Jedi Training Academy was a live performance that took place at several Disney theme parks. The show first appeared during the Star Wars Weekends event at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 5, 2000. It was later made a permanent attraction, running from October 9, 2007 until October 5, 2015. Subsequently, it debuted at Disneyland in California (from October 1, 2006 to November 2015) and at Disneyland Paris (from July 11, 2015 to September 3, 2017).
From July 2015 to January 1 2016, a phased exhibition featuring Star Wars memorabilia and Jedi Academy lessons was presented at the Times Square shopping center in Hong Kong. A promotional video showing a Jedi, played by Aarif Lee (李治廷), fighting Darth Vader, was shown on local television as part of the event. Hot Toys partially sponsored the event, which was held in conjunction with a Star Wars 501st Legion and Rebel Legion fan parade at Hong Kong Disneyland on July 27. The purpose was to promote the first film in the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Drawing from the principles and teachings of the Jedi Knights in the Star Wars movies, the performance heavily involved the audience, especially children. Each child participating received a training lightsaber and Jedi robes and was taught a series of sword-fighting techniques.
In December 2015, a refreshed version of the show, called Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, debuted. It took inspiration from recent canon material such as Star Wars Rebels and The Force Awakens.
At Walt Disney World, kids needed to sign up for the show beforehand. At Disneyland, they were chosen from audience volunteers.
Participants received Jedi robes and training lightsabers, and then the Jedi Master showed the moves the children would learn. The children were taught a simple series of lightsaber attacks under the Master's guidance, while receiving advice and learning about the history of the Jedi Order and the Force. Ahsoka Tano sometimes appeared on stage to help the master. After practicing the final combination, the Jedi Master sensed a disturbance in the Force.
The show then changed, always beginning with stormtroopers appearing before Darth Vader, who encouraged the students to join the dark side. Vader sometimes appeared alone, while Darth Maul or Asajj Ventress sometimes came onstage and acted menacingly. The students then fought Vader and, at times, the others. The children used the fighting combination they were taught to engage the villains, with the support of the Jedi Master and Jedi Knight. Yoda then used the Force to communicate with everyone in the audience. The enemies, outnumbered, retreated backstage. The Jedi Master then used a Jedi mind trick to make the stormtroopers leave. The children then returned the training lightsaber and robe and received official Jedi diplomas.
The stage for the show at Disney's Hollywood Studios was a copy of the Endor shield generator bunker from Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, because it was next to the Endor-themed exterior of Star Tours. At Disneyland, the existing Tomorrowland Terrace Stage was used. A special Jedi Training Academy set of action figures, including Darth Vader, an unnamed Jedi Master, and three unnamed padawans, was released in Disney theme parks in 2009.
As she revealed during her appearance on The George Lucas Talk Show, Sasheer Zamata, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, played a Padawan in Jedi Training Academy.