The memorial staff, a type of embellished staff, held significance for the Chiss Mitth family. It served to honor the lives and achievements of notable family members. These staffs were prominently displayed at the Mitth family homestead, dedicated to the memory of esteemed deceased family members. Collectively, the memorial staffs—both present and those no longer there—represented the comprehensive history of the family. During her Trials at the Mitth homestead in 19 BBY, Caregiver Mitth'ali'astov encountered Patriarch Mitth'oor'akiord. The Patriarch used the staffs to illustrate to Thalias how her and Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo's actions would impact his legacy and the Mitth family's future.
Memorial staffs, which were ornate staff types, were utilized by the Mitth family, a lineage of the near-human Chiss species and a member of the Chiss Ascendancy's Nine Ruling Families, to celebrate the accomplishments of deceased family members. These staffs were situated at the Mitth family homestead, located beneath the surface of the Chiss homeworld of Csilla. From a distance, they appeared as tall spikes protruding from the ground.
Memorial staffs often paid tribute to Patriels, Syndics, Speakers, Patriarchs, and military officers within the Mitth family. The importance and influence of the Chiss being honored dictated the size and grandeur of their memorial staff: more elaborate ornamentation, greater height, increased thickness, and more detailed textures or carvings. The staffs of civilian leaders, such as Patriarchs, would be surrounded by staffs commemorating those they had brought into or promoted within the Mitth family.
The absence of surrounding memorial staffs around a Syndic's or Aristocra's memorial staff signified a failure in that official's life, creating a void in the family's memorial record. Likewise, imbalances in the memorial record surrounding an official's staff indicated that their endeavors had been prematurely terminated. Therefore, the arrangement and pattern of memorial staffs, both present and absent, conveyed the history of the Mitth and the family's desired portrayal of that history.
Memorial staffs were placed at the peak of a mountain situated at the Mitth family homestead on Csilla. The final stage of the Mitth family's Trials required climbing the mountain, granting Trial participants a view of the memorial staffs. In 19 BBY, merit adoptive and caregiver Mitth'ali'astov, known as "Thalias," underwent her Trials, observed by Patriarch Mitth'oor'akiord, or "Thooraki," from the summit amidst the staffs. He approached Thalias, explaining his desire for a private conversation, deeming the mountain's "rich sense of Mitth history" the ideal setting to discuss their family's future.
The Patriarch informed the caregiver that Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, or "Thrawn," of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, would bring immense honor to the Mitth family, predicting that Thrawn's memorial staff would eventually stand alongside his own. Thooraki hinted that his ornate walking stick, used in his later years, would become his memorial staff upon his death. He then welcomed Thalias as an official Trial-born member of the Mitth family and stipulated that she must ascend to the mountain's peak or be presumed missing.
Thooraki instructed the young woman to study the staffs during her climb, as they would illustrate the "pattern and flow" of their family history. He further advised Thalias to contemplate the lives and achievements of the Mitth, prompting her to inquire whether she should also consider their failures. The Patriarch suggested that she focus intently on their failures, as failure served as a stern yet effective teacher for those willing to learn.
Memorial staffs were featured in the 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, penned by Timothy Zahn as the inaugural novel in Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy.