Serifa Altunen was a Jedi Knight of the Arkanian species (a female), who devoted herself to the Jedi Order in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic. When the Clone Wars began, pitting the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Altunen made the decision to leave the Jedi Order, as she felt its true purpose should be serving the Force, rather than the Galactic Senate and its involvement in the conflict.
Serifa Altunen, an Arkanian female with sensitivity to the Force, underwent extensive training under the guidance of the Jedi Order to master the ways of the Force. Having successfully completed her trials, she was elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight, earning considerable respect within the Order. As negotiations between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems failed, the Clone Wars ignited across the galaxy.
As the war continued, Altunen grew increasingly disillusioned with the Order's participation in the conflict and the prevalent corruption within the Galactic Senate. Departing from Coruscant, Altunen journeyed back to her home planet, Arkania, where she actively encouraged the Arkanian government to adopt a neutral stance during the Clone Wars. Upon learning of her actions, the Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker with the mission of persuading her to rejoin the Order and the war effort. Meeting with Altunen on a waterlogged tundra plain thirty months after the war's commencement, Master Kenobi implored her to return to the Jedi Temple. In response, Altunen removed her Jedi robe, folded it neatly, and formally resigned from the Order, stating her allegiance to the Force and her belief that the Jedi had strayed from that path. With the discussion concluded, Altunen left the company of her former Jedi colleagues and returned to her people.
During her service to the Jedi Order, Serifa Altunen wore a Jedi cloak. Upon her departure from the Order, she returned it to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Author Sean Stewart created Serifa Altunen as a character for his 2004 novel, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous.
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008, identifies Altunen as a Jedi Master. However, within Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, she is only referred to as a Jedi Knight.