I cobbled together this notebook from junk I found in one of the Temple's refuse rooms.  It'll be a good place to keep my droid designs and notes on my Jedi lessons and stuff... and when I see my mom again, I will give this to her so she can see all the things I saw and did while I was training to become a Jedi!

____________________

JEDI CODE:

There is no emotion; there is peace.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

There is no death; there is the Force.

____________________

The Jedi Temple is a really old building.  The base looks like many steps.  Hundreds of Jedi live and work here.

____________________

This is my room.  Stone walls.  Pretty plain... actually, not much different from the bedroom in my slave quarters on Tatooine.

____________________

My Jedi Master is Obi-Wan Kenobi.  He is kind to me.  Like a father.  But he's very serious about doing things the Jedi way.  Very serious!

____________________

Qui-Gon Jinn was Obi-Wan's Master.  He might have been mine, too, but he was killed during the Battle of Naboo.

Qui-Gon once told me: "When you learn to quiet your mind, you will hear the Force speaking to you."  He said that with time and training, I would better understand this.

Qui-Gon's funeral was hard for me.  He had been so kind to me.  Freed me from slavery, believed in me.  I will never forget him.

____________________

Homesick again today.  Thinking about how I liked trading with Jawas.  Saw the inside of a sandcrawler once (no easy feat!).  Fixed their vaporator in exchange for podracer parts.  It's awesome the way they transformed a bunch of old mining machines into homes for whole communities.

____________________

"Don't look back," you said, but I have to Mom.  It's the only way to keep you with me.

____________________

Watto.  Can't believe I even miss him.  But I don't miss the sand.  Hated the sand.  Don't miss that.

Good riddance to the Sand People, too (also known as Tusken Raiders).  Dangerous troublemakers.  Used our podracers for target practice.  They hate humans.  Well, I never liked them much, either - although I did save an injured one once...

____________________

Whenever I get really lonely and sad, I close my eyes and pretend I'm back on Padme's home planet, Naboo.

I hope Obi-Wan will let me go back to Naboo someday.

There is probably more water in one Naboo waterfall than on the entire planet of Tatooine!  And the air is so sweet there.  I can still smell the flowers and the green growing things.

Padme is the most beautiful being I've ever seen.  The first time I saw her, I thought she was an angel.  Then I thought she was the handmaiden of the Queen.  Then I found out she was the Queen!

I'll never forget the way she looked the day of the victory parade.  I think of her everyday.

____________________

I'm learning to use a training lightsaber.  I like this part of my studies - I'm really good at it!

The training lightsaber does not have the same power as a Jedi Knight's lightsaber.  But it isn't harmless, either, so we're very careful when we practice.

____________________

Master Yoda often instructs us Padawans.

He says we must remember this: "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense - never for attack."

____________________

Podracing is outlawed here on Coruscant and the other Core Worlds.  They say it's too dangerous - but, boy, do I miss it.  The speed, the risk... nothing comes close!

I'm still thinking up new podracer designs.  Wish I could build them and race them like I used to!

____________________

I'm so excited!  Last night I snuck out of the Temple again.  I met a boy near the Wicko District who told me about another kinds of racing, one that takes place right here on Coruscant.

You strap on a wing harness and dive into the garbage pits, dodging canisters of garbage that are blasted into space.  It's like flying between a storm of steel raindrops!

At the bottom of the garbage pits, you can see giant worms swimming in a black pool of liquid silicon.  They eat the garbage that isn't blasted into space. 

During one really dangerous race, Obi-Wan had to rescue me from a Blood Carver.  I'm actually really sorry I put us both at risk...

Blood Carvers are aliens who race gliders, too.  I don't like them much.  I heard they are professional assassins and are hired to "carve away unwanted persons."

____________________

I like building droids.  Sometimes I like them more than living beings.

There's no nasty surprises with droids.  Once you get to know them, you see they even have personalities of their own.

____________________

I'm good at fixing things, always was.  Makes me feel better.

When you're fixing things, it's real easy to figure out whether or not you've succeeded, and you're certain when the job is done...  It's like the exact opposite of trying to become a Jedi!

____________________

Every Jedi builds his or her own lightsaber.  After I turned thirteen, Obi-Wan took me to the Crystal Cave on the ice planet Ilum, where lightsabers' focusing crystals grow.

All Padawans make this journey when their Masters feel they are ready.  They enter the cave alone and build their lightsaber inside.

At the mouth of the Crystal Cave, Obi-Wan and I fought snow creatures called gorgodons.  Their eyesight is poor, but their hearing and sense of smell are superior.  If they catch you, they squeeze you to death.  One caught Obi-Wan, but I was able to kill it and rescue my Master.

There are strange markings in the Crystal Cave.  They tell the long history of the Jedi (around 25,000 years!).

While I was alone in the Crystal Cave, I saw visions and heard voices.  Obi-Wan told me these were reflections of my deepest fears.  In my visions, I fought the Sith who murdered Qui-Gon.  The Sith challenged me.  He said, "I am the Master you really want." 

I thought it best not to tell Obi-Wan what I saw in that vision.  It was really scary.

____________________

The Jedi Temple is very old.  Over the centuries, countless Jedi have been trained and nurtured here.  Each tower houses a council with a specific responsibility.

The central Temple Spire is the highest tower of them all.  It is a sacred haven of contemplation and meditation.

The High Council tower houses the ruling body.  Every Jedi Knight and Master in the galaxy must heed the command of the High Council.

The Council of First Knowledge advises on matters requiring the ancient wisdom of past Jedi.

The Council of Reconciliation seeks peaceful resolutions to interplanetary disputes.  The Senate relies on this council to keep intergalactic peace and harmony.  With so many world, species, and interests, it's an almost impossible task!

The Reassignment Council assigns work for the Jedi apprentices who are not chosen by a Jedi Knight or Master to become Padawan learners.  I am glad I never visited that tower - it's a one-way trip to the Agricultural Corps!

Near the pinnacle of the High Council tower are balconies.  The view from up here is awesome.  Sometimes before going on our missions, Obi-Wan and I walk on one of the balconies.  It helps us focus our Force energy.

____________________

My missions with Obi-Wan are taking me to far-off planets I never even heard of before becoming a Padawan.  I'm meeting strange new alien beings, encountering curious new cultures.  Learning much.

We travel light, but our robes hide lots of useful tools and equipment.  A Jedi tracking device, for instance, came in handy when we needed to follow a slippery diplomat.

____________________

Jedi Archive Librarian Madame Jocasta Nu has been helpful to me an my Master in preparing for our missions.

The Jedi Archives store information about every known star system in the galaxy.  Cultures, customs, races, creatures... if a Jedi ever encountered it, you can find it there!

We Jedi also visit the Analysis Rooms to help us analyze clues and pieces of evidence from our missions.  Analysis droid SP-4 is useful, if not always helpful.  Sometimes he's a little arrogant.  I really think he needs an attitude adjustment.

____________________

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is like a father to me.  But... sometimes he's so difficult!  It seems like all he sees are my faults.  He hardly ever trusts me to do the right thing.

To be fair, I guess Obi-Wan is just trying to help.  I suppose he focuses on my faults so I can concentrate on fixing them.  Most of the Jedi Masters tell their Padawans that there are more lessons to be learned from failure than success.

Still, a part of me can't help but feel that Obi-Wan is trying to hold me back from my true power and potential.

____________________

When I let go and allow my instincts to take over, I can feel the Force flow through me.  Sometimes I can control the Force.  Sometimes it seems to control me.  When things are right, the Force is a strong ally.  Qui-Gon once told me not to think but to feel.  To be one with the Force.  From it, I know my strength will flow.

____________________

I must learn to be like Yoda.  Let the Force be my guide.

Mace Windu is another powerful and wise Jedi Master.  Even the great Yoda relies on his counsel.

____________________

There are many special places to meditate in the Temple.

I often see Jedi Masters meditating.

Today a Master told me, "It is when we face our weakness that we find our strength."

____________________

It's now been so long since I left Tatooine - almost seven years...

Mom, have the features of your face changed much?  They haven't changed a bit in my memory.  I miss you and think of you always.

One day I will return and set you free.

____________________

Sometimes I think about leaving the Temple.  First, I'd go back to Tatooine to free my mother and the rest of the slaves.

Then, Padme, I would seek you out again...

But leaving the Jedi Temple would mean failing.  And I don't want to fail.

How would you see me then, Padme?  Would I be a failure in your eyes?  I couldn't bear that.

____________________

Still feeling the need for speed, I bartered one of my better droids for a swoop bike - a real piece of junk... or so everyone thought...

Worked on the accelerator and customized a supercharger unit, that gave it a gonzo paint job, and slam!  I am ready to burn - WAY faster than the Coruscant small-craft speed limits... fast enough to win a few swoop races!

____________________

Obi-Wan always says that Coruscant's underworld is a hive of scum and villainy, but he's way too critical... I'd say beings are just about the same all over the galaxy!

____________________

Jedi Starfighter.  Sleek.  I'd love to fly one of these!  Obi-Wan says I'm one of the best pilots he's ever seen.

When I flew a Naboo Starfighter, I was too nervous to admire its design and capabilities.  But this is one beautiful ship - engineered and built by hand.  Hope I get to pilot one again someday.

____________________

A Jedi Holocron.  The Jedi Archives have a few of these.  They are interactive learning devices that are activated by the Force.

Using a Holocron, we Jedi can learn from long-dead Jedi Masters whose thoughts and philosophies are embedded in that particular Holocron.  I've used them many times to deepen my understandings of the Jedi ways...

____________________

Control is the ability to focus a Jedi's Force skills.  With it, a Jedi learns to master the functions of the body.

Through this discipline, a Jedi can heal what is injured and mend what is broken.

Control can sustain the body when starved or warm when cold.

With time, control allows a Jedi to restore perfect harmony - perfect balance - inside his or her own body.

____________________

Sense is the opposite of control.  Sense skills help Jedi touch the Force in objects and beings beyond themselves.

Master Yoda says it is important to feel the bonds that connect all things - the rocks, the animals, the trees, the stars.

Everything in the universe is connected through the invisible threads of the Force.

____________________

Alter skills allow a Jedi to employ the Force to create illusions and to move objects.  It can even be used to change the perceptions of others - and for mind control.

At first I failed at tapping into this skill.  It seemed so impossible, and I told Obi-Wan as much.  He sighed and said that was why I failed - because I could not see the possibility of success.

In time, I learned.

These Jedi skills must not be abused.  I must always remember that a Jedi uses his or her power for good.

____________________

I had a nightmare last night... about the same man I saw in the cave on Ilum.

He dares me to join him.  Says again that he is the Master I truly want, but it's a lie.  I know it's just a bad dream...

____________________

Obi-Wan has told me that to control your anger is to be a Jedi.

____________________

The greatest Jedi battle skill of all is the art of fighting without fighting.

Jedi battle meditation is a powerful technique used to influence the outcome of a battle by visualizing the desired result.

Though I haven't had the chance to test my skills yet, I'm pretty sure I'd be good at this.

Maybe I'm just overconfident (Obi-Wan would say arrogant), but I can't imagine losing a fight!

____________________

I dreamt of you last night, Mom.  You called my name.  Why do I feel that something is wrong?  That you need me?

____________________

Saw the Supreme Chancellor today.  Chancellor Palpatine seems to be a good and benevolent leader who relies on us in these times of trouble.  It is up to the Jedi to keep the peace.

____________________

Can the Jedi rescue the Republic?

These are difficult and dangerous times.  Chancellor Palpatine and the Senate rely on us.  But in a galaxy filled with billions of beings, there are only a few thousand Jedi spread throughout - and only a few hundred at the Temple.  Will that be enough?

The task facing the Jedi seems impossible.

Perhaps desperate times call for desperate measures...

____________________

Thinking of you again, Padme...

Can you feel me when I think of you?  Do you ever think of me?

Obi-Wan says a Jedi does not let personal feelings get in the way of duty... but if I ever saw you again, I wonder if I might suddenly decide to forget that lesson.

All information was compiled from Anakin Skywalker: A Jedi's Journal (Random House, Inc.)