Jedi instructors were Jedi Masters responsible for educating the Initiates and Padawans within the structure of the Jedi Order. These Jedi, who hailed from the Sentinel, Guardian, and Consular divisions of the Jedi Knights, specialized in diverse areas, including political science, lightsaber combat, hand-to-hand fighting, and various scientific disciplines. To bolster the ranks of the Jedi, most Jedi instructors possessed considerable skill in a multitude of areas. In particular, Jedi instructors excelled at pinpointing an Initiate's weaknesses, guiding their students away from the dark side, and assisting young Jedi in identifying their ideal roles within the Order.
Across the galaxy, at every Jedi academy, Jedi instructors were stationed. Their role was to supervise the upbringing and safeguard the Initiate clans that were under the care of the Jedi Order. These Jedi Masters, ranging from experts in lightsaber techniques to lecturers on political philosophy, were highly respected within the Jedi community for their expertise and wisdom. The Educational Corps provided a framework for gathering and disseminating extensive information to both the Order and the wider galaxy, although not all instructors participated. In the early days of the Order, specially adapted starships served as mobile schools, allowing Jedi instructors to conduct their lessons virtually anywhere. These ships varied in size and capacity. The smallest mobile schools were compact transports designed for a single Jedi instructor and up to six students. Larger vessels, such as the Chu'unthor, could accommodate hundreds of Jedi trainees and dozens of instructors.
List of Battlemasters; List of lightsaber instructors
Guardians who had honed their skills through battles or extended missions in the Outer Rim Territories, mastering all seven forms of combat, typically taught the art of lightsaber combat. Instructors were not simply appointed; they had to demonstrate their mastery through various tests and assignments, as they did not believe in teaching as a lifelong pursuit. All instructors held the rank of Jedi Master and were nominated for the position by the current battlemaster, the academy's head instructor, before being formally appointed by the Jedi High Council. These instructors were responsible for imparting their knowledge to students, beginning with Form I and progressing through Form VI of lightsaber dueling.
Prior to the New Sith Wars, a single Battlemaster oversaw all training activities at the Jedi Temple located on Coruscant. However, when the Army of Light was mobilized to confront the Brotherhood of Darkness, numerous Jedi Lords and generals assumed the role as they fought against the Sith threat. Following the Jedi's victory and the war's conclusion, many of these Jedi relinquished the title and transitioned into teaching roles, while others were assigned to satellite training facilities, where they supervised combat instruction while reporting to Master Skarch Vaunk, the main battlemaster on Coruscant.
The title fell into disuse after the Order's dissolution and the death of battlemaster Cin Drallig in 19 BBY; however, Luke Skywalker later learned of it and bestowed it upon Jedi Master Kyle Katarn in 13 ABY, after the reorganization of the ancient Order. During the New Order's early stages, Master Kam Solusar had informally held the position at the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4, but Master Katarn replaced him so that he could oversee the training at the Academy on Ossus.
Several specialized combat classes did not involve lightsabers at all, instead focusing on Force talents. In the Republic's final years, some Temple instructors worked with both weapons and the Initiates' bodies, transforming them into living weapons. Master Ilena Xan, who oversaw the Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament in 19 BBY, taught unarmed combat and was known as Iron Hand due to her ability to incapacitate opponents using only her hands. Master Fy-Tor-Ana's Art of Movement study, held in a specialized training hall within the Temple Ziggurat, was another Force-based class.
While the Force was central to Jedi philosophy, the Temple's curriculum encompassed a wide range of subjects. The academy offered courses in mathematics, biology, hyperspace theory, and more. During the Clone Wars, Master Bear taught a Climbing and Ropework class that emphasized knot tying, while Master Tycho instructed Padawans in military strategy. Before her death, Master Maks Leem taught hyperspace navigation, and other instructors taught astrocartography, comm installation tech, and botany.
It is quite plausible that Anoon Bondara preceded Cin Drallig as the Jedi battlemaster. Anoon's descriptions in both of his appearances emphasize his unparalleled lightsaber skills, and the fact that he instructed Younglings and Padawans like Obi-Wan Kenobi and died in 32 BBY, the same year Cin Drallig became battlemaster, supports this theory. However, it remains uncertain whether he was the Temple's chief lightsaber instructor and, therefore, the battlemaster.