Star Wars has revealed two members of the Jedi Council are older than anyone had previously thought. To Luke Skywalker, the members of the Jedi Order were the stuff of legends. The prequel trilogy revealed those legends were flawed, because by the time of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace the Jedi had compromised themselves too much. They were diminished, railing futilely against the rise of the dark side.

The Jedi are traditionally governed by the Jedi Council, a group of the wisest and most powerful Force-users among their ranks. Master Yoda was the sole Grand Master of the prequel trilogy, considered the wisest of them all. But the prequels introduced viewers to other Masters as well, including the likes of Mace Windu, Yaddle, Depa Billaba, and Plo Koon. Charles Soule's recently-published novel Light of the Jedi has introduced an earlier iteration of this Council, though, one that operated 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace in a period known as the High Republic Era. And, surprisingly, this Council has several familiar members.

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Master Yoda was apparently one of three Jedi Grandmasters in the High Republic Era, which makes sense; he had been training Jedi for hundreds of years already. In addition, though, prequel era Council Members Yarael Poof and Oppo Rancisis were part of that esteemed Council as well. Both are from more exotic races, who are presumably far more long-lived than human norm; Yarael Poof is a Quermian and Oppo Rancisis is a Thisspiasnian. They had presumably lived for centuries before joining the Council, and remaining there for centuries.

Anakin before the Jedi Council in Star Wars Phantom Menace

Back in 1977, George Lucas released in-universe notes claiming that "certain creatures are born with a higher awareness of the Force than humans. Their brains are different; they have more midi-chlorians in their cells." It's possible there is, in general, an association between the longevity of a race and its number of midi-chlorians; if so, it is likely the Jedi Council tended to be composed of non-humans, and it wouldn't be surprising to learn other Quermians and Thisspiasnians had been members of the Council in the past. It is notable that, of the three members of Yoda's race seen in Star Wars to date, two of them were Councillors.

Both Yarael Poof and Oppo Rancisis died during the Clone Wars. Sadly, the brief glimpse of Oppo Rancisis in Light of the Jedi suggests his reputation for wisdom was overrated, because he appears to have been one of the key figures pushing for the Jedi to remain close to the Republic. The proximity between the Jedi and the Republic is exactly what would cause them to become compromised, leading to the fall of the Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

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