Summary
- The Jedi Order's origins can be traced back to the Dai Bendu, a Force cult that preceded the Jedi and believed in balance rather than the light or dark side.
- The first Jedi Temple was believed to be on Ahch-To, even though the Dai Bendu were associated with Coruscant. This suggests that the Jedi Order may have originated from outside the galaxy.
- The Jedi Order went through significant changes, dedicating themselves to the light side of the Force and developing new lightsaber forms to adapt to conflicts with the Sith.
The history and timeline of the Jedi Order is still something of a mystery in Star Wars, but here's everything that has been revealed to date. When George Lucas introduced viewers to the Star Wars galaxy, he deliberately chose to give everything a lived-in aesthetic and a sense of history. According to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi had been guardians of the Republic for a thousand generations.
The Star Wars galaxy has expanded a great deal since then, of course (and Ahsoka even went beyond the confines of this galaxy). Canon stories have been set across the timeline, and countless Jedi and Sith artifacts have been recovered. The actual dawn of the Jedi is expected to be told in James Mangold's upcoming Jedi origin movie, but a surprising amount has already been revealed or implied. Here's the full timeline of the Jedi Order, from their origin over 25,000 years ago to what was believed to be the final defeat of the Sith a thousand years before the Skywalker saga. All dates are provided in BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), the main marker in the Star Wars calendar.
Your browser does not support the video tag. 13 The Dai Bendu Were The Precursor Of The Jedi Order Little is known about the Force cult that became the Jedi 
According to the Star Wars: Force & Destiny sourcebook Unlimited Power, a group known as the Dai Bendu were the precursor of the Jedi Order. The name comes from George Lucas' earliest plans for the Jedi – he originally called them Jedi Bendu – and little is known about them in canon. They are confirmed to have still been active in the Star Wars galaxy just a thousand years before the Skywalker saga, so they must have coexisted with the Jedi. They may also have been tied to a mysterious creature called the Bendu encountered in Star Wars Rebels, who considered himself an agent of balance rather than the light or dark side. There are some indications the same was true of the Dai Bendu in canon.
Lightsabers may be associated with the Jedi Order and the Sith, but the Star Wars: Force & Destiny sourcebook Knights of Fate hints they predated the Jedi. The first official lightsaber form, Shii-Cho – sometimes called the Determination Form or the Way of the Sarlacc – is believed to have been adapted from existing techniques. "These traditional maneuvers primarily focused on direct blows intended to kill or maim, and their results were amplified by the unprecedented efficacy of the lightsaber."
