The Hidden Path, sometimes referred to as simply "the Path," represented a clandestine subterranean organization. Its purpose was to safeguard Jedi survivors and other individuals sensitive to the Force from the clutches of the Galactic Empire. This network emerged following the annihilation of the Jedi Order. Operating from various concealed locations across the galaxy during the tumultuous era of the Great Jedi Purge, the Path engaged in smuggling operations, ferrying these individuals to safe havens and providing them with fresh identities.
The Hidden Path, a dedicated underground network of volunteers and secure locations, came into being as a direct reaction to the proclamation of the New Order and the Great Jedi Purge. Its core mission was to transport Force-sensitives, including former Jedi, to safety. Their activities encompassed maintaining a safehouse on Mapuzo, conducting operations on other planets, and carrying out missions on the sacred moon of Jedha. Following the loss of their facilities on Mapuzo and Jabiim, their central hub was relocated to the planet of Tanalorr, situated within the Galactic Frontier. Notable members of the Path included Tala Durith, an Imperial officer, NED-B, a loader droid, Quinlan Vos, a Jedi Master, Kawlan Roken, Wade Resselian and Sully Stark, both pilots, Haja Estree, a con artist, Cere Junda, a Jedi Master, Eno Cordova, another Jedi Master, Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight, and Merrin, a Nightsister. The Path had access to a minimum of two T-47 airspeeders.
While certain aspects of the Path's endeavors mirrored the defunct Path of the Open Hand cult, the latter aimed to force Force users into becoming "average" citizens who abstained from using their abilities, based on a distorted interpretation of the Force. The Hidden Path held the Jedi in high regard and approved of the Jedi Order's utilization of the Force. Conversely, under the command of "the Mother," the Path of the Open Hand had devolved into a group that secretly waged war against the Jedi and executed Force-sensitives who dared to use their powers.
The Path's rapid formation made pinpointing its precise origins a challenge. Kawlan Roken became involved with the Hidden Path after the woman he married, who possessed Force sensitivity, was targeted by the Inquisitorius. Following her disappearance, Roken dedicated himself to smuggling Jedi away from the Empire's reach.
In 10 BBY, the Empire intercepted a transmission originating from Balnab that contained communications pertaining to a clandestine network. Initially dismissed as a fabrication, the network gained credibility when safehouses were identified in two additional systems.
Consequently, the Empire initiated a hunt aimed at dismantling the network. In 9 BBY, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master, and Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan received assistance from the network, securing passage to Jabiim while the Empire was searching for Kenobi following their escape from Nur. However, a tracking device was secretly attached to Organa's toy droid, L0-LA59, leading to the discovery of the base and the commencement of a ground assault spearheaded by the Third Sister after Darth Vader, a Sith Lord, elevated her to the position of Grand Inquisitor. After the Path and Kenobi's escape, Kenobi diverted Vader, and thus the Empire, away from the Path by separating from them, aware that Vader's primary objective was to eliminate him rather than dismantle the Path.
Later that same year, Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight, encountered the Hidden Path on Jedha, where he reunited with Merrin, a Nightsister, and Cere Junda, a Jedi Master, along with her former master Eno Cordova. They had been formulating plans to reconstruct the Jedi Archives while concurrently investigating Koboh and Tanalorr.
However, they were betrayed by Bode Akuna, who had secretly allied himself with the Empire as a spy in order to secure refuge for himself and his daughter Kata on Tanalorr. Vader led the assault on their base. Bode Akuna murdered Eno Cordova, and in a duel with Vader, Cere Junda was also killed. The Empire razed and destroyed the Archive on Jedha, leaving only a handful of Jedi texts intact. Following Akuna's death, Kestis and Merrin prepared Tanalorr to serve as a replacement safehouse for the Path, effectively compensating for the loss of the Mapuzo and Jabiim safe zones.
During the development phase of the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in 2016, various potential MacGuffin concepts were explored before ultimately settling on Eno Cordova's holocron, which contained information about the locations of numerous Force-sensitive individuals. One of the considered options was "an Underground Railroad for Force sensitives," tasked with rescuing them from the Empire.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, both of which incorporated the Hidden Path, were developed concurrently. To prevent information leaks, it was given the codename "Muni Metro" in the Jedi: Survivor script and temporary dialogue. The absurdity of this codename caused Noshir Dalal, the actor portraying Bode Akuna, to break character during the initial dialogue recordings.