There are so many important people, places, and governing bodies for fans to keep track of in the ever-expanding Star Wars universe. Even though the films, shows, video games, and more barely depict the Jedi Council directly, its actions among of the most important aspects of the narrative. Behind closed doors, the most powerful warriors in the galaxy made some of the toughest decisions, before war tore them apart.
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The Council’s History
Though the franchise feels like it’s depicting a long period of time, the films have only covered around 67 years of the galaxy’s events. The Jedi Council predates the first film by an immense period of time. The first known event of the Jedi Council comes thousands of years before any event depicted on-screen. The Council is the ultimate governing body of the Jedi, and therefore, the most important peace-keeping force in the galaxy. As always in genre fiction, this means they engaged in an immense amount of armed conflict. Nothing is known about the initial formation of the Jedi Council, other than their purpose. They consist of twelve Jedi Masters who hold court and make the tough decisions. Over the decades, this led to their leadership over the galactic military, and their eventual dissolution.
The first known event in Jedi Council history came when a rogue Jedi decided they were done with the Council’s rules. He determined that the best way to seek power was to tap into the omnipresent dark side of the force. Disgusted, the Council demanded they be exiled, and they were cast out of the Jedi Order. That event would change the destiny of the galaxy forever, as the outcast former Jedi became the first Sith, and gathered an army of followers to oppose his former masters. The Sith and the Jedi would continue their war for thousands of years, beginning the seemingly endless pattern of warriors defying the council and becoming evil, a pattern that led to the end of the Council.
As the galaxy entered the High Republic Era, the Jedi Council became more important and expanded its reach. Once an obscure religious order, the Council rose in power and became more closely tied with the galactic government. During this time, the Jedi also served as Councilors in official government functions. This was the time of Yoda’s ascension to the leadership position, which he would hold until the council’s dissolution. Under Yoda and his peers, the Council expanded Jedi’s reach out to the Outer Rim territories. This period was marked by conflict between the Jedi Council and a group of anarchistic marauders called the Nihil. Influence in the Outer Rim territories is part of what allowed Jedi to move outward as things started to take a downward turn.
The End Of The Council
Star Wars fans can probably guess what spelled the end for the Jedi Council. A powerful young upstart named Anakin Skywalker arrived on the scene with promises of being the chosen one. The Council, sensing fear in him and concerned that his age would make him unteachable, refused his request to be trained as a Jedi. After the Jedi who found the youngling was killed in pitched combat, though, the Council reversed their decision and left Skywalker in the care of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The galaxy was on the brink, then deeply encroached in The Clone Wars, which was secretly being manipulated on both sides. The entire conflict was carefully managed by a Sith politician called Darth Sidious, under the name Emperor Palpatine. With an ancestral enemy of the Jedi working every angle, the Jedi Council was doomed.
Order 66 is, of course, the ultimate turning point in the history of the Jedi Council. Master of the Order Mace Windu was killed in conflict with Sidious and his new assistant Anakin Skywalker. Sidious used that moment to turn the Republic’s citizenry against their beloved Jedi order, creating a new crisis for the Council. In one fell swoop, the Republic-turned-Empire ordered all Jedi eliminated by the armies of clones, and very nearly succeeded. Massively weakened in number and forced into the shadows, the Jedi Council could never regain anything approaching its heyday. Jedi still existed throughout the galaxy, but carefully hidden away, lest they be slain by Empire hunters.
The Jedi Council thus went from a fringe religious body to a political force, to a body of military leadership, to public enemy number one, to a relic of the past, in a matter of years. There’s still plenty of history to the Jedi Council that has yet to be depicted in media; fans still don’t know what they were up to for the first few thousand years. The history of that fateful Council is a key part of the larger Star Wars narrative, and there are a ton of interesting stories within it.
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