An individual active during the Dawn of the Jedi era is known as the Prime Jedi. This person, adhering to an early form of the Jedi Code, achieved the distinction of being the very first Jedi to wield the Force. Around 25,025 BBY, the Prime Jedi established the Jedi Order on the planet Ahch-To, thus becoming its founder. On Ahch-To, the first Jedi Temple housed a mosaic depicting the Prime Jedi in a balanced state of meditation. The ancient Jedi Kli the Elder made reference to the Prime Jedi in the Rammahgon. A mosaic of the Prime Jedi was also featured in the Meditation Chamber, which was located on the space station Starlight Beacon during the High Republic Era. The Prime Jedi's mosaic remained within the first Jedi Temple for millennia, even after the location was lost to the wider galaxy and became the home of Luke Skywalker, the exiled Jedi Master.
The mosaic depicting the Prime Jedi made its debut in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which was both written and directed by Rian Johnson. Pablo Hidalgo's reference book Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary, released concurrently with the film, provided the initial identification of the character. Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, Cala Brin, Garon Jard, Rajivari, and Ters Sendon, who were Jedi Masters, were regarded as the founders of the Jedi Order. Seth Engstrom, a concept artist, finalized the design of the Prime Jedi mosaic in April 2016 following an extended iterative process. The mosaic's design was inspired by Taoist yin and yang iconography, which represents the balance between opposing forces.
The concept of exploring the genesis of the Jedi Order can be traced back to the original plans that George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, had for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. This is according to Gary Kurtz, the producer of the original trilogy, during the time when the Star Wars saga was envisioned as a series of nine films in the early 1970s. However, to Kurtz's disappointment, Lucas altered his plans in 1980 and chose to conclude the saga with the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi before later reconsidering, but creating a different narrative for the prequel trilogy. On February 6, 2018, StarWars.com announced that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners of Game of Thrones, would be producing and writing a Star Wars film series, reportedly focusing on the era of the Jedi's origins, owing to the duo's clear interest in that previously unexplored period of Star Wars canon. Nevertheless, due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix, Benioff and Weiss ultimately withdrew from the project on October 28, 2019, although Lucasfilm expressed a willingness to collaborate with them in the future. It was verified on April 7, 2023, during Celebration Europe, that James Mangold would be directing an untitled Star Wars film that would center on the origins of the Jedi. Mangold stated after his panel that one of the factors that drew him to the project was the discovery of The Force by the first Jedi.