A new addition to the Jedi Council, Depa Billaba brings an air of order, culture and perspective to the Council Chamber. When she was just six months old, Billaba's entire family was killed by marauding pirates. Mace Windu was able to save the young Chalactan child, and he immediately sensed her strong connection to the Force.
On Coruscant, Depa has learned to use her special abilities for the good of the galaxy. She has embraced the traditional culture of Chalacta in honor of her slain parents, and as a result the Jedi Master is particularly attuned to the minds and personalities of her peers in the Council Chamber.
The design for her, found among some of the Episode I Art Department's earliest character sketches, introduced a spiritually inspired figure to an already diverse lineup of potential Jedi Council members to appear in The Phantom Menace. Even though the figure obviously underwent several revisions, it is not hard to find a resemblance with the Depa Billaba character seen briefly in Episode I.