Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series

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21 years after the destruction of the Death Star II in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the New Republic (free and democratic successor of the corrupt and authoritarian Empire) faces a new and fearsome threat – invasion of a species alien to the galaxy. Set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, The New Jedi Order is a series of 27 books detailing this crisis and the events that unfold after the invasion.

After the collapse of the Empire with the death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the Death Star II, the New Republic was born. This democratic and free society of planetary systems was headed by the heroes of the Rebel Alliance, like Leia Organa. Luke Skywalker then strived to rebuild the Jedi Order, basing a temple on the moon of planet Yavin. After years of hard work, the New Republic prospered and enjoyed peace, safeguarded by the growing ranks of new Jedi Knights. However, this peace was shattered with the discovery of a sudden invasion of this galaxy by an alien warrior race from another galaxy called the Yuuzhan Vong.

This was the first adversity that called upon the new order of Jedi Knights, however, during the first few waves of skirmishes the Jedi Knights were slaughtered. It soon dawned that the Yuuzhan Vong was devoid of the ‘Force’, an energy field that binds all living organisms in the galaxy, a source of the Jedi Knights’ power. The Yuuzhan Vong were formidable foes – their entire society is made up of numerous warrior clans and they see death in battle as honour to their clans. Planet after planet fell to the onslaught, with populations wiped out. Heroes from the old Rebel Alliance like Han Solo, Chewbacca and Wedge Antilles took to arms again and seek to repel the attacks. New heroes were introduced, namely Anakin, Jacen and Jaina Solo (the children of Leia and Han); and Ganner Rhysode, a Jedi Knight.

During the course of the stories, several key characters were killed in battle. Chewbacca, a prolific character from the original six episodes and Han Solo’s loyal companion, was killed in battle early in the stages of the invasion. Anakin Solo was also killed in combat; he single-handedly fought off thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors to aid the escape of his siblings and friends, and was later consumed by the Force. Ganner Rhysode also martyred himself in battle, holding back wave after wave of enemies to allow the captured Jacen Solo to flee.

This New Jedi Order series of novels was eagerly anticipated by Star Wars fans as it continued the Star Wars saga after the original sexology of movies. Fans gleefully waited to see how the newly-rebuilt Jedi Order would withstand against malicious threats like the Yuuzhan Vong. Each of the books features one, if not numerous, epic battle scenes. You can expect large scale battles for planetary control between the two warring factions – expect starfighter battles, Jedi melee combat and even ground assaults. The battle scenes are described to the usual fantastic Star Wars detail and never fail to leave Star Wars fans like myself craving for more. In particular, the scene which Anakin Solo martyred himself was outstanding.

Despite the abruptness of an out-of-the-blue invasion of an alien species, the plot was intriguing. The Yuuzhan Vong made use various methods of subversion, espionage and brute military might to cripple the New Republic. I respect the authors for taking the time to brainstorm, coming up with such intricate and meticulous details. War was not fought only on the military front with issues like internal conflict and unrest, and this gave a realistic feel of warfare in the series. Towards the end of the series, the novels left me with very uplifting spirits, seeing how the Jedi Knights and other heroes bonded and worked together to repel the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong.

It was a huge pity that key characters of the Star Wars franchise had to die, but still, this added to the ‘dark’ nature of The New Jedi Order series and this is the very fact that makes this series of novels a very compelling read.

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