Roan Novachez

"Good to teach you, it will be."

- Master Yoda to Novachez

Roan Novachez, sometimes known as "Ro," was a boy born and raised on Tatooine. Rejected from Pilot Academy, his entire life changed when he learned he was strong in the Force and received an invitation to attend Jedi academy at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Biography
Roan lived on Tatooine with his mother, father, younger brother Oliver ("Ollie") and older brother Davin ("Dav.") Roan's father was a graduate of Pilot Academy and Davin followed in his footsteps. Roan had every expectation of doing so as well and therefore felt himself "doomed" when he received a rejection letter from Galactic Republic Senator Blagotine, with Tatooine Agricultural Academy as a recommended alternate school. Roan despaired of this fate, both because it would not involve flying in space and because every plant he touched seemed to turn to dust.

Things changed dramatically for Roan when, the next day, he received a letter from Principal Mar of Coruscant Jedi Academy, inviting him to attend. The letter was accompanied with a note from Jedi Grand Master Yoda stating that the Force was strong in Roan and it would be good to teach him. The letter came as a complete surprise, as it was highly unusual for anyone Roan's age to begin training as a Jedi. Still, Roan was tentatively excited as he knew, amongst other things, that Jedi get to use some sort of "laser sword."

Upon his arrival at Jedi academy, Roan felt as if he did not fit in, placed amongst students who had been using the Force and capable of feats such as levitating suitcases to the tops of their bunks using only the Force. He also had to deal with obstacles such as bullying students and arriving late to class due to having his watch set to Tatooine time. Despite this, Roan soon made a couple of close friends, Bill, Pasha, and Egon, and began drawing Ewok Pilot comics for the school newspaper, and achieved good marks in most of his courses, save Basic Lifting with the Force with Master Yoda and the Wookiee Kitmum's Physical Education course. He also developed a crush on a female student, Gaiana. Heading into spring break, Roan didn't feel any closer to becoming a Jedi.

Following spring break, Roan and his fellow students began attending a number of new courses, including Master Yoda's lecture on the Principles of the Force, as well as a study of Early Mandalorian Poetry with Librarian Lackbar and Advanced Lightsaber Dueling with Mr. Garfield. He joined a Lightsaber Fencing Tournament, but continued to struggle greatly with lifting objects in the Force. At the tournament, Roan caused a spectacle when he accidentally turned off Cyrus's lightsaber during his duel with Pasha. Many believed this to be cheating, though Roan had done it accidentally using the Force. Roan's final days of the school year were tainted with a widespread reputation of his being a cheater and he approached his final exam in lifting objects with the Force convinced that he was headed for "Plant School." Convinced of failure, he decided he could relax and stop trying so hard, inadvertently achieving something that Yoda had stressed throughout his school term. Amazing both himself and his fellow students, he levitated several boulders high in the air, earning top marks on his exam. He achieved strong marks in his other classes as well, including Physical Education, and was voted Most Creative in The Padawan Observer End-of-the-Year Awards. He made up with Pasha and admitted to Master Yoda that he would return the next year. Before leaving, he received a delightful surprise in finding that his class schedule for the next term included Starfighter Flight Training. Returning home, Roan's dad suggested to him that he might apply for a transfer to Pilot Academy, but Roan told him he'd like to stay at Jedi Academy. He received a letter from Gaiana and his brother Dav asked to see his lightsaber. After a year at Jedi Academy, Roan's opinion was "Who needs Pilot School? I'm going to be a Jedi!"

Powers and abilities
Roan was discovered relatively late in life to have a powerful ability to draw upon the Force. Identified as a force-sensitive by Jedi Grand Master Yoda and Principal Mar, he was invited to attend Jedi academy on Coruscant, where he quickly learned to draw upon the power of the Force. Though Roan had trouble learning to trust the Force at first, he proved eventually be a powerful adept at the skill of telekinesis. He also learned skills in lightsaber combat and how to draw upon the Force to see visions of the present and future. In addition to Force skills, Roan proved an able student when it came to the school's more general curriculum in areas such as physics and home economics. Roan was also a talented artist, having begun drawing at an early age. He published a series of comics known as Ewok Pilot that proved extremely popular with his fellow students at the academy.

Behind the scenes
Jedi Academy series author Jeffrey Brown states that Roan is the character from his books he identifies with the most and that many of the events and situations involving Roan are based on ones from his own middle and high school years.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Jedi Academy
 * Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan