Jedi beacon

The Jedi beacon, also known as the Warning Beacon, was a device housed within the Jedi Temple's central security station that served as a means of contact for all Jedi throughout the galaxy. Its typical purpose was to be programmed with a signal that could alert all Jedi to return home to Coruscant. In its simplest form, it consisted of a basic alert signal that was a steady pinging noise. There were also other components, which could send detailed text and holographic messages. During a youngling lesson at the Temple, Caleb Dume wondered if it could also be programmed to warn Jedi away from Coruscant. Though some were shocked by this, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi agreed that there could be unexpected reasons why such a message would be necessary.

As part of the siege of the Jedi Temple, Darth Vader activated the beacon to recall the Jedi to Coruscant. The idea behind this was to lure any Jedi who survived Order 66 to the Temple, unaware of the true circumstances, where they would be murdered by the clone troopers stationed there. Senator Bail Prestor Organa, who had witnessed the massacre at the Temple first hand, discovered a beacon inside the ship of Jedi Master, Saesee Tiin and managed to warn Kenobi and Grand Master Yoda. Kenobi and Yoda subsequently returned to Coruscant and infiltrated the Jedi Temple and Kenobi altered the transmission to a holographic recording of himself to warn all remaining Jedi to keep away. At least two Jedi, Caleb Dume and Cere Junda, received Kenobi's broadcast. Caleb was in hyperspace on the way back to Coruscant and was thus warned to not land on the planet. Junda received it and uploaded the transmission to a holocron.

Text and facts from the “Jedi beacon” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.