This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic #1.

Star Wars has finally revealed how a Padawan becomes a Jedi Knight. The Jedi protected the Republic for a thousand years, standing as a beacon of light and hope in a dark galaxy. They were governed by the Jedi Code, and though the main stanza of the Code is the most famous part of it, that is only part of a much larger document that dictates every aspect of Jedi life.

The Code divides the Jedi into six ranks: Initiates, toddler-age inductees; Younglings, children who are trained in the basics of the Force; Padawans, apprenticed to a more experienced Jedi; Knights, Jedi who have passed the Trials; Masters, those who have successfully trained Padawans to become Knights; and Grand Masters, the wisest members of the Council. Oddly enough, though, key moments in a Jedi's journey through the ranks have gone unexplored. The Trials - tests that prove whether or not a Jedi is ready to become a Knight - have been mentioned, but only glimpsed. And the actual Knighting ceremony has gone unseen - until now.

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Star Wars: The High Republic #1, by Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito, is set roughly 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The issue is centered upon Jedi Master Sskeer, a Trandoshan who has recently been injured in action, and his Padawan Keeve Trennis. It opens on the Outer Rim world of Shuraden, a planet inhabited by a diminutive race who can best be compared to pixies, and who find themselves in dire need. Fortunately, Padawan Trennis is on hand - and though she does not realize it, the entire experience has been orchestrated by Sskeer as part of her Trials. This explains why the Trials have never really been seen before; because each Trial is unique. Trennis passes the Trial, and soon finds herself going through the Knighting ceremony.

Avar Kriss Knights Keeve Trennis

The Knighting ceremony is performed by Avar Kriss, a celebrated hero who has just proved herself in Charles Soule's novel Light of the Jedi. It is unclear why Kriss has been chosen to conduct the ceremony, rather than it being taken by Master Sskeer himself or by one of the Jedi Council members present at the time; but it may simply reflect the fact she has become something of a celebrity among the Jedi, as shown by Trennis' star-stunned reaction. The words Avar Kriss speaks are clearly ritualized:

Keeve Trennis, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I name thee Jedi, Knight of the Republic, protector of the light.

Padawans wear their hair in a distinctive braid, and the removal of this is apparently part of the Knighting ceremony, with Avar Kriss using her lightsaber to cut Trennis' braid off. Lucasfilm's High Republic initiative is influenced by the legends of Camelot, and this feels distinctly reminiscent of how a Medieval monarch would knight one of their allies - but frankly, it's a whole lot cooler. It's certainly satisfying to see those curious Padawan braids in Star Wars actually proving relevant to the Jedi Order in such a powerful, visual way.

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