Wasted Potential?

In the EU, the wonderful galaxy of Star Wars was broadened by leaps and bounds, and we were introduced to characters that would become as beloved to us as many of the OT characters. However, many of these characters met untimely deaths or were simply forgotten about. Characters like Mara Jade stayed with us for a long time before their exit, but we always wonder, what could have been? Tragedy is a central theme in Star Wars, and Han and Leia losing two of their children has to be the most tragic loss of all. Ganner Rhysode, burning bright, and then quickly snuffed out.

What is your pick? Choose from the options or comment your personal choice!

 

Especially out of those listed, the answer would be quite easily (to me anyway) Anakin Solo. Talk about a ton of potential! He and Tahiri (whom I also love, yet was saddened immensely at what became of her) were meant to go on and do great things together...

Yet, due to Mr. GL being so afraid of fans "mixing up the Anakins," he ordered him killed. I'm sorry, but anyway who is actually a fan would never in a million years, have mixed up Anakin Skywalker and Anakin Solo…but oh well. I guess that's just how little he thought of our intelligence.

 

I agree. Anakin Solo was my absolute favorite character. At one point, people were calling him the next Luke Skywalker. It would have been more fitting for Jaina to die. Jacen could still turn dark, and then have Anakin redeem the family name by bringing his brother back to the light. Then Jacen could go back into exile as punishment for his crimes. It would have still been dark, but not pointless.

 

Anakin Solo was my favorite, he had the most talent especially after the way he fixed his lightsaber on Conquest.

 

I was a huge fan of Anakin Solo, and I think he would have been an awesome new hero in the ongoing story, but I don't really consider him wasted potential. As much as Anakin died before he could develop into a great Jedi, his death was an extremely important and influential moment for the rest of the characters and the galaxy as a whole; as much as I was sad to see him die so young, I wouldn't consider him wasted potential because I think his death was well utilized and I think made the story stronger overall.

I actually think the character with the most wasted potential was Jaina Solo (even though she survived). Even though she lives a long time and is present at some key moments, I don't think any of the writers were ever fully committed to making her a main character. Other than Dark Journey and Invincible, she's doesn't really get the amount of screen time you would expect from the last Solo child, not to mention that she's meant to be Sword of the Jedi. I would really have liked to see her be a more prominent character in both LotF and FotJ, but was disappointed overall with how the authors failed to fully utilize her.

 

I'm kind of glad that they killed Anakin Solo when they did. If not, he would have been ruined like everyone else was.

 

I completely agree. Jaina, being the twin of Jacen, should have had the potential to be just as strong as him, but that never happened. To be honest, I'd say Jacen was nearly twice as powerful as Jaina. She could have been more.

 

I wish that the SOTJ trilogy would have happened earlier in the timeline.

 

I voted for Jacen because I hated how his character developed after TUF but I would have liked to see more stories with both of the Solo boys. I was very disappointed when both of them were killed off, so much so that I now just ignore the post NJO Denningverse. Crucible talk about the Big 3 passing down the torch seemed kind of hollow when the two greatest heroes of the NJO generation were both dead.
Agree with Silas Nightstalker about Jaina. She was the most boring of the Solo offspring and yet somehow she was the last one standing. I feel like the writers didn't know what to do with her.

Keuller was a boring Villain IMO. Interesting armor design but had all of the personality of a wet noodle. Brakiss was also pretty boring. KJA already had Gantoris and Kyp Durron go rogue on Luke. It really strained credibility for me when he also created Brakiss as the same type of character in YJK.

Unlike Kueller and Brakiss, Ganner Rhysode is one of my favorite characters in the EU, but I wouldn't exactly call his death wasted potential. Mr. Stover wrote him out of the series in the most awesome way possible and his character arc about wanting to become a hero was completed by his sacrifice. Mr. Stover even has Ganner realize that his last stand is the purpose of his entire life while he is fighting the Vong. I think Ganner lived up to his full potential and having his story turn out any other way would ruin it.

 

I feel like they really killed off all the most important/powerful people. And the powerful people that they left alive, they didn't really do much with. Kyle Katarn is a badass, yet we NEVER see him go beast mode on anyone.

 

I would have to say it's Anakin Solo. There were prophecies about him that were unfulfilled as a result of his death. However, his death was a major factor for Jacen's transformation into Caedus.

 

The vision at the end of DE2 but that was ret-conned to be EOV 1 Conquest.
And the prophecy of Irkit about Anakin and Tahiri in Conquest.
Why couldn't they have had Anakin and Tahiri together in the nether realm in FOTJ in the battle against Abeloth?
I would have forgiven a lot for that.
Oh well, fan-fic it is then.

 

Anakin and Tahiri could have been the next Luke and Mara, but they wasted Anakin and then turned Tahiri into a spineless coward, easily manipulated, despite all that she had gone through.

 

I'm gonna follow the trend and go with Anakin Solo. He was such a great character and some of my favourite moments in the NJO were between him and Mara on Dantooine discussing what it means to use the Force and how that can have wider affects on other people. I kind of felt cheated when he was killed off because I had invested time and effort getting to know him. I don't have a problem with beloved characters being killed off kylo: ) but Anakin's death had so little impact on me.

 

The concept of the Vong. I like the idea talked about in the Essential Reader's Companion that they were the corruptors of the Dark Jedi of the Hundred-Year Darkness and that they're invading now because the Sith are no longer around to do their work for them.

 

No Jacen should die at the hands of angry gungans!

 

Was going to make a post but this sums it up nicely!

 

Darth Aphrodite, please use the edit feature to avoid double posting.

 

Sorry my screen seems to be acting up as edit appears at the bottom sometimes but not others and I'm not great with tech

 

Wow, Force Smuggler! I'm tempted to agree, given the way things turned out. Of those listed, Anakin Solo had the most potential. A character I would have liked seen develop more was Kyp. Not just as a foil for Luke's philosophical stances in the NJO.

 

Kyp definitely could have been fleshed out more. The entire EU from ROTJ on was nothing but the big 3 and their kids. Why not have novels with adventures of Kyp and Corran and Kyle, etc? There was so much more they could have done.

 

Anakin Solo is my most favorite character in the EU. Seeing Tahiri and Jacen going to hell after the NJO was not appreciated.
I dread to think what lame excuse they would have used to have Anakin fall to the Dark Side. Palpatine touching Anakin in Leia's womb or Palpatine transferred some of him to Anakin or something. Lumiya telling Jacen that this was what Vergere wanted and Jacen just does it, ticks me off.
I'd rather have Anakin dead than suffer that.
Though, thank god we got that Force ghost thing of him in FOTJ and then see Tahiri's reaction to his message.