The Jedi, Jedi Knights, or the Knights of the Jedi Order are the main protagonists of many works of the Star Wars franchise, often working symbiotically alongside the Galactic Republic and the Rebel Alliance. The Jedi Order are depicted as an ascetic, monastic, academic, and meritocratic organization whose origin dates back approximately 25,000 years before the events of the first film released in the franchise. The fictional organization has inspired a real-world new religious movement, Jediism.
