“For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” —Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Jedi are part of a monastic peacekeeping organization known as the Jedi Order. We embrace one general philosophy of service and justice in the defense of the common good.
From the Star Wars Wiki, originally from Wikipedia (hence the following text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License):
Origins of the Order
The Jedi Knights were an order of individuals that had the ability to touch and use the Force. The Jedi followed the "light" side of the Force. The order began thousands of years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Many ancient and semi-legendary organizations have been proposed as the forerunners of the Jedi Order, such as the Order of Dai Bendu or the Chatos Academy, but no conclusive links have ever been shown. Likewise, the birth planet of the order is unknown. There are many candidates, including such known worlds as Coruscant, Ossus and Corellia, and mythic, lost planets such as Had Abbadon, Ondos and Utapau.
Initially the Jedi was a contemplative order, however over time the order took a more direct and active role in galactic affairs, eventually centralizing themselves on Coruscant in the aftermath of the catastrophic Battle of Ruusan.
The life of a Jedi was one of sacrifice. Those who showed an aptitude for the Force were taken at birth or soon after to train in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where the order was headquartered. From the outset of their training they live a life of simplicity adhering to the Jedi Code which forbids having material possessions or emotional attachments. This training was initially done by a venerable, experienced Jedi until the individual was sufficient enough to start the journey of a Jedi. Exceptions were sometimes made, most notably in the case of Anakin Skywalker, but the Jedi found their traditional methods were most successful and were loathe to change.
Political organization
Eventually the Jedi formed a central political entity called the Jedi Council which acted as a governing body for the order and an advisory board for the Old Republic Senate. The Jedi Council could only have 12 members at a time.
Among other tasks, the Jedi eventually are responsible for law enforcement and peacekeeping in the Galactic Republic (though they would not be considered soldiers until the time of the Clone Wars). At the time of the Clone Wars, in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic, they would act as Generals, soldiers and advisers in the conflict. To that end, they use the Force and extensive training to become extremely formidable in battle. Their traditional weapon was the Lightsaber, which in the hands of a skilled wielder, could be more than a match for most opponents even when they are armed with ranged weapons. A common task for the Jedi is to construct their own lightsaber, after collecting special crystals which would form the core of the lightsaber.
The Jedi Order {J} takes Star Wars and the Jedi from the Old Republic very seriously. We make every effort to make experiences in this clan as representative of what would be leading a real life in the Prequel Trilogy Jedi Order as possible. We believe that the principles established in the New Jedi Order, the Jedi order that rises after the Original Trilogy, are "blasphemy" to the beliefs of the true Jedi Order. There is no “Unifying Force” as it is viewed in the New Jedi Order and its revised Jedi Code. The traditional Jedi Code used in the Prequel Trilogy Jedi Order is that by and in which we go and believe, respectively.
Jedi Virtues
Honor – Honor your opponents, your friends, and yourself: always respect that which is important to them and to you.
Loyalty – Loyalty to the Jedi Order makes the greatest of Jedi. No matter whom you are, you will always be great if you never let the Jedi Order fall.
Dedication – Dedication to the Jedi Order is imperative to being a Jedi. When you are dedicated to the Jedi Order, you vow to always follow the wise instruction of your peers and the Jedi High Council.
Honesty – A true Jedi speaks only the truth.
Discipline – Jedi-in-training and Jedi alike need discipline. Someone else should always be corrected when a mistake is made.
Patience – The road that a Jedi takes is rough and long; a Jedi must have patience.
Wisdom – Knowing what to do next is always important to yourself; and even others need it: always guide people to do the right thing.
Knowledge – Wisdom is useless if one does not how to do what to do next; the Jedi strive for knowledge always.
The Three Pillars of Jedi Strength
Knowledge – A Jedi's strength flows from the Force and through the knowledge that embodies them; the Force is useless without knowledge.
Self-discipline – A Jedi's strength must be controlled; true strength can only be achieved through controlling the emotions that lead to the Dark Side.
The Force – There is no greater strength in the Universe than the Force; a Jedi must have the Force as his or her ally.
