Article V. Costuming and Membership Requirements

Last Updated - Thursday, February 23rd, 2006

There are many exceptional Star Wars costuming sites on the Internet that welcome Star Wars costumers from around the world. The Fighting 501st Legion of Stormtroopers and The Rebel Legion are the two most well known. This Assembly is exclusively for light-side Jedi costumers.

All members of The Jedi Assembly must possess a Jedi costume. This costume can be representative of any of the styles seen in the Star Wars movies or described in the novels and magazines of the Star Wars expanded universe, but must adhere to the guidelines below. Please note that as TJA continues to grow and evolve, these guidelines may be changed frequently. Upon accepting membership into TJA, you must accept that costume requirements may be altered and understand that if this occurs, your costume might need to be altered or modified within a reasonable time period (i.e., six months) in order to meet the new guidelines.

  • This Assembly is for Jedi costumers of the light side of the Force only. No "dark side" Jedi (except as outlined below), fallen Jedi, or Sith costumes are permitted.
  • Dark Jedi costumes: Only Luke Skywalker (Return of the Jedi), Barriss Offee’s, and Luminara Unduli’s (Attack of the Clones) dark colored costume styles are being accepted at this time. To be allowed, the above-mentioned costumes MUST be specifically replicated. Anakin Skywalker's costume from Episodes II/III may be replicated with black or brown tabards.
  • Costume colors:
    • For "general" Jedi costumes (i.e., a costume that is not an exact replica of an established character), all brown, tan, and cream color variations are acceptable.
    • Completely Black costumes will NOT be accepted, except for specific replication of the characters listed in #2. In addition, the use of black tunics, undertunics, tabbards/obi, pants, or robes as a part of your costume is NOT acceptable unless you are specifically replicating an Expanded Universe Jedi costume. Please see #6 below for additional details on EU costumes. At this time, black belts and boots ARE acceptable, but this may be subject to change at a later date.
    • In general, EU costume colors, including bright white and gray, are NOT acceptable, unless you are specifically replicating a character's costume. Please see #6 below for additional details on EU costumes.
    On the membership application, the color of each costume piece must be indicated in writing, and a well-lit, full-length photo of the costume WITHOUT a robe must be provided. If your costume has a robe, then please submit an additional picture that includes the robe. If your costume is accepted and a picture is later posted to the site that does not match the membership description or photo, the member will be temporarily suspended while the costume is reviewed.
  • All Jedi must have a Lightsaber, utility belt, and boots. Robes and capes are optional. Robes and capes that are the color black will not be accepted, unless one is recreating the above mentioned "dark colored" Jedi costumes. T-shirts worn under the tunic may not be visible, and should not take the place of an appropriately styled undertunic. Boots must be mid-calf length or higher, and cannot be a commercial "work" style boot. The utility belt does NOT have to have pouches or food capsules, but when presenting a complete canon costume these should be included.
    • Jedi Props - A member's lightsaber cannot be a toy or a flashlight. All Jedi props should appear more "screen accurate" than what is offered on the retail shelf. A hardware, machined, PVC or exact replica saber is mandatory as it completes the look of a professional Jedi costumer.
    • Creativity in costume design is acceptable and encouraged, as long as the costume is still recognizable as a “screen-accurate” Jedi (for example, from the movies or the upcoming television show). However, the Council MUST approve all “original” Jedi costumes. As discussed above in #3, black is not an acceptable color for any part of an original costume (except for the belt and boots). Potential members are encouraged to submit ideas for their “original” Jedi costumes to the Council for review and approval, or to submit photos if the costume is already complete. In addition, in cases where canon only costumes are required (see Section Va below for examples), an original costume may not be acceptable for certain events.
  • Members may not submit or wear Rubies costumes or Karate Gi’s as their TJA Jedi costume. We encourage both our members and prospective members to design/sew/acquire authentic screen accurate Jedi costumes. A Karate Gi MAY be worn if altered enough so that its original look cannot be recognized. We feel that Rubies offers novice costuming to the public and as such is not acceptable at TJA.
  • Expanded Universe: Any exact replica of a Jedi costume from the Expanded Universe is acceptable ONLY after Council review. Members must cite their source (book and page number) as to what Jedi wore that particular costume, and submit it the Jedi Council for approval. This source MUST contain a full description of the costume, and it must indicate what each piece of the costume looks like in terms of color or style. If only one piece of the costume is described, then ONLY that piece will be acceptable. For example, if a description of an EU Jedi states that they wear blue tabbards, then the remainder of the costume must look like a "screen-accurate" Jedi costume in terms of style and color (browns and tans). Action figures are acceptable as a source for an EU costume; however, the figure must be produced by a Lucasfilm licensed source such as Hasbro. Custom actions figures are NOT acceptable as a costume source. Please note that costumes that specifically replicate an EU Jedi which have been accepted for membership may not be acceptable for certain events.
  • Lightsaber colors: When a saber is either rotoscoped for a costuming picture or recreated for a saber prop, a red saber can only be used in conjunction with a costume recreation of Mara Jade, Luke/Leia from the Dark Empire comics, and Adi Gallia. Furthermore, the only saber colors that the Jedi Assembly will allow are blue, green, purple, yellow, silver or orange unless dressed as a specific character. If a member wishes to recreate a Jedi character from the Expanded Universe, that character’s saber color must also be recreated. This is so characters and their respective saber colors are recognizable.

As of August 8, 2005, all NEW members of The Jedi Assembly must adhere to the above costuming guidelines, and as indicated above, agree that their costumes must be upgraded (if necessary) as costuming requirements change in order to maintain membership. For those members accepted before this date, any costumes that do not adhere to the guidelines due to color (for example, EU colors) will be grandfathered in and remain acceptable. In addition, EU costumes accepted before this date will also be grandfathered in. However, any new costumes that are made by these members MUST adhere to the current guidelines. The Council maintains the right to periodically review each member's costume for adherence to current guidelines, and may request additional photos or information in order to complete such review. If a costume is found to be in violation of the current costuming guidelines, the member will have 6 months in which to bring the costume up to standard. If the necessary changes are not made within the 6-month deadline, then membership will be suspended and may be deleted altogether.