SPECULATION Who are the Guardians of the Whills and what will be their future role in SW?

Dear all,

over the last couple of weeks, different sources now mentioned the “Guardians of the Whills” in the context of Rogue One.

The most prominent building on Jedha: The Temple of the Whills




Chirrut’s Lightbow crafted by the Guardians of the Whills



And the track list of the R1 Soundtrack have the final track listed as “The Guardians of the Whills Suite“

So now those Whills are at least an official term within canon, but what’s behind it, especially with their presence or at least, a footprint left, on the force-strong planet of Jedha with all its Kyber crystals and Jedi heritage?

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"Originally, I was trying to have the story be told by somebody else (an immortal being known as a Whill); there was somebody watching this whole story and recording it, somebody probably wiser than the mortal players in the actual events. I eventually dropped this idea, and the concepts behind the Whills turned into the Force. But the Whills became part of this massive amount of notes, quotes, background information that I used for the scripts; the stories were actually taken from the Journal of the Whills."

- George Lucas​

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Delving in the very early history of the Star Wars saga and the ideas George Lucas had before finalizing the script for ANH, the term WHILLS was equivalent to the FORCE, it was its given name. This and an ancient order above and beyond both Jedi and Sith, acting as keeper of a journal about the galactic history, as most of you already know.

GL took up the early ideas and, to some degree, used them further in the Clone Wars. With the novelization of TFA, the Journal of the Whills became part of canon too.

For more details, please refer to:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Keeper_of_the_Whills
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Journal_of_the_Whills
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ancient_Order_of_the_Whills
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Shaman_of_the_Whills
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Whills

Will they become another group of force wielders besides the already established Orders of Jedi and Sith in canon? Where could we possibly meet them again in future SW media and what would be their future (or past) role?

How come that they use special bowcaster as the one used by Chirrut, and how will be the connection to the Church of the Force? Did they also use lightsabers?

Have the Whills taught the first Jedi the workings of the Force? Why do their temple co-exist with Jedi ones on Jedha?

At least in one version, it seems that a shaman of the Whills taught Qui Gon the skill to become one with the force after his physical death, so will Luke be on the trail to their wisdom also as they seem to precede the Jedi order?

Will they interact with the Jedi and the Church of the Force again to counter such evil beings as Snoke and the Knights of Ren? Or are they all gone and just left some artifacts to be found?

P.S.: Force those force lore enthusiasts among you, I also recommend the following Cantina threads...
https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/the-old-jedi-temples.10409/
https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/lightsaber-crystals.10505/
https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet....derstanding-of-the-force-to-a-new-level.9923/

 

I hope you're right! I would live to see the force lore spread out to new grounds, as they did with the Bendu! Actually, when Luke is doing basic research on the roots of force lore, he might/should stumble onto them.

 

This is something that attracted me to Star Wars in the first place: The mixture of Space Opera action, starships and warriors in armor, combined with the mysticism in the background leaving some secrets to the imagination.

At least the Whills seem to have left their footprint in the galaxy, if one takes a look at the monumental temple on Jedha. The question is, were they active in that temple themselves (and build it), or is it a shrine of worship to them, build by others like the church of the force, and where they just have some artifacts on display like the lightbow?

I wonder, what in past times the Guardians of the Whills interaction with the Jedi order was, both having temple on the same planet so rich in force history and attracting pilgrims from all over the galaxy.

And if WHILLS is just another term for the FORCE, they are naming themselves practically "Guardians of the Force". Hmmm....

 

Hah, that’s really something to consider. Very good thinking! This would also explain why he’s in possession of one of the lightbows from the Guardians of the Whills!

What a cool implication my friend! The age, alienness, the hidden & aloof status – all that would match and fit in nicely with what we know so far. Very intriguing thought indeed.

And with @cawatrooper ‘s theory, it would connect R1 and TFA.

 

I fear nothing. All is as the Force WHILLS it.

A great post indeed my friend! Glad you joined the Cantina to discuss SW stuff with us

It would be interesting if the Whills would lean to either side of the force, or try to just embrace the neutral aspects as the Bendu. Or their “Order” allows for both light and dark side adherence, as they are not aligned with the Jedi nor Sith codex. More like the Ones from Mortis: Father, Son and daughter from the CW representing all aspects of the force.

As what I would conclude from the original concept, the Whills are preceding the old republic and will be there long after the new republic is just ash in galactic history.