Untold centuries after the fall of Emperor Palpatine and his apprentice, Darth Vader, the galaxy is united as a republic once more.  It was a long fight, Imperial remnants holding as much ground as they could, for as long as they could.  In the midst of it, over the decades, the Skywalker family made a few quiet attempts to restart the Jedi Order.  They didn't dare be as open as the old Order was.  They were afraid of attracting powerful enemies, and they were afraid of being seen as one.

Their soft hand was their downfall.  The New Order attracted some students, but they never again achieved the reach that the Jedi were known for, and over time they faded from the general public's awareness, remembered as some mystical order of paladins or monks.  Long after Luke Skywalker's death, the Order failed for decades to attract new padawans, and as the older master's died out, soon there was only one left.  The last Apprentice of the New Jedi Order, he achieved the rank of Knight, and the last Master passed his title to him as he died.  Oberon Markel considered letting the lineage die, knowing the Force was alive, and would resurface when it was needed.  

But that was not the Force's will after all.  Something pulled on him, and he found himself drawn by intuition to Corelia.  He stood outside a junk shop(the owner fancied himself an antique's dealer) when David Starsea walked out with an old, dead lightsaber in his hands.  He was the first apprentice in almost fifty years, and after learning all Master Markel had to teach, he found himself more successful in finding padawans than his predecessors.  

Unfortunately, so was someone else.