Jedi High Council

The Jedi Order's Council was known as the High Council. It was made up of a dozen Jedi Masters charged with leading the Order, including five who held lifetime positions. They would gather as a council to talk about important Jedi matters. The Council talked about what was happening in the galaxy and tried to understand what the Force wanted. If a Jedi wanted to take a break from their Council duties, they could pick another Jedi to fill their spot temporarily. Historically, the High Council has avoided having separate groups within it, as this was seen as ineffective.

In the Republic Era's closing years, the Council had two important positions: Grand Master and Master of the Order. The title of Grand Master was given to the oldest and wisest Jedi alive, who then led the Jedi Order. However, several Jedi could share this title, as they did during the High Republic Era. The High Council elected the Master of the Order to be their main officer. Yoda was the Grand Master during the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, while Mace Windu was the Master of the Order. Yoda held both titles during the Clone Wars time period.

Jedi on the High Council, as the governing members, had the power to get involved in local political issues. Other Jedi could only officially participate with permission from the Council or the Galactic Senate. Council members also used their skills to govern the Jedi Order in specific ways. Council leaders who were elected often met with others to talk about problems, but all twelve members made important decisions together. They also decided on special cases involving potential Jedi candidates, like Verosha Aniseya and Anakin Skywalker.

The High Council had its own symbol, different from the Jedi symbol. This emblem was used on at least one starship, a Jedi High Council cruiser, to show that the ship carried Jedi leaders. Council members highly valued the Jedi Code and expected all Jedi to follow it. Yoda and Mace Windu were known for strictly following the Order's old ways. While the Council allowed some Jedi to be different, they firmly enforced certain rules. When Qui-Gon Jinn tried to take Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan and later break the code by promoting Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda reminded him that it was forbidden to have more than one apprentice at a time and that the Council had the final say on when a Padawan could take the Jedi Trials.

High Council members could also leave when they wanted, as Jedi Master Yaddle did when she gave up her seat. Fellow members could remove individual members from the High Council. If a councilmember died, the High Council could choose another Jedi Master to take their place. Although some wayward Jedi were known to use blasters, the Council never approved of this. Kenobi, one of the last Council members, always believed that blasters were unreliable and uncivilized compared to the Jedi lightsaber.

The High Council was located in the Jedi Grand Temple, the most famous Jedi temple in the galaxy. The Grand Temple served as both a school and a monastery for the Jedi Order on Coruscant, the capital planet of the Galactic Republic, in the Core Worlds. Before Coruscant, the council was based on Alderaan and Ossus. The Temple ziggurat had a "distinctive crown of five spires"—four Council Towers around the main Temple Spire. The High Council Tower, which housed the Jedi Council Chamber, was one of the four spires. Also, the Pinnacle Room, a chamber at the top of the Temple Spire, was used by the High Council.

The Jedi High Council was around during the Old Republic-era, when a Jedi who went rogue turned away from the light side, thinking that only the dark side of the Force could unlock someone's true potential. The Council was troubled by the rogue Jedi's beliefs and exiled them. But the rogue Jedi gathered followers and started a rival Force order, the Sith, during the Hundred-Year Darkness. The Jedi and Sith fought for many generations until the Sith were finally defeated, which a Sith Lord named Darth Bane helped make happen before escaping. Bane changed the Sith under the Rule of Two, allowing the Sith Order to secretly survive for the next thousand years.

The High Republic Era saw the Jedi Order expand its reach across the galaxy, especially in the Outer Rim Territories. In 382 BBY, the Jedi clashed with the Path of the Open Hand cult, who thought the Force should be "freed" from being used. After the Battle of Jedha, Jedi Master Creighton Sun told the Council, and they let him and Knight Aida Forte investigate the Path's home world of Dalna. Later, Jedi Master Rinn and Knight Azlin Rell told the Council about the mysterious deaths of Master Zallah Macri and her Padawan, Kevmo Zink, on Dalna. The Council decided that the Force was guiding them to Dalna, so members Ela Sutan and Gluth Andoi led their own mission there. The Jedi's presence on Dalna from these missions led the Path to launch the Battle of Dalna, where they unleashed more of the creatures that had killed Macri and Zink: the Nameless.

During the battle, Andoi was surprised by a Nameless and died from Path blasterfire and one of the creatures. However, Path Guide Marda Ro turned on her order during the battle, wiping out all of the Nameless except for the Great Leveler, which destroyed the Path cave systems. At that time, Jedi reinforcements, including Master Yoda, arrived on Dalna and helped turn the tide against the Path. The battle was seen as a success for the Republic and Jedi working together, but later, some argued that the deaths on Dalna only happened because of this close partnership. After the battle, Yoda and Sun agreed to hide the existence of the Nameless to prevent knowledge of the anti-Force-wielder beings from spreading, promising to research them on their own. Secretly, Ro also escaped the battle with the Leveler and started a new campaign to "free" the Force, a plot that would continue through the Ro family's generations.

During the later part of Lina Soh's time as Supreme Chancellor, the Republic commissioned Starlight Beacon at her request. During that time, the title of Grand Master was shared by three Jedi: Yoda, Pra-Tre Veter, and Xo Lahru. All three Grand Masters served on the High Council, which included Jedi Masters Jora Malli and Stellan Gios, who took the Council seat once held by his master, Rana Kant. In 232 BBY, Yoda took a break from the Council because he felt the Force calling him elsewhere. He stationed himself on the Padawan Academic Cruiser Star Hopper, where he helped train Padawans and younglings. He chose the Mon Calamari Jedi Master Ephru Shinn to fill his spot on the Council while he was away.

During the Emergences after the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the Council realized that the Jedi might be needed in the Outer Rim more than usual. The Republic's exploration of the Outer Rim brought them and the Jedi into conflict with a group of marauders known as the Nihil, secretly formed by the Ro family. Grand Master Lahru called the High Council together to discuss the threat the Nihil posed to the Republic. The Council decided that the Jedi would help the Republic in the coming Battle of Kur, during which Malli was killed. With Malli gone, Grand Masters Veter and Yoda went to Starlight Beacon to confirm Jedi Master Avar Kriss' appointment as the space station's new marshal. Ry Ki-Sakka took Malli's place on the Council and later became a Grand Master. After discovering the connection between the Nihil and Dalna, where the Jedi had fought the Nameless and the Path over a hundred years before, Yoda disappeared from the Order to investigate the true nature of the threat facing the Republic and Jedi.

Despite the end of the Great Disaster crisis, the Nihil conflict continued, strengthening the ties between the Republic and Jedi Order. Soh and her aides increasingly pushed themselves into Council meetings, which concerned Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus as he and other Jedi debated the extent of their Order's ties with the government. In 230 BBY, Gios replaced Kriss as the Marshal of Starlight Beacon when she went on an unsanctioned mission to the Great Hall of the Nihil. He died during the destruction of Starlight Beacon by the Nihil to prevent the collapsing station from hitting the city of Barraza. Meanwhile, Yoda returned to the Jedi with news. The Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro, a descendant of Marda's who ruled the Nihil, unleashed Nameless against the Jedi during the fall of Starlight, convincing the Jedi to recall all Jedi to Coruscant while they figured out how to fight the Nameless. In 229 BBY, Grand Master Veter was executed by the Nihil in a broadcast shown to the galaxy. The following year, Jedi Master Elzar Mann was offered Gios' empty seat on the Council. Mann declined, believing the role didn't suit him and that it wasn't the right place for him, knowing he belonged with the living Force and with Kriss, after she told him she loved him.

In 148 BBY, Jedi Master Indara contacted the High Council for advice on taking in Mae-ho Aniseya and Verosha Aniseya as possible Jedi candidates. The High Council initially protested and didn't approve of separating the twins or their involvement with the Brendok coven. After Mae seemingly killed the coven in a fire and was presumed dead, the Council changed their decision and inducted Verosha into the Jedi Order.

Sixteen years later, the High Council learned much of the truth about what happened, with the coven killed partly due to the actions of the Jedi stationed on Brendok and the subsequent cover-up. However, high-ranking official and Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh framed Mae's murders on Jedi Master Sol, who was denounced as a rogue Jedi found dead and believed to have committed suicide. This cover-up protected the Order's reputation from the Galactic Senate's increased oversight. However, unbeknownst to the High Council and Rwoh, Sol's death and the new cover story also inadvertently hid the involvement of the Sith.

In the final decades of the Galactic Republic, the High Council faced several problems, including growing corruption in the Republic, with some, like Jedi Master Dooku, believing the Jedi Order was increasingly disconnected from citizens, and issues policing the Outer Rim Territories. Sometime in 58 BBY after an attack during a Dragonfire Air Rally, the High Council learned that Council member Yula Braylon had used her position to protect her son from gambling debts, which surprised the Council. While she was removed, she wasn't barred from the Order and later sought to atone for her crimes. That same year, Dooku was initially offered a seat on the Jedi Council shortly after being promoted to Jedi Master, a post he accepted with the intent of helping change the Jedi Order. However, he would at some point in time leave the Council.

Between 50 BBY and 42 BBY, Windu joined the High Council to replace Jedi Master Katri, who was killed on an assignment on Raxus Secundus. The High Council sent Jedi Masters Windu and Dooku to retrieve Katri's body. While Windu followed Jedi protocols, Dooku insisted on investigating Katri's death and found that she had been killed by the bodyguards of Senator Larik, who was fatally shot in the ensuing fight between the Raxians and the Jedi. After Katri's funeral, the High Council invited Windu to take her seat.

In 42 BBY, Dooku gave a speech to the Senate against the Council's advice, arguing that the Jedi couldn't police the Outer Rim. However, when he later learned of Serenno's invasion by Abyssin raiders and asked for the Council's support, the Council sided with the Republic, citing Serenno's neutrality and how it undermined Dooku's speech, given he had argued they couldn't police the Outer Rim but then sought their support for Serenno, his homeworld. Frustrated with the Council, this event, among others, led Dooku to leave the Order.

Later in the Republic's final decades, the top tier of the Jedi High Council included legendary Jedi Masters like Yoda, the oldest and wisest Jedi; Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Cerean alien with a binary brain; and Mace Windu, a strong traditionalist and champion of the Jedi Order who served as the elected leader of the Jedi Council. As a senior member, Windu worked to maintain the Order's ancient traditions and protect its independence from the Galactic Senate, which he believed was weak, corrupt, and unable to defend galactic citizens from evil.

Around 40 BBY, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was offered a seat on the High Council, an offer agreed upon by all Council members except Yoda. Jinn's views had long been controversial, and he saw the offer as a sign that the Council might be opening up to new ideas. Following Jinn's rogue actions regarding the coronation of Queen Fanry of Pijal, the Council considered withdrawing the offer but decided to let it stand. However, Jinn felt the Force was leading him elsewhere and rejected the offer, something he suspected hadn't happened in hundreds of years.

Before the blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas was removed from the High Council for breaching procedures in recruiting Jedi candidates and advocating for an army to protect the Republic, believing the galaxy was on the brink of war. Despite his removal, Sifo-Dyas secretly commissioned the Ruling Council of Kamino to engineer an army of clone soldiers. The Kaminoans accepted the contract, believing the Jedi Master was acting on behalf of the Republic. However, Sifo-Dyas's plans played into the Sith's agenda, who co-opted the clone trooper project after arranging Sifo-Dyas's death by the Pyke Syndicate. Additionally, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious used Dooku's disillusionment with the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic to sway him to the Sith cause. Dooku used Sifo-Dyas's access code to erase all information about Kamino from the Jedi Archives and was instrumental in bringing the Kaminoan clone army under the Sith's influence.

In the year 32 BBY, Jinn communicated two significant findings to the Jedi Council: first, the Sith had resurfaced, an enemy unseen by the Jedi for over a thousand years; and second, the discovery of Anakin Skywalker, a Force-sensitive prodigy whom Jinn considered to be the Chosen One foretold in Jedi prophecy. The Council, however, expressed doubt regarding the unconventional Jedi's assertions. Nevertheless, they resolved to dedicate resources to identifying the dark warrior responsible for attacking Jinn on Tatooine. Furthermore, they consented to meet with Skywalker to evaluate his abilities in the Force. While the former slave demonstrated exceptional Force abilities, Yoda detected considerable fear within him, cautioning that fear was a pathway to the dark side. Windu also expressed concern that Skywalker's age made him too emotionally attached to fully commit to the Jedi path. Consequently, the Council denied Jinn's request to train Skywalker.

Following Jinn's death in a duel against Darth Maul, the Sith Lord who had attacked him on Tatooine, the Council ultimately reversed its decision. Additionally, Skywalker's heroic actions during the Battle of Naboo persuaded the Council to accept him as the Padawan of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jinn's former apprentice, who had recently been promoted to Jedi Knight. Despite this, Windu remained wary of Skywalker, and Yoda feared that Skywalker's training posed a significant threat to the Jedi Order's future. After Jinn's demise on Naboo, Jedi Master Yaddle relinquished her position on the High Council. She later died at the hands of Dooku after informing him of her resignation, unable to sway him back to the light despite her sympathies. Dooku's act of killing Yaddle led to his becoming Sidious's new Sith apprentice, adopting the moniker "Darth Tyranus."

In the wake of the Battle of Naboo, the galaxy experienced increasing political unrest and instability as numerous star systems joined a growing secessionist movement in opposition to the Galactic Republic's authority. As the prospect of war grew nearer, the Jedi Council consulted with Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. As they were sworn to the Galactic Senate, the Jedi were obligated to protect the Republic's citizens. However, Windu pointed out that the Jedi lacked the necessary numbers to defend the entire Republic in a galaxy-wide conflict. Around the same time, Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala faced a threat to her life in the form of an assassination plot, leading the Council to assign Kenobi and Skywalker to protect her at the chancellor's request.

Kenobi and Skywalker thwarted the assassination attempt on Amidala and apprehended her attacker, Zam Wesell, but the bounty hunter was killed by her accomplice, Jango Fett, before she could reveal his identity to the Jedi. Following the second attempt on the Naboo senator's life, the High Council instructed Kenobi to investigate the bounty hunter who had hired Wesell. Skywalker was tasked with escorting Amidala back to her homeworld to serve as her bodyguard throughout the investigation. As the leader of the political opposition to the Military Creation Act, Amidala was hesitant to leave the galactic capital of Coruscant while the Senate debated the creation of a Republic Military. Skywalker, acting on behalf of the High Council, sought Chancellor Palpatine's assistance, and the chancellor issued an executive order compelling Amidala to return to Naboo for her safety.

Kenobi's search for Jango Fett led him to the extragalactic world of Kamino, where he uncovered the clone army that Kaminoan scientists had been bred over the past decade. Prime Minister Lama Su revealed that the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had commissioned the Kaminoan government to create the army approximately ten years before Kenobi's arrival in Tipoca City. Kenobi also discovered that the bounty hunter he was seeking served as the clone army's genetic template. He relayed his findings to Yoda and Windu, who confirmed that the High Council had not authorized the creation of clone troopers. They interpreted Kenobi's discovery as evidence that the Jedi's connection to the Force had weakened, as they had failed to foresee the creation of the clone army. Although Windu considered informing the Senate, Yoda argued that it would only worsen their situation, forcing the High Council to contend with additional adversaries in addition to the Dark Lord of the Sith.

After Kenobi attempted to apprehend him, Fett departed Kamino with his cloned son, Boba Fett. Kenobi pursued the Fetts to Geonosis, where he discovered the Separatist Droid Army, a force of battle droids secretly assembled for the newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems. The High Council and the Galactic Senate received Kenobi's report detailing the droid army's development on the Geonosian homeworld, as well as the Confederacy's plans for war under the leadership of the former Jedi-turned-Separatist Head of State, Count of Serenno Dooku.

After the Senate empowered Chancellor Palpatine to assume control of the clone army, the High Council devised a plan to neutralize the Separatist movement before it escalated into a galaxy-wide war. Windu would lead a Jedi assault team to assist Kenobi on Geonosis, while Yoda would travel to Kamino to inspect the clone army firsthand. The newly established Grand Army of the Republic launched a preemptive strike against the Separatist forces on Geonosis, where the clones "achieved air and ground supremacy against formidable odds under the skillful leadership of the Jedi Council." During the initial engagement, Jedi Council member Coleman Trebor was killed by Jango Fett while attempting to confront Dooku. Fett, in turn, was killed by Windu. The Republic ultimately succeeded in forcing the Separatists into a full retreat, but the First Battle of Geonosis only marked the beginning of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY.

Following the death of Coleman Trebor, the High Council began to rotate different Jedi into his seat without confirming if the rotation method would be a permanent assignment for the new Council members, or simply something born out of the chaos of the quickly growing Clone Wars. By the time of the Cadesura disaster, Kenobi was given Trebor's seat, but he was unsure if the assignment would be temporary. While he was honored, he was unsure if he had the experience for such a position. Nevertheless, after his actions during the mission to Cato Neimoidia, it was decided his seat would be permanent.

Throughout the conflict, the Council directed the war effort in their roles as Jedi Generals within the Republic Military. Council members, such as Windu, spent much of their time on Coruscant, guiding the Jedi in their new military roles while simultaneously coordinating strategy with the Office of the Chancellor. They also participated more directly at times, leading clone troopers into battle on various planets across the galaxy, including Christophsis, Ryloth, and again on Geonosis. Despite their wartime commitments, the Council continued to act as emissaries for the Republic, bringing neutral worlds like Toydaria into the Republic's sphere of influence and mending the ancient divide between Bardotta and the Jedi Order. The Council functioned as both diplomats and generals in their efforts to protect and preserve the Republic.

At the height of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was targeted in a terrorist attack involving the bombing of the Temple hangar, which resulted in the deaths of several Jedi, as well as civilians and clones. Alarmed by the assault on a sacred Jedi site, the Council assigned Skywalker and his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, to investigate the incident. However, Tano was soon framed for the murder of Letta Turmond, a terrorist whom she had apprehended during the initial investigation. After Tano was apprehended and returned to the Temple, the Senate requested that the Council expel her from the Order, arguing that an internal Jedi trial would lack impartiality. In addition to stripping her of her Jedi status, the Senate insisted that Tano be transferred to military custody to stand trial for acts of treason against the Republic.

After deliberation, the Council concluded that sufficient evidence existed to convict Tano of betraying the Republic. Furthermore, Windu asserted that protecting Tano could be seen as opposing the Senate. Despite some dissent, the Council agreed to comply with the Senate's demands, expelling Tano from the Order and handing her over to a Republic military tribunal. During the trial, Tano was defended by Senator Padmé Amidala and prosecuted by Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, who advocated for the death penalty. Ultimately, Tano was exonerated after Skywalker uncovered the true culprit: Tano's friend and fellow Padawan Barriss Offee, a fallen Jedi who believed that the Order had become too violent and that the Republic was on the verge of collapse. Recognizing Tano's innocence, the Council apologized, with Plo Koon admitting that they had wrongly accused her of disloyalty. Mundi, Tiin, and Windu noted that she had overcome a great trial in her training, making her a stronger Jedi as a result. The Council offered to welcome her back into the Jedi Order, but to their surprise and Skywalker's disappointment, Tano refused, choosing instead to seek a new path in life, disillusioned by the Council's lack of faith in her.

Despite their focus on the Clone War, the High Council launched a secret investigation into Sifo-Dyas's death after Jedi General Plo Koon discovered his lightsaber. The Council was disturbed to learn that the Sith had played a role in creating Sifo-Dyas's clone army. While the Council did not understand why their enemy had provided the Jedi with the means to defend the Republic, Windu cautioned that such a revelation would undermine public trust in the Jedi, the Republic, and the war effort. Citing the clone soldiers' valiant service and loyalty, as well as the need to swiftly end the war, Yoda declared that the Council would keep the Sith's involvement in the clone army's origin a secret, even from the chancellor.

As the Council investigated the Sith's role in the clone army's creation, Yoda revealed to his colleagues that the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn had communicated with him from beyond death. However, everything the Jedi knew about the Force suggested that retaining one's identity after death was impossible. Consequently, their reactions ranged from concern to skepticism and suspicion. Kenobi believed that Yoda was simply stressed by the war, but Mundi suggested that the ancient Jedi Master might be falling under the influence of the dark side. Unable to reach a consensus on Yoda's mental state, Windu ordered the Jedi Temple Guard to monitor his activities as a precaution. With Skywalker's help, Yoda escaped from the Jedi Temple and embarked on a quest that ultimately led to his discovery of how to preserve his identity after becoming one with the Force.

By 19 BBY, nearly three standard years into the Clone Wars, the Republic-aligned world of Mahranee was conquered by a Separatist invasion force. After seizing the planet and its resources for the Confederacy, Count Dooku ordered the execution of all Mahran refugees before they could be evacuated from their fallen homeworld. Appalled by the recent Mahran genocide, the Jedi Council decided to end the conflict by assassinating Dooku. Although Kenobi initially opposed the assassination, Windu emphasized that the Council was obligated to use every available option for the sake of the Republic and its citizens. Windu's argument, coupled with the Jedi's duty to the Republic, convinced the Council to approve the mission. On Kenobi's recommendation, they assigned the task to the unconventional Jedi Master Quinlan Vos due to his experience with covert operations.

In addition to Vos, the Council determined that Dooku's former apprentice, Asajj Ventress, was essential to the mission's success. To that end, Kenobi tasked Vos with gaining Ventress's trust to secure her support against Dooku. However, despite earning her respect, Vos's relationship with Ventress became increasingly personal, leading him to violate his Jedi vows and move closer to the dark side of the Force.

After losing contact with Vos for a period, the Council learned from Ventress that the mission had failed and that Vos had been taken as a prisoner by Dooku. Although the Jedi, particularly Windu and Skywalker, viewed her with suspicion and blamed her for the mission's failure, the Council offered her amnesty in exchange for her cooperation in rescuing Vos. Together with Dooku's former acolyte, the Jedi successfully retrieved Vos, although Ventress was convinced that he had fallen to the dark side by becoming the count's new disciple. The Council initially dismissed Ventress's suspicions but nonetheless pardoned her as agreed.

Vos's deception was short-lived. Yoda, suspecting that Vos had become a traitor, sensed the dark side within him. At Windu's suggestion, the Council considered executing him, but after Kenobi's pleas, they sent Vos on a second attempt to assassinate Dooku as a test of his loyalty. They also reluctantly agreed to allow Ventress to participate in the mission after she revealed that the count was scheduled to travel to the planet Christophsis. At the same time, Kenobi was instructed to execute Vos if he proved to be a traitor to the Jedi and the Republic.

While Dooku survived the Jedi's second assassination attempt, the Council learned that Vos had embraced the dark side and committed several acts of treason, including the murder of two Jedi—Akar-Deshu and Kav Bayons. However, Vos renounced the dark side and accepted responsibility for his actions after Ventress sacrificed her life to save him. With persuasion from Kenobi, who argued that the decision to assassinate Dooku was morally wrong and the cause of Vos's fall, the Council forgave Vos and welcomed him back into the Jedi Order.

During the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker killed Count Dooku. With the death of the Confederate head of state, the remaining Separatist leaders fled into hiding, and command of the battle droid army passed to General Grievous, making him the next high-priority target for both the Republic and the Jedi Order. Palpatine assured Windu that the Senate would vote to continue the war as long as Grievous remained alive and free, prompting the Jedi Council to prioritize the hunt for Grievous. By this point, the relationship between the Council and the chancellor had become increasingly strained, as Palpatine's gradual accumulation of wartime powers raised their suspicions. Although they initially accepted the chancellor's empowerment to quickly mobilize the clone army for war, the Council grew wary of Palpatine's motives as he expanded his control over the Republic.

In addition to the Senate's granting of supplementary powers to the chancellor, the Council was further disturbed by Palpatine's decision to appoint Skywalker as his liaison to the Jedi Order's ruling body. Skywalker's appointment to the Council at his age was unprecedented; he would be the youngest Jedi to serve on the Council, and despite being considered one of the Order's finest warriors, he had not yet attained the rank of Jedi Master. Despite their disapproval of Palpatine's action, the Council reluctantly accepted his decision, but with a condition: Skywalker would have a seat on the Council but not the rank of Master, making him the only Jedi to hold this distinction in the Order's history. In reality, the Council only cooperated with the chancellor so that Skywalker could monitor Palpatine's activities. Skywalker, however, felt insulted at not being granted the rank of Master and was unenthusiastic about his unofficial assignment, viewing espionage against the chancellor as an act of treason. Kenobi disagreed, asserting that the Council's loyalty was to the Senate rather than its leader, who had remained in office far beyond his constitutional term limit.

After Clone Intelligence traced Grievous's location to Utapau, Skywalker informed the Council that the chancellor wanted him to lead the mission to kill Grievous. Windu firmly informed him that the Council would decide who would confront Grievous, regardless of Palpatine's opinion. Believing that a more experienced Jedi was needed to bring the war to a decisive end, the Council dispatched Kenobi and the 212th Attack Battalion. Even as the war neared its conclusion, the Council remained skeptical of Palpatine's post-war intentions. Windu could sense the dark side surrounding the chancellor, leading him to suspect that a plot to destroy the Jedi Order was imminent. Frustrated by the chancellor's accumulation of power and the resulting erosion of the Republic's democracy, the Council began to see him as a threat to the Republic. It was at this time that the Council began to consider the possibility of forcibly removing Palpatine from office, an act that would require a Jedi takeover of the Senate to maintain political stability during the transition to a new government.

Having groomed Skywalker as his future apprentice, Palpatine revealed his secret identity as Darth Sidious to the conflicted Jedi Knight, who then reported Sidious to Windu. With his suspicions about the chancellor confirmed, Windu sought to save the Jedi Order from destruction by swiftly removing Sidious from power. With the support of fellow Council members Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, he entered the chancellor's office and declared his intention to arrest Sidious in the name of the Senate, leading to a fierce lightsaber duel between the Dark Lord and the four Jedi Council members. Despite their skills in lightsaber combat, the Jedi Masters Tiin, Kolar, and Fisto were quickly defeated by Sidious. However, Windu held his own and ultimately emerged as the victor. By this point, he believed that a trial would be futile as Sidious had gained control of the government, and he decided to end his life to prevent the return of Sith oppression to the galaxy. Before he could deliver the killing blow, Skywalker, who had just arrived at the Senate Office Building, disarmed Windu, leaving him defenseless against the torrent of Force lightning unleashed by Sidious.

With the demise of the Jedi Order's greatest champion and the subsequent corruption of Anakin Skywalker, who was reborn as Darth Vader, Sidious enacted Order 66—a clandestine directive that forced the clone troopers to turn against and execute their Jedi commanders. Besides Yoda, Coleman Kcaj, Oppo Rancisis, and Kenobi, the remaining Jedi Council members, along with the vast majority of the Jedi Order, were killed during the initial wave of the purge. During the siege of the Jedi Temple conducted by the 501st Legion, a group of younglings sought refuge in the Jedi Council Chamber, only to be discovered and murdered by Vader. In the wake of the Temple's destruction, Yoda and Kenobi returned; after eliminating a contingent of 501st clones, the two Council members uncovered Skywalker's involvement in the assault and his subsequent allegiance to the Sith.

On Mustafar, Kenobi confronted his former apprentice in a duel, while Yoda challenged Sidious to a lightsaber battle within the Galactic Senate Building. Neither Jedi was successful in their attempts to vanquish the Sith, although Vader suffered extensive burns and the loss of his limbs, necessitating cybernetic enhancements and a specialized suit of armor to ensure his survival. In the ensuing Imperial Era, the Jedi Masters separated, with Yoda exiling himself to the planet Dagobah and Kenobi becoming a hermit on Tatooine, Skywalker's home world.

With the Jedi Order and its leadership eradicated, Sidious proclaimed the rise of a New Order, the First Galactic Empire, over which he would reign as Galactic Emperor. The Jedi Temple was renamed the Imperial Palace, transforming into the personal residence of Emperor Palpatine, and the Jedi Council Chamber was repurposed as his private office.

The impact of the High Council's legacy resonated through the knighting ceremony; Cere Junda quoted a traditional phrase while bestowing the rank of Jedi Knight upon Padawan Cal Kestis, referencing the High Council's authority to grant the title of Jedi Knight to apprentices who had successfully completed their trials. An apparition of the Grand Inquisitor, formerly a Jedi Temple Guard, posthumously granted the title of Jedi Knight to former Padawan Kanan Jarrus in the name of the High Council.

In 0 BBY, the same year as the Battle of Yavin, Luke Skywalker—Anakin Skywalker's son—commenced his Jedi training under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite Kenobi's death at the hands of Darth Vader during the rescue of Princess Leia Organa, Skywalker remained steadfast in his determination to emulate his father's path and become a Jedi Knight. Guided by the spirit of his first Jedi Master to the world of Dagobah, Skywalker sought out Grand Master Yoda, who reluctantly agreed to complete his training, despite concerns about the similarities between Luke and Anakin. With Yoda's guidance, Skywalker refined his budding Force abilities and was deemed fully trained by the Grand Master as he lay dying. However, Yoda declared that Skywalker had to defeat his father, Darth Vader, before he could truly be considered a Jedi.

Their ultimate confrontation culminated in Skywalker's triumph over Vader. Resisting the allure of the dark side, Skywalker spared his father's life and declined to replace him as Sidious' apprentice. When the Emperor began to torture Skywalker for his rejection of the Sith, Vader intervened to save his son, sacrificing himself in an act that led to the demise of both master and apprentice, thereby ending the Sith lineage that originated with Darth Bane and fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Following the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker witnessed the spirits of his deceased father, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda—all former members of the Jedi High Council—standing together as the Alliance to Restore the Republic celebrated its victory on Endor.

Dave Filoni, supervising director of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, stated that the Jedi's lack of compassion and care was a contributing factor to Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Conversely, Ezra Bridger, the main character of Star Wars Rebels, possessed a strong support network in the people around him that helped him resist the temptations of the dark side. The novel The Living Force explores the Council's disconnect from the wider galaxy in the Republic's later years, with Qui-Gon Jinn essentially urging them to "touch grass" by interacting with people outside of Coruscant.