Coruscant Jedi Temple (Jedi Renaissance)

{{Structure_infobox {{Quote|This was our tower of guardians. This was our fortress to watch against the dark side. This was the Jedi Temple.|Vergere to Jacen Solo|Traitor}}
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 * name=Jedi Temple
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 * constructed=*5,000 BBY
 * Reconstruction completed by 1,000 BBY
 * destroyed=*3,653 BBY
 * location=Temple Precinct; Coruscant
 * builder=*Anavus Svag (Red-skinned humanoid)
 * Redorik Seyley (Human)
 * Ishale Pahlee (Miraluka)
 * Aima Bintaghr (Twi'lek)
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 * height=1.7 kilometer
 * width=500 meters
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 * era=*Old Republic era
 * Rise of the Empire era
 * Jedi Renaissance era
 * Golden Age of the Jedi
 * affiliation=*Jedi Order
 * Galactic Republic
 * Confederacy of Independent Systems

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant long served as the headquarters of the Jedi Order; from the conclusion of the Great Sith War until the end of the Clone Wars and during that time was home to its major training, bureaucratic and dormitory facilities. Under the sovereign control of the Order, the Temple was sealed to all but the Jedi and their allies, with very few public areas despite being funded by taxpayer-dollars. While its early history was plagued by attacks and abandonment, the Order always returned to the Temple and rebuilt what was destroyed, remaining firmly on Coruscant throughout their allegiance with the Galactic Republic. It was not until 19 BBY that the Order would permanently relocate its headquarters and main academy from the Coruscant Temple, moving instead to their old fortress world of Ossus and rebuilding their ancient stronghold while cutting many of their ties with all galactic governments. The Temple would remain a sacred place for the Order, and was converted into a bustling political academy; focusing on educating Jedi Knights interested in becoming ambassadors, diplomats and political theorists to either the Republic or the Confederacy of Independent Systems. While the other Councils relocated to Ossus, the Council of Reconciliation maintained their headquarters on the Galactic capital world and served as the Temple's administrative body.

The Old Republic
"This Temple shall serve to shine light into the halls of democracy, to bring our flame close to the Core once more, and to establish a stronghold for justice among the Order's staunchest supporters. May the Force resonate outward from this most sacred spire, and the inhabitants feel secure as the Jedi keep the watch from this Temple Mount"

- Grand Master Otta Cinn at the opening ceremony of the Temple in 4,998 BBY.

The origins of Coruscant's Temple date back to the Great Hyperspace War of 5,000 BBY when, at the end of the Great Hyperspace War, the Galactic Republic granted the Jedi land on Coruscant over a sacred mountain, which contained a Force nexus. A holy place for the local Coruscanti, the Republic hoped by granting the Order land they would build a massive fortress like those they had established on Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut. However, the Order did not wish to entangle themselves with the politics of the capitol or become a symbol of war and opted to build only a small meditative enclave. During a small ceremony, Grand Master Otta Cinn traveled from Ossus to dedicate the enclave, while subtly warning Supreme Chancellor that further dark deeds like the slaughter on Korriban would not be looked upon kindly by the Order.

While the small meditative retreats were well maintained by Master Anavus Svag, the Jedi credited with overseeing the construction of the first permanent structures, it wasn't until the Old Sith Wars saw the devastation of Ossus and the Great Jedi Library located there that the Order decided to re-establish its academy at the Sacred Spire. At the behest of the Order's wisest thinkers and Grand Master Nomi Da'Boda, Master Redorik Seyley began the painstaking task of building the a more permanent headquarters. Deciding to focus the Temple at the top of the Sacred Spire, Master Seyley foresaw Coruscant's ever-upward soaring skyline and desired to see the Temple remain a prominent structure for centuries to come. To this end Seyley ordered massive black pylons be installed around the Sacred Spire, bringing "ground level" up to Level 4,985 leaving exposed 900 meters of the Sacred Spire. Now, with the peak of the Spire emerging from the area of Coruscant known as the Temple Precinct, Seyley laid the framework for the meditative chapels to grow into a larger structure. While work progressed relatively quickly, it became imperative that the Order have some sort of base while the Temple was under construction. Much of the area surrounding the Sacred Spire had not yet been built up and the Order decided to construct a single tower in a broad plaza adjacent to the Sacred Spire. This tower would house the offices and meeting chamber of the Jedi High Council as well as a small storehouse to keep some of the oldest texts not kept on Exis Station.

As the construction continued, Grand Master Vrook Lamar requested that the Temple proper receive some attention as work had only been done on its "sub-levels" which were designed to be largely empty save for storage space and room to grow into later. Observing from the Council spire a block away, Lamar observed Master Seyley's progress with reservations that the project would never be completed. When the Mandalorian Wars erupted on the Outer Rim, the Order's attention was turned to keeping Revanchist Jedi from separating from the Order. During the seventeen year conflict, Master Seyley oversaw the construction of the Great Hall and Main Entrance Hall; massive gathering areas dotted with the likenesses of some of the Order's greatest philosophers and warriors. Seyley's last contribution to the Temple before his death was the designing and construction of the Room of a Thousand Fountains; a massive green house which cemented the Temple's northwestern corner. In 3,963 BBY, as the Temple's lower levels were being finalized the Jedi Council Tower nearby was attacked and many Jedi were killed in the Archives and the comm center while the High Council led an attack on the Draay Estate; a Jedi-owned complex which had served as the headquarters of the clandestine Jedi Covenant. Halting work on the Temple, the Jedi concentrated their efforts on resolving the Mandalorian conflict and halting the Revanchist movement which was threatening to tear the Order asunder.

Growing steadily for the next thousand years the Temple incorporated various pieces of historical works and architecture from their past, including tiles and stained-glass mosaics from the lost complex on Ossus.[1]

Following the construction of the four Jedi Council spires, the Jedi High Council moved from their temporary meeting place and permanently relocated to the High Council Chamber at the top of the northwestern tower. As the Order became more and more tightly-linked to the Republic they protected, the Order closed some of its satellite facilities and began moving all artifacts from Exis Station to the Temple's Archives.[1] After the failed Jedi Conclave on Katarr, the Temple was abandoned as the remaining Jedi Knights went into hiding as Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion began the First Jedi Purge. Abandoned for only a brief period, the Jedi reorganized and returned to the Temple following the defeat of both the Sith Lords.[9]

For the next 300 years the Temple would stand as a beacon of the Jedi's light in the galaxy, aiding the ailing Republic during the trying Great Galactic War. It was at the climax of this conflict that a dormant Sith Empire returned to the known galaxy and struck at the Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY. Marching up to the gates of the Temple, a raiding party of Sith led by Darth Malgus entered the Temple and slaughtered the complex's main line of defense in order to shut off Galactic City's security network. Once dismantled, Malgus' assault team planted bombs within the Temple and detonated them when the Sith fleet opened fire from the skies. The exterior of the Temple crumbled, the four stately towers falling upon the tiled roof, an empty ruin of its former self. However, much of the interior remained intact, symbolic of the Order's state of affairs following the attack.[3]

"Our time has come. For over 300 years, we prepared. We grew stronger. While you rested in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe&hellip;protected. You were trusted to lead the Republic but you were deceived, as our powers over the dark side had blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you and now&hellip;finally&hellip;we have returned."

- Darth Malgus during the invasion of the Jedi Temple

Jedi and Sith vie for control in the costly Great Galactic War as the Jedi Temple is razed during the Sacking of Coruscant. After the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant the Galactic Senate voted to hold off on rebuilding the Temple indefinitely due to the lack of funds. Interim Supreme Chancellor Paran Am-Ris informed Grand Master Zym of the vote and was promised that the Temple would eventually be rebuilt and the Sith routed. Soon after, Grand Master Zym was anonymously summoned to the Temple ruins in order to receive an important message. Discovering Commander Gin Lesl amongst the rubble, Zym assumed that she was prepared to tell him something. However she was just as confused as the Kel Dor Jedi. It was at that point the bounty hunter Braden revealed that he had information regarding the Sith assault on the Envoy and the subsequent death of Master Dar'Nala. Commander Lesl was confused as to why she had been summoned before Braden shot her for having him arrested on Dantooine. Drawing his lightsaber Zym demanded that Braden allow him to arrest him; Braden refused and attacked, killing the Jedi Grand Master and leaving both bodies amongst the ruins.[10]

Following the defeat of the Sith Empire the Order was able to rebuild the Temple. Expanding over the next three millennia, with major additions beginning circa 3,500 BBY, seeing the completion of the Jedi Archives circa 2,519 BBY, another addition in 2,000 BBY, and the rebuilding of the Temple Spires in 1,019 BBY.[1] It was only after the defeat of the Brotherhood of Darkness during the New Sith Wars and the end of the Republic Dark Age that the Temple would see its reconstruction completed with the refocusing of the Order at the Ruusan Reformation. Consolidating most of their efforts on Coruscant, the Order closed most of their satellite facilities and dismantled the Army of Light and began getting away from the militaristic teachings left over from the war with the Sith. With the Sith believed to be extinct, the Order and the Republic entered into a time of peace and prosperity known as the Golden Age. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Temple had been infiltrated by one of the last Sith following the Reformation. Darth Zannah, apprentice to Darth Bane, scoured the Archives in the guise of Padawan Nalia Adollu in order to find a cure for the orbalisks that were killing her master. Discovering the Sith too late, a task force was sent to defeat the Sith on Tython. The mission failed but was erroneously deemed a success and the Sith managed to avoid Jedi detection for the next thousand years.[11]

The Fall of the JediEdit Cje.1 edited The Temple as it stood for nearly a millennium. "Enter our Temple unbidden, you have. Leaving it will not be easy, you will find." ―Grand Master Yoda to an invasionary party of Yinchorri warriors[src] Following nearly a thousand years of peace, the Order was threatened by a new darkness. The future became even more clouded than was usual, the High Council could not predict events or sense disturbances as it once could. It was during this time of uneasiness in the ranks of the Order that the Temple became prone to attack.[12]

The Temple first came under siege in 44 BBY when a series of robberies plagued the Temple. The High Council ordered Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Tahl to uncover the thief and present him before the Council for judgment. Ranging from shredded tunics to missing training lightsabers, the threat became more serious when the Healing Crystals of Fire went missing. Even more extreme, while he wandered through the Room of a Thousand Fountains, an attempt was made on Grand Master Yoda's life. While Yoda came away unscathed the entire Temple was stricken with fear as its walls were no longer a buffer against attack.[13] When it was discovered that apprentice Bruck Chun was working in league with the mysterious intruder, the Dark Jedi Xanatos, Masters Jinn and Tahl began pondering on what Xanatos' true intentions were. Gathering information from Master Yoda the two investigating Jedi deduced the Dark Jedi was after the vertex stored in the Temple Treasury. Planning on setting a trap while Tech Specialist Miro Daroon began cycling the sabotage Temple power grid, Jinn and his Padawan managed to lure Xanatos and Chun to the top of the High Council Tower. While Jinn was able to protect the Temple and recover the Healing Crystals, Xanatos escaped to plague the Order for a time, while Chun was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi and accidentally killed, having fallen off a waterfall in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.[14] The Temple was also referred to as the Palace of the Jedi.[15]

Eleven years later as the Force grew more and more murky The High Council dispatched six of its members along with several other members of the Order to put an end to the Yinchorri Uprising. Taking advantage of the absence of High Council members, the mysterious Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious orchestrated an assault on the Temple. Hiring a terror group of Yinchorri they silently landed on the Temple Ziggurat and entered through the Atrium off the High Council Tower. Inside the invaders found the accommodation sector abandoned and were eventually met with a group of Jedi led by Grand Master Yoda. While the Yinchorri attacked the Jedi were able to defeat them all, suffering only the deaths of Jude Rozess and Tieren Nie-Tan.[16]

Jedi Temple dusk The Temple Spires at sunset. When the High Council became aware of a Sith resurgence following the Invasion of Naboo and the appearance and subsequent death of Darth Maul, they began to prepare themselves for an inevitable confrontation. Updating the Council Tower hangars during the Separatist Crisis to house the Order's new Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor, the Council caught the flak of the People's Inquest group. Demanding that the Council release its financial reports, they would gain further fuel during the "Baby Ludi" custody case when an Ord Thoden woman accused the Order of kidnapping her daughter, Ludi Billane. Camping outside the Temple's main entrance, the Inquest movement saw escalation when a group of University of Coruscant students breached the Second Atrium of the public entrance during the early morning. As two Padawans attempted to calm the riotous students who were throwing graffiti bombs across the Atrium, Masters Koon and Mundi quickly disposed of the marchers with a Jedi mind trick. The students were then cuffed and handed over to Judicial officers and hauled away.[17] When the High Council decided to transport the child in question to the Kamparas Training Facility the protesters who had camped outside the complex for months began a rally led by Firris Palbert. Attempting to provoke the Jedi the group yelled into loudhailers but were only met by Judicial Cerisa Vosengoor who dismissed the claims of Jedi tyranny.[18]

When the Clone Wars erupted across the galaxy the Temple became a major military planning center as the Jedi took up the mantle of General within the Grand Army of the Republic. With Jedi Command now reviewing and appraising all battle plans and major military campaigns, the High council was in near constant communications with the Office of the Supreme Chancellor. Chancellor Palpatine and several Senators would make several visits to the Temple during the war; an event that was, at most, uncommon pre-war time. The Temple began to show signs of wear as time once devoted to polishing marble floors and cleaning the bronzium gutters of the exterior was diverted to more urgent tasks such as maintaining the Order's spacecraft.[19]

Darth Sidious would continue to cause problems for the Temple during the war. Ten months into the war Count Dooku, Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, led his Droid Army and the Dark Acolyte Trenox into the Temple on a mission to destroy the invaluable Temple Archives. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was at the Temple when the Sith led army entered the Archives and was able to kill Acolyte Trenox and defeat the C-B3 cortosis battle droids that sought to destroy the Stacks. While Skywalker dealt with the droids, Dooku was able to steal a precious holocron from the repository of knowledge and flee the Temple unscathed.[20] The Temple Library would soon after be attacked by Sith-employed bounty hunters Cad Bane and Cato Parasitti. Using schematics provided by Sidious, Bane circumvented the exterior defenses and was able to navigate the ventilation system with the help of Parasitti, who was stationed in the Library in the guise of Master Ord Enisence. While Parasitti would be captured by Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Bane was able to distract the other Jedi long enough for him to break into the Holocron Vault and escape the planet.[21]

TempleSmoke-Sabotage The temple during the bombing Sometime in 20 BBY one of the hangers of the jedi temple was bombed. A further investigation at the hands of Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano led to the arrest of Letta Turmond who planted nano-droids in to her husband, a temple worker blowing up the hanger.

Flaming Temple The Jedi Temple, a smoking ruin after Operation: Knightfall. In 19 BBY following the Battle of Coruscant and the work done by Judicial Captain Dyne, the High Council came to be suspicious of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor and linking Darth Sidious to influencing the Chancellor. It was eventually discovered by Knight Anakin Skywalker, following the defeat of General Grievous on Utapau, that Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious were one and the same. Moving to remove the Sith, Masters Mace Windu, Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto, and Saesee Tiin, left the Temple in the care of Master Shaak Ti and Gate Master Jurokk. Turning off all nav beacons and signal lights, arming all of the older Padawans, and sealing all blast doors, the Temple was prepared for a Sith attack.