| abstract | - The Bear Clan was one of the many clans that prospective young Initiates were placed in when they first began to learn the ways of the Jedi Order. Students placed within this clan were chosen for their foreseen courage and bravery by their fosterers, who looked into each child's future so as to find the right clan to place them in. Consisting of about twenty hopeful Jedi, the clan moved through the Jedi academy's rigorous test together, forming bonds and support systems that were designed to help in the progression from Initiate to Padawan. Overseen by a particular sponsor, each clan was first met with simple lessons intended to serve as the basis for future instruction. Once all of the courses at the academy were completed, each member of the clan faced the Trials; a series of test used to determine what they had retained. If the student passed, their time in the clan was over and they most likely went on to become a Padawan. If a student failed to pass the final trials, they were reassigned to the Jedi Service Corps or asked to leave the Order completely. During the final years of the Galactic Republic, Grand Master Yoda sponsored a specific year of the Bear Clan, passing down his knowledge accumulated over his long lifespan. After the formation of the Galactic Empire and the Great Jedi Purge, Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious saw to it that the Bear Clan was disbanded during the Great Jedi Purge. Several decades later, the reformed Jedi Order did not reestablish the Bear Clan; though Grand Master Luke Skywalker did continue the use of the clan system following the Dark Nest Crisis.
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