Characterisations: Jaina Solo

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The other Solo twin. Lately, especially with Jacen's rise to prominence, it seems that Jaina has been left behind, become more of a secondary character - but with Jacen becoming a Sith that may change.

Discuss

 

Oh, I can't wait to see the comments!

Her personality became less and less interesting as the NJO went on, frankly, and hasn't recovered since imo. Surprisingly, I loved Cunningham's DJ - not sure why, I just did, I think it amused me somehow. I expected more 'payback' afterwards tho'. If she does fade from the limelight, then I confess that I won't be sorry.

 

God, but they killed her potential...

Killed it dead, dead, dead! 'Sword of the Jedi', damsel in distress, creepy bughugger, going to the Dark Side for a spell...

 

I enjoyed Dark Journey to, but I think the way her descent to the dark side was handled really retarded her character growth for the rest of the NJO - she became a pilot with a death wish, not caring if she lived or died, and she didn't progress beyond that. In fact, if she didn't have so many people looking out for her, I wouldn't have expected her to survive past Destiny's Way.

 

since njo progressed, she became a suck ass charecter. i prefer jacen, i will even when hes a sith, unless she improves dramatically

 

Agreed. She, like most of the YJK generation, seem to become more immature as they got older. Now Jaina is just a red shirt with a more famous name.

 

I am sure most people will agree she has turned to second class character status. Sadly, it is to the point where if the big duel of LOTF is her vs. Jacen, it would seem wrong and anticlimactic (as opposed to Jacen battling Luke or Ben). Her only notable point is her superior piloting abilities than her brother, but other than that she has almost become a minor character as Jacen has taken center stage.

 

She was cool for the first half of the NJO, but since then she has started to take a back seat to Jacen. She was the worst in Dark Journey and the DNT.

 

Yes, I'm beginning to dislike Jaina Solo very much. She seems so weak. She's a Skywalker! I just got finished reading Dark Journey and she seem so...dull. From that point on, to me, she's a boring character. She's going to be just like her mother; she's going to neglect her Force potential.

 

It seems, though, that by Betrayal Jaina is much more stable and one of the better examples of a Jedi in Lukes new order. Whilst she retains some of her impatience and 'snappiness' they are less character faults now than just her nature.

 

*gags*

I wish they'd have killed her...

 

Quiet_Mandalorian

*gags*
What's with the gagging?

 

You haven't read the DNT, have you?

 

Dark Nest? No. I'm currently moving my way through the NJO. I'm on Enemy Lines I: Rebel Stand right now. I should arrive at Dark Nest by the end of September.

 

Dark Nest? No. I'm currently moving my way through the NJO. I'm on Enemy Lines I: Rebel Stand right now. I should arrive at Dark Nest by the end of September.

 

Well, if Dark Phoenix Jean Grey during one of her sporadic fits of random destruction is your conception of Jaina, the DNT should be right up your alley.

 

I actually liked Jaina better in the DNT than in much of the NJO. In the DNT, I found her to be delightfully bizarre, if sometimes dull. In parts of the NJO, especially Balane Point, she was just a nasty bitch.

 

Odd, that's exactly how she struck me throughout the entirety of the DNT.

 

I kind of like her current position, just because it's so unusual. She's a Skywalker of no particular importance. Just an average Jedi Guardian with above-average power. It is, in many ways, refreshing. Not every Skywalker must be an epic mover and shaker, Jedi Council material, decision maker. She's a Skywalker who takes, not gives, orders.

 

That's the most quixotic thing I've heard you say. You ruined my Imperialised impression of you, Jello. You'll be working hard hours to get that back, I assure you.

 

I'm still hoping she'll be developed more. For a long time she was just used as a escape goat

Oh, we need someone to feel really-really bad about Anakin and do something crazy: Jaina---Dark Journey.
Oh, we need someone with a lot of power to be taken over by the bugs to make the point how super over bearing they are: Jaina---Dark Nest.
Oh, we need at least one Solo kid to remain alive and normal: Jaina--- LegacyOTF to date

I agree that every Skywalker doesn't need to be an all out hero.. but it does seem that Jaina has taken a back seat and has become a minor character.

 

Jaina is without question the lesser of the Solo children.
When the NJO began Anakin was the hero who just worried about fighting evil while the twins were just wasting time being angry with mommy or thinking about how to use the Force. Anakin was the new Luke Skywalker... till he died.

Jacen could be the character who just wasted time while others fought and died (for many readers) but he got as time as his brother Anakin. I don´t know if he was going to die in SbS or become the new hero by you saw him in all the books.

Jaina... well, in the Star Wars books the big HERO is always the Jedi, there are always some normal people who helps (a lot) but it´s always the Jedi who defeats the enemy. When Jaina (in the 2º book) joined the Rogues she wasn´t a Jedi anymore, since that point on she just was the soldier. She became the character that the authors use when they want to show us a soldier point of view. She became what was Wedge Antilles before (when it wasn´t a X-Wing book) and is his daughter in the Legacy books. Worse, since they already had a Wedge Antilles they need Jaina even less.
Jaina was used as soldier in the books till there was a Hardcover, then she was used as a Jedi by the authors again. That is, of course, when we reach Star by Star. But by then we are in the book 9 and is to late for her to be something else but a 2º class character.
She had her chance with Dark Journey AND Destiny´s Way. She was called the Sword of Jedi (something we haven´t hear again) and her fight at the end of that book, but from then she was only on missions with her parents (while Jacen went with his uncle). Again we see how different are the Jedi from the normal people. Luke just found the secret to defeat the Vong, while Han and Leia just gave a galaxy tour. Besides, in Jaina´s group Han and Leia were the Heros in the ground missions while Jag Fel was the hero in the fighters missions.
Jaina is without question the character who have been rescued more times in all the Star Wars (and I´m talking since "Vector Prime", not all the kidnappings when she was a child).
Even Troy Denning, the author who had her playing an important role in Dark Nest and show us a powerfull and intelligent Jedi had her brainwashed and fighting in the wrong side (she helped to stop the war and helped her family in the rights times, mind you).

 

Was never a big fan of the character, but even I feel bad about the way it has degenerated. Zippy personality and as consequential as Chewbacca near the end of the Bantam era.

 

So... are the vast majority of us in agreement that Jaina's character got really mistreated in the NJO/Dn and got screwed over?