"Not really?" says Bultar Swan. "I mean, they're there to teach us, aren't they? What else would they do?"

"Well, when I want to know something, I generally start by looking it up in the library, not - hoping that if I sit in front of someone for an hour they'll say something relevant about it."

"I... guess so, but, like, they know what you're supposed to be learning."

"...I think it's more that they know what they're supposed to be teaching, rather than any particular - oh, Force preserve me, I was about to go on about Master Yoda's meditation class again.  

"Teachers - don't have inherent competency in knowing what you do or do not know, is the thing.

"And who's to say that - anyone is inherently supposed to learn anything?  Who chose the order?  Who set the pace?  Why did they make those choices?  Do we even know?"

"They're probably teaching us things for... the Force, things that help with that. And I guess just things that we need to know to be Jedi, like for the planets we might go to and all that."

"But why are we being taught 'things that are useful for the Force'?  Who decided that?  I know there probably isn't a single person in this Temple who doesn't enjoy moving things with their mind, but - oh, why lightsaber combat?  Who decided that kids like us need to be taught how to swing a deadly weapon?"

"Well, Jedi need to be able to use the Force, and they need to be able to use lightsabers, and it's easier if we start when we're young." Bultar shrugs. "I don't know who decides this stuff. Probably someone on the Council."

"Why do Jedi need to be able to use lightsabers?"

"Like... if we need to fight someone?"

"Why do Jedi need to be able to use a lightsaber - remember, extremely injurious melee weapon - when stun blasters exist?"

"Well, with a blaster against a blaster it's a lot harder. You can use a lightsaber to, like, deflect the shots and then rush up to them."

The other students are also weighing in, and they seem to also agree that lightsabers are very good weapons!

"..."

"And you really want to spend more time in a position where this person with a gun can shoot you?  Getting closer and closer, where the admittedly potent technique of blast deflection gives you less protection because the blade is only able to cover so much space guaranteed?"

"But it's not that hard to deflect the shots, even up close," says one of the other students, Tru Veld. "With Force reflexes, and all."

"Yeah, it's a lot easier to block the shots than to hit someone from a distance," replies another one, Ferus Olin. "I'm sure the Council knows what they're doing."

...Hm.  She might actually need to do math about this.

She'll pull out a flimsi, and her datapad, and start doing the math.  Her assumptions are flawed.  ...Has she been using Force reflexes the entire time without knowing?

"What does that feel like?  It's not the same thing as precognition, right?  And how fast is it?"

But still...

"Still, though - wouldn't a shield be better at deflecting?

"I know I've had some success with mine."

"Well, yeah, a shield's cool too!" says Bultar. "Where'd you get it?"

"Naboo; from the Gungans."

"Can I get one?" asks the last student at the table, Darra Thel-Tanis. She is then followed by the other three proclaiming that they too want shields.

"Well, I'll have to ask the Gungans about it - I paid for these fair and square, even if I've been tinkering with them enough that they might count as 'my' design by now, and even if I could build more from scratch it'd be rude to do so without credit - but I think that's possible."

Shields! Shields are cool!

The conversation will attract the attention of Master Tera Sinube, an older Jedi who often teaches lightsaber classes. "What's that about shields?"

"Kina's getting us all shields!" says Tru.

"I'm seeing if it's possible for me to build them shields like the shield I use without annoying Otoh Gunga.  Because they've been pretty useful, and - well, in at least one instance I could have ended up dead without one, so...shields.  To save lives-in-expectation."

"Sure. Kina, yes? It's a finely made shield, but the lightsaber is the traditional weapon of a Jedi, and it can be your shield. With training, a Jedi can become stronger with the lightsaber than you might expect."

"...I fail to see how the strength of a Jedi with a lightsaber alone is relevant to whether a shield is good to have available, and if you are suggesting I discard mine entirely, I have mathematical evidence as to why that's asking for me to be shot."