The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime

Vector Prime is the first installment of the New Jedi Order series. It is a science fiction novel written by R. A. Salvatore and published by Del Rey in October 1999. The galactic maps printed inside were designed by Daniel Wallace and Chris Barbieri.

American

 * ISBN 0345428447; October 5, 1999, Del Rey, 400-page hardcover
 * ISBN 0375406891; October 5, 1999, Random House Audio, 2 abridged cassettes (3 hrs.)
 * ISBN 0345428455; July 5, 2000, Del Rey, 398-page paperback
 * ISBN 0613293770; March 2001, Sagebrush Corporation, School/Library binding
 * ISBN 034546740X; June 2003, Ballantine Books, eBook
 * ISBN 0345479335; September 7, 2004, Del Rey, 416-page paperback
 * ISBN 0739316583; October 12, 2004, Random House Audio, Abridged cassette

Foreign

 * ISBN 009940995X; August 1, 2000, Arrow Publishing, 398-page UK paperback
 * ISBN 2258053331; February 2000, Presses de la Cité, 492-page French hardcover (Le Nouvel Ordre Jedi: Vecteur Prime)
 * ISBN 2265076570; July 2, 2003 Fleuve Noir, 512-page French paperback
 * German book (Das Erbe der Jedi-Ritter 1: Die Abtrünnigen)
 * Japanese
 * ISBN 837245311X; Amber, 368-page Polish book (Nowa era Jedi: Wektor pierwszy)
 * ISBN 5040084994; October 2004, 559-page Russian book (Вектор-прим)
 * ISBN 8495070278; November 2002, Alberto Santos Editor, Spanish hardcover (La Nueva Orden Jedi: Vector Prime)
 * ISBN 8495070308; Alberto Santos Editor, 304-page Spanish paperback

Back cover
Twenty-one years after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic will face an even darker enemy&hellip;

Inside flap
With the exciting arrival of The New Jedi Order series, the next era of Star Wars'' history is about to begin. Here, fantasy and science fiction's most acclaimed authors propel the legendary epic into the next millenium [sic], introducing us to a rich cast of characters that features old favorites—Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa Solo—along with the next generation of Jedi and never-before-seen creatures, droids, and deadly agents of darkness. In Vector Prime, the launch novel for this thrilling new daga, New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore takes the Star Wars universe to previously unscaled heights of action and imagination, expanding the beloved story of a galaxy far, far away&hellip;''

''Twenty-one years have passed since the heroes of the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, breaking the power of the Emperor. Since then, the New Republic has valiantly struggled to maintain peace and prosperity among the peoples of the galaxy. But unrest has begun to spread; tensions erupt in outbreaks of rebellion that, if unchecked, threaten to destroy the Republic's tenuous reign.''

''Into this volatile atmosphere comes Nom Anor, a charismatic firebrand who heats passions to the boiling point, sowing seeds of dissent for his own dark motives. In an effort to avert a catastrophic civil war, Leia travels with her daughter Jaina, her sister-in-law Mara Jade, and the loyal protocol droid C-3PO, to conduct face-to-face diplomatic negotiations with Nom Anor. But he proves resistant to Leia's entreaties—and, far more inexplicably, within the Force, where a being should be, was&hellip;blank space.''

''Meanwhile, Luke is plagued by reports of rogue Jedi Knights who are taking the law into their own hands. And so he wrestles with a dilemma: Should he attempt, in this climate of mistrust, to reestablish the legendary Jedi Council?''

''As the Jedi and the Republic focus on internal struggles, a new threat surfaces, unnoticed, beyond the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. An enemy appears from outside known space, bearing weapons and technology unlike anything New Republic scientists have ever seen. Suddenly Luke, Mara, Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca—along with the Solo children—are thrust again into battle, to defend the freedom so many have fought and died for. But this time, all their courage, sacrifice, and even the power of the Force itself may not be enough.&hellip;''

Paperback
Twenty-one years after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic will face an even darker enemy&hellip;

''The Galactic Empire has ended the war with the New Republic, but the galaxy is far from peace. Unrest is spreading everywhere, and threatens to destroy the New Republic's tenuous reign.''

Into this fragile moment comes Nom Anor, a mysterious and charismatic firebrand who is sowing seeds of mistrust and anger through his call for a simpler time''. Little do his followers know the truth which hides behind his words.''

''When ExGal 4, a scientific outpost on Belkadan, discovers an odd comet-like object coming through the vast distance between the galaxies, astrophysicist Danni Quee takes it upon herself to investigate. She journeys to the Helska system, unaware of the danger which threatens the survival of the entire galaxy: the Yuuzhan Vong.''

Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker, along with the Solo's and Chewbacca are thrust into the middle of the danger once more, forced to fight with all they have to save the galaxy.

But this time, the Force itself may not be enough.

Plot
As Luke Skywalker struggles with the New Republic with the formation of the Jedi Council. Leia, Mara Jade Skywalker, along with Jaina Solo meet the ominous prime minister of Rhommamool. An extra-galactic object enters the galaxy and crash lands on the planet of Helska 4 and a team of scientists go to the planet to investigate. They soon realize that the object isn't just a normal celestial object.

Behind the scenes
At the time of its first publication, Vector Prime was extremely controversial among Star Wars fans because its plot called for the death of Chewbacca, making the Wookiee the first major character from the Original Trilogy to be permanently killed off in the Expanded Universe novels. Opinion was sharply divided as to whether this death of a beloved character was a cheap ploy to boost sales and interest in the new series, or if it served the dramatic purpose of declaring that not even the core characters were necessarily "safe" anymore.

While Chewbacca's death marked the first major character from the Original Trilogy to die in an Expanded Universe novel, the death of Crix Madine in Darksaber was the first death of a speaking character.

Chewbacca's death was later marked as Number One in Star Wars Insider's 20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe.

Cover gallery
This is a gallery of the different cover variations of Vector Prime.