Qual was a male Selkath Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council of the planet Dantooine's Jedi Enclave in the years following the Great Sith War. Qual was active on the Enclave Council during the Great Hunt of 3993 BBY, when Jedi Knights traveled the galaxy slaying Sith-created beasts left over from the war. After the official end of the Great Hunt that year, Qual was present when the Jedi Enclave Council notified Jedi Knights Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, and Guun Han Saresh that they were being sent to cleanse the Sith homeworld of Korriban of terentateks. Although some on the Council disagreed with the mission, Qual saw it to be tactically sound and believed in the wisdom of the Jedi High Council, which had chosen the three Jedi. However, Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh never returned.
Qual on the Jedi Enclave Council
A Selkath male, Qual was, by 3993 BBY, a Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi Council of the Jedi Enclave on the planet Dantooine. In this position, Qual served alongside respected Jedi Masters Vrook Lamar, Aleco Stusea, and Bala Nisi. In 3993 BBY, an official end was called to the Great Hunt—after the galaxy-spanning Great Sith War that ended in 3996 BBY, many Jedi Knights had scoured worlds such as Tatooine, Tython, and Onderon for Sith-created monstrosities that still posed threats to the Jedi Order and the general populace. Two days after the supposed end of the Great Hunt, Qual and the Jedi Enclave Council called three such Knights—Humans Duron Qel-Droma and Shaela Nuur, and Twi'lek Guun Han Saresh, considered to be the Order's finest hunters. The three Knights were told that they had been handpicked by the Jedi High Council on Coruscant to go to the Sith homeworld of Korriban, a planet deeply steeped in the dark side, and cleanse the world of the vicious terentatek beasts.
After the hunters departed, Qual discussed the mission with his fellow Council members. Although Nisi and Lamar disagreed with sending only three Jedi to a world with such a strong dark side taint as Korriban, Qual felt that they needed to abide by the Jedi High Council's wisdom, since a large party of Jedi on Korriban was too much of a risk. Qual's assertions were backed by Stusea, although she admitted her own reservations about the mission. However, Qual's relative optimism did not prove warranted, as none of the three Jedi sent to Korriban ever returned.
A Selkath with blue skin and blue eyes, Qual trusted in the wisdom of the Jedi High Council. As such, he held a more positive opinion of the mission to Korriban, as he believed that the High Council's decision was the tactically sound way to deal with the problem. Furthermore, Qual believed that following the word of the Jedi High Council was the way of the Jedi Order itself.
Qual first appeared in "Shadows and Light," one of the stories featured in Star Wars Tales 23, written by Joshua Ortega and released in 2005. In the comic, the character was illustrated by Dustin Weaver.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia