Jedi Council: Acts of War #1 represents the inaugural issue of the Star Wars: Jedi Council: Acts of War comic book series. It was published by Dark Horse Comics on June 21, 2000.
Even before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace cast their shadow, the Senate's governance didn't guarantee tranquility. The Republic's myriad worlds faced diverse potential threats. When conflicts emerged, the Jedi Knights, guided by the Jedi Council, were tasked with safeguarding the vulnerable and restoring order.
In the year 33 BBY, the Yinchorri—a bellicose species native to the Expansion Region—initiated an invasion targeting non-Yinchorri settlements outside their own territory, an event known as the Yinchorri Uprising. Yinchorri attack ships launched an assault on Mayvitch 7, a moon orbiting Amador within the Chalenor system, where the Immalians operated a mining enterprise. The Yinchorri swiftly carried out a massacre of the defenders; however, one soldier managed to transmit a distress signal to the Jedi Order. Four days later, this transmission was presented during a gathering of the Jedi Council at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. By this time, the Yinchorri had taken control of both the moon and the entire system. Jedi Master Mace Windu addressed the assembled Jedi Masters, deducing that the attacks were orchestrated by the Yinchorri rather than by mere pirates.
The Yinchorri had recently joined the Galactic Republic's Senate and had acquired interstellar travel capabilities through illegal channels. Subsequently, the Jedi Council engaged in a discussion regarding the Yinchorri menace. Previously, the Order had deployed two Jedi—Jedi Knight Naeshahn and her Padawan Ebor Taulk—on a diplomatic mission to Yinchorr, the Yinchorri's planet of origin. Tragically, they were murdered, and their disfigured remains were left at the doorstep of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's personal quarters. Before their deaths, the two Jedi envoys had discovered that the Yinchorri possessed immunity to Force manipulation and that their civilization was structured around two distinct castes: an intellectual ruling class and a warrior class. The Yinchorri's recent acquisition of cortosis technology also became a growing concern among the Jedi leadership.
Later that evening, Darth Sidious and his Zabrak apprentice Darth Maul, two members of the clandestine Sith Order, observed the Jedi Temple from the vantage point of an unidentified skyscraper. Sidious had meticulously planned the impending conflict between the Jedi and the Yinchorri species with the intention of achieving two objectives that would advance Sith interests. Sidious considered the Force-resistant Yinchorri a potential threat to his future ambitions and sought to utilize another adversary to eliminate them. Furthermore, he desired the deaths of several Jedi during the Yinchorri Uprising to weaken the Jedi Order's ability to impede his plans to dismantle the Republic. Maul expressed his desire to actively participate in Sidious' Yinchorri scheme, but Sidious preferred to maintain the Sith's secrecy for the time being. Instead, they would operate through intermediaries, such as the Yinchorri and the Devaronian mercenary Vilmarh Grahrk, a smuggler who had been supplying arms to the Yinchorri.
During a hologram communication, the Devaronian informed his Sith master, Sidious, that he had orchestrated an upcoming confrontation between the Yinchorri and the Jedi. Vilmarh had intentionally leaked information about the Jedi's impending visit to the Yinchorri. Through his services, Vilmarh had cultivated a strong partnership with Darth Sidious, yet the Sith Lord refused to reveal his face, believing that it was best for only a select few to know his true identity as Senator Palpatine of Naboo. The following day, the Jedi Order organized a mission to the Yinchorri system. Prior to their departure, Master Giett and the Padawans K'Kruhk and Obi-Wan Kenobi engaged in a game that involved manipulating three white stones and one black stone concealed beneath four cups. The aim of the game was to track the location of the black stone. Both Padawans were deceived by the game. Obi-Wan initially believed that Master Giett's superior command of the Force enabled the trick, but Giett clarified that he had simply exploited their preconceived notions and assumptions, leading them to incorrect conclusions, and that they must not allow their fascination with the Force to diminish their other senses.
Before the Jedi mission's departure, Master Windu delivered an inspiring speech to the assembled Jedi. He thanked them for volunteering for the mission and expressed his reluctance to resort to force, while emphasizing that the Jedi had pledged to defend the Republic and could not overlook the threat posed by Yinchorri aggression or the brutal murder of two Jedi comrades. He cautioned the Jedi to set aside any feelings of self-righteousness and reminded them that, while justice was on their side, they must administer it impartially and without animosity. The Jedi mission consisted of twelve Jedi, divided into three groups, each assigned to a Consular-class space cruiser due to the presence of only three habitable planets in the system. Mace Windu, Saesee Tiin, Qui-Gon Jinn, and his Padawan Kenobi were tasked with visiting the inhospitable Yinchorri homeworld of Yinchorr, while Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth, Tsui Choi, and Theen Fida were assigned to the aquatic planet of Yitheeth. Masters Plo Koon, Micah Giiett, Lilit Twoseas, and her Padawan K'Kruhk were dispatched to Yibikkoror, a small world with a thick atmosphere. All three groups were charged with locating a rumored Yinchorri command center.
As the Jedi vessels departed, Master Yoda engaged in a conversation with the Quermian Master Yarael Poof. Poof observed that Yoda appeared troubled. Yoda acknowledged that the Yinchorri Uprising represented the first significant threat to emerge after a prolonged period of relative peace. He noted that the Jedi mission was venturing into danger but added that those who remained also faced uncertainty. During the voyage, Giett and K'Kruhk participated in a lightsaber combat training session that incorporated a cortosis shield. Given the Yinchorri's access to this technology, the Jedi needed to develop strategies for confronting opponents wielding cortosis shields. Upon exiting hyperspace within the Yinchorri system, they were immediately attacked by Yinchorri starfighters, spacecraft that had been illicitly obtained from the Golden Nyss Shipyards. The Jedi were at a disadvantage because their cruisers were unarmed. However, during the engagement, Gallia's cruiser successfully destroyed two fighters by cleverly maneuvering a third into destroying them before proceeding to Yitheeth.
Meanwhile, Windu's cruiser had its shields disabled by an enemy fighter. Nevertheless, they evaded destruction due to the actions of Tiin, who executed a hyperspace jump past a planet. To their Yinchorri pursuers, it appeared as though their target had jumped into hyperspace through the planet itself. By the time they realized their error, it was too late, as the cruiser had already made its way to Yinchorr. Simultaneously, Micah and K'Kruhk's cruiser sustained damage from enemy fire but managed to continue towards Yibikkoror while still being pursued by three Yinchorri fighters. Later that day, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant intercepted communications between the Yinchorri fighter squadrons. One Yinchorri report confirmed that a Jedi cruiser had been shot down by two Yinchorri fighters. A Bith Jedi also cited another report claiming that Mace's ship had been destroyed above Yinchorr. However, other reports indicated that the ship had vanished from their sensors. Furthermore, there were three separate reports corroborating that a cruiser had been brought down by direct hits. Yoda expressed concern over these developments but also voiced apprehension about another looming threat. Meanwhile, a group of armed Yinchorri warriors arrived at the perimeter of the Jedi Temple's compound on Coruscant.