Ben Skywalker

Ben Skywalker was the son of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker. Ben was named for his father's first mentor, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. For most of his early life, Ben was sequestered in safeworlds so that his parents could fight the Yuuzhan Vong and keep him safe. Because of this, he grew to resent his parents and insisted on dealing life in his own way. He wielded a blue-bladed lightsaber following the Swarm War and became the apprentice of his cousin, Jacen Solo.

Like his late cousin, Anakin Solo, he was confident, brave, curious, intelligent and quick-witted. As he grew up, his ability to use the Force became stronger, which enabled him to read emotions. Since he is under the tuteluge of Jacen, Ben might develop powers similar to his. Like his father and grandfather, Ben may also become a skilled pilot and mechanic. No doubt, Ben, whose traits he shares with his cousin and grandfather makes him a true Skywalker, shows great Force potential and may even become more powerful than his father and grandfather.Before the age of 13 he has shown to be very Force-sensitive by helping to cure his mother when he was born, sensing the rage,sufferment, and sadness of the Yuuzhan Vong War, hiding himself in the Force, to the extent that even his own parents have trouble finding his prescence. Ben also produced a very strong force push against Tenel Ka even though he was relativly untrained in the ways of the Jedi.

Pre-birth
As Mara Jade was infected by Yuuzhan Vong coomb spores, she and Luke decided against having children. However, despite their efforts, Mara found, while attempting to heal her body with the Force, that she was pregnant. A temporary cure was found in the tears of a Fosh named Vergere. The tears sent the disease into remission, but once they ran out, it started to return and threatened Mara's health, due to her efforts to keep the spores from attacking the child. Because of this, Mara almost died giving birth, but the disease was driven out of her body permanently with the help of Luke, and baby Ben.

Early life
''"Are they all that ugly?" -Anakin on newly-born Ben''

''"You’ll want to rephrase that after what I just went through. Think in the general direction of antonyms." –Mara''

Ben was born aboard the Star Destroyer Errant Venture, shortly after the Skywalkers were forced to flee Coruscant during heightened troubles between the Jedi and the New Republic Senate. As a baby, Ben was sent along the Great River to the Maw for protection from the Yuuzhan Vong. He was then in the custody of his aunt and uncle. Ben had little contact with his parents, though became embroiled in a kidnap attempt by Viqi Shesh during the Fall of Coruscant. Lando Calrissian and C-3PO were able to save Ben high above the galactic capital.

The Yuuzhan Vong War
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Luke and Mara sent him to Shelter with all of the other Jedi children, in the Maw Cluster. After that Mara hired a defender droid to protect him. He later found them annoying and would admit that he wanted to be more like his uncle, Han. When Luke and Mara were able to spend time with him they traveled to Zonama Sekot where Luke had a vision of an older Ben flying an unknown plane. Even after he spent time with his parents, Ben really never understood them, especially his mother.

Though Ben survived the Yuuzhan Vong war, the pain and suffering he had sensed through the Force during that dark time caused the infant to cut himself off from the Force. During this time, Ben developed the ability to hide himself in the Force. Because of this, Mara found it difficult to locate him. Even five years on, Ben refused to use the Force, a disturbing development his parents did not know how to overcome.

Dark Nest Crisis
Ben went with his parents to the Unknown Regions during the war. When Ben was eight years old, during the buildup to the Swarm War, he befriended a Killik named Gorog, thinking of the creature as his friend. Secretly, Gorog attempted to brainwash the child to join the Dark Nest, but the plot was uncovered by Ben's mother, who was forced to kill the Killik. However, Ben was still able to gain a connection with the Gorog nest, being able to sense their presence and know their thoughts.

A year later, his cousin Jacen Solo took on Ben as an informal apprentice. Ben felt comfortable around Solo, and slowly began to open himself up to the Force. During the time he spent with Jacen, his raw Force power sometimes boiled to the surface. However, the time and distance away from Gorog had done nothing to weaken his connection to the Dark Nest and he had narrowly avoided becoming a full joiner. He was with Jacen when Tenel Ka presented her child to him, and was able to figure out the Gorog were planning to kill Jacen and Tenel Ka's baby. He tried to convince them not to, but his connection proved overwhelming, and his nest-mates convinced Ben to help them and he instinctively applied an untrained Force push against Tenel Ka. Jacen decided that he could not trust Ben with the knowledge he had, and erased Ben's memory of the visit. When Luke found out about this he confronted Jacen and Jacen responded with a coverup story. Mara, however, became suspicious of Jacen. After the Swarm War, it is presumed that Ben lived with his parents on Ossus and attended his father's Jedi Praxeum.



The Lost Lightsaber
Years later, presumably after completing his training at the Jedi Praxeum, Ben managed to track down his father's lost lightsaber, which was in the possession of a Dark Jedi. The Dark Jedi was preparing to imbue the weapon with the power of the dark side, but Ben took it from him before he was able to do so. Though it is not known what happened in the ensuing battle, it can be assumed that Ben slew the Dark Jedi as well as the other darksiders who were present and took his father's weapon as his own.

Legacy of the Force
In 40 ABY, a teenage Ben and Jacen Solo were sent on a mission to uncover an illegal missile factory on the planet Adumar. The mission ended in a violent ambush, from which the Jedi narrowly escaped with their lives. The incident sparked political unrest that threatened to ignite into total rebellion that could shatter the young Galactic Alliance.

As the civil war went on, Mara and Luke feared for Ben when his Jedi Master, Jacen Solo, made a decision that shocked both families and the galaxy.

It's possible that Ben takes his father's place as leader of the Jedi.

Behind the scenes

 * The above image is from a Star Wars Tales (and thus, non-canon) story, and predates the establishment of Ben's hair as being red. The image has thus been altered to give a more accurate representation of Ben's appearance in the Legacy era.
 * He was presumably the ancestor of Cade Skywalker.
 * Ben has a really strong fear of Saba because he couldn't read her.

Appearances

 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
 * Star by Star
 * Dark Journey
 * Rebel Dream
 * The Unifying Force
 * Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * The Lost Lightsaber