Summary
- Ancient Jedi prophecies encom the entire Skywalker saga, most famously the Chosen One prophecy.
- Many prophecies are open to interpretation, making it difficult to know their meaning.
- Some are currently being explored in Star Wars: The High Republic.
Over the years Chosen One, a being destined somehow to bring balance to the Force. The Jedi interpreted this to mean that Anakin was destined to destroy the Sith, and were understandably taken rather by surprise when instead Anakin betrayed them and became a Sith Lord. Yoda suggested that the prophecy could have been misinterpreted.
This isn't the only prophecy in play, of course; there are others, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introducing the Rule of Two. It isn't even the only Jedi prophecy, either, because Star Wars canon has introduced many others. Here's every major prophecy confirmed in Star Wars to date, along with all we know about the prophecy's interpretation.
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8 The Kyber That Is Not Kyber
A strange prophecy fulfilled in Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice
"When the Kyber that is not Kyber shines forth, the time of prophecy is at hand."
Kyber are living crystals, composed of both organic and inorganic matter, and because they're partly alive they are attuned to the Force. The crystals exhibit strange shifts in their lattices, which have caused some to wonder whether or not they actually have an emotional spectrum. According to Chuck Wendig's novel Aftermath: Empire's End, "Just as the Jedi are a lens that focuses the Force, so is the kyber crystal a lens that focuses the light inside the Jedi - and the light inside the Jedi's weapon, the lightsaber."
"It looks almost exactly like kyber. The same heft. It even possesses some vibration with the Force."
The Jedi venerate kyber, using it to power their lightsabers. That makes one ancient prophecy, from Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice, all the stranger. It refers to "the Kyber that is not Kyber," indicating something else could serve as a power source for a lightsaber. This was fulfilled in Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice, when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbled upon kohlen crystals. "It looks almost exactly like kyber," Qui-Gon reflected as he studied a sample. "The same heft. It even possesses some vibration with the Force."
Incredibly, kohlen could even power a lightsaber, as proven when a would-be saboteur attempted to stop Obi-Wan's lightsaber working by switching his blade's kyber crystal for kohlen. Qui-Gon took the triggering of Obi-Wan's blade to mean that the time of prophecies was at hand, and that the Chosen One would appear soon. This is the reason he was so confident Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One.
7 The Chosen One
The Star Wars saga's most famous prophecy
"A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."
The text of the Chosen One prophecy was only revealed in Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice, and it's certainly ambiguous. The prophecy is clearly Messianic, foretelling the Virgin Birth of a savior figure who will somehow bring "ultimate balance" to the Force. This Chosen One is clearly Anakin Skywalker, a child who had no father and whose Midichlorian levels were off the charts.
- Cast
- Bob Anderson, Sebastian Shaw
- First Appearance
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
- Died
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi
- Created By
- George Lucas
- Franchise
- Star Wars
- Race
- Human
The idea of "balance" is an odd one, and seems to suggest that the prophecies predate the Jedi Order; the Jedi honor the light and attempt to destroy the darkness, rather than truly seeking a harmonious balance between the two. It's notable that the Jedi assumed the Chosen One would destroy the Sith, and didn't expect anything to happen to them during the time the prophecies were fulfilled. Given some of the other prophecies surrounding the Chosen One, this was naive at best, absolutely foolish at worst.
The interpretative key to this sentence may lie in two words: "through him." This doesn't necessarily imply that the Chosen One himself will be the one to bring balance; rather, it suggests that something he sets in motion will do so. That could be through his children, or potentially even through his Force Ghost.
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6 The Nameless
A disturbing prophecy that seems to speak of the High Republic Era
"Only through the sacrifice of many Jedi will the Order cleanse the sin done to the nameless."
Not all known Jedi prophecies involve the Chosen One, although curiously they appear to be contained within associated texts - perhaps hinting at as-yet-unrevealed connections between them all. One of the most concerning seems to refer to the Nameless, monstrous creatures unleashed in the High Republic Era. The Nameless are the ultimate Force predators, literally consuming the Force, and these prophecies seem to hint the Jedi will go to extreme lengths to stop the creatures.
There's been some speculation that "the sin done to the Nameless" is what left the Force out of balance, In which case, "the sacrifice of many Jedi" probably refers to the deaths of the Jedi during the Clone Wars, which culminated in Order 66. More will presumably be revealed as Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III continues.
5 "When the Force Itself Sickens"
The Nameless consume the Force itself
"When the Force itself sickens, past and future must split and combine."
Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III has revealed that the Nameless are affecting the Force itself. The mere presence of a Nameless on a planet is twisting and distorting it, and in Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton's Defy the Storm, the Jedi learn there is an even more cosmic impact. An entire moon has been mysteriously calcified, typical of the Nameless effect, and this seems to be spreading.
This explains why the Nameless pose a threat to the entire galaxy, and presumably why the Jedi will go to drastic lengths to stop them. What is odd about this prophecy, though, is the comment that "past and future must split and combine" to deal with the threat. This must refers to events yet to be told in Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III.
4 "The Danger of the Past"
A mysterious prophecy that may speak of the Sith
"The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg. When the egg cracks, it will threaten the galaxy entire."
Some prophecies are particularly unclear. This one speaks to a common theme in Star Wars; that the dangers of the past are not gone, but rather are merely sleeping, and can be awoken. This was undoubtedly true of the Sith themselves; the Jedi believed the Sith rendered extinct a thousand years before Palpatine stepped from the shadows. They were proven naive in their complacency.
But this prophecy may not speak of the Sith. The reference to the "egg" seems as though it may refer to the Nameless, creatures that do indeed sleep in eggs, and that have apparently been unleashed on several occasions before the High Republic Era. This is one prophecy that has to be chalked up as unclear right now.
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3 "The Highest of the Jedi"
Anakin Skywalker's ascension foretold
"One will ascend to the highest of the Jedi despite the foreboding of those who would serve with him."
This prophecy most likely speaks of Anakin Skywalker, who was made a member of the Jedi Council by Palpatine, against the wishes of the Council themselves. As such, it subtly hints at the conflict between the Jedi Order and the Republic Government under Palpatine.
It's interesting to note that this prophecy is unusually specific; while many of the prophecies are so open-ended they could refer to either a male or female Jedi, this notes the gender of the one it is referring to. It will be fascinating to see whether this pattern plays out again in history. Star Wars tends to rhyme, after all.
2 "Give Birth to Darkness"
The Skywalker saga foreseen
"She who will be born in darkness will give birth to darkness."
Palpatine's return neatly binds the Star Wars Saga together, meaning it's all one single narrative - the story of the Emperor's rise and fall from power. As such, the prophecies naturally span the whole Saga. That means this particular prophecy most likely refers to the birth of Ben Solo. Leia is the daughter of Darth Vader, born after her mother was almost Force-choked to death, so she was certainly born in darkness; and her son, too, was destined to fall to the dark side.
This is one of the few Star Wars prophecies to embrace the whole Skywalker saga - arguably the only one. It's chilling to imagine that all these events were foretold millennia before they happened, raising disturbing questions about free will. Given that's the case, it's no surprise the Jedi recommended not thinking too much about them.
1 Two Prophecies Speak of Palpatine's Return
"When the righteous lose the light, evil once dead shall return."
"He who learns to conquer death will through his greatest student live again."
Two prophecies speak of the return of a powerful evil; it's reasonable to assume they're talking about Palpatine, and as such they may well be hints as to the plot of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine was a student of Darth Plagueis, who he claimed had learned to conquer death; various tie-ins have already shown Darth Sidious was obsessed with conquering death so he could create an eternal Empire. If anyone was going to learn how to come back from the dead, it would be Palpatine. And yet, there are two conditions to this:
- Palpatine will return "through his greatest student"
- The Emperor will, however, only come back from the dead "when the righteous lose the light."
Darth Vader was undoubtedly Palpatine's greatest student, so this suggests that Vader himself set something in motion that will ultimately allow the Emperor to return. The comment about the righteous losing the light may simply refer to a hopeless situation, with the First Order dominating the galaxy in the aftermath of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As with so many of Star Wars' Jedi prophecies, it's all pretty vague and indistinct.
