Tem Eliss, a professor of Iyra descent, specialized as a sentientologist within the Sentient Studies Department at the University of Sanbra. His book, entitled The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life, was deemed excessively pro-alien by COMPNOR, leading to his status as a fugitive from the Galactic Empire. Speculation arose that he subsequently affiliated himself with a Rebel Alliance operative group.
Tem Eliss, a male Iyra individual, originated from F'tral, his species' designated homeworld. However, he spent his formative years among the stars, separate from Iyra customs and the oceanic environment. This unconventional upbringing set Eliss apart from the majority of his kind. For decades, he dedicated himself to the study of sentient species and their respective cultures, establishing himself as a distinguished scholar and a highly regarded sentientologist throughout the galaxy. Eventually, Eliss ascended to the position of head of the Sentient Studies Department at the University of Sanbra. Despite being known as a strict educator, he was considered fair, making him a popular figure among the department's instructors. His office was located on the university grounds.
On one occasion, while serving as a professor within the Cultural Studies Department at the Advora Learning Center on Riflor, the city experienced one of the planet's common earthquakes. Eliss, who had only been on Riflor for several weeks, was traveling from the opposite side of the planet when the earthquake occurred. His shuttle was repurposed to search for survivors, leading the academic to become involved in the relief efforts, providing emergency medic assistance. This experience provided Eliss with significant insights into the culture and characteristics of the Advozsec people.
Eliss garnered notoriety for his disregard for the Galactic Empire's protocols and faced repercussions for his anti-Imperial statements on multiple occasions. The situation escalated when, at the request of the faculty, Eliss began preparing The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life, intended as a resource for travelers, merchants, and others who frequently interacted with new cultures and species. Eliss maintained that achieving the guide's purpose required him to present facts honestly, irrespective of their political implications. The Guide diverged significantly from the Galactic Empire's doctrines and included findings that criticized Imperial policies concerning sentient rights. COMPNOR loyalists within Professor Eliss' staff informed COMPNOR Sanbra sector monitor Bront Autin about the guide's impending publication and its deviation from Imperial doctrine. Autin then recommended to Executive Director Kem Tija that Eliss be detained and questioned.
To avoid imprisonment for disseminating information deemed inappropriate by the Empire, Eliss released his Guide through public channels before fleeing the university, taking all of his research materials with him. As Eliss escaped Sanbra, Professor Mankuskett and a changeling disguised as a Nikto accompanied him from the campus to the secluded landing pads south of the Shoapy Hostel, where a squad of COMPNOR officers had blocked the roadway. The changeling, impersonating a Human Imperial officer, facilitated Eliss and Mankuskett's passage through the roadblock and onto their ship. COMPNOR officials detained several students for questioning, seemingly to determine if Eliss had any sympathies toward the Rebel Alliance, but all were released within a few hours.
Thirty-seven Sanbra hours after his escape, Eliss, now a fugitive, arrived at a Priapulin colony on Krinemonen III, a small outpost within the Mon Calamari Shipyards. From his hidden location on Krinemonen III, Eliss gradually distributed The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life through the HoloNet. The Guide began appearing on student communication nets three weeks after his disappearance. Eliss' publication of the initial draft of the Guide caused shockwaves within the academic community and drew attention from fellow scholars, as well as advocates for freedom of speech. The renegade Eliss transmitted at least one entry of the Guide from a HoloNet node in Hutt Space, where he was believed to have studied all of the Hutt servant races to test his theories concerning Hutt genetic and cultural manipulation. Rumors also circulated that Eliss had established contact with a Rebel Alliance cell and joined their ranks.
Eliss was still alive following the signing of the peace accords between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic, and he disclosed the details of his escape from Sanbra into temporary exile 25 years after the event. By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Eliss had returned to Sanbra, where he witnessed a Nosaurian aide's reaction upon learning that her homeworld had been devastated by the Vong.