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Jedi Council

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in the years leading up to the Clone Wars and the fall of the Old Republic, the Jedi Council consisted of twelve Jedi Masters elected to guide the actions and goals of the Jedi. They had 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. At the time of the Battle of Naboo, the Council consisted of the following members:

Lifetime Members:
- Mace Windu
- Yoda
- Oppo Rancisis
- Plo Koon
- Yarael Poof
Long-term Members:
- Eeth Koth
- Even Piell
- Depa Billaba
- Saesee Tiin
Limited-term Members:
- Ki-Adi-Mundi
- Yaddle
- Adi Gallia

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. As the Republic began to crumble from within, and after Count Dooku formed the Confederacy of Indepenent Systems, the Jedi Order found itself responding to more and more requests for assistance in political or military matters. The Jedi Council had to send more and more Jedi into combat situations, and the mission of the Jedi Order slowly became one of military importance. 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, 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 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 a High Council that consisted of six Jedi and six New Republic officials, mirroring the twelve-seat Council of the Old Republic.