Council of First Knowledge

Council of First Knowledge

TheCouncil of First Knowledge was one of the fourJedi Councils of theJedi Order in operation during the rule of theGalactic Republic. The Council of First Knowledge met in theCouncil Chambers atop thenorthwest tower of theJedi Temple onCoruscant.

Overview[]

The Council of First Knowledge was made up of fiveMasters selected to oversee theJedi academy and the proliferation of knowledge and its storage in theTemple Archives. Additionally, the Council accepted the responsibility of eradicating any trace ofSith teachings and theirartifacts throughoutthe galaxy. It met in the circularCouncil Chamber at theJedi Temple. Membership on the Council was granted through appointment after a vote of all members. A single permanent member sat for life or until stepping down, and was known as theCaretaker of First Knowledge, for this Jedi personally oversaw the protection of theHolocron Chamber located in the spire. The other four Masters rotated out after serving a five-year term. Members of the Council often served on one of the other Councils simultaneously, or had retired from theHigh Council and retained their membership.^[1]

Maintaining the academy went hand in hand with preserving the knowledge banks at the Temple; if the base of knowledge did not constantly grow, the academy could not evolve and progress. Having direct oversight of theLibrarian's Assembly, the Archives were presided over by aChief Librarian, who sometimes sat on the Council themselves. Public contact with the Council was restricted to archive acquisitions and special requests from the public or government agencies. Members of the Council were granted access to theHolocron Vaults located within the Archives, a highly secured set of chambers used to protect the ancientholocrons and their secrets. While working withJedi Initiates' schooling, the Council was not inaccessible to older Jedi needing a different perspective on a dilemma. The Council could be queried for assistance on troubling topics that needed analysis by individuals who had experienced many missions and problems in their lifetimes; members of this Council were often of long-livedspecies, though this was not a requirement.^[2][8]

Following theNew Sith Wars, the Council dedicated itself and itsshadow agents to the recovery of Sith artifacts. Deeming the possession of such material illegal, agents of the Council were sent out to virtually eradicate all traces of the Sith. They were responsible for the near elimination ofDarth Andeddu from all text found within the Republic. Agents serving the Council worked primarily in the Tower of First Knowledge, consulting holocrons and making use of specialized chambers to seek outdark-side activity. During the years in which this activity was concentrated, Knights working for the Council included many Jedi includingMedd Tandar,Ma'ya,Pendo,Winnoa, andSet Harth. Before turning to the dark side, Harth stole several of the artifacts that the Order sent him to retrieve, hiding them inhis estate onNal Hutta.^[7] During the end of the Republic'sGolden Age, it successfully resolved theE9D8 Rebellion and theVestas Ruling.^[9]

The earliest known members of the Council include theIthorianObba^[7] andHumanRestelly Quist, the latter of whom served as Caretaker and Chief Librarian simultaneously.^[2] Centuries later the rugged and scarredLannik MasterEven Piell retired from his duties on the High Council and opted to sit on the Council of First Knowledge during theClone Wars.^[10] While history is foggy on which Council MasterT'un was a member of, his position asCurator of Records suggests he may have sat on the First Knowledge Council.^[11]

The Council of First Knowledge existed nearly continuously throughout the history of the Order, until the end of the Clone Wars, when the Republic was dissolved andreorganized into theGalactic Empire. With aDark Lord of the Sith at the helm of theGrand Army of the Republic, the Council was caught unaware whenSupreme ChancellorPalpatine issuedOrder 66 and began theGreat Jedi Purge. Following thefall of the Jedi Temple, the members of the Council were hunted down and killed or fled into self-imposed exile.^[5]

Appearances[]

• The Old Republic: Revan(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only)
• Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil(andaudiobook)(First appearance, in book)
• Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight(Mentioned only)

Sources[]

• Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I(First mentioned)
• Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
• Coruscant and the Core Worlds
• Star Wars: Complete Locations
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
• The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force
• Nexus of Power

Notes and references[]