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Jedi Council
Category: Affiliations
This was the primary leadership body that governed the actions of the Jedi Order. Also called the Jedi High Council, this body was established in the wake of the Battle of Ruusan to oversee the activities of the Jedi Order, in an effort to evaluate its place in the galaxy. This body was once known as the Masters' Council, but it was believed that any leadership body could benefit from the input of Jedi Knights at all levels. New rules were put in place to overcome the perceived problems that were encountered on Ruusan, including the propensity of adolescents and adults had of letting their emotions drag them over to the Dark Side of the Force. When the Jedi Council decreed that only infants would be chosen for training, many beings in the galaxy came to see the Jedi as cradle-robbers or baby snatchers. However, these beings were not in the majority, and many of the galaxy's citizens attributed the ensuing centuries of peace to the efforts of the Jedi Order.
In the years leading up to the Clone Wars and the fall of the Old Republic, the Jedi Council became more and more insular, and many believed that the Jedi Order was eventually destroyed because the Council was unable to see the coming darkness. The Council maintained a spectacular chamber located in one of the four council towers of the Jedi Temple, located on Coruscant. The Council was made up of five lifetime members, four long-term members, and three limited-term members.
For many generations, the Council existed in relative obscurity, as the peace in the galaxy limited the presence of the Jedi to mediators and arbitors. In the wake of the Great Sith War, the Jedi Council found itself fighting for its life, when the Jedi Civil War broke out and the Jedi Order was nearly wiped out in the five years following the destruction of the Star Forge.
The mission of the Jedi Council was to oversee the continued development of the Jedi Order, and to ensure that the ideals of the Jedi were upheld. The goal of every Jedi Knight and Master was to maintain peace and justice throughout the galaxy, a goal that was predicated on the fact that the entire Jedi Order remained politically neutral. By law, however, the Jedi Order reported directly to the Galactic Senate. For many generations this meant little more than regular reporting of the activities of the Jedi Order.
At the time of the Battle of Naboo, the Council consisted of the following members:
By the time of the Battle of Geonosis, Coleman Trebor had replaced Yarael Poof, and Shaak Ti had replaced Yaddle. With the full-blown conflict of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Council became the military leadership of a new group of Generals, as Jedi Master were given command of clone trooper squads in an effort to confront the atrocities of the Separatists. As they affected most other aspects of life, the Clone Wars altered the make-up of the Jedi Council. Master Trebor died at Geonosis, and the remaining Council members were often forced to meet via holographic communication from the battlefronts. Appointed to replace fallen Masters were Agen Kolar, Stass Allie, Kit Fisto, Tsui Choi, Colman Kcaj, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Following the First Battle of Coruscant, the Galactic Senate was forced to admit that it could no longer handle the duties of politics and the military. In an unusual move, the Senators voted to have the Jedi Order report directly to Chancellor Palpatine, giving the Chancellor complete control of its activities. Outwardly, this would mean that Palpatine could focus the Jedi Order on the elimination of the Separatists, leaving the Senate to handle the rebuilding of the Republic. However, implied in this decree was the fact that Palpatine would also control any and all troops under the command of the Jedi Order, which included the entire Grand Army of the Republic. With this simple bit of legislation, Palpatine became the Supreme Commander of the Republic's entire military force. Palpatine then named Anakin Skywalker as his personal representative on the Jedi Council, a move that went against the electoral process of the Jedi Order. In order to maintain a modicum of control, the Council agreed to the appointment, but refused to grant Skywalker the status of Jedi Master. With the destruction of the Jedi Order at the hands of Emperor Palpatine, the Jedi Council was banished from history.
It's existence was later discovered by Luke Skywalker, during his research into the Jedi of the Old Republic. He longed to re-establish the Council, but the New Republic Senate feared that it would give the Jedi an elitist presence. However, when Cal Omas was elected Chief of State, he vowed to work with Luke on recreating the Council. They agreed to create an Advisory Council that consisted of six Jedi and six New Republic officials, mirroring the twelve-seat Council of the Old Republic. However, in the wake of the Swarm War, Master Skywalker decided to remove the Jedi from the Galactic Alliance's Advisory Council, instead forming a dedicated Jedi High Council to govern the actions of the new Jedi order. The Jedi continued to support the Galactic Alliance, however, and were available for advice at any time. As had happened during the Clone Wars, the role of the Jedi Order changed as the galaxy changed.
The onset of the Corellia-GA War, followed by the Alliance's war with the Confederation, forced the Jedi Council to make some harsh decisions. While the Jedi Order was sworn to support the Galactic Alliance, many of the Jedi Council's members openly criticized Jacen Solo and Cha Niathal when they began manipulating the law to take control of the Alliance for themselves. Grand Master Luke Skywalker was eventually forced to confront the fact that his nephew had become a tyrant, and he declared that the Jedi Order was no longer able to support the Galactic Alliance. For a short period of time, the Jedi Council contained members from within the Jedi Order and from the government, so that its actions could be monitored. In the wake of the Second Galactic Civil War, the Jedi Council reverted to an all-Jedi body, and included Jedi Masters Skywalker, Kyle Katarn, Octa Ramis, Saba Sebatyne, Cilghal, Kenth Hamner, Corran Horn, and Kyp Durron. Grand Master Skywalker was forced to accept a ten-year exile from the activities of the Jedi Order, in exchange for amnesty from any repercussions the Galactic Alliance might have levied against the Jedi following Jacen Solo's fall to the Dark Side of the Force. Master Hamner was chosen to serve as the leader of the Jedi Council during this time, although he chose not to take on the title of Grand Master until he was forced into it.
Source Abbreviations Listing - E1, IG1, SWI62, DW, OWS, IS3, E3N, KOTOR2, DN3, LF2, LF6, SWI99, EGF, FJ2, FJ3
For more information, please read or view the following material(s):
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War, by Troy Denning, copyright 2006, from Del Rey Books
Destiny's Way, by Walter Jon Williams, copyright 2002, from Del Rey Books
Fate of the Jedi - Abyss, by Troy Denning, copyright 2009, from Del Rey Books
Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, by Ryder Windham, copyright 2007, from Del Rey Books
Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines, by Karen Traviss, copyright 2006, from Del Rey Books
Legacy of the Force: Inferno, by Troy Denning, copyright 2007, from Del Rey Books
Star Wars Insider Magazine (issue number n follows SWI), by Various, copyright 1997, 2008, from Various
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, by George Lucas, copyright 1999, from Twentieth Century Fox Film Distribution
Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide, copyright 1999, from LucasArts Entertainment Company
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover, copyright 2005, from Del Rey Books
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Illustrated Screenplay, by George Lucas and J.W. Rinzler, copyright 2005, from Del Rey Books
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi - Omen, by Christie Golden, copyright 2009, from Del Rey Books
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - The Sith Lords, copyright 2004, from LucasArts Entertainment Company
The Official Star Wars Website (http://www.starwars.com)
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