Do Jedis Wear Underwear? Jedi Suits Explained

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In the long history of the Star Wars fandom, there have been countless questions asked and answered, but the heart–or rather, nether region–of the matter remains to be explained.

Do Jedis wear underwear? Yes, Jedis do wear underwear, although there remains some debate about specifically what type; fabric wrapped around the necessary areas in the style of a samurai is generally accepted as appropriate for the Jedis’ monk-like lifestyle.

While we realize this may disappoint those of you who enjoy being less restricted, the general consensus is that Jedis would have had to wear underwear if only to keep everything—er—safer in battle. Read on to find out more about what type of underwear the Jedis wore as well as the suits in general.

An Ancient Version of Tidy-Whities for the Jedi

In Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, the Jedis are revealed to have worn the same type of underwear that samurais wore.

Basically, the samurai wore a type of undergarment called fundoshi, which is pretty much nothing more than a piece of cloth covering the genitalia with a thinner strip of fabric going between the butt cheeks.

This undergarment, many Star Wars fans argue, fits the best with the traditional, Oriental-style clothing that the Jedis are known for.

Underwear for Women

Of course, underwear doesn’t just include the nether regions. Being able to support and hold in the breasts for female Jedis is equally important.

But, without bras, how were these women able to fight without their breasts getting in the way?

For the actual films, Star Wars producers were upfront about the fact that they duct-taped Carrie Fisher’s boobs because, according to them, lingerie doesn’t exist in space.

This is historically accurate when considering female warriors in other cultures.

Wrapping the breasts with some form of bandage or long sash—think Mulan-style here—is one of the best ways to ensure a lack of pain from the inevitable bouncing in battle.

Breast-binding has been used for centuries by female warriors or women masquerading as men in order to fight, and it is effective in compressing the breasts if the breasts are relatively small.

Sports bras do the same thing for women in sports now, but women with larger breasts have a different issue.

For larger-breasted Jedis, the best thing would be to have a more complex binding, possibly with plate armor, that helps to better support and protect the girls.

Beyond just the underwear, there are several other factors that make the Jedi suits…well, interesting. Read on to find out more.

Why Do the Jedis Look Like Monks?

The Jedis look like monks because they were, in fact, inspired by monks along with the samurai.

Jedis are meant to spend their lives in service to their people without marrying; this method of self-denial in service of others fits with the creeds of both monks and samurai.

While their robes are specifically drawn from the monks, the lightsaber is a galactic adaptation of the samurai sword, and some special Jedis like the bounty hunter Zam Wessell’s patchwork leather garment more obviously hearken back to the samurai culture.

However, there is more variation on Jedi suits than with monks and samurai. Continue reading to find out more.

Jedi Suit Customizations

While Jedis had the same general “uniform” look, there were variations. However, they all stayed in the same color palette: tan, brown, black.

Check out the customizations below for more information.

Boots

There were two general types of Jedi footwear: soft and hard field boots.

• Diplomatic Jedis: Soft, moccasin-like boots were worn by the diplomatic Jedis, for the obvious reason that their mission was not fighting but rather peace-making.

• Active Jedi Agents: These Jedis wore rugged, field-type boots that were similar in color but much more suited to the varied aspects of fieldwork and battle these Jedis faced.

The boots are the simplest difference in the Jedi suits, but there were also color exceptions in the later times.

Color Exceptions

As the Jedi legacy lived on, the stricter color scheme was lifted in certain situations.

The Jedi Council and their Padawans, for example, had robes that were purple with green hems or royal blue or layered with gold markings.

These color exceptions were only for specific characters, and the background characters still tended to follow more of the uniformity we’re more used to with Jedi suits.

Gray Jedis

Gray Jedi robes were an odd evolution of the Jedi suit.

The first iteration of Jedis who were Force-sensitive (in other words, highly sensitized to the flow of the Force), the Gray Jedis wore, you guessed it, gray robes.

The odd thing about these Jedi suits was that they didn’t differ in any other way from the traditional Jedi garb.

Dark Jedis

In contrast, the Dark Jedis, again Force-sensitive, wore black robes to symbolically indicate their betrayal of the light side of the Force.

The term Dark Jedi also referred to non-natural Force-sensitive entities like Stormtroopers, but obviously they did not dress in Dark Jedi robes.

This striking iteration was meant to be ironic and to fit with the rest of the Dark Side’s color palette.

Ceremonial Jedi Robes

These were only worn by the best Jedi Masters. These robes consisted of the traditional brown garb, but with pure white parts to the suit.

Like the American Medal of Honor, these robes were only bestowed on those Jedis who sacrificed everything to serve the Galaxy.

Additionally, the robes could be bestowed posthumously as the highest form of honor, again like the American Medal of Honor.

Jedi Adventure Robe

A section of Jedi Knights were selected to wear this robe.

The robe consisted of “a light gray long-sleeved hooded shirt with a sleeveless dark brown leather wrapping, trousers, leather calf braces, leather wrap arm bracers, a white sleeveless surcoat, and leather footwear,” according to the Star Wars fandom.

These Jedi suits were for those Jedis that explored the galaxy to fight against evil and oppression.

Specific Roles, Specific Garments

Jedis, that were, say, pilots or healers typically did not wear the traditional Jedi suit due to their role.

Instead, their “suits” were more suited (pun intended) for the job they performed.

As such, pilot Jedis would wear pilot jumpsuits, and healers would wear garb more appropriate for a sterilized healing environment.

Respect for the Homeland

While the previously discussed customizations were mostly to do with indicating a Jedi’s job or role, other Jedis intentionally customized their suits as a nod of respect to their home world.

Since Jedis leave their home world as children, many of them did not learn about where they came from until later in their careers.

Some Jedis would then add aspects to their Jedi suits as a gesture of understanding to their home world’s culture and customs.

Still, others would flip the script and wear the clothing of their homeland, completely eschewing the Jedi look other than the color scheme of said outfit.

For example, Corellian Jedis would wear green silk robes, which continued as a custom in the New Jedi Order.

These types of garments shouldn’t be viewed as disrespect for the Jedi order and way of life, but rather as a deep sense of respect for the world these Jedis left and for the differences of the galaxy as a whole.

A Different Type of Jedi

Still, other Jedis rejected the traditional robes altogether.

Some of these Jedis did so because, physically, the robes did not make sense for them.

Other Jedis took different political views of the role of a Jedi and/or some of the political nuances of the galaxy, and so rejected the traditional robes as a symbol of their different views.

These atypical suits ranged from bodysuits to civilian clothes to cloaks to…well, pretty much anything. However, most of these Jedis shouldn’t be viewed as traitors to the order, but rather Jedis with differing views from the majority.

Jedi Suits: More Complex Than You Might Think

In conclusion, the Jedi suits are obviously more complicated than the simple monk or samurai style that inspired the basic uniform.

While the underwear debate is resolved here–yes, you need underwear no matter which type of Jedi you are–the other aspects of Jedi suits are worth contemplating.

When figuring out which type of Jedi suit you need, either abstractly or for the next Jedi reunion, knowing your role, your history, and your level of commitment to the galaxy is paramount. Strap on your swaddling clothes underwear, and enjoy the knowledge that you are being VERY historically accurate.