Any species could potentially become a Jedi in the Star Wars canon and Legends continuities, and while there are a few notable instances of Wookiee Jedi, one new Jedi Master’s species could make for a comparably formidable Force-user. Wookiees are highly intelligent sapient beings whose natural strength far exceeds that of humans. Although Wookiees are naturally attuned to the Force (as revealed in the 1981 Star Wars radio drama), Wookiee Jedi are rare, with the few canonical Wookiee Jedi – such as Lowbacca and Kelnacca – having a powerful combination of a Wookiee’s strength and a Jedi’s Force powers.

The Noghri are another formidable sapient species in both Star Wars continuities. Noghri are not only far stronger than humans, but they also have far superior reflexes and a sense of smell so attuned that they can detect a person’s lineage. In their original Legends incarnation, Noghri were devastated by a Separatist bioweapon during the Clone Wars, which Darth Vader exploited (secretly perpetuating their suffering) to gain a loyal death squad at his (and later Grand Admiral Thrawn’s) disposal. Notably, there are no known Jedi among the Noghri in the Legends continuity, but there is one in the modern canon.

A Noghri Jedi Would Be A True Force To Be Reckoned With

Thanks to their Force-sensitivity and intense training, Jedi have far greater reflexes than ordinary beings, and a species that already has exceptional reflexes would find them even further augmented as a trained Jedi. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the keen predatorial abilities of Noghri made them lethal assassins and bodyguards, yet the timeline never included a Noghri Jedi. The closest thing that the Star Wars Legends timeline had to a Noghri Jedi was Tave, a Master in the Je’daii Order – the precursor to the Jedi Order with a significantly different view of the Force.

The Je’daii Order believed that the Force had a “light side” and a dark side, and that balance existed between the two. Their successor, the Jedi Order, had a more accurate understanding, with the “light side” simply being the Force and the dark side being a corruption of it.

The modern Star Wars canon gave the franchise its first Noghri Jedi, however, with the introduction of Jedi Master Peleg Ryn. Ryn is a minor character who debuted in George Mann’s 2024 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless. Although little is known about Peleg Ryn thus far, it is significant that the Star Wars franchise finally has a Noghri Jedi.

Star Wars Has Just Got To Show Us More Of Peleg Ryn

Jedi Master Peleg Ryn only plays a brief role in Tears of the Nameless, but there is potential for more significant roles for them in future properties. The Star Wars franchise ought to not only explore the unique strengths of a Noghri Jedi but also further explore the new iteration of the Noghri themselves in the modern canon, which might have a different history than their original Legends iteration. With the High Republic era still the source of many new Star Wars properties, Jedi Master Peleg Ryn may have larger roles in the future.