Star Wars is one of the most popular fantasy franchises there is, and the most powerful female Jedi have officially been decided!

There are hundreds upon hundreds of characters within the universe of Star Wars. We have characters from the movies, the games, the books (many of which have had their canon status removed, sadly), and the comics. It can be a little overwhelming to keep them all straight sometimes! Except for our favorites, of course.

We’re going to narrow that major list down a bit, and just focus on the female Jedi for a minute. Even then that is still a rather large list, thanks again to all of the mediums that Star Wars has made appearances in. Then there are the different timelines to consider, and remember, Star Wars covers an alarmingly large amount of time.

What if we just focused on ten of the most powerful female Jedi? They certainly have some of the most interesting stories to tell. They’re also more likely to be on our list of favorites, so it’s a win/win.

The female Jedi of Star Wars are sometimes overlooked, but that doesn’t make them any less than their male (or non-binary) counterparts.

Updated April 24th, 2020 by George Chrysostomou: The Skywalker saga may be over, with Rey firmly becoming one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, but we're taking a look at more female Jedi that are defined by their strength. 

15 Nomi Sunrider

Nomi Sunrider has a bleak origin story. After getting ambushed by a gang, her Jedi husband was murdered. Seeking justice in the galaxy she picked up his lightsaber and carried on his good work, becoming a member of the order.

She was a famously powerful Jedi during the height of the Republic and contributed to numerous victories for these allied forces. She's always had enormous potential to wield the force, but her powers constantly developed throughout her career.

14 Satele Shan

The Old Republic has produced many heroes for the galaxy to worship, but perhaps none more so than Grand Master Satele Shan. She was on the front lines for numerous battles against the resurrected Sith Order and contributed to some of their defeats.

Her power with the force was rarely matched and she's been known to have beaten many senior members of that dark religion. Her skills with a blade are unlike any others on this list, with Shan using unique techniques to best her foes in battle.

13 Tahiri Veila

Veila is one of the few members of the Jedi who became enamoured with the dark side but was actually powerful enough to resist it and remove herself from the Sith forces. In her own right Veila is incredibly powerful.

Serving the Jedi for a number of years, she was one of their brightest members, but her powers were especially unleashed when wielding some of the anger of the dark side. Her hand to hand combat skills were effective and she'd mastered the rare ability of trakata.

12 Stass Allie

Stass Allie has the unique distinction of being one of the few Jedi to actually survive the battle of Geonosis. Allie served the Jedi Council throughout the Clone Wars and participated in multiple battles that she was on the victorious side of.

She rose up the ranks very quickly due to her skill and the respect that she had earned, eventually earning herself a seat on the Council. She unfortunately fell during order 66, despite being a great leader of her troopers.

11 Jocasta Nu

Intelligence is power and Jocasta Nu might hold the most knowledge in the Jedi Order. An absolute master of studying, Nu is the chief librarian and turned most of her attention to acquiring information throughout her career.

While other women on this list are strong in the force, or perhaps with a lightsaber, Jocasta Nu's strength really comes from her mind. She survived Order 66 and tried to preserve the Jedi order, even using force when she needed to, showing her resiliency despite her age.

10 Yaddle

While Yaddle is probably the most famous for her species – being the same as Yoda – there is a lot more to know about her. She was a member of the Jedi High Council got a time, but became less active by the time the Clone Wars came around.Yaddle was present on the council during the Invasion of Naboo, as well as the tumultuous time when young Anakin Skywalker was presented to the council. Yaddle isn’t known for any showy displays of the force; instead she seemed to prefer listening to what the force had to say.

Yaddle was better known for her healing abilities. The most intriguing power of hers was known as morichro; the ability to show a person’s heart rate and breathing to a point of near death. All of her healing abilities allowed her to join the Medical Council, where she eventually became president for a time.

9 Aayla Secura

Aayla Secura was a Jedi General during the time of the Clone Wars. Unfortunately she lost her life during the wars – being one of the first Jedi to fall due to Order 66. During her time in battle though, she was formidable and did everything in her power to make a difference.

Aayla was one of the Jedi involved in the rescue attempt that resulted in everyone being put in a Geonosian arena. Here she famously kicked a super battle droid in the face. She survived that battle and was able to join countless others, including the attack at Quell. Secura and Yoda famously teamed up to distract the Zillo Beast in one episode of the Clone Wars.Before her untimely death, Secura was considered to be one of the Jedi Masters. If she hadn’t been shot in the back by somebody she trusted, it’s likely that she would have taken a significant number of clones with her.

8 Shaak Ti

Shaak Ti was another Jedi active during the time of the Clone Wars. She was there for the first official battle of the wars – the Battle of Geonosis. From there Ti took charge of training the new clone troops, making sure they were up for the battles ahead.

During her time training the troops, she became aware of a conspiracy that later was likely the direct result of her death. She started to uncover the truths about the clones and what they were potentially designed for. Ti was on the Jedi Council, had been at the Battle of Naboo, the Battle on Coruscant, and countless others. She earned her title as General during the times of the Clone Wars, and did what she could to pass her knowledge on.

While meditating in an attempt to help Yoda hear a message, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker killed her. Even her death wasn’t enough to stop her from spreading the message of the Jedi. Ti is the one that left the recording that Luke Skywalker one day finds and listens to. The recording was full of her hope and greatly inspired the young Jedi.

7 Depa Billaba

Depa Billaba was part of the last Jedi High Council, before it all fell down. Billaba was a stable presence on the council, staying on during the Clone Wars and right up until the end. She was mentored by none other than Mace Windu.One of her padawans is worth mentioning here, since he became rather well known in the Rebels series – Caleb Dume, whom we known as Kanan. When Order 66 occurred, Billaba gave her life in order to save Caleb/Kanan.

Billaba was exceptionally talented with her lightsaber, a fact that was noted in all of her records. Additionally her sensitivity to the force allowed her to sense the death of her fellow Jedi in time to get her padawan to safety at the end of the Clone Wars.

6 Adi Gallia

Adi Gallia is another Jedi that was active during the times of the Clone Wars. She was on the Jedi High Council before the end, as well as a Jedi General. Gallia fell during her battle against Savage Opress (brother of Darth Maul).Gallia was part of the team that saved Eeth Koth from General Grievous (other party members included Obi-Wan and Anakin). She was also present during the iconic Battle on Geonosis with some of the other Jedi mentioned already in this list.

Along with planning and defense, Gallia was able to help identify the cause of death of some of her fellow Jedi. Gallia was known for backing up other Jedi during dangerous battles, which is why we so often hear of Obi-Wan and other famous Jedi in the same breath. She lent support to those that needed it, and knew to prioritize saving the others over her personal grudges.

5 Luminara Unduli

Luminara Unduli was a Jedi Master active during the Clone Wars. Unlike many of her time, she survived Order 66. Unfortunately it was not by much, as she was captured and executed for her crimes of being a Jedi.Luminara lent her lightsaber to the infamous Battle of Geonosis. She was part of the rescue mission led by Mace Windu. Before Yoda’s arrival, Unduli had made is more than clear that she was willing to go down fighting, rather than even consider surrendering.

Luminara is somewhat famous for her face off against Ventress. She came upon Ventress battling Ahsoka just in time to save the young Jedi and force Ventress into a corner (naturally Ventress was able to escape). Ahsoka and Luminara put up a strong fight against the assassin before her escape at least.

One of Unduli’s legacies will always be the number of droid factories she was able to assist in taking down. Without her persistence it’s difficult to say how worse off the war would have been, but at least we’ll never have to question it.

4 Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka Tano first made her appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. Yes, you read that correctly. She makes more appearances later in Rebels, and eventually gets her own novel as well.

Ahsoka is a Togruta and she’s incredibly stubborn and willful. She’s passionate and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a Jedi. She didn’t let Anakin’s lack of enthusiasm drive her off – if anything she saw it as a challenge.Ahsoka is one of the few Jedi who survived Order 66. Her survival was one part luck, thanks to her not being an official member of the Jedi by that point. She learned from what happened from these events though, and changed her tactics, instead focusing on Intel and coordination as a means of fighting the Empire.

She’s also one of the few Jedi that wields white lightsabers. Her lightsabers are that distinctive color for a reason. That’s the color of a blade that had been red, but then healed. It’s quite the statement.

3 Mara Jade

Mara Jade is proof that it’s never too late to do the right thing. She was Emperor Palpatine’s servant and assassin, committing all the murders and crimes he asked of her without a second thought. After the death of her master, she began to question everything he raised her to believe.

She willingly opted not to try to follow through on the last orders she was given: kill Luke Skywalker. Instead, over time, she and Luke began to work together. With even more time they began to trust each other, and even grow to like one another. From there, it was only a matter of time before they fell in love. Mara Jade had a series of adventures in between all of this, of course. She used her training to get her jobs with smugglers and the likes. Once she married Skywalker she changed her name and joined the New Jedi Order.

Jade Skywalker, as she preferred to be known from that point forward, continued fighting for the Jedi, even when she was seriously ill. She eventually defeated the illness, and once she did she took on her niece, Jaina Solo Fell, as her apprentice.

2 Jaina Solo Fel

Jaina Solo Fel is not a character we’re likely to see in the Star Wars movies anytime soon, but lucky for us, one fan has provided some amazing artwork of her.

Nomi Sunrider. In the books, she is daughter to Han and Leia, along with a couple of other children. She became a member of the Jedi High Council for the New Jedi Order.

Solo helped prevent many disasters in her own time, proving that she truly is her parent’s daughter. She stood up against the Yuuzhan Vong, joined the Battle of Tralus, and so much more. Though at times she wavered, she remained loyal to the cause when others because to lose sight.

When her uncle was exiled in order for the council to change their intents and goals, Solo resisted by forming her own subgroup. She dubbed this subgroup the Darkmeld. They undermined the new efforts at every opportunity.

1 Rey

Rey is one of the most recent additions to the Star Wars characters, with her first appearance being in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Hers is also arguably one of the most controversial, with fans either loving or hating her character.Regardless of how you feel about her character, you’ve got to admit that she is extremely powerful, especially despite her relatively untrained status.

In her short time as Jedi, Rey has managed to accomplish some incredible feats. Though she shares a lot of the credit with her friends as well, as is true Star Wars fashion.

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