The Jedi Order used the designation "Jedi sniper" to identify one of three distinct ranks held by Jedi within the Coruscant Jedi Temple Security Force. Alongside the Gate Master and the brutes, these snipers constituted the initial defense against potential threats, including agitators, fanatics, and those causing civil unrest, within the Temple grounds.
Upon completing their initial training and commencing independent studies, a Jedi Knight could choose to specialize in one of three Jedi classes: Guardian, Consular, or Sentinel. A Jedi Temple Security Force sniper was a Guardian who specialized as a Peacekeeper stationed on Coruscant. Positioned strategically on the ramparts surrounding the Temple Precinct, Temple snipers demonstrated exceptional proficiency in utilizing their lightsabers as long-range weapons. They also employed the Force to enhance their visual acuity and guide their shots over considerable distances. These snipers, having mastered telekinetic lightsaber techniques, were also remarkably agile, executing jumps, flips, and sprints without directly relying on the Force for propulsion.
The establishment of the Temple sniper rank can be traced back to the era of the Ruusan Reformation and the subsequent restructuring of the Jedi Order under Grand Master Fae Coven. The term's usage, which codified the ranks and responsibilities of the Jedi in her manual The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, persisted until the Order's disbandment in 19 BBY. The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic was exposed as a Sith Lord, and he swiftly commanded the Grand Army of the Republic to betray the Jedi before they could remove the Sith from power. Darth Vader, the new apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, led the 501st Legion in an assault on the Temple, executing Operation: Knightfall as part of Contingency Order 66. The Temple snipers mounted a valiant defense against the Sith and his forces, but they were significantly outnumbered. By the end of the assault, every sniper had perished in the wake of the order. On the day of the Jedi Order's downfall, there were 200 Jedi snipers.