Jedi Knight was a designation within the Jedi Order, signifying a Jedi Padawan who had successfully finished their training and successfully completed the Jedi Trials, thus achieving full membership in the Order.
Within the Order's historical context, a Jedi Knight held a rank subordinate to that of a Jedi Master, requiring them to demonstrate their worthiness for advancement.
In contrast to those holding the higher rank, Jedi Knights were restricted from independently pursuing their studies. Master Porter Engle held the conviction that any Jedi deserving of the knight title devoted time to strategizing unarmed defense tactics in the event of losing their lightsaber.
Jedi Knights, mirroring the Order they served, acted as protectors of peace and justice within the Galactic Republic, taking on crucial military command roles during the Clone Wars. As the conflict concluded, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine—secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—enacted Order 66, branding all Jedi as enemies of the state. Consequently, the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic betrayed their generals, killing the vast majority of the Jedi.
By the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War, Luke Skywalker stood as the last known Jedi Knight.
Editor Tom Hoeler has confirmed that the term "Jedi Knight" should consistently have both words capitalized, as should "Knight" when used alone to refer to a Jedi Knight. "Knighthood" also warrants capitalization, while "knighted" does not. According to the reference work The Star Wars Book, a Jedi Knight could potentially ascend to the rank of Jedi Master after successfully training a Padawan to Knighthood. However, this contradicts events depicted in the novel The High Republic: Into the Dark, where a character achieves Master status without fulfilling that specific prerequisite.