Great Hall (Jedi Temple)
The Great Hall, an expansive chamber, was situated on the first level of the Jedi Temple found on Coruscant. Functioning as a communal area for the Jedi Order, the hall featured multiple levels of balconies where Jedi Masters and Knights could find seating. Serving diverse functions, the Hall was the site for the funerals of esteemed Jedi Masters. Situated immediately past the main entrance hall, the Great Hall provided access to the sacred spire at the heart of the structure.
History
Within the Jedi Temple, the Great Hall was among the many sizable chambers that resided on the first floor. Constructed around 4000 BBY by the Four Masters, the Hall remained until 3653 BBY when the re-emergent Sith Empire violently raided Galactic City. Later reconstructed, the Great Hall continued to exist until the Temple faced destruction again at the conclusion of the Clone Wars. In 19 BBY, the Sith Dark Lord Darth Sidious, using his public identity as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, commanded the Grand Army to annihilate the Jedi, and seize the Temple for the Galactic Empire. Under the leadership of Darth Vader, the 501st Legion stormed into the Temple, destroying the Great Hall as they massacred the Jedi residing there.
The Great Hall remained silent as the Empire governed the galaxy for several decades. Eventually, the New Republic succeeded in expelling the Empire from Coruscant, and the New Jedi Temple, under the guidance of Luke Skywalker, briefly reoccupied the Temple. Nevertheless, the Temple did not endure the Yuuzhan Vong War, perishing during the Battle of Coruscant to the Yuuzhan Vong. Although the original Temple was lost, its foundational structure survived. Upon reclaiming Coruscant and driving the Yuuzhan Vong away, Chief of State Cal Omas of the Galactic Alliance gifted a new Temple to the Order in recognition of their contributions during the War. Rebuilt by the Reconstruction Authority using blueprints retrieved from the lost Temple Archives, the Temple was reconstructed to resemble its appearance over millennia, despite possessing a new exterior.
As the Jedi Order thrived, the Great Hall continued to serve its traditional purposes. In the year 44 ABY, Jedi Knight Valin Horn exhibited symptoms of a strange ailment, leading him to believe that everyone he encountered was a replacement for the real individual. After being confined in the Temple's Halls of Healing, Horn managed to escape, fleeing into Galactic City. To avoid media attention, Grand Master Skywalker convened all available Knights and Masters in the Great Hall. There, Skywalker and Chief Healer Cilghal organized search teams to locate and apprehend Horn. Although the Jedi successfully captured Horn, the Galactic Alliance intervened, stipulating that he would receive treatment at an Alliance medical facility.
Later that year, Chief of State Natasi Daala mandated that Grand Master Skywalker be exiled from the Order. Interim Grand Master Kenth Hamner gathered the entire Jedi presence on Coruscant, including longtime companions of the Order's founder, to bid farewell to him as he embarked on his ten-year banishment from the Order. Immediately afterward, Interim Master Hamner leveraged his new position to implement new practices that he deemed essential to align the Order. He scheduled morning briefings to take place in the Hall immediately following breakfast. Although he acknowledged that addressing the Order through their individual datapad might have been more efficient, he preferred to observe everyone's reactions to his announcements. In one of his addresses, he reiterated that all Jedi were to comply with the Senate-appointed Jedi supervisors and avoid evading them. Following that specific address, Knight Jaina Solo evaded her supervisor, Dab Hantaq, by slipping behind a pillar and down a back staircase, descending two floors to a dimly lit, rarely used conference room. There, she met with Head of the Imperial Remnant Jagged Fel and discussed the possibility of establishing a breakaway Jedi school in the Chiss Ascendancy.
Upon receiving a report on the HoloNet regarding the escape of rogue Jedi Seff Hellin and Valin Horn from the Armand Isard Correctional Facility, Captain Oric Harfard of the Coruscant Security Force entered the Temple and demanded that Master Hamner confess to involvement in the escape. Proceeding to the turbolifts within the Great Hall, Hamner led the Captain past a group of assembled Jedi, including Jedi Solo, Hu'lya, and Master Corran Horn. Hamner and Harfard departed the chamber as they traveled through the Temple to Hamner's quarters.
After Jedi left their Temple on mission to find and destroy Abeloth and Ship, Lost Tribe of Sith became temporary occupants of the Jedi Temple. Grand Lord Darish Vol once walked Great Hall with High Lord Ivaar Workan praising him for his difficult work to infiltrate Sith on Galactic Alliance capital city Coruscant and preparation for Sith to rule the galaxy, shortly after he was killed by Abeloth disguised as senator "Rokari Kem".
Layout
The Great Hall was a chamber spanning four stories in height, located directly beyond the Temple's Main Entrance. As a sizable meeting space with multiple tiers and balconies, seats would be arranged for formal gatherings and conclaves. Passages and stairwells leading to smaller rooms near the Hall were situated between many of the pillars lining the hall. Additionally, several turbolift banks provided access to the Temple's depths, ensuring that the Great Hall was accessible from any level of the complex. A small lecture hall, where younglings attended group learning sessions, was situated off one of the tiers. The lecture room was repurposed as a base of operations for the Senate-appointed supervisor tasked with monitoring each Jedi's daily activities.