| Guardians of the Whills | |
|---|---|
 Cover for the original edition of Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills (2017) | |
| Universe | Star Wars |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Monastic |
| Location | Jedha |
| Key people |
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| Official language | Basic |
The Guardians of the Whills are a faction in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise. The Guardians are depicted as an organization of ascetics who revere the Force, a metaphysical concept in the Star Wars fictional universe, though unlike the Jedi or the Sith, they do not appear to wield overtly supernatural powers derived from their connection to the Force.
The term Whills originated from unused in-universe elements and story treatments by series creator George Lucas for the franchise's film series, most notably the Journal of the Whills, Part I (Lucas's earliest known draft for the first film). Following the acquisition of Lucas' company Lucasfilm, Ltd. and the Star Wars intellectual property by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, the term is repurposed and reintroduced as the Guardians of the Whills, an esoteric monastic order who protect visiting pilgrims to a sacred temple located in the planet Jedha. A blind Guardian named Chirrut Îmwe and his companion Baze Malbus appear as supporting characters in the 2016 film Rogue One, they aid members of the Rebel Alliance to steal plans of the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of the Galactic Empire. Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus are portrayed by Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen respectively. Members of the monastic order have appeared in other Star Wars media, in particular the 2017 eponymous tie-in novel to Rogue One which featured appearances by Chirrut and Baze.
Both Chirrut and Baze have received a positive reception, and have since been recognized as fan favorites and influential characters in their own right.