Tal was a Jedi Master who had taken up his lightsaber to join Jedi Master Hoth and his Army of Light to meet Sith Lord Kaan and his Army of Darkness. Tal was the Master of a young female Padwanan, known for her humor. Tal followed Hoth during the war, all the way to the final battles that took place on the remote planet of Ruusan. There Tal fought against Sith disciples, Sith warriors, and Sith followers in seven titanic battles that took place on the plains of the quiet planet.

The Jedi had taken massive losses and the deaths of so many Knights caused Tal to question the war. Many discussions with Master Hoth took place, in which Tal discussed with Hoth the current status and outcome of the war. Then, Tal was hit with the loss of his student, who had fallen in battle and he head placed on a pike in the Sith camp for all to see. Tal followed Hoth into the last battle of Ruusan, where Hoth met Kaan face to face.

However, Kaan realized that ultimately his Dark Army would be defeated. Knowing this, Kaan formed a plan to take the Jedi with him. Using the Dark Side to construct a thought bomb, Kaan detonated the destructive device, and its massive power swept across the planet, annihilating everything in its path, Jedi and Sith alike. The war between the Jedi and the Sith had come to an end, and Tal had not survived. His essence was trapped on Ruusan for almost two thousand years before Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn came to Ruusan to fulfill a prophecy and set his soul free to become one with the Force.