SOS - SON OF SKYWALKER : YOU (THE FANS) ARE MY ONLY HOPE!! SAVE ME... (Spoilers)

I definetly don't want to put words in Skydancer's mouth, but I have heard other critics of SbS complain that Luke didn't lead the mission to Myrkr.

This even came up in the book. When the mission was proposed, Luke said he would lead it. But it was pointed out that the whole reason for having the younger Jedi go was that the Vong wouldn't take them quite as seriously, and that they'd be more lax in how they guarded them. Think they wouldn't have been just a little more alert if they knew they had captured Luke Skywalker, the leader of all the hated jeedai?

I know this particular story arc is one of the major things the Anti-Teeny-Boppers are complaining about, but once explained, it made perfect sense to me.

And I thought it was actually pretty cool to see Luke flying an X-wing again; like turning back the clock all the way to ANH.

 

JediJSolo, as a matter of act I HAVE read the YJK and the JJK, and enjoyed them.

Then I stand corrected, Dewlanna Solo, and I apologize for accusing you of not reading those books.

Believe me, at the end of the Black Sun YJK books there is NO WAY Jacen & Jania were ready to take on the Vong.

I didn?t say they were. I said that they were more prepared for the Vong than Luke was prepared for the Emperor.

If, at the END of the NJO, the YJK bunch were ready to take over for Luke and the other Jedi from the JAT days, I would find that believable and acceptable.

Perhaps I haven?t properly communicated my opinion. I don?t think that the young generation has taken over for Luke yet. I agree that that should only happen at the end of the NJO, and I?m sure that it will. What we are reading about now is what will make them worthy of taking Luke?s place. You can?t expect to have these Solo kids develop into characters worthy of taking on the legacy of Luke Skywalker without having them in the forefront of a few books.

To have them leading the fight the way they have since Conquest?

And how have they been leading the fight? With the exception of SbS, everything that they have done on their own has been against orders from their superiors. That?s not leading anything; that?s running off to do things your own way. Most Teenagers go through that phase, and Luke did the same thing in ESB.

DelRey and LFL are wrong if they think most younger readers need conquering teen heros to enjoy an adventure.

It?s not about age. It?s about the inevitable progression of a story line. Luke saves that Galaxy with the help of some people; Luke saves the galaxy with the help of some people again; Luke saves the galaxy with the help of some people again and again and again! Bantam was getting too repetitive! It was (and is) time for something new; something that would change the GFFA forever. It was time to start paying up on all those promises of great things from the younger generation.

Star Wars is not like the Simpsons, where nobody ever ages and nothing ever changes except the situations that the characters are put into. Star Wars hasn?t always kept its focus on just three main characters (Luke, Han and Leia). In TPM, the focus was on Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. In Episodes II and III the focus will likely be one Obi-Wan and Anakin. In ANH the focus moved completely to Luke, Leia and Han (the next generation), while Obi-Wan and Anakin were pushed into the background. Now the focus is moving to the next generation again. Not because the older generation can?t deal with the galaxy, but simply because it is time for a massive change in the GFFA.

J&J may have more training as Jedi than Luke had in ANH, but they don't have the maturity that Luke had when he faced Palpatine in RotJ?

Maturity in battle and in the political arena is all that really matters to a defender of truth and justice during a war. The Solo kids have at least as much of that as Luke did in ROTJ.

? they don't rely on the wisdom of a mature Jedi as Luke did in ANH and ESB.

Luke didn?t rely on them. He ran off to face Vader against the orders of his masters. He learned the ways of the Force mostly on his own after he left Yoda. He didn?t rely on Yoda, he learned all he needed to and then he slit. Is that mature?

If DR/LFL wanted the YJK bunch to take over as completely as they have, they should have taken the plunge and killed off the old guys, not just put them out to pasture.

How do you think the response to that would have been? And secondly, I don?t think they have been put out to pasture. They are very involved in what is happening. They just aren?t as involved as the younger generation is.



Yet, I'm still frustrated that he was written so badly that the younger generation of Star Wars is calling for his death.

Skydancer, who is calling for his death? I don?t want him to die. I think that there is a good pos

 

Ok, as to how Lukes portrayal was disastrous in Star by Star, I can't resist answering that question:

The peace brigade and Vong had been hunting and killing and trying to kill and capture jedi for like the 4 books that preceded sbs. The Vong had been destroying planets, enslaving races, taking over the freakin galaxy--and Luke never ordered an offensive strike. Well, suddenly these Voxyn things kill like 4 or 5 people, and Luke feels it's a good idea to send a strike force. No matter how you try to make sense out of the Vong mission, there is no way that Luke could have known the Voxyn queen would have put an end to the voxyn threat. They knew it was a shaped vornskr, so they should have thought "hey, if they did it once, they could do it again."

But fine, lets suspend disbelief and assume that killing the voxyn queen somehow destroyed the ability to create another one and that somehow Luke knew this, though I am pretty sure no explanation on this will be offered in future books, the fans will be asked to ignore all that. Lets talk about who Luke agrees to send and lead this mission. He sends a 14, or maybe she was fifteen by then, year old girl who had spent like a month suffering disgusting, awful tortures at the hands of the Vong. A girl who was clearly disturbed by this, and it was clearly portrayed in the books. And he sends her on a mission to be captured AGAIN. Ok, I'm sure someone will come up with something to explain that one away, but myself, I thought the explanation was Lukes an idiot, which is why I have a problem with that particular portrayal of Luke. Besides this, he agrees to let Jacen be sent along. Jacen is the most wanted freakin jedi in the universe. The Vong have made peace just to get their hands on the kid. So, I would be thinking as soon as they complete the first mission objective, getting captured, they're gonna take these kids straight to Tsavong Lah. What if Lah is nowhere near Myrkr? What if he's in Hutt space? Ok, I'll suspend disbelief on that too, but nothing anyone can say can convince me it was wise to send him along, not only that, but it was definitely amazingly stupid. His presence adds another unknown factor to the mission, and that is what their reaction will be to snagging Tsavong Lah's most desired prize.

Luke is sending a bunch of kids on a mission to get captured, get into the heart of vong territory, and accomplish what appears to me to be a rather insignificant mission, and then get back out again. I know that these kids were powerful in the force, and had experienced much in this war, but they were still kids. Anakin had just experienced his first kiss. Anakin had not experienced a lot of things. And experience, when leading a mission like this one, I thought would count for a lot. I didn't doubt that they were capable of handling themselves in battle, but they were (are for those that survived the crazy mission) kids/ young adults who still had a lot to experience before leading get captured/ get uncaptured / get into the heart of enemy territory / accomplish objective / get back out of enemy territory kind of missions. If most of them had survived and things gone well I might of said "Ok, Lukes not such an idiot, he probably had a great jedi vision that said everything would go well," but still all logic had told me before I read about the outcome of the mission that the mission was not smart, insignificant, and unworthy of a jedi masters approval.

Finally, Luke decides to take a more aggressive stance to the war. Don't get me wrong, I WANTED TO SEE THIS. But I expected some sort of explanation. Fine, I don't get one, and I just have to accept the explanation of "Luke realized he was being a putz." Lukes characterization in those books preceding sbs wasn't for his character, it was for other characters. It was for Kyp, it was for the reaction and philosophical debate between the other jedi, and it was so that other characters could be pushed to the front. In my opinion, you don't use Luke like that, he's too strong a character.

 

Cheers in support of both MJ2 and Raz

I'm am very amused by your Jaina on permanent PMS comment, MJ2 and about your Lucky Charms example, Raz.

And also you're obviously taking this very seriously and your description of the reason why Luke's character was disastrous in SBS was good as well.

I too, wish for better characterization of Luke. I'm tired of reading books where he's written as an indecisive Jedi Master who can't seem to take a firm grasp on the situation. All through the NJO after the DT series, I've gotten the impression of Luke begin a pushover, he's been walked over by the Solo Kids.

I suppose twenty years of protecting and the Galaxy just doesn't cut it anymore for a person to have good characterization in the NJO.

And for those of you who keep on repeating for us to stop reading these books... yeah of course we can, after devoting so much time and money into a book series. [rollseyes.gif]

And if I did stop reading these books, what would there be left for me to read of in Star Wars? Oh right, there's always fanfiction. I'm sorry, but the only reason why I continue on reading the NJO is in hopes of seeing the Original Trio and their companions (Mara, Wedge and so on) to have better roles. And it seems like that may happen in upcoming books, but I've heard of this before, giving us a small summary of what might happen when in actuallity we get something else.

 

Rax927,

...but they were still kids. Anakin had just experienced his first kiss. Anakin had not experienced a lot of things.

I am 22 years old and have yet to experience my first kiss. Does that make me incapable of being a leader or incapable of holding responsibility? I hope not! (If it does, please don't tell my boss!)

Anakin was what, 16-17 years old? He has already had many experiences that have prepared him for great responsibilities. When I was 16, the most experience I had was the fact that I was an Eagle Scout. (To give you some basis for comparison, the US Army used to grant an automatic promotion to enlisted men who earned their Eagle, making them a corporal when leaving boot camp. This was because it taught valuable leadership skills.) If the US Atmy can see that something like the Eagle rank shows leadership, I would have to think that Anakin had enough experience to be the leader of the mission, especially given the criteria for the group.

While he did not have as much experience as some of the other Jedi, that does not mean that he was a poor choice for the leader. Often in business, you will find someone who has little experience in leadership over those who have lots of experience. Anakin's function was to hold the group together. He could understand the others in the group and had already earned their respect.

He had gained valuable experience working behind enemy lines in Conquest. Of the Jedi on the mission, only 3 others (Ganner, Tahiri and Alema) had similar experience. Add to that the military experience that Jaina had and you have a total of 5 candidates for the position of leader. Of those 5, Tahiri would not have been a good choice BECAUSE of the personal nature of her experience, making her better suited for the role of an advisor. The same applies for Alema. Jaina's experience was more in piloting/dogfighting. That leaves only Ganner and Anakin. Ganner had gained enough respect for Anakin that he agreed to serve under him, but because he was also an obvious choice for leader they decided to use him as a decoy. All of these were sound tactical decisions. Anakin had the experience necessary to lead the force and had access to those who had experience that he did not.

Kimball Kinnison

 

"All he seems to want to do is sleep with Mara."

Lol, well, if you hadn't gotten any since the BFC, and not gotten any before that, of COURSE you are gonna want to make up for lost time!!!!!

hehe

 

-Vergere- : Surely, by "Luke and the others" you also mean Han & Leia
Actually, I don't...and don't call me Shirley
I meant the other mature Jedi more than H&L, Stren, Cilghal, Kam Tionne......oh they are THERE, but we don't see them being teachers and role models.

Since the DT duology we had Hero's Trial. Han Solo takes center stage here and saves the Jedi from a nefarious plot. In Jedi Eclipse, we consistently see Han & Leia taking center stage - albeit in a fashion frowned upon by many of their fans.
Yes, H&L have center stage here, but they are hardly giving help and guidance to the younger set,. If anything, the kids are advising them.

In Balance Point, we are privy to more of Han & Leia in leadership positions. In fact Luke returned here in grand fashion, imparting much wisdom and guidance to Jacen and resolving a devious plot on Duro's space stations.
Yes. And Balance Point is the one bright spot in the NJO. Had more of the NJO been written with the balance between old and new, I would have enjoyed more of the NJO.

Conquest was Anakin's book. Even so, we see Karrde here, also helping quite a bit.
And what is the act that most ppl remember Karrde doing in Conquest? Letting the Vong know about the ysalamari.
This is a prime example of the older generation being written as dolts.

Rebirth showed Han, Leia and Luke in prominent fashion once again
It also showed Ani and Tahari being more Jedi-ish than Corran, it showed the kids feeling Mara's pain while Leia remains in the dark, it show ANAKIN'S reactions to his new cousin, not Leia's response to the birth of her only nephew.
The emphasis was clearly on the kids in this one.

Half of Star by Star dealt with Luke leading concerted Jedi efforts
An how effective a leader is Luke shown to be? If we want bold, effective, confident leadership we have to look to the kids (again)

And if young Jedi trained at an academy lack the preparation needed to handle the YV, surely a 19 year-old farmer boy - equivalent in age to those damned Solo brats now - couldn't even begin to fathom how to handle an empire. With crude flying skills, we must surely criticize the events which took place in ANH when other pilots - much older than Luke - fell out of the sky like they never existed.
But Luke IS ineffective, until he relies solely on the Force.
In EBS we see where his youthful rashness leads him.
It is only in RotJ, where Luke has matured, that we see the Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight.

Give those kids 5 years of learning from their elders (and not just their Jedi elders, I'm sure Luke picked up a lot from the likes of Lando and Han, Wedge, and others in the Rebellion) then I'm sure they WILL be ready to take over for Luke.


Yes, the YJK bunch are old enough to fight.
Yes they are intelligent enough to have good ideas.
What I object to is their premature taking over of the limelight.

 

For those of you who think that the NEW JEDI ORDER means new, young, teenage Jedi knights, I quote from Star Wars Insider number 57:

By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, LUKE SKYWALKER's New Jedi Order consisted of approximately one hundred Knights and Masters (and twenty-odd Jedi children.

Here's another quote from the same source:

As the head of the new Jedi Order, LUKE SKYWALKER carries more weight on his shoulders than anyone in the galaxy.

So, as the HEAD of the NEW JEDI ORDER, why isn't Luke Skywalker making meaningful contributions to the NJO storyline? Why is he always a background character and why do we always have to guess at what his motivations and reasons are instead of being allowed inside his head to understand them? Why is he so rarely used as a point of view character?

As for being active in SBS, all he did was fly an X-wing, something he did as an 18 year old. A Jedi Master should be doing something more. PLUS, Mara took over his Jedi leadership twice in SBS without Luke's permission. This just continues to make him look weak and foolish.

Why does the NJO need to be adults vs. kids anyway? Why couldn't Del Rey give Luke SKywalker and other adult Jedi useful, heroic roles along WITH the young Jedi Knights? Why couldn't Del Rey please adult fans as well as teenage fans? That's what I object to. The NJO has been geared mostly toward teenage fans and teenage characters instead of balancing adults and teenagers. If the Han/Leia fans hadn't undertaken their huge campaign for those characters, Han and Leia would probably still be handled poorly, as Luke and Mara continue to be handled badly.

 

He sends a 14, or maybe she was fifteen by then, year old girl who had spent like a month suffering disgusting, awful tortures at the hands of the Vong.

Raz927, Luke didn?t send anyone to do anything. Everyone who went were volunteers, Luke simply allowed them to go. And besides, it would have taken a lot of effort to stop her from going. She was Anakin?s shadow, and main supporter throughout the book, and she would have done everything in her power to go with him whether or not she was allowed to go.

Who Luke ?sends? on this mission does not reflect on his character, because he didn?t have a say in who would be going. That was Anakin?s decision. He came up with the idea for the mission, and he was the one leading the mission. Therefore he had the say in who would go and who would stay.

Besides this, he agrees to let Jacen be sent along.

That?s right, he let Jacen go. He didn?t send him. I agree that they should have devoted more time to explain why it was okay for him to go. But like I said earlier, this doesn?t reflect on Luke?s character as much as it reflects on Anakin?s.



An how effective a leader is Luke shown to be?

Other than the battle at Corucsant, which wasn?t winnable, he was shown to be a great leader, Dewlanna Solo.

Give those kids 5 years of learning from their elders?

How about 16 years of learning from their elders? Han is their father, Leia is their mother, and Luke is their uncle; they?ve lived with these people for most of their lives. You think that they still haven?t learned enough from them to deal with the problems they have been presented with? That wouldn?t be a reflection of having ?not learned enough from you elders? as much as it would have been a reflection of bad parenting. I don?t think that you wanted to accuse them of being bad parents, but accusing the Solo kids of not having learned enough from their parents does just that.

What I object to is their premature taking over of the limelight.

Premature? Leia was 16 when she became a senator and started to take over the limelight. Anakin Skywalker was nine years old when he took over the limelight. Perhaps I just don?t understand what you mean by ?premature?? ?

 

Well I agree with you Skydancer and some others of you here.
I am very disappointed about how Luke Skywalker has been portrayed in the NJO. I could be satisfied with the smaller role of Luke in the NJO if it made sense. However, in a major galactic conflict, it doesn't make sense that the leader of the Jedi Order would have no role or a minor one. Luke should not have been been written as so inactive and as one who didn't care about everything that was happening around him. He has not been acting like the strong, competent JediMaster he should have been.He has not been a good, wise leader for the Jedi, and he has not accomplished anything useful since Ruin.

Well as a big Luke fan I'm disappointed about this direction in which Del Rey has taken this character. And I have already decided not to buy more books So there. I guess I should be grateful that DR helped to save my money, but I'm not. I'd like it to read more about a competent JediMaster Skywalker.

 

Nichos_Marr, the title of the books say "New Jedi Order", not the "New Solo Order" or "Star Wars: The Next Generation." It is not unreasonable for a reader to assume that Luke would be playing an active role in leading the New Jedi Order. The Old Order died with Ben and Yoda. Luke was the first of the New Order. One would think the Jedi involved defeating the Empire would be the leader of the New Jedi, yet, we've failed to see Luke leading the New Order. (Thanks to CoW for that bit from SWI#57.) And until Star by Star, when Denning introduced a boatload of new Jedi characters, the books were, and still are, dominated by the Solo kids, so there haven't been too many new Jedi in this new order.

-Vergere-,
I mean VP made it abundantly clear this series will feature a newer generation of Jedi.
Not true. Vector Prime showed the newer generation as apprentices of the older generation, working together, all involved in the fight to defeat the enemy. Luke hasn't really been involved since Ruin. He did some flying in his X-Wing in BP at the end, and with Jacen, figured out that there was a double-cross. In the first three books, it was very clear that the Solo kids were accompanied by an older Jedi or other character to guide them, to lead a strike mission.

The problems all began in Jedi Eclipse when two teenagers were sent to Centerpoint without adult supervision. Luke knew what could take place at Centerpoint. If Anakin could reactivate it, which he did, what then? Where is the older mentoring Jedi, or a military leader who has the power to decide if Centerpoint should be used? Um. Nowhere. And I very seriously doubt that Luke or Leia or Han would think of Thraken Sal-Solo as a proper adult supervisor, or one who wouldn't manipulate the situation to his advantage. Stupid, stupid Luke! Balance Point did bring Luke back into the action a bit more, but Luke in BP is not all that involved. He provides little in the way or guidance or wisdom to Jacen, in effect telling him that it is he (Jacen) who must choose his own path. We see Luke in a staged lightsaber fight with Anakin, and at the end, blasting a few coralskippers. The worst indictment of Luke's utter stupidity would be why he allowed 1) the Yavin academy to continue to operate even though it is on the front lines of the YV invasion and 2) why he didn't make sure there were enough experienced Jedi to maintain the Fallanasi illusion of Yavin 4. But, if Luke hadn't been dumbed down, we'd never have seen Conquest, where Luke is hardly involved at all and we get the terribly transparent and convenient plot devices that a) someone new will end the conflict, and b) Luke can't take action at Yavin. Rebirth is even worse. Luke doesn't see that he has to leave Coruscant; Mara is the one who tells him that. Luke doesn't realize that Rogue Squadron helping him escape could precipitate a split in the NR; Mara is the one who tells him. More stupid, stupid Luke!

Would it be more acceptable if was Luke's kids? Oh wait, that's right, teeny boppers shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the EU where older, wiser and more formidible characters exist. These older characters have all the answers and should dominate any and all storylines any way applicable. Anything below our standards of how "active" the older generation should be, is unacceptable.

Right.

Your condescending attitude notwithstanding, no one has suggested that the older characters have ALL the answers, nor should dominate ALL the storylines. That is all your hyperbole. And if that had happened, it would be just as egregious as the NJO, where the Solo kids dominate almost every storyline. What the folks in the generation of readers you seem to have such disdain for want out of the NJO is a balance of adult and teenagers in the action. And more importantly to the topic of this thread, that Luke be written in a much better fashion that he has been. It took the H/L fans protest thread to help clean up the muck over their characters previous mischaracterizat

 

If anyone here has watched the news for the last few months, you might have seen it mentioned that most of the soldiers on the front lines in Afghanistan are 18-20 years old. Their older superiors tell them what to do, and those young people on the front lines are the ones getting it done. Personally, I think one need look no farther than these heroes to see just what young people are capable of.

As for the notion that the Solo kids weren't ready to take on a threat like the Vong at the conclusion of the YJK series, that's probably true. But they've had to grow up quicker than most kids, like their parents did, like my grandparents did when both my grandfathers went off to fight in WWII. My mother's father was just 17.

They weren't ready to help lead the fight in the first couple of novels of the NJO. However, they gained valuable experience in those stories, and by the fourth or fifth volume, having them take leading roles was no more out of place than having Luke and Leia assume similar roles in the OT.

And finally, I wish people would suspend this argument until the entire series has been written. We simply don't know what kind of role Luke is going to have in future books, and I believe he may very well end up being the hero of the NJO. I had thought Anakin was going to be, but, well...; Jacen and Jaina are both great characters (well, Jaina is, anyway), but I don't think either one has the "Star Power" to be the Savior of the Galaxy, and the hero of the NJO.

But we'll just have to wait and see.

 

If anyone here has watched the news for the last few months, you might have seen it mentioned that most of the soldiers on the front lines in Afghanistan are 18-20 years old

One of the Northern Alliances Generals is 14

 

While I feel that Luke has taken the brunt of the bad writing, I think the younger characters haven't faired quite so well either, and that is one of the reason's that I find them difficult to read. It only served to make things worse when they dumbed down the adults and over emphasized the kids. A well written character should be able to be embraced by readers of any age regardless of the age of the character. Hardly any of the characters in the NJO have been done well in my opinion.

 

A well written character should be able to be embraced by readers of any age regardless of the age of the character. Hardly any of the characters in the NJO have been done well in my opinion.

I feel they have. Kyp has likers from many ages, and look at the Jacen fan club.

And if you want to mention the NJO Critics club, I can counter with how many Zahn critics there are, which would then say that Zahn's characters are just as bad. Shoot

 

Good point about Zahn, Reaper. And while I love the NJO and also enjoy Zahn's books, I'm not a big fan of Stackpole. No matter what the book - ANY book - is about or who writes it, there are going to be people who love it, and people who hate it, and no one is going to get the die-hards on either end of the spectrum to change their minds.

And about the comment made a few posts ago that Anakin had just experienced his first kiss: so what? You can't be a heroic character if you haven't "gotten some" yet? I didn't see a lot of girls hanging around Luke's farm on Tattooine, so I'd be surprised if he'd done even as well as Anakin by the time of ANH.

 

MariahJade2--

A well written character should be able to be embraced by readers of any age regardless of the age of the character.

Which has happened with the NJO, as ReaperFett pointed out. I've enjoyed the characterizations in the NJO just fine. And I'm in the Jacen Solo Fan Club.

Hardly any of the characters in the NJO have been done well in my opinion.

Why do you think your inability to enjoy various characters in the NJO has any connection to your age? I'm just a few years younger than you, but I wouldn't cite my age as a factor in my enjoyment of the characters.

 

Crow_T_Fett: And about the comment made a few posts ago that Anakin had just experienced his first kiss: so what?
It was meant just as another way to show how young Ani is.
While we are on the subject of young warriors' ages: 15, and 16 is a lot younger than 19 or 20. I know that no one under 17 believes this, but by the time most ppl reach 25 or 30, they realize what a big difference there really is.

 

Ok people who say "Hey!! You don't need to kiss girls to lead dangerous missions!", lol, I was making a point that Anakin had yet to EXPERIENCE many things, and in a mission as dangerous as that one was, I don't see how you can argue otherwise. If you are trying to say you think it was wise to send 16 teenagers on that mission, that begins with getting captured and tortured, then I'm not gonna argue with you. If ya don't think life experience in general helps with leading an army, then I really can't argue with you. As far as it taking a lot of effort to stop Tahiri from going, good thing Luke didn't make an effort then, god forbid if Tahiri threw a tantrum. And you can argue that it wasn't Lukes decision, it was Anakins, fine. I have a problem with Luke allowing it to be Anakins decision. Whenever the "new jedi" have disobeyed Luke things have gone fairly well, when he finally backs them on something, things go horribly wrong.

And yes I have a problem not only with how Luke was portrayed, but most of the characters were portrayed. Anakin had just taken great risk to try and save Jaina, and payed for it. Jaina thinks "I can't really blame him, I'd have done the same for him." And then her and Jacen leave him because lil bro is ordering them too. Why? Because it is what their characters would have done? No, because Anakin had to die and they had to leave so that they could go back for his body. They had to follow the storyline, it doesn't matter what their characters would have done. Then Jaina, the new dark side using, irrational, angry Jaina, leaves her other bro to the vong. Why? Because it is what her character would have done? No, because the storyline called for Jacen to be captured and Jaina to escape and for it to stay that way for a couple books. All along, it is my opinion, that the NJO have abused who characters were and what their decisions and actions would be to further their storyline. I've talked with people who have read the YJK series, and have heard Jacens portrayal there doesn't have much to do with Jacens NJO portrayal. I'm talking about the indecisive, not wanting to use the force, I want to be a monk/hermit, obsessed with not going to the dark side Jacen. Why? I'm sure you'll find out in the next couple books, and again it's to advance their storyline.

 

Dewlanna Solo, just to clarify something, early in the NJO, when the kids had lesser roles, the twins were 16 and Anakin 15. But by SbS, when they've assumed larger roles, the twins were 18 and Anakin 17. In other words, not much younger than Luke and Leia in ANH, with a lot more "life-experience."

(Denning refers to Jacen and Jaina as 19, but that's an error on his part; they're still 18).

I'm a few years older than that, but still young enough to say "hey, there's big difference between 16 and 18."

 

Crow_T_Fett, I'm getting rather tired of hearing people tell me to 'wait' for a good Luke book. I've already been waiting through ten books and two and a half years. Fans who like Luke and have purchased all ten of these books have paid approximately $125 dollars for three hard cover books and seven paperbacks and have yet to see Luke "shine" in an NJO book. I think even a Jedi would lose patience by now!

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but I can say that within my own real-life circle of adult family and friends, the NJO and the young Jedi knights are not popular. My two brothers, who have always been huge fans and who got me interested in Star Wars, have stopped reading the books, one after ONSLAUGHT, the other after STAR BY STAR. Two real-life friends who always purchased the Bantam books the first day they were available, aren't reading them anymore either. Del Rey is doing something wrong if a significant number of long-time fans are reluctantly giving up a hobby that they've enjoyed for a long, long time because the NJO has disappointed them so much with its darkness and its poor portrayals of the Original characters, Luke Skywalker in particular

 

ChildOfWinds, all I can say is that maybe you should stop buying the books until the series is completed, and find out from some fans who've finished it whether Luke returns to being the character you're looking for. If so, you might even be able to get them from the library by then and save yourself some money.

Again, what some people see as "poor portrayals of the original characters," others see as the natural changes in people's personalities as they get older. Let's remember that this is now almost 28 years after ANH. For anyone who's old enough to have known someone for 28 years, are they the same person today that they were back then? Probably not.

For all the critics the NJO has, I think there would be even more if they were still trying to show the characters as they were in the movies, as though all the years in between had not affected them, or influenced who and what they've become today.

 

But by SbS, when they've assumed larger roles, the twins were 18 and Anakin 17.
Has it been 2 years alreay? Stang, how time flies when you're having a lousy time
Are you sure about those ages? I thought Anakin was just about to turn 15 in Onslaught and that the twins were just barely 16 in VP.
Have two years of story time really passed since the start of VP? It doesn't seem like that long given that the NR hasn't figured out how to defeat the Vong yet.

 

roughly two months a book

 

I thought Anakin was just about to turn 15 in Onslaught and that the twins were just barely 16 in VP.

Not exactly. Jacen and Jaina were 16 by the end of YJK. That means that they were well on their way to being 17 by the time of VP. And Anakin, being 1.5 years younger then his older siblings, would very likely have been 17 by the time of SbS. I can?t recall it actually saying that in the book, but it isn?t unlikely.