Fanclub Jacen Solo Fan Club: Forever in the Light

I legit never recall Jacen and Jagged Fel ever actually speaking at all. Which is odd, given that he was Jaina's off and on boyfriend for years.

But yeah Jacen doesn't have many friends, at best's he's on cordial terms with his peers, and post DNT, he's distant and alienated from his family(but I imagine was professional and probably quite nice if remote to his Jedi colleagues).

There's also Wynessa Fel who had a crush on him. Did he ever interact with the Horn kids?

TBF to Tenel Ka, I don't think Jacen was telling her all his problems and frustrations whenever they met post DNT.

 

I think Valin mocks him a few times in LotF.

Yeah, because she had already betrayed and abused his trust by then. I wouldn´t tell her too much anymore either.

 

So question for everyone, in a world where the EU was adapted to the big or small screen, what do you think the impact of and popular reception of Jacen would be?

 

I think it would depend when they start, and if they could improve on some of the weaknesses the books have. Like if there was a proper transition between the carefree jokester Jacen from YJK to the brooding thoughfull one in NJO. I think if the change comes to abrupt than, as with the books, fans will loose sympathy for Jacen.

 

Don't underestimate the power of sex appeal
It might just take a live-action Jacen to be portrayed by a handsome actor for him to become popular
Jacen's fandom is mostly drawn to his personality rather than his physical appearance (as far as I know) but I know from my experiences with the Star Wars fandom and some others that physical appearance matters a lot to quite an impressive number of fans

As for his personality, it could certainly divide the fandom
Some, like many NJO readers, might be bored and prefer an action hero, others might think it's refreshing to have a sw hero like him
For the transition from YJK!Jacen to NJO!Jacen it would indeed be necessary that this be shown and not just said
Being a Solo kid on the heroic side might also help his popularity I guess

 

I think the Anakin/Jacen contrast would really illuminate what sort of heroes people prefer and why.

Anakin is the action man, the fighter and doer, Jacen is the thinker.

 

Honestly, I would hate the thought of Jacen being used for fanservice the way Kylo was...

 

Same

 

So been a bit bored and decided to try out creating a meme myself yesterday, kind of SW meeting Romance of the Three Kingdoms:

 

You know, Caedus could really be an intimidating and powerful antagonist, and they completely dropped the ball. It’s really unfortunate the character was ruined.

 

So....I'm really late with a reply, but.....
For reasons that escape me, Kylo Ren was really popular...so there really isn't a reason why Jacen couldn't be as well. I mean, if an emotionally-stunted, temper-tantrum-throwing Kylo can have a following, then there's no reason someone who is sane and competent couldn't have been.

 

Kylo first became popular because he was turned into a complete joke with "Undercover Boss, Starkiller Base" and then because of his shirtless scene. Also being the last Skysolo gives him some attention.

None of this really applies with Jacen.

 

Am I the only person who hasn't seen that skit?

 

As far as I know it was quite well known. Games like Battlefront 2 (2019) having shout outs to it.

 

Maybe if Jacen had been shown onscreen? I also prefer Jacen to Kylo by a long shot.

 

Nope, I haven't seen it either!

 

Going by NJO only yes, but if you read JJK, then Anakin is far from just an “action man”. In fact he’s almost the opposite.
In JJK Anakin is a brooding introvert who likes to spend time alone thinking and solving puzzles, while constantly contemplating his future.
I haven’t read YJK so I can’t really say much for Jacen, but from what I do know he sounds like a goofy, happy go lucky, animal loving jokester. I’m actually really excited to read about that version of him when I finally get around to YJK.

Anyway the point I’m trying to make is that I feel like NJO didn’t really do the Solo brothers justice.
Instead of loving both, it just seems that most fans love one and dislike the other, usually going something like this: “Jacen is interesting and Anakin is boring” or “Jacen is a wimp and Anakin actually gets stuff done”
I love both characters I just think the personalities were off and it feels like they were switched, personality wise.

Maybe it would’ve been better if KJA wrote Vector Prime instead of Salvatore. I know that’s gonna annoy a lot of people but hear me out. KJA (and Rebecca Moesta) established the personalities of the Solo kids and knows them very well, and since Vector Prime’s depiction of the Solo kids characterisation is what the other authors used for their books, I think KJA would’ve been a better choice. Especially considering Salvatore didn’t do any research.

 

I'd say that the kids didn't have all that much to distinguish them from one another in JAT - most of their skillset really gets established in The Crystal Star and in The Corellia Trilogy, before YJK started to come out.

Jacen's schtick being Befriending Animals first kicked in, in The Crystal Star, and as far as I recall, much of Jaina's knack for mechanical skill kicks in there, as well, with The Corellia Trilogy really cementing it.

The Crystal Star came out in December 1994, Ambush at Corellia came out in February 1995, YJK: Heirs of the Force came out in June 1995.

 

I was referring to YJK, not JAT.

But you’re right about their personalities being established in The Crystal Star and Corellian Trilogy before YJK.

Although I’m pretty sure Vonda N. McIntyre worked alongside KJA and Rebecca Moesta in some capacity when it came to establishing Jacen and Jaina’s personalities. She thanks them both in the acknowledgments section of The Crystal Star.

KJA and Rebecca Moesta also thank McIntyre in the acknowledgment section of Heirs of the Force: “We would like to thank Vonda N. McIntyre for helping to create the kids”
Having read The Crystal Star, and from what I’ve heard about YJK, it seems their personalities and traits match up nicely, so I’m guessing there was some sort of collaboration between the three of them.
( I consider it a crime that no one included Mistress Dragon in any stories after TCS)

Regarding the Corellian Trilogy, I don’t know much about that, do Jacen and Jaina’s personalities and traits match up with the ones established in The Crystal Star and Young Jedi Knights?

 

Fairly similarly. Anakin's painted as the oddball of the three - and his affinity with machines is even stronger than Jaina's there. In the early NJO, there's the Centerpoint incident - and it's in the Corellian Trilogy that Anakin first bonds with Centerpoint station and its controls are imprinted to him, in the first place.

I'd agree that KJA probably used The Crystal Star as a starting point for his YJK portrayal of the kids.

 

The solo kids are archetypes of the unified person-Jaina is the body, Jacen the mind, Anakin the heart.

At least there are contours of this, Anakin also has a great deal of physicality attributed to him, and Jacen is very much a heart centric person.

So it’s not that clear cut, but its clear their different interests represent different aspects of the ideal hero or person in general.

 

I generally don‘t like thinking in archetypes but I wouldn‘t call someone who falls for incredibly blatant lies and vague visions a mind person.

Jacen is heart not mind.

 

Sure, Jacen is also the intellectual of the three. The navel gazer. The philosopher. But heart is very much an essential aspect of him.

 

I think the Mind is fitting for Anakin and the Heart for Jacen, as Anakin always looks at solutions from a logical point of view, and almost immediately, intuitively, he knows how some things work, like machines, he thinks his way out of the moral conondrum the Yuuzhan Vong bring, while Jacen has to find the answer, not think it, he has to become one with his heart, his inherent nature, to find the answer, Anakin is the one with the analytical mind while Jacen is the one with the Philosopher's mindset.

That said it's not as if intuition, feeling, etc. isn't part of Anakin's character, or if critical thinking and analysis isn't part of Jacen's character, as he has hand in diplomacy, which takes a good debating brain to pull off, to convince others with arguments.

 

Jaina would thus be the physical one? In terms of being less intellectual or driven by emotive intuition.

She isn’t the soul in the sense she values the spiritual or is the glue that holds the trio together. I’d say her soldier’s mindset is one of unvarnished physicality. So she represents the Body.

But then she is known as Yun-Harla a trickster goddess. So it doesn’t work completely.