Who are the Younglings in Star Wars? A Guide to the Jedi in Training

In the galaxy far, far away, thousands of Force-sensitive species serve the Force according to their allegiances. The Force has two sides: one is the light side and the other is the dark.

The Sith belong to the dark side of the force, signifying corruption, hatred, anger, and other evil notions. Their main focus is harnessing maximum power from the Force and using it to rule over the universe. The Sith do not know any boundaries. Their passage of manipulating the Force itself speaks about their quest for power. 

On the other hand, the Jedi are the protectors of the Galaxy. Their main values include wisdom, peace, harmony, and justice. They often associate themselves with nobility and light, making it their sole purpose to defy anything close to evil.

Force-sensitive individuals, especially those from the Jedi Order, must undergo training before mastering the Force. At this point, we know them as Jedi Initiates or Younglings.

To put it clearly, Younglings are children, belonging to different species across the universe. They are divided into clans consisting of about 20 members in each group. These Younglings are trained specifically to meet the challenges of the Force and advance to become Padawans.

Younglings in Star Wars

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During the High Republic Era, the Jedi were a force to reckon with. The guardians of the light side excelled in discovering kyber crystals and sacred planets and extending their influence over the universe.

One of their most admirable achievements was initiating training for all Force-sensitive individuals. The main aim was to train the young Jedi and shape them into capable masters and warriors. From then on, they could serve the Jedi Order, further stamping its message and authority over the evil Sith Lords.

The Younglings, or Jedi Initiates, were the faces of the Order. They were chosen via special blood tests (to detect midichlorian counts) to determine their Force abilities. The tests were carried out on different species, portraying the Jedi way of prioritizing Force over anything. 

There were no specific age criteria or methodology. However, all children, bar the infants, were considered optimal for selection. The chosen children or younglings were brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

The Jedi Order was always on the lookout for potential Force-sensitive infants. They believed that these beings could be useful for the Order. The information regarding new and potential recruits was kept hidden and secure in the Temple. 

A kyber memory crystal stored all the data and was only accessible via a Holocron. The crystal and Holocron were entrusted to a secret keeper, an expert Force individual who excelled in telekinesis.

Training as Younglings

The Jedi training process was a good example for other Force-sensitive groups. The Jedi held great pride in the results of their training program. They put considerable effort into developing Force-sensitive children into highly capable Force warriors and masters.

The process started when the new recruits were brought together as one single group. They were divided into ten clans each consisting of twenty younglings with no classification.

The clans lived together in a special enclosed space until they became Padawans. Not all trainees were promoted and were kept under careful watch for further training.

The first stage of becoming a Jedi Initiate included learning the basics and the fundamentals of the Force and Jedi traditions. In this instance, they got educated on basic lightsaber techniques. The combat sessions weren’t intensive and lethal. The younglings were provided with prototype-like sabers to defend against non-lethal blaster shots by training droids.

The next part of the training was to create a real lightsaber by acquiring a kyber crystal. This ritual was known as the Gathering, testing a Jedi’s ability to understand his/her connection with the Force.

In the Gathering, the younglings were taken to Ilum, a sacred planet rich in kyber crystals. You should note that not all individuals were taken to the quest at once. A group of six to eight individuals, led by a high-ranking Jedi official, made the journey. The time of travel was determined by a specific solar cycle. The cycle repeated every seventeen days based on the positioning of the weak star.

Upon arriving on Ilum, the chosen individuals entered a cave consisting of the crystal, removing any obstacle in the way. The objective was to reach the innermost part where the huge crystal rock resided. After successfully entering the cave, each initiate had to embark on a personal journey. They were left to themselves to absorb the Force energy and understand the meaning of the destined kyber crystal.

He/she had to fight within themselves against their fears and insecurities and attune themselves to the presence of the Force in the cave. Once reaching the heart of the cave, the individual acquired the crystals and began the lightsaber’s construction. The process was supervised by the great Professor Huyang, responsible for creating many lightsabers.

The final stage of the youngling training regime included further lightsaber combat sessions to get accustomed to their new lightsabers. The Jedi Masters taught the children to create a personal bond between their souls and the saber. 

Furthermore, in the final stages, they learned more about the Force. They focused on different Force skills that could benefit them on the battlefield. As a result, they came out as fine Jedi individuals with sufficient knowledge about the force.

After graduating from their training regime, the younglings were handpicked as Padawans to the legendary Jedi Masters. 

Fall of the Younglings

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After the events of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order suffered greatly. It was put to the test against the menacing Sith Lords, who vowed to kill all the younglings. 

The Sith, led by Darth Sidious, wanted to create a Force of young dark warriors. The plan was to acquire the memory crystal and know the location and biological information about the younglings. However, with the combined efforts of Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, the captive younglings were recovered and returned to their parents.

Later, Anakin Skywalker returned as Darth Vader to destroy all Jedi beings, including the Initiates. He turned to the dark side and was commissioned to eradicate the Jedi Order for good. He killed all the children, wiping out an entire generation of future Jedi. 

After the start of the Galactic Republic Era, many Force-sensitive beings were stranded without guidance. Some of these younglings were taken under the Sith to make Darth Sidious successful in forming a young force.

However, despite the atrocities and difficulties, some masters and padawans managed to train a few younglings about the light side of the Force. There were efforts by Luke Skywalker to revive the younglings. He was shortly successful in training some children, taking inspiration from the old ways.