Tyvokka was a Jedi Master during the time of the bloodiest conflicts the galaxy had ever seen. Not only was Tyvokka a Jedi Master, but he was a Wookie Jedi Master at that. Wookie Jedi Knights were rare to begin with, but Tyvokka defied the odds and eventually sat on the Jedi Council, having become a powerful Jedi earning respect from every other Knight and Master. But even Jedi Masters must become one with the Force at some point or another, and it was the Stark Hyperspace War that saw Tyvokka's service to the Jedi Knights come to an end.

Stark was the last name of Iaco Stark, a smuggler and pirate who had amassed a fleet of ships, and used them to steal goods from the Outer Rim and then sell them back at inflated prices, but still less than what the Trade Federation set. A man with a dream, Stark spearheaded the forming of a coalition of smugglers and pirates, which he called the Stark Commercial Combine. However, when a bacta shortage gripped the galaxy, Stark and his pirates became heroes in the Outer Rim as they sought out bacta shipments, which those worlds could no longer afford due to the skyrocketed price of bacta. These turn of events threatened to plunge the galaxy into war, and as the Jedi discussed the matters among their members, so did the Republic. Not all believed in the severity of the bacta shortage and the intuition of certain Jedi, most notably of Tyvokka, led many to believe there was no shortage at all.

Tyvokka, in his lifetime as a Jedi Knight had had many Padawan learners, and at the time of the conflict, Tyvokka was Master to a Kel Dor Jedi Knight, Plo Koon, who would eventually go on to serve on the Jedi Council himself, following in his Master's footsteps. When an opening became available on the Council, Tyvokka expressed his wishes that Plo Koon pursue the opportunity and apply to be accepted onto it. However, as a youth, Plo Koon was always so humble and felt there were many others more qualified than he was to serve on the Council.