The Council of Families was the primary legislative body of the Chiss Ascendancy formed from represenatives of the Ruling Families. The Council ensured that each Ruling Family remained on equal footing.
The Council of Families was the primary legislative body of the Chiss Ascendancy that was composed of represenatives of the Ruling Families. The Council was given certain judicial responsibilities as a way to govern the activities of individuals and Ruling Families, ensuring that each Family remained on equal footing with the others. If there were ever a deadlock over a decision among the Council, the deciding vote fell on the representative from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Its members wore head-to-foot robes in the color of the Family they represented that concealed their identities.
Admiral Ar'alani and Syndic Mitth'ras'safis believed the Council of Families would object if the Fifth Ruling Family took possession of the damaged starship Outbound Flight (pictured).
After a force of warships led by Force Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, core name "Thrawn," of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet crippled the Galactic Republic exploration and colonization vessel Outbound Flight in 27 BBY, a Chiss fleet led by Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano of the Fifth Ruling Family was approaching the battle site. Informed by a suggestion of the Human trader Jorj Car'das, Thrawn became convinced that the Aristocra would attempt to claim possession of the damaged Outbound Flight for the Fifth Family. Syndic Mitth'ras'safis, core name "Thrass," of the Eighth Ruling Family and Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Defense Fleet believed that the Council of Families would object if a Ruling Family was acting to upset the balance of power, by forcibly taking the technology present aboard the ship to give their forces an advantage over the other Families. However, this procedure was noted for being long and complex, which was largely ineffective in practical considerations, agreeing that the best course of action would be to instead have the Outbound Flight be declared Defense Fleet property at one of its bases.
In reality, however, Thrass planned to scuttle the vessel in a nearby star. As Thrass and Car'das proceeded with the plan, they encountered Lorana Jinzler, a Jedi Knight who was one among a small group of the Outbound Flights crewmembers and passengers who had survived the Chiss attack. After realizing that evacuating and destroying the ship before it was captured by the Fifth Family was impossible, Thrass suggested that they follow Thrawn's original plan of taking the vessel to a Defense Fleet base. However, they realized that such a course of action would effectively render the survivors of the Outbound Flight captives of the Chiss. Instead, Thrass provided them with the information about a safe location inside a star cluster known to Chiss as the Redoubt, where they could stay out of sight while Thrass would return to secretly negotiate with the Council of Families about Outbound Flights return to the Republic. Following Jinzler's order, Car'das stayed behind while Thrass and the Jedi took the ship to its final voyage into the star cluster.
"Bronze" and "Rust," female Chiss members of the Council of Families.
In their search for the sentient planet Zonama Sekot in 28 ABY, a Jedi delegation led by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker visited the city of Ac'siel on the planet Csilla. There, they met with the members of the Council of Families, "Bronze," "Rust," "Gray" and "Copper-green" among them, who wore bronze, rust-red, silver-gray and copper-green head-to-foot robes that respectively reflected the colors of their Families. During their meeting, the representatives debated whether to permit the delegation to pass through the Chiss Space, with two members being open to the idea. Chief Navigator Peita Aabe, a representative from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, cast the deciding vote in favor of a compromise because the Council was unable to reach consensus. With unanimous approval from the Council, Aabe granted the delegation access to the Expeditionary Library for two days, while Gray presented them with Tris, a guide from the Inrokini family.
The Council of Families first appeared unnamed in the 2003 novel The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee, the second book in The New Jedi Orders Force Heretic trilogy, written by Sean Williams and Shane Dix. It was first identified in the 2006 novel Outbound Flight written by Timothy Zahn.
- The Official Star Wars Fact File137
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Reader's Companion