Master of the Order

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"Hmm… our enemy created an army for us."
"If this was known, public confidence in the war effort, the Jedi, and the Republic would vanish. There would be mass chaos."
"Cover up this discovery we must. No one, not even the Chancellor, may know."

―Yoda and Mace Windu^[4]

Master of the Order, also known as Master of the Council^[5] or Grand Master of the Jedi High Council,^[6] was the title of the elected leader of the Jedi High Council. The holder of the office was appointed by the members of the High Council by unanimous vote. Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda served as heads of the Order during the late era of the Galactic Republic.

Roles and powers

A distinct office from the Grand Master, in which was considered the leader of the Jedi Order,^[7] the Master of the Order was the elected leader of the Jedi High Council and required an unanimous vote by the twelve members of the Council for appointment. Although the most important decisions were made by the Council as a whole, the Master of the Order was the key figure that often met with Jedi Knights, politicians, and leaders of different systems in unofficial settings and casual meetings to discuss ideas and concerns.^[8]

History

In the years prior to Invasion of Naboo, both Yoda and Mace Windu simultaneously held the rank of Master of the Order and led the Jedi High Council during the wanning days of the Republic.^[8] Windu's tenure as Master of the Order was notable for his commitment in maintaining the Order's ancient traditions and independence amidst the corruption in the Galactic Senate as well as his impatience for those who defied the Jedi Council.^[9]

Later, the positions of Grand Master and Master of the Order were consolidated once war with the Confederacy of Independent Systems grew inevitable, marking Yoda as both the sole Master of the Order and Grand Master of the Jedi Order.^[3]

List of Masters of the Order

Period	Master of the Order
By 33 BBY^[10]-21 BBY^[3]	Mace Windu^[9]
–19 BBY	Yoda^[3]

Behind the scenes

The Master of the Order title first appeared through Mace Windu in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.^[11] It was first canonized in the 2015 reference book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.^[1] The title was originally introduced in the 2004 Star Wars Legends novel Yoda: Dark Rendezvous.^[12] The title was mistakenly described as the overall leader of the Jedi Order by Star Wars Made Easy, with that book further alleging that the Grand Master was the leader of the High Council.^[13] In reality, however, the reverse is true;^[3] as established in Star Wars Legends^[14] and affirmed to be the case in canon,^[8]^[3] the Grand Master serves as leader of the Order^[7] while the Master of the Order leads the High Council.^[3]^[8]^[15]