Kyle Katarn as One of the Orginal Students of the Jedi Praxeum...

The commonly accepted list for the original twelve students of the Jedi Praxeum is as follows:

1) Brakiss
2) Corran Horn
3) Dorsk 81
4) Gantoris
5) Kam Solusar
6) Kirana Ti
7) Streen
8) Tionne
9) Kyle Katarn
10) ?
11) ?
12) ?

Even though it clearly states in the Escential Cronology that Kyle was one of the original twelve, and Jedi Outcast doesn't contridict this (even though the scroll says it is 8 years after Endor, the author has said that this was a mistake, and that it is supposed to be right before Darksaber), I am really wondering why an elite commando like Kyle Katarn would not have been a bigger figure in the Jedi Acadamy Trilogy, and "I, Jedi".

My first theory was that mabye he was one of the orginal twelve, but his duties to the New Republic kept him from attending with the other eleven. Then again, if memory serves me, when Exar Kun is killed, in "Champions of the Force", it says that there are twelve students around him (all of the original twelve, minus Gantoris who died, and plus Cilghal who came later) - yet this could be passed off as an error - according to "I, Jedi", Corran is away at Exar Kun's temple, which means there couldn't possibly be twelve students in the Grand Hall (I think that is what is was called) of the Great Temple, as one of them was away. And while you could say that because "I, Jedi" was made after the Jedi Acadamy Trilogy, the trilogy is more valid in canonical terms; I disagree, if Lucasfilm allowed it to be published with an "error" like this, it is escentially like an erata for the Jedi Acadamy Trilogy. If the number of students was actually 11, as this error implies, who is to say that is wasn't 10. Furthermore, I seem to remember that the number of students, 12, was only mentioned near the begining of the trilogy and "I, Jedi" and in the trilogy only during the climactic battle against Kun (the number in that battle is already erroneous remember). I think this is the best explanation for why we heard nothing of Kyle in these books: that he was one of the original, but he was kept from attending the first class, or had to leave soon after the the training began, due to some mission or something.

Another theory of mine was that like Corran Horn, Kyle was a hero of the Republic, so he had to disguise himself like Corran did. But this can be easily countered, because he was none of the other named 12, and even if he was disguised, someone with his background would have been a more prominent figure in the events of the Jedi Acadamy Trilogy and "I, Jedi"

What do you guys think.... how is Kyle one of the original 12, yet we hear nothing of him?

 

Because, even though he is widely known among the fanbase (and certain sections of authors), he is only starting to get mentioned in the EU general. The NJO was his "big debut" and even then it was only a few mentions and a line or two. He wasn't known at the time I, Jedi or most of the other novels were written. I believe that the EC was the first to confim his place among the 12.

In-universe, there's really not a fix yet.

Its possible that Corran edited him out of his I, Jedi narrative, especially if Kyle always beat Horn at 'saber practice.

 

Yeah, this little 'retcon' creates more problems than it solved. You'd think, given their similar backgrounds, that Corran and Kyle would have hit it off. Ditto Farlander and Corran, if indeed he was one of the original twelve as some have surmised.

 

Very true, he wasn't known of when these books were written, but it still leaves a hole which I really don't like.

Then again, the theory that Corran left Kyle out of his narrative is a very viable one. Anytime something is written in the 1st person, biases can come into play.

 

I think Kyle and Corran would have gotten along well and Corran would have definitely mentioned him. So maybe I, Jedi itself is an edited version of Corran's thoughts during that time. Like maybe a journal he wrote or a story he recollected or something.

 

I agree, Corran Horn (tangent: I hate Denning for so mis-characterising him in Dark Nest) is my favorite Star Wars character, and I think him and Kyle would have gotten along quite well.

 

My thoughts exactly. Hence in Part 1 of the Dark Forces Saga, I made it official:

Kyle realized he still carried the taint of the dark side from his conflict with Jerec. When Master Skywalker made a second offer to train him, Kyle immediately took him up on it, believing it would help him tame his dark feelings. Kyle developed a friendship with fellow Jedi trainee Corran Horn, but when two of Luke's students fell to the dark side, the anxiety Kyle felt about his earlier brush with darkness multiplied. Kyle surrendered his lightsaber to Luke, relying instead on his trusty Bryar pistol, and exiled himself from the New Jedi Order.

The least I could do.

Take care,
Abel

 

Wow, thanks for replying. I have one question related to that article though, and you would be the best person to answer it. In your article you say that Kyle disapeared looking for the Sith, but is present in the Dark Nest books, will you ever reveal what happened to Kyle after disapperaing, but before Dark Nest?

It is great that you would include that in the bio for the RPG (I actually spent all day playing the RPG, our setting is about a year before the NJO, and including Kyle would be fun)... but is still doesn't solve the question of why Kyle wasn't mentioned in the books...

You know, a radical idea just came into my head, although it would never happen. To clear up some of these problems, and to make it easier to read the story of the Jedi Acadamy Trilogy and "I, Jedi" in its entirety (rather than having to switch back and forth between books), Kevin J. Anderson and Micheal A. Stackpole should get together and write a trilogy which integrates both of their books, includes Kyle, and name the three unnamed original Jedi students. That would be so awsome... too bad I know it would never happen, even if both authors wanted to.

 

Could Mara Jade count as one of the unnamed 3? She was there rather early (not much later than Corran's arrival. Maybe a day or two later I thought). And with the way EU authors seem to kiss Mara's ***, it wouldn't surprise me if they counted her.

 

No, Mara Jade, Cilghal, and Kyp Durron were not of the original 12, they arrived later (yes, only like a month) but still, the original class was 12 students, and those three were invited later on.

 

Then again, if memory serves me, when Exar Kun is killed, in "Champions of the Force", it says that there are twelve students around him (all of the original twelve, minus Gantoris who died, and plus Cilghal who came later) - yet this could be passed off as an error - according to "I, Jedi", Corran is away at Exar Kun's temple, which means there couldn't possibly be twelve students in the Grand Hall (I think that is what is was called) of the Great Temple, as one of them was away.

That is easily retconned. There were 12 people there. The 11 Apprentices + Jacen and Jaina.

 

11 + 2 = 13... BUT if in fact there were only 10 people there, plus Jacen and Jaina, it would make 12... which means Kyle might have in fact not attended with the other original students...

 

No no no. I'm pretty sure that he is including the abscence of Corran due to his little side quest to the secondary temple, thus making it only 12 people in the room...

 

Yeah meant to say 10 apprentices

 

It's a lot easier to explain than that -- whenever someone leaves the Academy, someone else comes to replace them, so that you begin with twelve and end with twelve. Cilghal, Kyp, and a couple others came after the original 12. Why couldn't another person come and replace Corran among the 12 in the finale?

 

I'm assuming you mean beyond the details of the adventure seed "Jedi Search" in Part 2 of the DFS (you can access all six parts here).

Yes, if someone else doesn't get to it first, I most certainly will.

I don't think Kyle was tied up doing something else during that series, he just wasn't mentioned by the writers of most of those books, same way Streen, Kirana Ti, and a bunch of others weren't. Even KJA didn't put the spotlight on all of his original Jedi-dozen in the Jedi Academy trilogy. Kyle's just in the background of the NJO like he was in the JA3.

Take care,
Abel

 

Just like the 12 Apostles. Judas hangs himself, so they hire Matthias. Only here there's no symbolism behind the number 12.

OMG! You think KJA had Luke have 12 apprentices as a nod to Jesus' 12 Apostles? Probably not, but it's... I don't even know.

 

Why can't we just assume that Kyle handed over his saber and left before the exciting stuff in the JAT really got rolling? Maybe after Gantoris left.

We would just have to "creatively interpret" Halagad's aforementioned paragraph to mean something like he was justified in his choice to leave afterward, rather than he made his choice to leave afterward. Not neat, but better than leaving Kyle sitting on his thumbs for most of the action of the Exar Kun crisis.