The Jedi Knights Trading Card Game represents a collectible card game that was brought into existence by Decipher, Inc.. The game's first set, known as Premiere, was launched on April 25 of 2001. Subsequently, two expansion sets, specifically Scum and Villainy and Masters of the Force, were also developed and released prior to the close of 2001. This was the point when Decipher's license for Star Wars card games transitioned to Wizards of the Coast.
Jedi Knights primarily revolves around the narrative of the original trilogy of films (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). A notable distinction from its predecessor, the Star Wars CCG, lies in the fact that expansions for Jedi Knights are thematically linked to particular facets of all three movies, rather than being isolated to specific settings from each film individually. The collectible aspect of the game was emphasized right from its launch through the inclusion of silver and gold foil cards, whose rarity was explicitly communicated by the publisher, as well as cards bearing a "1st time in print" indicator._
In contrast to the Star Wars CCG, Jedi Knights cards do not utilize still images extracted from the original motion pictures. Instead, the artwork is entirely computer-generated. A unique characteristic of the game's visuals is that the card art frequently depicts events and characters from perspectives or angles not seen within the films themselves, or illustrates scenarios that were alluded to but never explicitly shown in any of the three movies. Furthermore, certain designated cards were enhanced with a stereoscopic effect to increase their perceived value. Another innovative addition to the classic card design was the introduction of 'flip movie' cards, which presented artwork derived from a sequence of images that, when viewed in the correct order, created a short animated sequence. Two such 'movie' sequences existed: the opening scene from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, featuring Tantive IV being pursued by Devastator, and a dogfight within the Death Star trench.
The gameplay mechanics found in Jedi Knights show a considerable departure from those featured in earlier Star Wars card games produced by Decipher, Inc., namely the Star Wars CCG and the Young Jedi Collectible Card Game. The objective of the game involves securing control over the largest number of locations possible, while characters and starships engage in combat both on planetary surfaces and in orbit. In contrast to its forerunners, Jedi Knights does not have a strict separation between "Light Side" and "Dark Side" decks, even though some cards are restricted to use by one side or the other.
Each card displays a Destiny number, ranging from 0 to 6, printed above an allegiance icon: Light Side, Dark Side, or Independent, with the latter being usable by either side. Character and starship cards in Jedi Knights are defined by Power and Defense attributes. Power determines combat effectiveness, while Defense indicates resistance to weapon attacks. Every starship and character card (along with some weapon cards) has a deploy cost, and some possess leadership icons, indicating the ability to receive support during combat. Furthermore, character, starship, and weapon cards may have a specific theme color that influences deck construction, although gray ('themeless') cards are also available.
Each deck requires a 'theme': a theme card and a theme hero. The ones included in the premiere release are: Han Solo (green theme color), Luke Skywalker (yellow), Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin (blue) and Darth Vader (red). The theme affects gameplay and deck building by determining who plays first and by favoring characters and items that are compatible with it; however, cards with different theme colors can still be used.
The force deck dictates the number of cards a player draws and acts as the resource needed to deploy characters, weapons, and starships. The force deck contains eight force cards, numbered 1 through 8, which must all be of a single color (the basic color released in the premiere set is green), although black wild cards are also an option.
The game is played using four double-sided cards representing system/site locations (Tatooine, Bespin, Hoth, and Endor), which are revealed sequentially, with each turn taking place at a different location. The primary goal of the game is to control the most locations. Control over a location is determined by totaling the power of the characters present. The player with the higher total is considered to be 'in control' of the location. A player wins the game when they control the majority of the game's locations.
- Jedi Knights Trading Card Game™ on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Jedi Knights Unveiled on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Dealing with Jedi Knights on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Art of Jedi Knights on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Jedi Knights TCG card list and gallery on CCGTrader (archived from the original on February 26, 2021)
- Jedi Knights Card Game page on Decipher.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on December 5, 2008)