We all know the Jedi aren’t bounty hunters or mercenaries—they don’t charge for their services, and they definitely don’t care about credits. But have you ever wondered how they actually fund their massive Order? They have a huge temple on Coruscant, advanced starfighters, and enough resources to train generations of Jedi. That kind of operation doesn’t run on goodwill alone.
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The Jedi Don’t Earn Salaries
As we all know, the Jedi don’t have salaries. Even after completing countless missions, they never receive a paycheck—whether from the requester or the Jedi Council. No matter how dangerous or important their assignments are, they don’t work for credits.
Take Obi-Wan Kenobi in Attack of the Clones, for example. He was sent to Kamino to investigate an assassination attempt on Padmé, then ended up in the middle of a galactic conspiracy involving a secret clone army. Any mercenary or bounty hunter would’ve demanded a fortune for that level of work. But Obi-Wan, like all Jedi, never expected a single credit in return.
That’s because the Jedi live a monastic lifestyle. They don’t own personal wealth, and they don’t need to. Everything they require—food, shelter, and resources—is provided by the Order, allowing them to focus entirely on their duty. For the Jedi, power isn’t measured in credits—it’s in their connection to the Force.
So with all that, where do Jedi credits actually come from? If you remember The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn offered 20,000 credits to Watto in exchange for a hyperdrive, showing that the Jedi do have access to funds when necessary. But those credits don’t belong to them personally—they come from the Jedi Order, which manages all financial needs for their missions.
The Jedi Order’s Funding Comes from the Republic
Since the Jedi serve as peacekeepers of the Republic, it makes sense that the Republic funds their Order. The Jedi aren’t independent warriors operating on their own—they’re an official part of the Republic’s structure, almost like a special branch of government. This means their resources, training, and missions are all backed by Republic funding.
We see this in The Clone Wars, where the Jedi operate alongside the Republic military, using ships, weapons, and supplies provided by the Senate. Their starships, temples, and massive archives aren’t funded by personal wealth but by government resources. The Jedi Temple itself is located in the heart of Coruscant, showing just how deeply they’re tied to the Republic’s infrastructure.
But while the Republic funds the Jedi, that doesn’t mean they work for politicians. The Jedi are meant to be neutral, serving the will of the Force rather than the Senate. Of course, we know how that turned out—Palpatine used their reliance on the Republic against them, ensuring that when the government turned, the Jedi had no backup. Their entire funding and support system collapsed overnight.
Where Do the Jedi Keep Their Funds?
The relationship between the Republic and the Jedi is a win-win. The Republic gets the best peacekeepers in the galaxy, while the Jedi have the funding they need to grow their Order without worrying about running out of credits.
But have you ever wondered where the Jedi actually store their funds? Well, they have a secure vault known as the Jedi Vault. One of these vaults was located on Alaris Prime, a moon in the Kashyyyk system. And it wasn’t just a place for storing credits—it also held a vast collection of treasures and artifacts, showing that the Jedi’s wealth wasn’t just about money but about preserving history and knowledge.