Star Wars has a perfect Jedi, and they are not a legendary movie character like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda. Whereas the original Star Wars trilogy featured only a few Force-sensitive characters, the Star Wars prequels debuted the Jedi Council on the big screen and introduced dozens of new warriors. Most of those died during Order 66, although the list of Jedi who survived the Jedi Purge keeps getting bigger.
Star Wars Rebels, for example, confirmed that at least three Jedi, regardless of the official Jedi designation, fought against the Galactic Empire years before R2-D2 and C-3PO crashed on Tatooine. One of those was Kanan Jarrus, a character created for Rebels but who had experienced the Clone Wars. Like all Jedi who survived Order 66, Kanan had to hide from the Empire and avoid using the Force for years.
Kanan Was Both A Padawan & A Jedi Master In Rebels
Kanan Jarrus, known before Order 66 as Caleb Dume, had to be both a Padawan and a Jedi Master during Rebels. Kanan experienced Order 66 as a Padawan, meaning that he never got to complete his formal training before becoming a Jedi Knight. Kanan still had much to learn even as an adult, yet he no longer had a Jedi Master by his side. At the same time, Kanan had to become a master himself to help Ezra Bridger understand and control his powers. Kanan wasn’t a Jedi Master as in the official title given by the Jedi Council, but he was a teacher to Ezra.
Kanan was initially reluctant about teaching Ezra, mostly because the “last Padawan” was still full of doubts and unanswered questions resulting from his uncompleted training. Kanan initially did not know what Yoda meant by “Do or do not, there is no try,” despite trying to teach Ezra that lesson. Eventually, he accepted his role as Jedi whose help was essential for the Rebel Alliance that was about to be born, and whose teachings Ezra Bridger needed to hear. This was symbolized during the moment Kanan Jarrus was knighted by the Force itself at a hidden Jedi Temple on Lothal.
Why Kanan Is A Better Jedi Than Even Obi-Wan & Yoda
The way the original trilogy depicted the Jedi and how the Star Wars prequels present the Jedi Order are very different. The original trilogy’s Jedi, with Luke being the example, would act on instinct without following a strict set of rules or undergoing decades of formal training. That was the opposite of how the prequel-era Jedi operated, especially during the Clone Wars. Caleb Dume experienced both the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War, and his “Jedi way” combined elements from the original trilogy Jedi like Luke and Jedi Masters from the Jedi Council. Kanan respected the lessons he had learned, be he also knew how to improvise.
The ability to act outside of the strict rules of the Jedi Code at a time of crisis is what makes Kanan a better Jedi than even Obi-Wan or Yoda. There was no precedent for the world Kanan was living in – the Jedi Order was no more, and the galaxy was ruled by a Sith Lord. Kanan had to hide from the Empire while protecting his family and assisting the Rebel Alliance, all of which he succeeded in doing until the very end of his Star Wars story. According to the Jedi Order, a Jedi was not supposed to have a family or any attachments, something that Kanan proved was possible as he was able to let go.