How Many Jedi Were There? Before and After Order 66
During the time of the Empire and the years after Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order had fallen, we know for a fact that there were only a few Jedi left in the galaxy. The biggest event that caused the near-extinction of the Jedi Order was Order 66, which happened during the tail-end of the days of the Republic and during the rise of the Empire when Sith Lord Darth Sidious took over the galaxy. But how many Jedi were there in the past before and after Order 66?
During the height of the Jedi Order, there were about 10,000 Jedi throughout the galaxy. Before the purge of the Jedi, there were also thousands of them scattered fighting during the Clone Wars. And after Order 66, only fewer than a hundred Jedi remained and were forced to hide.
The thing that Star Wars fans can agree on is the fact that there has never been an exact number in relation to how many Jedi were there in the galaxy. But what we know is that Jedi often come and go because a lot of them die in battle and are eventually replaced by new ones. Their numbers were constantly replenished. That said, let’s look at what we know about how many Jedi were there.
How Many Jedi Were There Before Order 66?
We all know that the Jedi Order was quite prominent during the time of the Republic because they were tasked with the job of becoming the keepers of the peace. In that regard, the Jedi were the ones that fought on the frontlines along with the clones during the time of the Clone Wars.
Of course, we also know for a fact that it was Order 66, which was the purge of the Jedi that happened during the time of Palpatine’s rise to the seat of the Empire, that basically wiped the Jedi Order from the map as the different clones attacked the Jedi they were with. As such, there were hardly any Jedi left after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. But how many Jedi were in the galaxy before Order 66 was initiated?
There was never any mention of how many Jedi were in the Order during the time of the Clone Wars and before Order 66 was initiated. However, it can be estimated that there were thousands of Jedi across the galaxy. This number might have been somewhere close to 10,000, as it was explained by Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars: Rebels that there were around 10,000 Jedi in the galaxy at one point.
Now, we don’t know which time period in history Kanan was talking about, but we can make the presumption that he was talking about the time of the Republic because that was when he was with the Jedi Order as a Padawan. But he could have been talking about the peak of the Order. We can’t say for certain, but we do know that there were thousands of Jedi before Order 66 was initiated.
How Many Jedi Were There After Order 66?
Now, the most interesting part here is the number of Jedi that survived the events of Order 66. As we saw in Revenge of the Sith, most of the Jedi were spread across the galaxy and were fighting alongside clones so that they could defeat what remained of the Separatist droid army.
However, when Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine initiated Order 66, all of the clones suddenly turned on the Jedi and began shooting them because of an inhibitor chip that forced them to obey Order 66 no matter what happened.
In that regard, considering that most of the Jedi were with the clone armies that they led in battle, they were summarily executed on the spot without them understanding why. And that was why the Jedi were immediately wiped out, as they weren’t prepared for multiple clones firing at them or shooting them out of the sky.
After Order 66, only fewer than a hundred Jedi survived because most of them were wiped out during the initial purge itself. This number includes the likes of Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Reva Sevander (before she became an Inquisitor), Quinlan Vos, Kanan Jarrus, Cal Kestis, Cere Junda, Taron Malicos, the Grand Inquisitor (before he turned to the dark side) and Trilla Suduri (before she became an Inquisitor). We can even include Ahsoka Tano in the number of survivors even though she had already left the Jedi Order before Order 66 was initiated.
Some of the other Jedi survivors ended up joining the Empire as Inquisitors, as most of the ones that Darth Vader took under his wing to become Inquisitors were already trained in the ways of the Force when they were still Jedi. Meanwhile, those who ended up surviving but were never great at hiding were eventually found and killed by the Inquisitors.
How Many Jedi Died In Order 66?
Considering that the Jedi Order was basically wiped out during the events of Order 66, we can say for sure that right around 99% of the Jedi were killed. That means that there were thousands of them that were executed during the events of Order 66, considering that there were around 10,000 of them during the Clone Wars, but only about a hundred were able to survive.
How Many Jedi Were There At Their Peak?
It is often considered that the High Republic was the peak of the Jedi Order because that was when they were sure that the Sith had been extinguished (even though they were not). Meanwhile, due to the fall of the Sith Empire, the Republic was also at its peak as there were no wars throughout the galaxy.
In that regard, there were at least 10,000 Jedi that existed during the time of the High Republic. The number could have been more because Jedi barely died during that period. But it was possible that the Jedi Order was not rushing the training of the younglings and the Padawans because there was no need for them to keep on replenishing the number of Jedi on the field. As such, the most generous number we can give is around 10,000.
How Many Jedi Were There In The Old Republic?
The Old Republic was one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of Star Wars, regardless of whether or not it is canon. That’s because this was when the Sith Empire was at the height of its power and was yet to follow the Rule of Two.
In that regard, the Jedi and Sith were in constant battles with one another, and that meant that the number of Jedi in the galaxy was constantly fluctuating during this time. Nevertheless, we cannot say for sure how many Jed there were during the time of the Old Republic, but it is possible that there were thousands of them because the Jedi Order needed the numbers to fight the Sith Empire.
How Many Jedi Were There Before The Clone Wars?
During the time of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which sparked the beginning of the Clone Wars, there were more than 200 Jedi that led the attack on Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme. However, fewer than 30 of them survived.
In that regard, it is possible that there were more than 10,000 Jedi in the galaxy before the Clone Wars, as the number of Jedi was affected by the events of the Battle of Geonosis. But we also know that the Jedi expedited the training of the younglings so that they could send more fighters into battle. That means that the Jedi Order was able to replenish its numbers after the Battle of Geonosis.
