Even Piell

Even Piell was born on the Mid Rim planet Lannik, the homeworld of the Lannik species, during the late Republic Era. Lannik had a long history of war and, at the time of Piell's birth, was in a state of constant political unrest. Piell's innate The Force sensitivity was identified when he was a youngling, and it was eventually brought to the attention of the Jedi Order, a monastic religious order of Force-sensitives based on the Core Worlds planet Coruscant. When the Jedi offered to raise Piell as they did other Force-sensitive children, his parents readily sent him away, and in his later life, Piell speculated that they may have believed they had done right by sending him away from a life of struggle on Lannik. Although Piell was young when he left his homeworld, he was older than most Jedi Initiates were when taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. As a result, Piell did not have any training as an infant and had a relatively late start to his tutelage compared to his peers.

As a Jedi trainee, Piell continued to differ from his companions in the Order, and even amid the mix of species and cultures at the Temple, he retained traits of his homeworld, speaking more bluntly and colloquially than others his age. When he moved to the Padawan stage of his learning, Piell took part in efforts to help troubled civilians, and from such missions, he learned a practical sense of how suffering manifested in society. While young, Piell wanted to return to his homeworld, and he was eventually able to make the trip when he was older. During his first return to Lannik, Piell's consciousness was changed, and seeing himself in the hard, suffering faces he had lived apart from gave him a new understanding of his purpose as a Jedi. At some point while on Lannik, Piell had a confrontation with terrorists. Despite winning the battle, he lost an eye and had extensive scarring on his face, wounds he viewed as a badge of honor.

By 33 BBY, Piell had risen to the status of Jedi Master and had been granted a seat on the Jedi High Council, the Jedi Order's governing body. Piell had one of the Council's long-term seats and often sat near Master Yaddle. Despite his position among the Order's leaders, Piell continued to take field missions and perform diplomatic roles for the Galactic Republic, a democratic union based on Coruscant that governed much of the galaxy and had a long history with the Jedi, even though he had a disdain for politicians. In 33 BBY, Piell answered a request by Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum and the Galactic Senate calling for Jedi intervention in a conflict on the Mid Rim world Yitabo between two agricultural corporations and the local civilian government. Although unexcited by the assignment, Piell accepted the task because he was already in the area and knew some of the people involved. While on Yitabo, Piell took notice of the number of people leaving the Mid Rim for the Core Worlds via the Ootmian route.

While Piell was on Yitabo, he appeared at Council meetings infrequently. For one such meeting, he could only attend for the final part of the agenda, in which Master Qui-Gon Jinn was to address the Council about a recent mission. Piell joined the meeting holographically at the same time Jinn entered the High Council chamber on Coruscant, and the Master of the Order, Mace Windu, addressed Piell before allowing Jinn to speak. At Windu's questioning, Piell informed the Council what his task on Yitabo was, leaving Windu and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi surprised that the Senate had sent a High Council member to settle a small dispute. After talking with Piell, Windu turned to Jinn and allowed him to speak before the Council. Jinn opened by mentioning that Piell was already in the region he wanted to discuss with the Council, then segued into how the string of recent Jedi outpost closures in the Mid Rim had made life for the locals more difficult.

Jinn mentioned that the closures created a revolving chain of events in which corporations relocate, the region loses political power in the Senate, and then people begin immigrating elsewhere. Master Depa Billaba, who was investigating pirate disturbances in the Slice, confirmed Jinn's testimony and stated that even the young were affected, at which Piell pointed out that an entire generation was at risk in the area. Jinn continued his address and slowly made his point clearer: the Jedi Council had become detached from the everyday aspects of the Living Force in favor of larger-scale efforts on behalf of the Republic. Though his comments received initial opposition from some Council members, including Masters Windu, Oppo Rancisis, and Saesee Tiin, Piell voiced his support of Jinn's notion. When Master Adi Gallia mournfully stated that the Council did not have time to deal with everyday beings because they were on a different level, Piell countered that the Jedi were not supposed to be different from everyone else.

Gallia responded to Piell that the Council had worlds of responsibilities before them, after which Jinn continued. Qui-Gon expressed his belief that the citizens of the galaxy thought little of the Jedi because the Jedi had not engaged with them, to further opposition from Windu and others, but found another supporter in Yaddle. Jinn finished his talk by asking the Council to find a way to reconnect with those the Order served by individually helping people in need, then left the chamber. Though Mundi and Tiin remained skeptical of Jinn's claims, Windu voiced his opinion that Jinn was correct about the Council's disconnect and stagnation, to which Yaddle and Master Depa Billaba agreed. Just then, Gallia interrupted and stated that she had just received the year's final list of suggestions regarding Jedi assets from the Chancellor's office. Piell snidely commented that the list was as "final as a politician's promise" but earned a hand wave from Windu, who told Gallia to continue.

Gallia read from a Jedi-conducted study of outposts that could be shuttered to allow Jedi to divert their resources into areas where the Chancellor's office and the Senate were likely to require future Jedi aid. Among the list of unfrequented outposts on desolate worlds was Sanctuary Mount, a nearly two-hundred-year-old outpost on Kwenn. When Gallia named Kwenn, the Council members went silent in shock. Piell immediately pointed out Sanctuary Mount's longevity, and others began reminiscing about Kwenn and the outpost. Windu asked Gallia how Kwenn had changed to the point the outpost was unsustainable, and she pointed out that traffic to the Kwenn Space Station had slowed due to piracy and corporate taxes along the Ootmian route, leaving the planet economically challenged. Piell cut in that Gallia had missed a step, that the Jedi had left Kwenn behind first, adding that he had seen people leaving the Slice for the Core while on Yitabo.

Realizing the opportunity before the Council, Windu suggested that the twelve Jedi Masters travel to Kwenn to oversee a public commemoration of the anniversary of the outpost's founding. Windu's idea, formed in response to Jinn's prompt, was that the Council could engage with the people of Kwenn while identifying the artifacts the Order would retrieve from Sanctuary Mount in case of closure. As the Council debated whether the trip was viable, Master Plo Koon brought up the logistics of supplying enough provisions for a group of twelve, but Piell waved away his concerns by reminding his colleagues that he was on Yitabo, which served as the larder for surrounding worlds and could stock up on necessary food there. Despite the initial trepidation, all the Councillors present were in agreement that a ceremony on Kwenn would be beneficial, both for the planet and for themselves.

At Master Windu's insistence, the twelve Council members agreed that it would be best if they arrived on Kwenn at their individual convenience instead of coordinating altogether. After gathering up provisions and loading them onto a Limulus-class courier, Piell made the short trip to Kwenn. Before bringing the supplies to the Sanctuary Mount, Piell decided to get a headstart on Qui-Gon's challenge to help citizens and took a speeder bus to Essafa Key, home to the Gem Cities' educational district. At a tourist information station near the bus stop, Piell asked stationed there where to go to get "socked in the jaw," hoping to learn where to find troubled sections of the population. Piell's directness confused the adviser. When asked to clarify, Piell repeated the question and asked where the rough part of Essafa Key was, but the adviser dismissed him and walked away. Before leaving in turn, Piell yelled at the guide, sarcastically thanking him for his help.

Leaving the information station, Piell decided to head towards the oceanside, remembering an adage from his Padawan days that he could usually find trouble near a waterfront. While halfway there, however, Piell heard a commotion down a side street and saw ignoring it. Asking about the disturbance, Piell explained that he was seeking out troubled people, and the officer informed him that Essafa Key housed the local school system. At Piell's inquiry, the officer further stated that the schools were the source of Essafa Key's troubles because the children had been running wild instead of attending classes. Piell suggested they hire a truant officer, but the patrolman revealed that he was the truant officer and removed his badge, quitting his job on the spot. Taking the badge from the former officer and pinning it on his tunic, Piell decided to investigate the noises and walked towards the plaza down the street.

In the plaza, Piell noticed several graffiti-covered buildings engraved with markings that showed they had been built during the Grand Renewal of Kwenn. As Piell chuckled at the derogatory graffiti, he was suddenly approached by a dozen or more raggedly dressed youths. A young Twi'lek stepped forward and asked if Piell was admiring his handiwork, and Piell responded by joking about the boy misspelling "poodoo." Piell questioned the Twi'lek about the target of the graffiti, who he realized was a teacher, and learned that the teacher no longer worked after being thrown out a window. Piell decided to build a rapport with the children, first by laughing alongside them when they laughed about the former teacher, then by joking that school was good for the Twi'lek, Hadaro, since his name was painted on several buildings. Hadaro remained aloof, however, and four of his companions flanked Piell, who reacted mildly and remarked that the children thought they could push him around because of his size.

At Hadaro's command, the children swarmed Piell and lifted him from the ground, which he allowed them to do since he was in no danger. As the children carried Piell around the corner and down an alley, he heard one call to have the Jedi Master put in a trash compactor, but another assured him that the compactors were full and did not work. Recognizing that a pipe spanning the space between the buildings was part of the fire suppression system, Piell reached out with the Force and snapped it in half, resulting in an explosion of white foam. The children dropped Piell and ran for cover, allowing Piell to run back into the plaza while a group of pursuers slipped on the foam. In the plaza, a larger group of children had amassed, attracted by the chaos, and Piell swiftly bounded over them and landed on a plinth where statues once stood. Safe for a moment, Piell removed his soaked robe to wring it out, revealing his lightsaber in the process. Seeing the weapon, Hadaro exclaimed that Piell was not a Jedi.

The sight of Piell's lightsaber excited the crowd, and several children wondered aloud why a Jedi had come to Essafa Key. Just then, a chime sounded from across the quad, and Piell told the children to go inside and take a lunch break. To Piell's dismay, Hadaro explained that the Mercantile Guild-operated school's lunch program lost funding when Rendili Hyperworks stopped subsidizing it, a result of the recent population decline. Realizing that the children were, in part, acting out of hunger, Piell contacted his droid co-pilot and requested a pick-up. Hadaro mockingly asked if Piell was calling for backup, but the Jedi responded by asking if he had classes, which Hadaro denied, stating that many no longer met. Soon, Piell's Limulus courier arrived, and Piell guided his droid to land on the plinth. Calculating that he had enough food at the minimum for the children present, Piell unlatched the cargo hold and began unloading the provisions from Yitabo.

As he tossed food into the crowd, Piell asked Hadaro if the students had learned about the Jedi while in school. When Hadaro replied that they had not, Piell announced to the crowd that he would answer any questions they had about the Jedi once every child had something to eat. Smiling at the children's enthusiastic response, Piell told them that if anyone asked, they were having class outside. Over the following days, Piell began organizing activities and outings for the children, substituting an improvised and creative alternative for the shuttered school system. During this time, Piell received a call for help from Master Eeth Koth, who had arrived and had begun work in the Sanctuary Mount archives. Piell offered to send a group of children to aid Koth, but Koth declined. Piell also received a modified speeder bus from Masters Koon and Tiin, who had started aiding Kwikhaul, a local taxi company on Zyboh Key, which Piell used to shuttle his students to other islands.

Armed with the speeder bus provided by Masters Koon and Tiin, as well as several bikes repaired by the children, Piell began organizing trips to other islands, where he held informal "classes" meant to give the children a creative outlet while beautifying the environment. On the morning of the day Master Yaddle arrived on Kwenn, Piell began the day with a "class" at the Mercantile Guild headquarters, where the children planted trees, which was followed by an "art class" at the Rendili Hyperworks factory on Addoa Key, an industrial island that suffered from lax regulations and disrepair. There, he permitted the children to paint the large walls that enclosed the factory. Having already gained the attention of Kwenn Holofeed, in part because Hadaro had attempted to paint their studio on a previous night, Piell invited a press team to the factory grounds to cover his work, believing public knowledge of his work would pressure Rendili to continue funding the school districts.

When Master Yaddle arrived on Kwenn, she contacted Piell for help acquiring transportation. Piell sent a Rodian child to deliver Yaddle a speeder bike, simultaneously inviting her to join him on Addoa Key, where he hoped she would take his place in front of the Kwenn Holofeed cameras. When Yaddle arrived, Piell enthusiastically welcomed her to "art class" and introduced her to his project. Because she was among the last High Councillors to arrive at Kwenn, Piell also informed her of what the other Masters were doing on the islands. Piell also explained the economic situation concerning the education system but found that Yaddle was unhappy about Piell's attempts to restart the former system, in which the children were forced to rely on the Rendili corporation for basic necessities. Though he shared her concerns, Piell reasoned that allowing the children to paint on the factory walls gave them an alternative to illegal activities.

At that moment, the reporters from Kwenn Holofeed arrived, and Piell asked Yaddle if she would speak with them since his appearance would be off-putting. Though she was surprised, Yaddle was understanding when Piell told her why he had not asked her directly, as he was afraid she would have suggested they consult other Councillors. Accepting that she was the best spokesbeing the Council had to offer, Yaddle approached the reporters and, speaking with a holofeed engineer for Remember Kwenn host Reezingrom Abbayav, began discussing the Jedi Council's purpose for visiting Kwenn. The impromptu press conference Piell had garnered outside Rendili Hyperworks brought him and Master Yaddle increased reach, with Yaddle becoming the Council's unofficial spokesperson in a series of interviews and Piell gaining a hundred new students. Concerned about the unstable home lives of many of his schoolchildren, Piell decided to start a food drive.

Late one evening, Piell and Yaddle decided to visit Master Koth on Kinnawah Key, where he was busy organizing a number of texts from the Sanctuary Mount that had ended up in the Lamplighter Boutique antique store. When Piell and Yaddle entered the store, they were met by the owner's wife, Pogee Shrag, and several Shrag's boolah kits, which crawled over the two Jedi. Shrag showed the two inside, and Yaddle thanked her for her hospitality and complimented her boolahs. Piell, annoyed by two boolah kits hanging off his ears, remarked that he could use the creatures in a soup for his food drive, which earned him a reprimand from Yaddle but a laugh from Shrag. Koth led the two inside a courtyard and asked why they had come to Kinnawah Key since they had their own work elsewhere. Piell replied that his schoolchildren had to go home at the end of each day, and despite their troubled home lives, it was a better alternative to keeping them out at dangerous times.

Koth was happy that Piell and Yaddle had both answered Qui-Gon's challenge, but both questioned Koth about how he felt about his work digging through the outpost archives. Though Koth tried denying his dissatisfaction, Piell and Yaddle saw through his façade and offered to help. Despite Koth's hesitation to let them help, Piell began looking at the piles of datapads, which he noted were mostly dull, minor texts that would put his students to sleep. Yaddle reasoned that she and Piell could share Koth's duties, and the Zabrak relented and told them to begin managing the shorter stacks, given their diminutive heights. Yaddle then dismissed Koth, and Piell ordered him to go out and see Kwenn. Though Koth started to object, he smiled and thanked Piell and Yaddle for their help instead. Thanks to Piell and Yaddle's intervention, Koth left the Lamplighter Boutique and spent a night on Kinnawah Key as a tourist.

A few days later, as the bicentennial commemoration neared, information about an alleged pirate attack reached the Council. While Piell had been occupied with his schoolchildren, several of his colleagues had been engaged in dealing with criminal activity on the islands and in the space around Kwenn, and Master Depa Billaba informed the Council that she had discovered local pirate leader Zilastra's plan to attack Kwenn, and more specifically the Councillors themselves, during the celebration. When Yoda asked for evidence, Master Windu added that recent observations revealed sudden ceasefires between several pirate groups. Recalling what information he knew about the pirate activity, Piell asked why the pirate gangs would follow Zilastra's Riftwalkers, the newest of the group, and Billaba explained that Zilastra had decapitated the leadership of the rival gangs. Concerned about potential danger, Adi Gallia and Yaddle called for the bicentennial to be canceled.

Master Rancisis and Piell both spoke out against canceling the festivities. When Gallia and Yaddle again argued that the danger was too great, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yarael Poof pointed out that no matter what the Council decided, their intel pointed to a pirate uprising taking place against both the Jedi and the local civil authority. As the Council discussed their prospects, it became clear that the bicentennial had already been compromised by Zilastra's underlings. Yoda and Gallia described an attack on an arena manager and an Ithorian leaving the venue, who Billaba realized was Zilastra's bomb maker Tokchi. Taking charge, Billaba announced that she knew what Zilastra had planned and that the Council had to take her head-on. Billaba told her peers that they had to present the appearance that nothing had changed and continue with the celebrations as initially planned.

Following Master Billaba's plan, Piell and the rest of the Council continued planning for the bicentennial. Amid final preparations on the day of the celebration, Piell decided to hire about a dozen of his children, including Hadaro, as ushers for the evening. Piell brought them to the Gala Key Arena aboard several speeders, where they joined Masters Yoda, Yaddle, Poof, Rancisis, and Koth. Seeing Piell and the children enter, Poof joked that it was too early for a parade, and Piell informed his peers that the children with him would serve as ushers for the festivities, with more joining the following day. After Piell introduced Hadaro, the Twi'lek boy criticized the arena decorations and told Piell that there were art supplies still in the speeders. To Rancisis' horror, Piell agreed with Hadaro's suggestion that the children paint a mural on the base of the dais. Though Rancisis argued the children could paint outside instead, Piell replied that it looked like rain.

After Piell sent his students to retrieve their supplies, Koth became concerned by a notification on his comlink while Yaddle reentered the arena, accompanied by Morna. Koth briefly left to consult his caller, who he referred to as a woman he knew. When he returned, he looked around furtively before approaching Piell and asking for advice. Koth led Piell to the edge of the stage. After conferring quietly for a few moments, Koth turned to the other Councillors and asked for him and Piell to be excused, and Piell added that it would take a while. In private, Koth revealed that he had met a member of the Poisoned Blades gang, Inisa, who tipped him on several plots the local pirate gangs were planning with Zilastra. When Piell learned that the Blades and the Filthy Creds were plotting to disguise themselves as food vendors working for the Tasty Comet Frozen Confection Company, he insisted on being involved with thwarting their plan.

Later that night, Piell and Koth struck the Tasty Comet warehouse just after the gangs had loaded up their street carts, which were outfitted with blasters and grenades. After removing the weapons, the Jedi put locks on the hovercarts. Coinciding with the Council's plans to continue the celebration and stop the pirate insurgency, Piell and Koth left the hovercarts in the warehouse so the disguised gang members would take to the streets. Aided by the inclement storm, the Council wanted to ensure no civilians were on the streets of Gala Key and ordered that any would-be attendees from other islands remain in their homes to watch the bicentennial while nearby residents would be allowed inside the arena. Empty tents would be set up to throw off the pirate gangs by creating the illusion that civilians were watching inside them to avoid the storm, meaning the only beings on the streets of Gala Key during the celebration would be those affiliated with Zilastra.

The next day, Piell and the Council, minus Billaba, attended the first ceremony marking the bicentennial. After announcing that attendees should shelter from the storm, Masters Rancisis and Yoda gave opening comments. Having learned from Billaba that the bomb Zilastra planted in the arena was activated by the phrase "The Jedi stand with you," Yoda ended his speech by rewording it as "With you, the Jedi stand," foiling Zilastra's immediate plan of bombing the arena. Enraged, Zilastra attempted to infiltrate the arena but was stopped by Billaba. Zilastra revealed that the phrase was also a signal for her pirate groups to begin their attack, and the Council quickly sprung into action. While the rest of the Council dealt with the imminent insurgency in other areas, Piell and Koth left the arena and headed to Tasty Comet hovercart-lined streets, where the would-be vendors struggled to remove the locks. Together, they approached a Gotal vendor trying to open his cart.

Piell and Koth teased the Gotal, first by mockingly asking for Tasty Comets, then by commenting on the pirate's struggle to open the hovercart. Piell used his lightsaber to destroy the lock, revealing he was a Jedi. The Gotal hurriedly reached into his cart for a blaster, only to find it was empty. Piell smirked and told the Gotal that he and Koth had removed the weapons from the carts. Taken aback, the pirate pulled a blaster out of his uniform. Aiming it at the Jedi, the pirate moved toward a sealed viewing tent behind him. When he opened the tent, he found it empty, prompting Piell and Koth to explain how the Council had evacuated nearby civilians and thwarted the Blades' and Creds' plan. The Gotal raised his weapon, but Piell and Koth jointly used the Force, throwing him to the ground and knocking him senseless. The pirate's hat fell off, revealing the markings of a Staved Skull pirate. Noticing the altercation, at least a dozen other pirates disguised as vendors drew their weapons and turned to the Jedi.

Reactivating his lightsaber, Piell told Koth that they had to keep the pirates away from the arena, and both advanced toward the oncoming gang. Piell laughed as they charged, joking that his medical droid on Coruscant would love that the two were "declaring war on dessert." As Piell and Koth battled the pirates, Master Koon began organizing his Kwikhaul employees to rescue civilians trapped in the arena and the surrounding area. Coordinating with them, Koon dispatched drivers to Piell and Koth, who were traveling to hot spots of pirate activity on the island. Later, Piell and Koth were joined by Yoda and Yaddle in fighting Zilastra's pirate horde. As the defense of Kwenn continued, the Jedi began clearing the battlegrounds and assisting Kwenn's law enforcement in capturing the remaining pirates, whose attacks had been broken up and were now scattered. Though the planned pirate insurgency was nearly over, however, Zilastra's whereabouts were unknown.

While the Jedi continued their work on the ground, they received a report that a repuslorlift skiff was climbing the Sanctuary Mount, and the Council realized that Zilastra was planning on attacking the Jedi outpost, where the Council had taken the suitcase bomb originally planted in the arena. Master Billaba set out to stop Zilastra, but her attempt failed. Narrowly escaping on her skiff, which plummetted towards the sea, Zilastra successfully set off the explosive and destroyed the outpost. Zilastra's half-functioning skiff was able to cushion her fall into the ocean, where she was found unconscious by rescue teams alerted by Master Tiin and brought to the shores of the Windward Chain. Curious to learn Zilastra's intentions, Piell and the rest of the Council went to the beach to speak with her. After a set of medical droids tended to the Nautolan pirate, who regained consciousness, Billaba placed her in handcuffs. Rancisis asked why Zilastra held a vendetta against the Jedi, and Zilastra explained that the Order had taken her friends in as younglings while leaving her behind.

When Gallia asked when the Jedi had sought out her friends, Zilastra informed the Council that it had happened over thirty years prior when a Jedi had arrived at her orphanage. Windu asked who this Jedi was, and to the Council's shock, Zilastra stated that it was Master Sifo-Dyas, a former member of the Council controversial among the Order. Windu told Zilastra that Sifo-Dyas had been heavily focused on the Order's future, which Koth explained meant he had urgently tried to bring potential younglings into the Order. Piell added that Sifo-Dyas was too urgent as a Seeker as if he believed the Republic would fail if the Order didn't expand rapidly. To Zilastra's bewilderment, the Jedi Masters revealed that Sifo-Dyas had broken protocol with his recruitment tactics and was no longer the Council. Taking pity on Zilastra, Billaba apologized to the pirate for the Order's failure to take her into account as a child but admonished her for her actions before Yoda ordered a team of constables to take her away.

In the aftermath of the defense of Kwenn and Zilastra's arrest, the Council decided it would not rebuild the destroyed outpost but replace it with a new brazier, which they announced in a press conference broadcast by Morna and her news team. As the Jedi wrapped up their revitalization efforts on Kwenn and prepared to leave, Piell saw several of his works come to fruition after the publicity the Jedi's actions had gained. The Mercantile Guild had resumed funding the school system, while Rendili Hyperworks restarted its lunch program on Essafa Key. Though still uncomfortable with how Kwenn's education operated and upset he could not solve the deeper issue of schools subsidized by corporations, he decided it was more important to ensure the children were alright in the short term. While walking across the quad on Essafa Key, Piell saw that the children were inside the school buildings instead of loitering outside them.

Piell saw Hadaro running across the plaza, and the boy stopped in front of the Jedi Master. Piell asked if Hadaro was running from someone, but the Twi'lek nodded to the school building and stated he was late for class. Piell replied that being late was good because being late meant that Hadaro was going, to which the teen shrugged and said that he was fulfilling their deal before adding that Piell had shown him that falling down a criminal path did not work out well. Shaking Hadaro's hand, Piell thanked Hadaro for his help during the bicentennial since Hadaro and the other older children had kept civilians inside the arena during the fighting. When Piell commented that it must have been tempting to peek outside at the battle, Hadaro told him that he and the other children were watching the fight from their datapads, which made Piell laugh. Saying goodbye, Piell told Hadaro to head inside before he remembered he was the truant officer.

In 32 BBY, taxation disputes in the Outer Rim resulted in open military conflict. Protesting Chancellor Valorum's tax reform policies, including the Galactic Senate's passing of Prop 31-814D, which stripped it of its exploitative control of Outer Rim trade zones, the Trade Federation blockaded the planet Naboo. The Jedi Council was kept informed about the Federation's activities before the blockade by Master Gallia and afterward maintained an interest in ending the dispute. Chancellor Valorum and the Council authorized Master Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with the Federation's leader, Viceroy Nute Gunray. Their efforts faltered when the Federation launched an all-out invasion of Naboo, forcing the two Jedi to remove Queen Padmé Amidala from the planet and bring her to Coruscant to speak before the Senate. After the invasion went through, Piell led several vital missions on behalf of the Republic, protecting the government's interests from Nute Gunray's greedy grasp.

Before arriving on Coruscant, the malfunction of Amidala's starship forced Jinn to stop on Tatooine, where he found a young boy, Anakin Skywalker, who he believed to be the prophesied Chosen One, the one who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith, the ancient enemies of the Jedi. Jinn also encountered a mysterious warrior he suspected to be a Sith Lord and, once on Coruscant, brought this information before the Council. Piell was present in the Jedi Council Chamber when Jinn and Kenobi informed them of the possible Sith warrior, who Jinn noted was highly trained in the Jedi arts. Despite initial disbelief, the Council elected to devote its resources to uncovering the warrior's identity. At Master Yoda's inquiry, Jinn revealed what he believed about Skywalker, that the boy was conceived by the midi-chlorians as the Chosen One. Accepting Jinn's request that Skywalker train as a Jedi, Yoda and Windu decided the Council would test Skywalker themselves before any final decision was made.

Piell was later present with the full Council to test Skywalker's Force-sensitivity. Although the results of Skywalker's viewscreen test showed the boy's power, the Council was indecisive about his future, given his age and deep attachment to his mother. Piell was among those on the Council who voted against allowing Skywalker to begin his training despite having been older than most when he joined the Order. The Council ultimately decided that Skywalker could prove susceptible to the dark side of the Force and informed Jinn that they had rejected the boy, but Jinn decided to train Skywalker regardless. The Council contentiously reversed its decision when Jinn was slain by the warrior, identified as the Sith Lord Darth Maul, when helping the Naboo repel the Trade Federation forces. Following Jinn's dying wish, the Council agreed to allow Kenobi to train Skywalker. With other Councillors, Piell traveled to Naboo to attend Jinn's funeral and later observed the victory parade in Theed, standing on the steps of the Royal Palace to watch the festivities.

In 24 BBY, after years of political turmoil, the Republic became embroiled in a crisis over the burgeoning Separatist movement, spearheaded by Count Dooku of Serenno, a former Jedi, who formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems to rival the Republic as a central galactic government. By 22 BBY, the growing influence of the Separatists led to debate over the need to create a proper military to combat an impending war, forcing the Jedi to enter talks with Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, hoping to maintain peace and stall a Senate vote on the Military Creation Act. A series of assassination attempts on Senator Padmé Amidala, formerly the Queen of Naboo and an opponent of the Military Creation Act, would lead the Council down the path to war. Master Piell and the Council assigned Obi-Wan Kenobi to track down the bounty hunter suspected of arranging the attempts on Amidala's life and ordered Anakin Skywalker to protect the senator, who was discreetly relocated from Coruscant to Naboo.

Kenobi's investigation brought him to the extragalactic planet Kamino, where he made the startling discovery that a clone army was being produced by the Kaminoan government for the Republic. To Kenobi's surprise, Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su alleged that the army had been ordered by Master Sifo-Dyas, who had been dead for ten years. Kenobi also learned that the template for the army was the bounty hunter he was searching for, Jango Fett, who only added to the mystery by claiming to have never met Sifo-Dyas. After following Fett to the planet Geonosis, Kenobi discovered the Confederacy's droid foundries, where Dooku and other Separatist leaders were building a massive droid army. Before being taken prisoner, Kenobi sent a transmission to Coruscant about his findings, and the confirmation that the Separatists had formed an army spurred the Senate to grant Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to commission the clone army from the Kaminoans to fight the inevitable war.

Piell was selected to join a team of over 200 Jediassembled by Master Windu to rescue Kenobi, as well as Skywalker and Amidala, who had failed in their own attempt to rescue him, from execution on Geonosis. In addition, the team, the largest deployment of Jedi since the High Republic Era, was dispatched to investigate Kenobi's reports of organized Separatist militarization and end the potential war in its infancy. Upon arriving at Geonosis, most of the assault team infiltrated the Petranaki Arena while the rest secured their landing site. In the arena, the Jedi hid and waited for Windu's signal to reveal themselves. Far above the arena pit, Dooku, Fett, and other Confederate leaders watched as three Geonosian execution beasts, an acklay, nexu, and reek, fought the prisoners. After Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala managed to evade the creatures, they were surrounded by a contingent of droidekas. Before Dooku gave the order to kill them, Windu revealed himself and confronted the former Jedi.

When Windu moved to arrest Dooku, the Jedi stationed in the arena ignited their lightsabers in kind, leading Dooku to unleash hordes of battle droids to counterattack. In the resulting clash between the assault team and the Separatist Droid Army, the outnumbered assault team began taking heavy casualties, and Piell witnessed the deaths of many companions and friends. While a small group of Jedi, including several Council members, were surrounded by droids in the arena pit, Piell became separated from the rest. Piell was only able to survive due to the timely intervention of Master Yoda, who arrived with the newly deployed Grand Army of the Republic. The surviving Jedi and the new clone armies quickly organized an attack on the Confederate forces, which were in full retreat. Despite their efforts, the Jedi's improvised and rushed strategy, as well as the failure to establish a proper orbital blockade, allowed the Separatists to achieve a full retreat.

One year and nine months into the war in 20 BBY, he was assigned a dangerous mission to the Outer Rim. On the return trip, he realized his information about the Nexus Route could be dangerous if it fell into the hands of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Memorizing one half of the information while his captain, Wilhuff Tarkin, memorized the other half, he erased the onboard computer's memory so that if somehow one of them broke under interrogation, it would useless without the other half. Later, his cruiser was invaded by the Confederacy of Independent Systems who wanted to kidnap him in order to learn information about the route. He and his battalion tried to defend themselves but was outnumbered and captured.

At his cell, he was tortured in the infamous prison, the Citadel, until he would admit what he knew. Piell refused and the Separatists were about to put out his right eye when Republic forces rushed into the cell and destroyed the droids who were there. When he was put on the floor, he asked Kenobi what took him so long to rescue him. Skywalker told Piell he hasn't lost his sense of humor and he said it took more than that to force him to admit what he knew. He told Kenobi and Skywalker what he did on the return trip before he was captured and said he assumed his captain was also imprisoned.

They freed Tarkin and they hatched a plan that Piell was to go with Kenobi whilst Tarkin with Skywalker. As they ran out of the cell, security chased them. So they exploded a bomb, destroying the majority of the droids on their trail. They found a hole and rushed out.

They then split and carried out their escape plan. Kenobi's half realized a droid was tracking them. Piell destroyed it, but not fast enough before it told the Separatists all it saw. Then, security doors closed all over the tunnel and Kenobi warned him to move before he got cut in half. Piell, Kenobi, and the clones were locked in different sections. But Piell cut the door of his section and got into Kenobi's with his lightsaber and told Kenobi they already cut one door and that it was time to cut the rest.

After cutting down all the doors, they couldn't find where R2-D2 was. They decided to go outside and get a better view despite knowing it might be a trap. After going outside, they jumped down to a lower level. They tried to contact Skywalker's level only to hear Osi Sobeck hearing that he had watched their every move through security the whole time. They watched in horror as they were again captured by the Separatists. At Sobeck's office, he told Piell to give him the information or he would start executing his men one by one. Piell only replied that it was war and that they had to protect the information. Sobeck, angered, was about to kill them when a droid reported that they had spotted Skywalker's half. Sobeck ordered Kenobi's half to be tortured slowly.

They were let out of the office and finally spotted R2. The droids told them that they should go on and they did. When they got outside, Kenobi started destroying the droids, followed by the clones. Soon the guns started firing on them as they ran away. Skywalker got on a Single Trooper Aerial Platform and Piell jumped in after him. Skywalker drove while Piell deflected shots. The Separatists blew up the STAP, throwing Skywalker and Piell off. Then they ran off. While they were running, ARC trooper Echo tried to protect a transport they could use to escape from the Citadel, the Separatists however blew up the transport, causing Piell and the others to fall down.

They contacted the Jedi Temple. Yoda told him they would send a ship to evacuate him and his men and showed him where they would land it.

As they were walking to the location they would be rescued from, Piell sensed the Separatists coming and told the others. Everyone prepared for battle. During the battle, he destroyed some droids before an anooba jumped and attacked Piell. Ahsoka Tano used the Force to hurl it away, but not before it gravely injured Piell. Tano attempted to call help, but Piell told her to stay so he could give her the information and instruct her to relay it only to the Council. She denied, saying Kenobi or Skywalker needed to hear that, and that she only lied to be a part of the mission. But Piell told her that she was now the most important part of the mission and that she had to remember the information and make sure only the Jedi Council knew it. Tano finally agreed and Piell whispered the information into her. Shortly thereafter, Piell died of his injuries.

After his death, Tano brought his body to the rest of the group, saying he died honorably. Skywalker asked about the information and Tano said she had it and that he told her before he died.

Later, his body was wrapped up and Kenobi told everyone to take a moment to honor him and told them that they had to move on afterwards because he would've wanted them to complete the mission. Kenobi and Skywalker used the Force to put Piell's body into the lava. It fell down a lava-fall and it burned shortly thereafter.

Even Piell had a distinguishing scar on his face, which rendered his left eye useless. He was known too for being "brusque and bellicose."

Piell was intelligent as he cleverly committed half of the information on the Nexus Route to memory while having his Captain, Wilhuff Tarkin, memorize the other half. Piell sometimes disagreed with Tarkin, who harbored certain doubts about the Jedi and their abilities, and their relationship was slightly tense at times. When Tarkin inquired as to what they would do if they did not find the Republic forces at the rendezvous point, Piell brusquely told him to just keep moving, leading Skywalker to advise Tarkin not to try to argue with the diminutive Jedi Master. Unlike Tarkin, who meant for his half of the information to reach Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Piell intended for his part of the intelligence to be disclosed only to the Jedi High Council. While being interrogated in the Citadel, Piell refused to surrender his information on the Nexus Route to a mere interrogator droid. When faced with Osi Sobeck himself, who threatened to start killing his men if he refused to divulge the information, Piell believed that all of them, including the threatened clones, were prepared to die to protect the information for the Republic.

On the brink of death, Piell willingly gave up his information on the Nexus Route to Ahsoka Tano so it would reach the Jedi. Even after hearing Tano admit her lie on being part of his rescue mission, Piell believed even if she was assigned to rescue him, the Padawan now had to become vital in delivering the Nexus Route coordinates to the Republic.

Piell was a battle-hardened Jedi and a great warrior, always willing to charge into battle and highly skilled with a lightsaber. According to Wilhuff Tarkin, who had served under Piell's command during the Clone Wars, the Lannik excelled in lightsaber combat. However, according also to Tarkin, a renowned military strategist, Piell's tactical skills were somewhat subpar.

Piell benefitted from enhanced hearing due to his species' large ears. He was also revered for his courage and telekinetic powers.

In the 2015 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, Even Piell's species was mistakenly identified as Zabrak. Piell was portrayed by Michaela Cottrell in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and was voiced by Blair Bess in Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

"A Jedi Tale," a 2021 short story published in Star Wars Galactic Storybook, depicts the Jedi High Council as it appears in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. However, in the adaptation Even Piell was replaced by a human Jedi.