Tu'ala was a Jedi Knight of the Human species (a female), who served both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. Her service occurred during the decade of the Separatist Crisis, a time of turmoil for the Galactic Senate.
As a Force-sensitive Human, Tu'ala underwent training in the ways of the Force at the Coruscant Jedi Temple, under the auspices of the Jedi Order. She was chosen to be the Padawan learner of Jedi Master Zuth, and she constructed a lightsaber with a blue blade to use on missions with him. A key lesson Zuth imparted to Tu'ala was that the death of a single person could sometimes be necessary for others to achieve their destiny, a concept she struggled to accept. Before the Clone Wars, she lost her Master when he gave his life to protect politicians from an assassination attempt.
After achieving the rank of Jedi Knight, Tu'ala joined Mace Windu's Jedi strike team that was dispatched to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala from the Separatist leaders just before the Clone Wars started in 22 BBY. During the First Battle of Geonosis, she finally understood Zuth's lesson and sacrificed herself, intercepting a shot from a Geonosian soldier intended for Anakin Skywalker. Her sacrifice, though unnoticed and unappreciated, enabled Skywalker to survive and eventually defeat Darth Sidious, restoring balance to the Force.