Jedi Archives

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Coruscant

• Affiliation:
  Jedi order

• 

From the Movies

The Jedi Temple Archives contained possibly the single largest source of information in the galaxy. Within the polished architecture of the Temple, incredible amounts of data were stored electronically and holographically. Jedi scholars and investigators used the carefully organized data to aid in their studies or their missions. Lining the main hall were bronze busts of some of the most revered and accomplished Jedi Masters, both living and dead.

When Obi-Wan Kenobi was seeking out information about the planet Kamino, he turned to the Jedi Archives. Echoing a similar experience he had with the analysis droids in the Jedi Temple, the Archives were of disturbingly little help. They contained no record of the planet Kamino. The caretaker of the records, Madame Jocasta Nu, proclaimed the Archives complete and secure, and instead faulted Kenobi for chasing a phantom planet.

Further investigation proved to Obi-Wan that the planet did indeed exist. Sensor data of the surrounding space showed the gravitational influence of the system, even though the system itself was missing. It was evident that the Archives were tampered with, something that could only have been accomplished by a Jedi.

From the Expanded Universe

Much of the Jedi Archives were once kept on the planet Ossus, an ancient world that some believe to be the birthplace of the revered order. Many of the most sacred and ancient texts were whisked away prior to Ossus' devastation by an explosive shockwave unleashed by the terrible Sith War.

The Main Hall of the Jedi Archives was the largest single chamber of the Jedi Temple, and is nearly 2,500 years old. Most of the information stored within was in holobook format, an ancient self-contained technology requiring only small amounts of energy.

So complete were the Archives that even forbidden lore was stored within its chambers. The Archives contains the only known Sith Holocrons, information repositories of dark knowledge whose existence was revealed to only a few select Jedi Masters.

Behind the Scenes

The stately architecture and vaulted ceilings of the Jedi Archives Room were inspired by a variety of real-world libraries, including the Vatican and those found in old English estates. A bare minimum of the set was constructed -- only Kenobi's immediate work area and several busts were constructed. The majority of the scenery -- the rows and rows of holobooks and high ceilings -- were realized as miniatures.