Ken

"There is a Jedi Prince from the Lost City of the Jedi who can destroy you."

- Kadann to Trioculus

Ken was the son of Triclops and a "Jedi Princess" named Kendalina, therefore supposedly making Ken the grandson of Emperor Palpatine and a "Jedi Prince." There was some ambiguity regarding Ken's true origins, as accounts of Palpatine fathering offspring were generally discounted and all records of the Emperor's family disappeared shortly after he ascended to the Imperial throne.

Conception and Birth
Shortly after his birth, Ken was taken by an unknown brown-robed Jedi Master to Yavin 4, where he was raised in the Lost City of the Jedi for the first twelve years of his life.

Life in the Lost City
At the Lost City, Ken was surrounded by droids who looked after his every need. DJ-88 was the Jedi librarian, and was also employed as Ken's teacher; HC-100 was put in charge of Ken's homework; Microchip, aptly named due to its size, was built to be Ken's friend, and was given the nickname of 'Chip'. Ken even had a pet: a mooka called Zeebo. For most of his life he thought his name came from Obi-Wan Kenobi, who he believed to be his father.



Ken, an overly enthusiastic, naïve youth at the time, was discovered by Luke Skywalker in approximately 5 ABY. Unbeknownst to both of them, Supreme Prophet Kadann had recently prophesied that Ken was a threat to Trioculus, the newly self-proclaimed Emperor.

Joining the Alliance
Trioculus and his associates attempted to track down the young boy and his legendary home, but failed. Ken left the moon with Skywalker and joined the Alliance, engaging in many of their adventures. On the planet Duro, Ken encountered his father, Triclops, for the first time.

Ken was ultimately captured by Kadann. Under the influence of a truth serum, he revealed the location of the Lost City. Kadann proceeded to reveal to Ken his "true" heritage. However, Ken was rescued by Luke Skywalker and Kadann and his Imperial minions were trapped in the underground city.

It is not known what became of Ken after this. It is possible he attended Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum, but this is purely speculative.

Ken wore half a silver birth crystal around his neck, the other half of which was worn by Triclops.

Behind the scenes


Ken is the protagonist of the Jedi Prince series. Many would argue that Ken is an example of a Gary Stu character. However, this charge refers to numerous Star Wars characters in part or whole and is more indicative of distaste for the character's adventures than an actual charge. Another example of equally derided and infamous Gary Stu, is Wesley Crusher from Star Trek.

Ken's last name (or lack thereof)
Ken was never identified beyond his given name. When Luke first encountered him and brought up the issue, Ken replied that his droid guardians had not given him a last name. It is possible that his last name was Palpatine. However, aside from the fact Ken's relationship to the Emperor is in question, it is not known if Palpatine was a surname.

There is a persistent fan belief that Ken is short for Kenth Hamner, but this is pure speculation&mdash;especially considering that Ken is younger than Luke Skywalker while Kenth is older than he.

Appearances

 * The Lost City of the Jedi
 * Zorba the Hutt's Revenge
 * Prophets of the Dark Side
 * Star Wars Tales 14 intro