Our Head Trainers
Azyren Knightshade
Grandmaster of the Order
Knightshade grew up in the Jedi Realist community, joining at the young age of fourteen. Over the course of seventeen years (2008-2025), he reshaped himself into the kind of person he wanted to be – turning childhood trauma and adversity into discipline, compassion, and wisdom. Life is the greatest mission for any Jedi; and it comes with plenty of trials that challenge us to grow. Knightshade considers himself a Jedi philosopher, and is greatly fulfilled by teaching and mentoring others in the Jedi Way.
His apprenticeship under Talon was one of the most defining factors in his positive development, and wants to be for others what Talon was (and is) for him. Together, he and Talon created the True Jedi Order to give rise to a revolution in the standards, training, and supportive atmosphere of the online Jedi Community. Knightshade serves as TJO’s Grandmaster, with Talon as his co-administrator and chief advisor.
As a teacher, Knightshade can provide detailed insight into lessons and articles (he’s written many of them!), constructive feedback on assigned coursework, and suggest further reading or viewing for the avid learner. As a mentor, he can provide emotional stability and patient understanding, thoughtful life advice through a Jedi lens, healing conversations related to trauma and hardship, gentle encouragement, and firm accountability when needed. He’s aware of the stages of development, the ways people are motivated, and the different ways they learn; resulting in customized approaches tailored to the student. He expects commitment and effort above anything else in a Jedi beginner. You should be serious about your choice to become a Jedi, and ready to commit time and energy to the process. If this is you, and you value what Knightshade has to offer as a mentor, he would love to hear from you.
His apprenticeship under Talon was one of the most defining factors in his positive development, and wants to be for others what Talon was (and is) for him. Together, he and Talon created the True Jedi Order to give rise to a revolution in the standards, training, and supportive atmosphere of the online Jedi Community. Knightshade serves as TJO’s Grandmaster, with Talon as his co-administrator and chief advisor.
"Someone once told Knightshade that I'm a manipulative liar. He asked me about it and I told him that any response that I gave would be suspect, he'd have to get to know me to find out. The only promise that I could offer was that I would disappoint. His immense capacity for forgiveness and his patience has shown that even after 16 years, he's still willing to add yet one more disappointment to the long list. He may appear to have a tough exterior as he talks about metaphorically rapping your legs in correction, but his tremendous level of kindness and compassion means that in his case "this will hurt me more than it hurts you" is actually true. I don't have to say anything about his depth and breadth of knowledge. You can read his writings and see the passion and insight that he has to share. He has surpassed me a long time ago and yet has been too humble to let on."
- Talon
As a teacher, Knightshade can provide detailed insight into lessons and articles (he’s written many of them!), constructive feedback on assigned coursework, and suggest further reading or viewing for the avid learner. As a mentor, he can provide emotional stability and patient understanding, thoughtful life advice through a Jedi lens, healing conversations related to trauma and hardship, gentle encouragement, and firm accountability when needed. He’s aware of the stages of development, the ways people are motivated, and the different ways they learn; resulting in customized approaches tailored to the student. He expects commitment and effort above anything else in a Jedi beginner. You should be serious about your choice to become a Jedi, and ready to commit time and energy to the process. If this is you, and you value what Knightshade has to offer as a mentor, he would love to hear from you.
Talon
Council Member, Jedi Knight
Talon has been a Jedi for over twenty years, serving in leadership roles on multiple councils or as a member of faculty. He has a background in military intelligence, self‑defense, life coaching, and learning and development. He's used these skills to create transformative education experiences that combines Star Wars lore with practical life skills and wisdom. His approach is based on the conviction that the Jedi Philosophy must be lived and not just discussed. He believes that exploring the lore and being a Jedi isn't merely a form of escapism, with the right mindset it can be a mirror that demands courage and clarity.
Talon considers being a Jedi Instructor a personal calling. His focus is on Jedi Leadership which includes written communication, conflict management, coaching and mentoring. Talon's hope is to challenge students and apprentices to move beyond their comfort zones to build resilience, accountability and clarity of purpose and action.
His passion for teaching requires him to be a life-long learner. He is always expanding his knowledge so that he can refine his teaching practices and curriculum and raise the standards of Jedi training.
As a mentor, what Talon mainly provides is structure and high expectations. He'll draw on his education in coaching to work with students to design a path to becoming the person that they want to become. He's not interested in creating clones of himself and will encourage students to seek out opinions and perspectives that he doesn't necessarily agree with and is knowledgeable enough about the learning and development process to provide guidance on how to build knowledge in areas outside of his interests and expertise. Talon's ideal student should be intrinsically motivated because he is terrible at providing positive reinforcement. What he can offer is the promise that by the time he's ready to call you a Jedi Knight, you'll know the Jedi Arts inside and out.
Talon considers being a Jedi Instructor a personal calling. His focus is on Jedi Leadership which includes written communication, conflict management, coaching and mentoring. Talon's hope is to challenge students and apprentices to move beyond their comfort zones to build resilience, accountability and clarity of purpose and action.
His passion for teaching requires him to be a life-long learner. He is always expanding his knowledge so that he can refine his teaching practices and curriculum and raise the standards of Jedi training.
"Talon is one of the most selfless, and self-effacing, people I know. As a friend, and as a mentor, he has always been there for me – whether I needed a confidante, a tutor, an ally, or a trusted mind to bounce ideas off of. And occasionally, to call me out and hold me accountable to the Jedi standard he aspires to himself. Especially in my younger years. And yet, he never lectured me in public, and he never devalued what I had to say – even if I had to learn the more Jedi-like way to say it! Talon is a wealth of knowledge, and has a clear vision of the Jedi Arts through a reliable and practical lens. He taught me to question everything, even – and especially – him. For someone so measured and composed, he has the corniest sense of humor and can be as silly as anyone when the time calls for it. In Talon, you would have a strong, stable, and reliable supporter, access to a massive and diverse bank of knowledge, and a dependably Jedi-like role model to observe and learn from up close."
- Knightshade
As a mentor, what Talon mainly provides is structure and high expectations. He'll draw on his education in coaching to work with students to design a path to becoming the person that they want to become. He's not interested in creating clones of himself and will encourage students to seek out opinions and perspectives that he doesn't necessarily agree with and is knowledgeable enough about the learning and development process to provide guidance on how to build knowledge in areas outside of his interests and expertise. Talon's ideal student should be intrinsically motivated because he is terrible at providing positive reinforcement. What he can offer is the promise that by the time he's ready to call you a Jedi Knight, you'll know the Jedi Arts inside and out.