The Future of the Jedi

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi made people both very angry and very happy. Today I'm not going to focus on the reasons for the outrage but on the future of the Jedi. Rey came to Luke Skywalker in the hopes of strengthening her Force powers. However, it turned out that the Jedi Master of legends had become a recluse that had shut himself out of the Force.

By the end of the movie all the ancient Jedi texts and Luke are gone. To say the future of the Jedi is uncertain would be an underestimate. I've decided to give my own opinions on where things will go for the Jedi.

 The Jedi Starting Over is a Good Thing

I know me saying that the Jedi need to start over is odd. At least to some people. One friend was actually shocked on my opinion of the Jedi. Anyways...one problem of the Order is that they only focused on the light side of the Force.

The Force is not just light but also dark. To fully understand it a Force user needs to learn to find a balance between both. It is the Jedi's focus on the light side that made them not understand what 'bringing balance to the Force' really meant.

Another problem with the Jedi is the fact that they were limited by ancient dogma. Some of the teachings of the Jedi hold up but others hold them down. If the Jedi Order allowed its members to marry, Anakin Skywalker would not have been compelled to take his wife's safety into his own hands.

Jedi are also not allowed to keep connections with their biological parents. In the case of Xanatos (Qui-Gon Jinn's former padawn who turned to the Dark Side) and Anakin, having connections with their parents is shown to be a bad thing. This because both eventually turn to the Dark Side.

However, I am sure that is not always the case.

The reason the Jedi do this is so that their members never find that their loyalties waver from the Order.

The final problem about the Order that I'll discuss here is that the Jedi served politics over people. They were ordered around by the Republic. They went on missions for the government rather than going out to help the people.

While the New Jedi Order can be involved in politics, it should remain more independent from any system of government.

Rey as a Teacher

Right now the only 'Jedi' we know of is Rey. Only she has some mastery of the Force. There is the kid on Canto Bight, aka the Casino Planet, but we only see him doing something extremely simple with the Force.

Besides being able to do more, Rey has had some character growth. She hasn't just learned to use the Force, but has also learned about morality. She has been tempted by the Dark Side and has chosen not to fall. Though, as Luke showed us, escaping the Dark Side once doesn't mean you can't fall again.

Even though Rey has gone through some growth, she also has more to learn until she could be thought of as a Jedi Master. There is still one more move in the new Star Wars trilogy that will either make or break the young character.
She has fought off Kylo Ren and at the end she seemed not to care for him anymore, but I do think they share a connection. There will be something that will bring them together again. How she will deal with him next time...I really don't know.

What Will the New Jedi Order be Like

As the ancient Jedi texts are now destroyed, Rey will need to start from scratch. She won't be able to open a book if she has any questions, she'll need to figure things out on her own. I don't know if there are any Jedi Holocrons scattered across the galaxy which would help her.

If there aren't any Jedi Holocrons and she has to rely on her own wits to form a New Jedi Order, there will probably be a period of chaos. A period where it's decided on what actually helps the Order.

Besides figuring out how the Order will be run, there is the question of gathering new members. It will take some time to get new Jedi as Rey is currently helping the Rebellion. And the Rebellion isn't doing too well these days.

In the Last Jedi Rey was confronted by both the light and the dark. She encountered Luke on an island that held both great beauty and great evil. At one point you can even see a symbol that looks like a Yin Yang which further stresses the point about balance. She also used her passion in her fight with those of the First Order.

So Rey may very well find that balance is what the New Jedi Order should focus on. It shouldn't dedicate itself to the light or the dark, but the point between them.

I really wish Grey Jedi were touched on during the Last Jedi. But, hey, the movie liked to laugh at fan theories. After seeing Game of Thrones Season 7, it's honestly nice having a piece of media not cater to the fans.

The first place Rey uses as a temple will be a building where her and the other rebels are holed up. It could be extremely small, but it would still be a place for the Jedi to gather. Jedi who would be with the Rebellion until the war ended.

Rey might keep this 'temple' or move it somewhere else when the conflict with the First Order is resolved.