Throughout Star Wars Canon and Legends, Jedi appear to be stronger and faster than the galaxy’s average beings. Although their immense athletic ability raises the question: Is the average Jedi as strong and athletic as they look, or is this the Force at work, or a combo?
The average Jedi is physically stronger than the average being given their rigorous training and ability to channel the Force. Even the average Jedi was strong enough to slay dozens of droids or overpower Inquisitors.
While the debate for the title of Strongest Jedi Ever will never end, three candidates routinely emerge.
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Are Jedi Physically Strong?
Jedi are physically strong, given the demands in their training. As seen in The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda took Luke Skywalker through several rounds of physical training.
While Jedi are physically strong on their own, they also channel the Force to augment their strength. Star Wars Canon shows many primary examples, but none fit the mold better than Yoda.
Living to the age of 900, Yoda’s physical strength deteriorated with age, rarely seen without his walking stick, or walking hunched over. But when he pulled out his lightsaber to duel, he aged in reverse and resembled someone in the prime of their lives.
A fantastic example is shown during his duel with Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith. He pulls off acrobatic moves and even uses a Force push that sends Sidious into the wall. Yoda even gained the upper-hand in the duel before losing his lightsaber.
Yoda showed that while aged Jedi may not always be physically stronger than average beings in the Star Wars universe under normal circumstances, they exhibited more strength through the Force.
It’s important to remember that the Force does not make a Jedi immortal. Its effects will eventually tear down the physical body, which occurred during Return of the Jedi.
What About the Sith?
Like their Jedi counterparts, the Sith exhibited greater physical strength. After transforming into a cyborg, Darth Vader still showed off phenomenal physical strength following his loss to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith.
Vader used his anger and hatred, both akin to the dark side of the Force, to stay alive before Darth Sidious arrived. He could also lift normal beings with one hand, use his mechanical legs to jump further, and crush objects with a single squeeze.
Darth Maul, another victim of Kenobi’s, is another prime example. After Obi-Wan cut Maul in half and presumably killed him, he used the same tactics as Vader to keep himself alive.
Even before Obi-Wan defeated him, Maul showed physical prowess superseding our galaxy’s best MMA fighters.
How Strong is the Average Jedi?
In our galaxy, we look up to the strength of football players, professional wrestlers, strongmen, and powerlifters. But thanks to the Force, even the most average Jedi still possess strength greater than all of the above.
And it goes beyond physical strength. Their acrobatics allow them to jump higher than our galaxy’s most gifted NBA players, and run faster than an Olympic sprinter.
The average being in both Canon and Legends were aware of an average Jedi’s strength. So much that it took a lot for Jedi to consider a non-Force-sensitive being a threat, and they often diffused most threats by igniting their lightsaber.
Average beings, strong as they were against others not Force-sensitive, realized they and their blasters stood no chance against a Jedi, even those with an average skill-set.
Jedi Versus Battle Droids
The average Jedi is strong enough to make a battle droid look like nothing more than fodder. And just one glimpse of The Phantom Menace, droids look like nothing more than useless robots who, at best, slow down attackers.
But this is far from the case. Battle droids were technologically advanced fighters possessing a high battle IQ. If you’ve ever seen a video featuring how lethal military robot prototypes are in our galaxy, you have an idea of just how strong a battle droid is.
Jedi use the Force when battling droids, which grants them the ability to use their precognitive abilities and Force speed. With Jedi easily overpowering these droids, it shows how much the Force augments their physical strength.
Could Any Being Overpower a Jedi?
Non-Force-Sensitive beings had a tough time overpowering Jedi. And those who succeeded often did so in packs.Take Order 66, where Clone Troopers ambushed their Jedi Generals.
Skilled Mandalorians and bounty hunters like Jango Fett also stood a chance to overpower a Jedi. Jango showed this when he knocked Obi-Wan Kenobi off a landing platform in Attack of the Clones. However, Jango accomplished a rare feat in his duel with Kenobi.
The Sith knew how strong the average Jedi was and realized even they would have a tough time taking them down alone. While hunting down survivors of Order 66, they resorted to creating an entire division, known as the Inquisitors, for this task.
Who is the Strongest Jedi Ever?
The raging debate in the Star Wars universe will probably never end. In both Canon and Legends, each era boasted Jedi who could hold the title as the strongest ever. Below are the three most popular candidates whose names pop up in every conversation.
Yoda
master yoda duelist
Even at an old age, Yoda proved to be a gifted Jedi Master and teacher. Serving as the Jedi Grand Master, he trained countless Younglings and besides his lightsaber-wielding ability, he also built arguably a stronger connection to the Force than any other Jedi.
Luke Skywalker
A hero in the Galactic Civil War, Luke Skywalker completed his Jedi training the hard way. He started later than any other at age 19, and only received training in less than a fraction of the time than those during the days of the Galactic Republic.
His Jedi trial was also non-traditional, and it involved confronting Darth Vader. After defeating Vader, Luke turned his back on the dark side, causing Darth Sidious, who witnessed the duel, to unleash his infamous Force lightning.
Luke survived and founded the New Jedi Order. Although he was unsuccessful in the Canon in fully resurrecting the Order, he trained Rey, who defeated Darth Sidious for good.
Mace Windu
Windu’s biggest accomplishments involved slaying Jango Fett, someone the gifted Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t overpower. He also dueled and defeated Count Dooku, a Sith Lord Obi-Wan and Anakin had trouble with during the opening scene in Revenge of the Sith.
Another testament to Mace Windu’s strength came in that movie when he led a team to arrest Shreev Palpatine. And if it wasn’t for Anakin Skywalker’s betrayal, Windu would have won that duel.