Padawans refer to their trainers as ‘Master.’ However, this is a sign of respect, and their trainer is not always a Jedi Master. Jedi Knights can train Padawans, and it serves as a step toward the rank of Jedi Master should they successfully train their new apprentice.
Can a Jedi Knight Have a Padawan?
Yes, Jedi Knights can take on Padawans. In fact, one of the most famous examples is Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was granted the rank of Jedi Knight and then immediately took Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan—fulfilling Qui-Gon Jinn’s dying wish.
Typically, Jedi Knights and Masters would attend the Apprentice Tournament at the Jedi Temple, where they could choose a Padawan to train. This was the standard method in both canon and Legends, though there were exceptions.
Obi-Wan and Anakin bypassed this system, and Anakin himself later trained Ahsoka Tano, who was directly assigned to him by Yoda rather than chosen at a tournament.
Jedi Knights aren’t required to take a Padawan right after their trials, but many do, seeing it as part of their duty to train the next generation. Successfully training a Padawan to Knighthood is often one of the steps toward becoming a Jedi Master—as was the case with Obi-Wan after Anakin’s knighting.
While not all Jedi take on apprentices, those who do often build strong bonds through years of training and shared missions.
How Did Anakin Have An Apprentice When He Was Still An Apprentice?
When Ahsoka Tano was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), a lot of fans had the same reaction: how could that be possible? At that point in the movies, wasn’t Anakin still Obi-Wan Kenobi’s apprentice? Surely the Jedi Order wouldn’t break its own rules and give a Padawan to another Padawan.
The good news is the answer is straightforward: Anakin wasn’t a Padawan anymore when he trained Ahsoka. By the time she came along, he had already been promoted to Jedi Knight, and it was just not shown in the movies clearly.
Brotherhood Confirms Anakin’s Promotion
The novel Star Wars: Brotherhood fills in the space during The Clone Wars, and it gives us clear proof that Anakin had already moved on from his Padawan days.
Obi-Wan sees the change in him:
“A powerful Jedi, an intense heart, an uncontrollable impulse—all of those things were central to Anakin’s being. And now, an equal, his Padawan braid severed. But more than the symbolism of his braid, Anakin’s emotional transition to Jedi Knight was proving rougher than Obi-Wan expected. Rather than a simple flick of a mental switch, Anakin seemed to take several steps forward toward confident decision making before skirting back into deference.” (Brotherhood, p. 23)
That line tells us everything: his braid was gone, and he was now a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan even calls him an “equal.”
Later, Anakin shows Padmé the most direct symbol of this change, and gives her his special present:
“My Padawan braid.” She traced the braid, now coiled into a spiral and encased in carbonite as it sat within the pendant’s simple design. “To new beginnings.” (Brotherhood, p. 50)
And even though Obi-Wan still worries about him, the Council makes it clear that Anakin is no longer under his wing:
“My former Padawan is still new in his role. Should I speak to him about the chancellor’s militarization requests as well?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Skywalker is no longer your responsibility,” Mace said. (Brotherhood, p. 63)
So the novel removes any doubt: Anakin was promoted to Jedi Knight, and the braid—once the marker of his apprenticeship—was literally sealed away as a memory.
The Braid Explains A Lot
There’s a really easy way to see this in the movies and shows: look at Anakin’s hair. All Padawans wear a braid. Anakin had one in Attack of the Clones, but in The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith, it’s gone. That’s the most basic signal that he was knighted.
There’s another part that often confuses people. Ahsoka calls Anakin “Master,” so doesn’t that mean he had to be a Jedi Master? Not really. In the Jedi Order, a Knight can train a Padawan. The title “Master” is just what apprentices call their teachers. Obi-Wan trained Anakin while still a Knight, and Anakin was in the same position when Ahsoka came along.
And since we’re talking about braids, Ahsoka had her own version. She didn’t have hair, so hers was made out of silka beads. It served the same purpose as the traditional braid and marked her as a Padawan.
