Who should write about the adult Ben Skywalker after LOTF?

I am looking forward to reading the adventures of Ben Skywalker. Ben will be 13 by the time LOTF ends. If there are going to be more Legacy era novels featuring the teenage/adult Ben Skywalker. Who would be the perfect author to write about him?

It's too bad the polls aren't around anymore. Because I would vote for Timothy Zahn as I have stated in another thread that Zahn would love to write about Ben and he would write Ben in some great space battles and of course he would love to do a Luke/Mara/Ben novel in the future. However Greg Keyes would be a great author as well since Ben was born in his NJO novel Rebirth. He could write about Ben as the pilot of the starship of strange design as envisioned in Rebirth.
Of course it could happen in LOTF as well.

James Luceno or Matt Stover or even Troy Denning would be great authors to write about Ben. Perhaps Stover could write about Ben turning to the darkside and be brought back by Luke as what would have originally happened in Episodes 7-9.

I think there should be a trilogy of novels after LOTF about Ben becoming an adult Jedi Knight. Tim Zahn could write the first novel featuring Luke,Mara and a teenage Ben,Matt Stover could write the second where Ben turns to the darkside and either James Luceno or Troy Denning could write the last where Ben assumes the rank of Jedi Knight.

 

I prefer Ben to stay Light or not become a Jedi at all.

But yeah, Stover and Denning would be a good bet. Timothy Zahn is okay, but I would prefer Karen Traviss.

 

I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with the Edge of Victory duology, but I did enjoy it, and I liked The Final Prophecy a lot. That, and Matt Stover recommended on another message board to read The Briar King - and on the basis of that, I say Greg Keyes would be a great choice, right up there with Luceno, Stover, or Denning.

I prefer all of them to Zahn's writing these days, but it would be fitting for him to write Ben since he put mom and dad together...

I wonder what kind of unique trials Ben could go through that wouldn't look too much like what his family members have already gone through. Jacen's ordeal in particular seems kind of tough to "top," IMHO.

What "kind" of Jedi should Ben be, d'you think? An Anakin (either one)? A Jacen? A Mara? A Kyp? I guess I'd prefer him to be more like dad or his namesake than anyone else. Archetypal Jedi Knight.

But in all honesty I don't know how interested I'll be in reading about another Skywalker...

 

Agreed. Zahn obviously has the will and the grasp of Luke and Mara....

Stover, Keyes, Denning or Traviss would all do interesting things; Denning, we're been seeing a lot of, and Traviss we'll be seeing alongside him in Legacy; but I'd be very interested to see how Stover handled the Skywalkers - though more Luke and Mara than Ben; and Keyes I think got a good, rich, balance of humour and seriousness, intimacy and disagreement in the L/M relationship... I'd like to see more of that, too.

A Zahn hardcover, a Keyes hardcover, and a Stover hardcover, all post-LotF. I'd like to see that as a year's worth of SW events...

But why does Ben Skywalker need to be any sort of Jedi?

- The Imperial Ewok

 

The Legacy of the Force series will be a 100 year period, so I don't think they can do a book after the series about Ben Skywalker when he is dead.

Good Stuff

 

The Legacy of the Force era is 100 years not the series

 

Even if it was a 100 year series, Ben would probably still be kicking ass and taking names. Humans in Star Wars can live to be hundreds of years old. Luke probably won't reasonably die until well over 200.

 

i don't think ben will be in the post legacy sries-if there is one.

 

But why does Ben Skywalker need to be any sort of Jedi?

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if he weren't - then I would be more enthusiastic about yet another Skywalker. I get the feeling that most people want to see him follow dad's footsteps, though, or at least the people who don't want to see the Big 3 fade into the background, extended lifespans aside. (But is it really hundreds of years? 60=new 40 doesn't seem to mean stretching lifespans that far. With Luke, and other powerful Jedi, yeah, but I don't see it as a blanket statement for all humans.)

I'd really like to see more OCs from SW authors, if Del Rey would be cool with them focusing on such protags. It's not like the Big 3 have to stop being active in the big scheme of things; we could still have novels following other important events around the galaxy while Luke, Han, and Leia did their own thing elsewhere. Why do they get all the fun? It's not like there's only one significant conflict at a time, especially in a galaxy-sized setting. That'd just be lame. That's why I liked the Clone Wars - we were all over the place.

Hard Contact is a perfect example of a great story without any movie characters. I, Jedi was interesting enough too, and even if it has mixed reviews it at least shows that a non-movie character can carry a story. And there are all the Katarn fans... who really needs Luke, ALL the freakin' time? But I digress from the topic... sorry about that.

Yeah. Ben. No Force. Interesting possibilities, lots of them. I just don't think it'd go over well with everyone.

 

I think it would be fun if Ben does become a Jedi as well as a starpilot flying that strange starship as envisoned in Rebirth.

I hope that in 2009 and beyond DelRey or some other publisher will do a series or a trilogy of either hardcovers or paperbacks about the adult Ben Skywalker's adventures with Luke and Mara appearing here and there. Jacen and Jaina can have major roles in these books.
Ben could uncover mysteries buried since Palaptine came to power. Perhaps uncover a conspiracy of the Sith.


I hope we get a TV series about Ben Skywalker and Jacen Solo as Jedi Masters set in the Legacy era someday.

 

The general rule of thumb, I think, is that Han, Luke, and Leia, sell novels: however, as Hard Contact shows, written as a video-game tie-in and apparently given very little PR, fan word of mouth that a novel is actually good can boost it more than all the sweat and effort they took to sew the Clone Wars/Prequel tie-in "event" into some sort of silk purse...

Am I being cynical if I think that, while that had some darn good books, and a lot of effort went in from all involved, it was hamstrung very largely by (1.) general perceptions of the Prequels, (2.) having a planned-by-a-committee-of-non-storytellers Overall Story Arc? and (3.) the simple fact that they were trying too hard, trying every trick except what makes the OT and the EU work...

And I'm not saying that Ben wouldn't have the sort of abilities that the Jedi would want to define as "Force-sensitive"; he does - just that he doesn't use them in Jedi ways, and perhaps consciously shuns them. That kid does rather seem to look up to Uncle Han as a role-model...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Would Ben Skywalker be alike Atton Rand from KOTOR 2?

 

I hope Ben dies. Where's Darth Sycle when you need him?

Why are you starting another thread about this?

Actually, I hope Ben goes on to be a non Jedi, someone who's more interesting than the self obsessed Jedi. The Jedi act as if they get a hang nail, the balance of civilaztion will go off axis. They cause more trouble than they are worth.

 

This thread is to focus on Zahn and other authors' possible take on Ben Skywalker while my other thread was to focus only on why Zahn should do a Ben Skywalker novel.

 

I think Stover or Denning would do a good job. I also think that Ben should be a Jedi or even a Sith he has the potential to be very powerful plus he has carry on the name though he could do that without being a jedi i think the force will come out of him no matter how hard he tries to avoid it.

 

yeah id to see a story about Ben's training from age thirteen and his being knighted at age nineteen

 

TMcE: Yeah, I think you're right about the Clone Wars in general. It was the concept that I liked, the idea of all those skirmishes and battles and all happening everywhere and all the time, not just the same character(s) rushing off to fight every important battle.

I do of course realize that Ben has Force potential; I just personally think that if he avoids the Force it'll make for a more interesting story, even - maybe especially if it becomes a constant struggle, in which case Stover or Traviss would be the first I'd turn to; Stover because we've seen what he can do with Jedi under stress, and Traviss because of her super-focused POV style and what at least appears to be a preference for characters without "superpowers," as it were. Plus I think Ben "coping" with the Force might provide story opportunities similar to how her City of Pearl/Crossing the Line characters deal with c'naatat (sp...?) - and that, if you guys haven't read those books, is some interesting stuff. So I guess I'd lean toward Traviss on this; Stover has already tackled three other major Jedi with big Force-related dilemmas (Jacen, Mace, Anakin).

 

I've got the book, it's just been sitting unread on my shelf since the year started. Shame on me . . .

 

Traviss.

-The Scummy-

 

A series written by Greg Keyes about the adventures with and training of Ben by a living, breathing, and very much alive and returned-to-the-flesh Anakin Solo would be the best combination possible.

 

Anakin could be like Elvis......he is not truly dead is he

 

That poses an interesting question. Who would be best to train Ben, possibly the greatest of the jedi. It would most likely be one of the main characters (it would be hard to explain why they pulled someone from left field for this.) Luke might feel he is too close to Ben to be his master, that leaves Jacen, Jaina, Kyp (although Mara probably wouldn't let him anywhere near Bens training(hopefully she carks it first)), or Leia.

A lot might depend on how the DNT turns out. If the Jedi stay with Vergeres view of no dark side then it probably will be Jacen who trains him. If they return to the original of view of Light apposing dark then Kyp or Jaina would be a good option as they have both experienced the perils of the darkside. Leia might be an option (She may feel indebted to Luke for training her children and would want to repay the favor)

 

A lot might depend on how the DNT turns out. If the Jedi stay with Vergeres view of no dark side then it probably will be Jacen who trains him.

They seem to have this special connection of sorts, so Ben could easily follow Jacen even if the Jedi Order turns against some (or all) of Vergere´s teachings. And Ben will be a teenager when this will be relevant, so an ordinary rebellion against his parents authority could also play part in his decision.

 

Roger Allen. He's demonstarted a trilogy that's for kids but appealable equally to adults. George Martin is also experienced with a teen cast. Carol Berg has written a childhood-traumatised boy, and is great with sword and sorcery too.

 

Stover or Zahn