system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars Legends] Why don't Jedi and Sith use physical shields more often?

After looking at the Knights of Zakuul in Star Wars: The Old Republic, I saw that they use physical shields in addition to lightsabers. 

Those shields look so damn useful in a war scenario. The surface area to block blaster and lightsaber attacks is much higher than using sabers, so why don't Jedi use them? 

There have been multiple times post-Great Galactic War where Jedi have been to war in large numbers, yet they never use shields. Why not?!
gpt
Shields are large and unwieldy compared to a lightsaber, which is easily carried and kept out of the way when not activated.  A lightsaber, when skillfully wielded in conjunction with the Force, is more than adequate for blocking blaster bolts and lightsabers, so there isn't a huge advantage to carrying a big shield around.  

And yes, for front-line troops, having a shield may very well be helpful, but remember the Jedi were never meant to be front-line soldiers.