There is a lot of press circulating surrounding the upcoming Star Wars: New Jedi Order movie, and an interview that was recently released could hold the key to tying this film to Star Wars Legends. Although not much is known about the upcoming movie aside from the fact it will not be released for some time, small bits of insight can be gleaned from the words of the film’s director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Best known for her work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Ms. Marvel, Obaid-Chinoy has dropped plenty of clues that may lead viewers in the right direction.

Set to see Daisy Ridley returning in the role of Rey Skywalker, Star Wars: New Jedi Order will supposedly take place 15 years after the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Though the specifics of the plot have not been confirmed, Rey will be rebuilding the Jedi Order from the ground up. Specifically, Obaid-Chinoy mentioned a “Jedi Academy” by name.

A Jedi Academy Is So Very Different To A Jedi Temple

Star Wars Legends Described It As A Place Of Learning

As described in the Expanded Universe, known now as Star Wars Legends, Jedi academies were locations where Force-sensitive individuals could study the ways of the Jedi and the ways of the Force. These academies were located across a variety of different planets, some only recruiting a handful of students. They could be anywhere, including the Jedi Praxeum that Luke Skywalker built on Yavin 4.

Although the Jedi temples seen in Star Wars canon are in fact the locations where many younglings and Padawans learn the ways of the Force, there is more to it than that. In canon, temples are typically built in places where the Force is the most influential. This power can be felt in places such as Coruscant, which was built on top of an ancient Sith shrine, and Ahch-To, where the Jedi Order was initially founded.

The Jedi Academy Was At The Heart Of Star Wars Legends – & Can Now Return

Real Knowledge And Not Power Would Be At The Heart Of Rey’s Training

When it was used in Legends, the Jedi academies showed that knowledge and education were far superior to the mystical ways of the Jedi and the Sith. This is the way that Luke Skywalker chose when rebuilding the Jedi Order in Legends, focusing primarily on peace after the war, and it could be the path that Rey chooses now. With Rey following in Luke’s footsteps, shifting the focus back to his actions in the Expanded Universe and even modern shows like The Book of Boba Fett proves that Star Wars is ready for more for the Jedi Order than what was exposed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

By taking this focus away from the powerful foundations that the Jedi temples are so often built on in canon, the movie can show that Rey’s Order is leaving some of the less peaceful ways of the Jedi behind. There will not be a focus on power and strength, but rather on learning everything about what the Force has to offer. This is only more evidence that Star Wars: New Jedi Order will show the Jedi Order in a way that no piece of media has in franchise history.