Anyone remember when we all hated Jaina?

I actually prefer the "new" I'm-A-Dead-Girl-Walkin' Jaina to Soap-Opera-Star-Barbie Jaina from Dark Journey. Not to mention that her supposed flirting with the Dark Side from that book lasted all of ten minutes and didn't envolve her doing anything really bad. Sure, every post ROTJ character and thier mother flirted with the Dark Side, but usually, they face some consequence before coming back. To name a few instances: Ulic kills his brother; Kyp blows up a star system and inadvertantly kills his brother; Luke nearly kills his sister and stands by while the Emporer blasts her with force lightning; Darth Vader helps subjugate the Galaxy, nearly kills his son, and kills his old mentor, among other things; etc., etc.. Jaina didn't do anything that she could really "regret", other than the moral dilemma of slipping from the Light in the first place.

 

I think that it?s easier to remember a time when we all liked Jaina. I was annoyed with her character in Star by Star, was disgusted with her in Dark Journey, was disappointed with her in Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand, and after her Traitor cameo and Destiny?s Way, I find I really, really dislike the character.

She has way too much of a self-pitying attitude, and she values herself and her importance to the Republic way to highly. There are better pilots than her, better strategists, better leaders, and better Jedi. There is nothing that she can do that no one else can do better. This whole ?I can?t take a vacation because I?m needed? thing isn?t terribly smart on her part. A vacation would help her ? everyone seems to see it but her. The only people who are invaluable to the war effort are Luke and maybe Jacen after Traitor. What does Jacen do after sabotaging the world-brain, probably the heaviest stroke that the New Republic has laid against the Yuuzhan Vong so far? He goes scuba diving with Danni Quee.

In any case, I don?t think that there was ever a stage where everyone hated Jaina. Right now, I think that more people dislike her than at any other point in the NJO. And certainly, she isn?t disliked to the point where Jacen was disliked once. Right now, I?d say the two characters are about equally respected (which isn't always the same thing as being liked, I admit), which indicates a heavy fall in Jaina?s popularity and a surge in Jacen?s.

 

I agree. I don't hate Jaina, I just dislike her more now than at the beginning of the NJO. After Rebirth I started to lose respect for her character. Enemy Lines and all the goddess stuff and donut holes and "Kyp you suck!" really made me not like her too much. I don't think that Dark Journey made me think that though. But I do think her "fall" was kind of cheesy and she didn't do anything that could haunt her later. Why, you ask? Because "the one who sucks" stuck his neck out to bring her back.

Hehe, but I still dislike Corran more and I disliked Jacen more in the beginning of the NJO. So that's a couple points for her, I guess.

Jae Angel

 

To defend Elaine Cunninghan a little bit, Jaina did send a bunch of pilots off to what she knew was certain death... just to futher the cause of her experiment. Sacfificing their lives for progress.

Okay that's a bit more Palpatiney than Vaderish, and of course nowhere in the same league - bot not that nice either...

 

I like her.

She's not miss nice... so what?

Brings some interest to her, it does... yes...

 

I hate her. Right now she is easily the worst character in all of the NJO, IMO.





Thanks for the link, fishi.

 

Jaina Solo. *choke choke gag gag* It's interesting how this thread turned from a "now we all like Jaina" thread, to an "Ugh. Jaina Solo" thread. And I find myself inclined to agree with the latter. I know many of you argue that her self-pitying mood adds dimension to her character, but she repeats this dilema so often in the narrative that I feel an urge to slap her. First of all, she's starting to become all melodramatic and "I must stayed detached so if someone else dies, I won't have to mourn them. And if I die, they won't have to mourn me!" Her attitude is plain annoying because in a time like this, true heroes are those who are willing to take risks, who are willing to live even despite knowing that death may come for them at any given moment. It's almost cowardly of Jaina to back away from her friends and family just because she's in fear of suffering and mourning and pain. Well, what has she become then? An emotionless, frail being who really needs to control her PMS.

On another issue, I agree with an earlier point that was brought up in the thread. Jaina is really terrible to Jag and also to many others around her. Remember that whole squabble between her and Leia for a few books? For example, from DJ:

?Mom, I think you need to consider the possibility that you?re in denial. A mother?s intuition is a powerful thing, but so are the instincts of half a dozen fully trained Jedi.?

?Don?t start in on your mother. Not again, and especially not now.?

Jaina sent him an incredulous stare.

?Don?t look at me like I just kicked an ewok!?

Surprisingly enough, I didn't mind DJ as much as some others did. I thought it was an okay book, and I made allowances for Jaina's moody characterization then. What annoyed me was that after it seemed like she had healed in RD and RS, a mood suddenly washed over her again in DW. I thought that by the end of the EL Duology, she had gotten over the whole "I can't get close to people in fear of mourning" attitude, yet lo and behold, she continues her dilema in DW. And about her DW character...



What was with her attitude towards Jacen? It got better after a while, but before that, she kept on avoiding him. Sigh. Whatever. These are just my thoughts and opinions on her character.

She needs a desperate slap to her face.

Dust

 

i've NEVER hated jaina. lately i've been loving her character even more

she's just... so great... she's beyond words...

~Ñ¡Kë, Ðå®K LåÐÿ Ø? ?Hë §¡?H~

 

I never hated her, I just didn't like her charecter that much. The whole I'm a goddess thing, which to me shows nothing but pure arrogence, gets on my nerves.

 

Started being irrtating in DT.
Got worse in BP.
Further black marks earned in Rebirth.
Descent to complete bastard in SBS & DJ
Unrepetant as hell about her dark side trip in EL, T.









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Doesn't give a toss and relishes indoctrinating new pilots in DW.





































end spoilers

Conclusion: A selfish, immature girl who has betrayed all the promise she once showed as a Jedi, for no good reason whatsoever.


Yep, more than enough cause to despise her.

Jedi Ben

 

Do i remember when we all hated Jaina?...Well...yes...like it was yesterday...wait......it was yesterday...and it hasn't changed in the past 24 hours either...

 

Who said they wanted to whack Jaina Solo with a two-by-four? Shame on you!

...

A lightsaber would be much more appropriate.

 

Come on now, if you?re going to express your hatred of a character do it with style and back it with fact.

So, Jaina fans, what is it about the character that you like? Are what responses do you have for the criticisms leveled at her?

 

i for one semi-like Jaina. I didnt likethe recent duology by Aaron Allston because she didnt seem to show enough regret at having to act like a snob. In DW, she did appear rather humble IMO. Her character, at some points at least, show how a prodigy teenager that has difficulty dealing with being a teenager, being a prodigy, and dealing with other things that accompany war, i.e. death, love, life, violence...stuff like that happens a lot more in war. Shes become depressed, but she is still a good leader.

Downsides i know of are, arrogance.....ummmmmm stubborness...but all Solo's have that except for Leia...thats about it. I havent really paid attention and read all of your posts guys, so my evidence and theories are incomplete, so i apologize.

 

I find a lot of the Jaina criticisms to be quite baseless rants personally, quite often seeming to harbour the fact that she isnt Jacen or Anakin.



Not all, obviously


Of the three Solo offspring, I have found Jaina to be the most balanced and believable. Most of her big events have been down at squadron level.

I loved the way how she was snappy, but not to the extent of being annoying in every scene.
In Rebirth, I loved how she was drawn into Kyp's ruse, and how she reacted.
I loved how in DJ she was skirting on the rim of the dark side, a realistic medium between good and bad.
I love the way she shut herself away from most, with few ever really getting too close.
I love the way how she has strong feelings for Kyp, to the extent of really caring about his feelings.
I love how when reading from her eyes we really do feel an "any one of use can die" feeling.
I love this semi-arrogance that has appeared since her Dark Side flirtation, strengthened by the Godess situation.
I love the entire Godess plot.
I love how there are times when you really think she could die (Well, if she wasnt a Solo anyway )
I love her scenes with her parents, the love is readable.
I LOVE her piloting scenes with Jag and Kyp, a team that was broken up too quickly.


And most of all, I like her ingenuity. I love how in DJ she was using the Tricks, but werent perfect, as was shown later. I love how in EL she was basically leading the Wraiths. You had specialists, intellegent creatures, thinkings, planners. The way she used her lightsabre at the end of DW? Fits the ingenuity of this character, easly for me the best of the SOlo offspring.

 

Jaina is only portrayed as well as those who write her, and dependant on what editorial directives are imposed on that.

 

hmm, well i've always appreciated jaina, and respected her most often. I've even found some of my characteristics being reflections of her character.

 

Oops, I meant to do a instead of a . Sorry. Okay, my rationale for hating Jaina Solo.

SPOILERS, I ASSUME



























































She killed Tsavong Lah. And, since she's fictional, I see no reason to further justify my disdain of her to myself.

 

Nothing has changed, I still hate that whiny, self-centered, spoiled, brat called Jaina Solo. What increased my anger at her character was her immense anger towards Jacen. I mean in the last book Jacen was actually acting like a normal Jedi. He offers her his brotherly friendship and she basically spits in his face. I really hope before Shimrra dies he cuts her arm off. I know it's unoriginal but it will certanly put a smile on my face. And I also hope Anakin doesn't return just so he can be in peace, because after he's around the new Jaina, he'll literally beg to be dead again.

 

Well, Earthknight, that too.

 

I like the fact that Jaina is now the warrior of the Jedi. I think its put the kibosh in any romances with Jag and Kyp. If she's to get a romance it'd have to be with a aragorn type character as haunted as she is.

 

Jag is as haunted as she is...
I like her new character She is more real than any of them from luke to wedge to han...
she goes through a lot of the trials i am going through as a late teen young adult.

 

Well I liked her at first then the NJO turned into a little brat living off her mom and dad's names. Only thing cool about her is that she is good friends with Lowie.

 

Jag, haunted? Not NEARLY as much as Kyp-who-blew-up-a-couple-of-solar-systems-and-killed-billions. I see him as the Angel of the NJO, and Jaina's like Buffy, doomed to forever be alone. Hey, that really fits, actually. She's the Slayer, and Kyp's the reformed vampi- I mean, dark Jedi.

Kyp & Jaina Forever!
Buffy & Angel Forever!
Mulder & Scully Forever!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Forever!

Actually, I'm allergic to peanut butter, so scratch that last one.

Dana

 

Jag is fairly the opposite of Tormented

He's Corellian