Anakin does eventually disarm and kill him in a later confrontation).

Qui-Gon Jinn

This powerful and freethinking Jedi is Obi-Wan's Master and the one who finds the young slave boy Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine. One interesting aspect of Qui-Gon's character is that he is a Grey Jedi, rejecting the teachings of the Jedi Council and trusting more in the Force than in his Masters.

Wielding a green lightsaber, he appears to be a Jedi Consular, a type of Jedi whose first tactical approach in any situation is to use diplomacy. He does prove skillful with a lightsaber, though not enough to defeat the Sith assassin Darth Maul.

Mace Windu

Mace is one of only a few Jedi able to practice the legendary aggressive Form VII of lightsaber combat without turning to the Dark Side. He also has a Force ability called Shatterpoint that lets him see the weak points in things, making him a fearsome warrior.

He defeats the Jango Fett during the Battle of Geonosis, beheading the bounty hunter with his purple lightsaber. Mace also leads the four Jedi Masters who go to arrest Emperor Palpatine and is the only one to survive their confrontation, besting the Sith Lord, though Anakin joins Palpatine to disarm and ultimately kill Master Windu.

NEXT: Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith: The 5 Best & 5 Worst Things