No matter which galaxy you live in, tattoos are both an art and a story, with many being earned through combat, bravery, or a rite of passage like becoming an adult.
Despite the Jedi living like monks and wanting to sever ties to family, there are a few Jedi who get tattoos due to their culture.
And there’s one Jedi who is still being debated if she has tattoos or natural markings.
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Can A Jedi Get Tattoos?
Like in many parts of the Jedi culture, tattoos are up to the individual. There are no rules against it, but getting tattoos happens more often among the Sith.
Here’s a list of which Jedi we know have tattoos.
- A Padawan hailing from the planet Baroli had blue facial tattoos. It’s unknown if they were due to culture or an organization.
- Master Fay had black lines on her left cheek and forehead.
- Master Fy-Tor-Ana had a tattoo on her forehead.
- Knight Ky Narec had thin, black lines on his chin and the sides of his nose.
- Yuledan (rank unknown but he belonged to the Jedi New Order) had red symbols on his chest.
- Barriss Offee and her master, Luminara Unduli, both have Mirialan tattoos.
There are also Dark Jedi, Force-sensitive who devoted themselves to the Dark side but weren’t Sith, who have tattoos.
- Tavion Axmis had purple patterns on her arms, forehead, under her eyes, and on the bridge of her nose.
- Trenox has dark lines on his bald head.
- One of the most famous Dark Jedi, Asajj Ventress, seems to have many different tattoos throughout the clone wars. She started with twelve knife-like tattoos, (six on each side of her head), but she’s been seen with different wavy markings and tattoos on her chin, (all in black).
Did Ahsoka Get Tattoos?
This is up for debate. According to The Clone Wars Encyclopedia and The Art Of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka’s white facial markings are tattoos.
However, in Ultimate Alien Anthology and The New Essential Guide To Alien Species, they are skin pigments.
With so many aliens to keep track of, we may never know for sure. Considering Ahsoka was three when she was brought to the Jedi Temple, I’m leaning towards the theory that her markings are skin pigments.
Other Points Of Interest
Anakin Skywalker almost had a mohawk and a tattoo, but George Lucas thought it would be too much.
Let’s talk about Sith. Unlike the Jedi, most Sith had cultural tattoos and the practice was still going on during the movies.
When I first watched The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars series, I had no idea that Asajj Ventress and Darth Maul were from the same planet.
I didn’t know that Darth Maul had tattoos! I just assumed that was how his species looked until I learned about their home planet, Dathomir.
Maul has red skin with black tattoos. There’s debate if he already had some when he started training under Palpatine, and his master gave him Sith tattoos.
Tattoos can be made involving needles, venom, chemicals, lasers, and Sith lightning.
Now let’s talk about the Clones.
The number of Clones with tattoos far surpasses the Jedi. They were encouraged by the Jedi to get tattoos along with haircuts and nicknames to show their unique personalities.
In Conclusion
A Jedi may get a tattoo if they wish, though Sith are more likely to do so. Thank you for reading and may the Force be with you.