What type of benefit package do you think Jedi Knights got?

[Whisper-Kitten]

I mean saving the galaxy over and over again is a pretty thankless job if all you get is a pat on the back. You would think that over the millennia they were around that there would have some version of compensation. I mean they never mention getting any sort of salary. Although we could be wrong, and they could fall under some governement scheme in regards to pay. Obviously they are highly skilled so one would think that would command a pretty premium set up. Great health benefits with low or no deductables, dental, vision. Some sort of solid pension plan of sorts. Or maybe each one of them got their own planet. I mean there are enough of them around to hand out like candy. They don't have kids in the later parts of their exsistance, so anything family related is out. You think they get company planes? Then again maybe the Jedi were penny pinchers and really held onto their credits. For all we know Yoda was in charge and he picked the cheapest options on everything. I mean just look at his retirement home....not worth 900 years of service for sure.

 

[jian]

Unlike the Federation, it’s pretty clear that the Republic is a United Nations of thousands of member governments (it very clearly isn’t a single space empire or state), some of who have some version of space capitalism and others probably don’t, being more dependent on feudal autocracy and similar. Given that, and given that the Jedi are a religious order similar to modern Buddhist temples but with a large and very expensive temple in downtown Coruscant (presumably the dearest real estate in the galaxy), I suspect the Jedi order, like modern Japanese Buddhist temples and the Shaolin temples before them, is absolutely rolling in it.

(A Buddhist monk in a BMW in Tokyo is a cultural cliche for a reason.)

Whether it’s government subsidy, tax breaks, or personal donations (and a lot of the latter probably happens), and no obvious vow of poverty in sight, making money as a Jedi would be both incredibly tempting and very easy. And such Jedi would tell themselves that of course, being one with the Force and above material considerations, they were the best people to gather such wealth and use it properly for the good of the order and the Galaxy. They would be very generous in providing facilities and resources for Jedi who wanted to backpack in the Outer Rim and fight crime lords. The Jedi council would turn a blind eye for the greater good, mostly. Others such as Qui-Gonn would be more critical, but really, who cares what they think?

The Jedi order was probably incredibly corrupt long before Palpatine got anywhere near it, in other words.

 

[sevenbastard]

i would trade my 401k for a spaceship and a light saber.....

 

[Richards]

If Obi-Wan can pull the "These are not the droids you're looking for" trick, he can probably also pull the "That's the money you owe me" trick, too.

Johnathan

 

[Piperken]

...You would think that over the millennia they were around that there would have some version of compensation. I mean they never mention getting any sort of salary...

Don't consider myself amazingly versed in Star Wars (just the original trilogy, a couple of the later films, and occasional wookiepedia visits), but given jian's point about real world inspirations for the Order, I'd hazard that the Order's "wealth" tended to be locked up in property (as it was with monastic orders in different places)

So for example, the Jedi Library in the temple on Coruscant was exceedingly valuable.

Benefits one might have from the Order would be in things like connections you might not otherwise have access or opportunity too.

It seemed depending on where one was, and at what time period, the reach of the Order could vary a lot. On Coruscant, they probably received subsidies and the like because of how connected they were with the ruling government.

Other systems though, are run by different groups and could have a different administration. There's several examples in the different films where beneficial arrangements (e.g. a place to stay, military assistance in the matter they're dealing with, etc.) are negotiated ad-hoc, even in the moment between Jedi and their hosts.

Based on responses by characters in Star Wars who are not Jedi, the attitudes and friendliness towards them are pretty wide ranging.

 

[aco175]

Hey, they at least give you robot limbs to replace things that are chopped off.

 

[Umbran]

No attachments.

That also means to your Game Boy, ostrich leather boots, or slick speeder. Material wealth isn't a big thing for them.

They are roughly equivalent to a monastic order. They get funds to do their jobs. When that isn't enough, they use mind tricks to fix pod races to get what they need.

 

[wicked cool]

What do Tibetan monks get? What did mother Teresa get etc etc. nothing

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If Obi-Wan can pull the "These are not the droids you're looking for" trick, he can probably also pull the "That's the money you owe me" trick, too.

Johnathan

All jokes aside, this would probably be almost brutally discouraged by other Jedi, because selfishness and greed are the primary starting points on the path to the dark side.

The whole point of "no attachments" is that fear of losing what you have and feel (eventually selfish) posession of is such a strong drive toward the Dark Side that they dont consider it worth the risk. And of course these are people who are extremely in tune with the spiritual will of the universe, an actual force that wants compassion and peace and balance and that they can directly feel.

So for a less comedic take on Jedi benefits, i imagine it is a lot like western cloistered clergy. You have a home and whatever resources you need to do your work, and some of your co-adherents are healers and others are councilors, and others scholars and archivists and teachers and etc.. You are taken care of, but not given a paycheck as such.

 

[MGibster]

I imagine the Jedi got to pull from the vast resources of the Republic thanks to their role as government peace keepers. Qui-Gon was prepared to buy his way off Tatooine but his Republic credits were no good there.