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

[jian]

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.

At no point is “no attachments” said in the films to apply to anything other than family or romance. There is no stated vow of poverty. So for all we know, Jedi are totally fine with owning things, exactly as many modern Buddhist monks (there are even billionaire Buddhist monks) are also entirely fine with it.

 

[jian]

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

It’s very likely that Jedi have a level of privilege, security, and comfort (including medical care) that vastly exceeds that of most Galactic citizens, and that many said citizens are quite aware of this and resent it. A wise Jedi would know this and acknowledge it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The jedi own no property ("Don't recall ever owning a droid") and everything they need is provided by the order. It's a great way to live, and as pointed out, a lot better than most Republic citizens, most of whom are constantly worrying were they are going to get the credits for their next meal.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I'm guessing the order has a sizeable endowment. There's little evidence in the films that Jedi have much in in the way of possessions beyond cloak and lightsaber, though they certainly don't seem particularly morally adverse to owning things in any Star Wars media I can think of.

And why should they care about wealth? There doesn't seem to be any such thing as Jedi retirement, the order seems to handle housing, food, and transportation, and I feel like they probably get to charge anything else they need to some sort of expense account (in a cantina or what have you they'll just sort of order what they want without checking prices... must be nice). A Jedi who radically rejects ownership or a Jedi lured to the dark side by the desire for possessions both seem like solid plot or character points but they don't seem to get explored.

The Star Wars universe seems to have a lot of loose conceptions of property. Droids sometimes seem to belong to the nearest friendly human, and Luke just sort of treated his rebellion issue X-Wing as his personal car. I don't think it amounts to much beyond the fact that narrative convenience and emulating ancient epic usually trump careful world-building of economic or logistical matters. Money exists in Star Wars movies when it furthers a plot or character point, and it doesn't when it doesn't.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Jedi lured to the dark side by the desire for possessions

Count Dooku was motivated, in part, by a sense that the jedi were not doing enough to help the poor.

 

[Dioltach]

With all the limbs being chopped off, you'd expect they'd at least get some kind of severance pay.

On the other hand, maybe Yoda is still hanging around the Council at the age of 900 because he doesn't have a pension.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Jedi don’t retire - they are allowed to continue to contribute as long as they are able to, and are provided with accommodation, food, medical care and intellectual stimulation.

 

[Koloth]

In the first movie, Obi-wan is doing the poor hermit thing because of his task to monitor Luke. It would be rather attention getting if Obi-wan had a million dollar playboy type of mansion next to sand farmer Uncle Owen's place. Plus as we learned later, there was the whole Order 66 thing that made attracting attention as a Jedi rather life shortening. Much safer to keep up the Hermit Ben persona.

Pre Order 66 Jedi seemed to have fairly upper middle class lives. Many had personal starships. Even if those were 'company cars', still a very nice perk. Especially considering how much effort Han Solo had to put into keeping the Falcon sort of space worthy. The Jedi HQ was a nice place. Advanced training facilities. Good medical care. Food and lodging for a wide variety of beings. And as mentioned, the library. The Jedi HQ is probably the current era equivalent of an elite university or military academy. Anyone that graduates in good standing is well thought of in society and has lots of friendly contacts.

Very possible that retired Jedi filled much the same niche as retired professors or military do today. Decent retirement plan and benefits. Often still active in society even if not doing front line covert work. A source of information for current active Jedi tasked with a mission to the retired Jedi's old stomping grounds. "Oh, yes, look up Fred in the Blue Moon tavern. Ask about the Brown Cow incident. He will get you settled in...."

 

[Aeson]

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

So, how much is that 401k worth? I can get you a nice Lego set of a starship and a lightsaber. You didn't specify. Do we have a deal?

 

[Aeson]

Do Jedi ever live long enough to retire? I haven't consumed all the Star Wars media. Has there ever been mention of a retired Jedi?

I've always seen it as a religious order thusly they get to use Order resources in return for service. I don't think they have benefits packages, sort of like they don't have underwear in space.