Star Wars: The New Jedi Order

"I had fought the worst of all wars, and witnessed the redemption of evil. I've seen balance restored to the Force. But order can turn to chaos… as it did when I was born. Now, with my loved ones and my loyal allies, I face a new challenge unlike any before. And I'm not sure if this time we can win."

- Luke Skywalker

The New Jedi Order, commonly abbreviated as the NJO, is a multi-author book series that was published by Del Rey between 1999 and 2003, consisting of nineteen novels, three eBook novellas, and three short stories. Twelve authors in total contributed to the series, which was a collaborative effort conceived by representatives of Del Rey, Lucasfilm Ltd., and Dark Horse Comics during meetings at Skywalker Ranch in 1997 and 1998. The NJO is a chronological storyline covering a four-year span of galactic history, beginning twenty-one years after the events of Return of the Jedi and telling the story of an invasion of the galaxy by a race of extra-galactic religious zealots.

Within the NJO's pages, the Yuuzhan Vong begin a massive invasion of the galaxy, and quickly gain ground despite efforts at repulsion made by the New Republic and Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order. Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and a new generation of heroes battle the bloodthirsty fanatics as they overtake an unprepared Republic, killing untold numbers of innocents and devastating countless planets, even conquering the galactic capital of Coruscant. Eventually, a rebuilt galactic government, aided by the Jedi and the mysterious living planet Zonama Sekot, overthrow the Yuuzhan Vong and save the galaxy. Characters from the original Star Wars trilogy of films play large roles, as do established Expanded Universe characters and new additions to the galaxy far, far away, all working together to repel the invaders.

As a large-scale project the likes of which Star Wars had never seen before, the NJO was an undertaking that was supervised closely by Lucasfilm Ltd. and kept consistent by a team of continuity advisors. It spawned many entries to the New York Times Best Seller List, and paved the way for future multi-author projects such as Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi. Several tie-in sourcebooks, magazine articles, and comic books were published, helping to expand the New Jedi Order era within the Star Wars mythos. As with any work of Star Wars media, fan reception was mixed, but the legacy of The New Jedi Order continues to be felt today.

Conception
"It goes against all the safe conditions of putting together a series of books. Safe would have said copy what's happened before. Safe would have said don't do anything bigger than a trilogy. They chose a more gutsy approach. I salute them for it."

- R.A. Salvatore

Bantam Spectra and Lucasfilm Ltd. had been publishing Star Wars novels written by various authors throughout the 1990s, beginning with 1991's Heir to the Empire, which quickly reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Following the book's success, both companies agreed that every subsequent novel would form a part of a larger cohesive continuity. In 1997, the publishing contract for Star Wars novels was renegotiated with Del Rey, the publishing imprint of Ballantine Books, and the decision was made to produce a large series which would take several years to publish. Under the Bantam license, the majority of novels released had been trilogies or stand-alones; despite the continuity, many novels were being written simultaneously and published in close succession of one another. This often led to stories which took place later in the timeline being published prior to stories which took place earlier. The planned Del Rey series, however, would be one large chronological story line covering a five-year span of galactic history.

Dark Horse Comics, which had been contracted to publish Star Wars comics since 1991, conceived of the idea of an "Invasion" storyline rocking the galaxy, and began to plant the seeds of the eventual story by introducing the character of Nom Anor, who appeared as an advance agent of what would eventually become the invading forces in the first issue of Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood, released in November 1998. Following the conception of Anor's character, planning meetings were held at Skywalker Ranch to discuss what would eventually become The New Jedi Order. Attendants at the meetings included Lucas Licensing Executive Editor Sue Rostoni, Del Rey Editor at Large Shelly Shapiro, Lucasfilm Director of Publishing Lucy Autrey Wilson, Dark Horse Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley, and several of the authors who were already onboard, including Michael A. Stackpole, James Luceno, and several comic book authors. Stradley suggested the invasion idea, and it quickly became the premise of the series. The invaders were conceived of as being dark Force-users.

As many of the novels published under Bantam Spectra had dealt with the New Republic's continuing war against the Empire,  it was decided to introduce a newer, larger, and meaner threat. Shapiro had often heard fans complain that nothing significant happened to any primary character in the novels published by Bantam, and that the Galaxy Far, Far Away had grown too safe for the heroes, preventing any serious drama from occurring. In the NJO's initial planning sessions, ideas were brainstormed concerning what kind of crisis the characters would face, and everyone present agreed that it was necessary to shake things up by killing a previously "invincible" character. The death of Luke Skywalker was proposed, but the idea was vetoed by George Lucas himself; Lucas also indicated that C-3PO and R2-D2 were off-limits. It was felt that killing Han Solo, Princess Leia, or Lando Calrissian would not have the dramatic impact that the planning team was looking for, which prompted Stradley to suggest Chewbacca, who, despite being a fan-favorite character, had rarely significantly contributed to a novel's plot; Stradley referred to him as the "quintessential supporting character." It was felt that the death of a previously untouchable character would give the series its needed emotional impact, but putting Chewbacca on the chopping block was not an easy decision on the part of the creative team, causing many tears to be shed. Once the final decision was made, Chewbacca's death was approved by George Lucas.

It was also decided during the initial planning stages that a new generation of characters would play a large part in the series. The role of the older generation would remain as important, however&mdash;Shapiro indicated that one of the stimuli for the series had been that Bantam authors had been unable to develop Han Solo's character. As such, the two generations would star and develop in tandem. At the time, the twin offspring of Han and Leia, Jacen and Jaina Solo, were being developed as Jedi-in-training within the pages of the Young Jedi Knights young reader books, and the youngest Solo child, Anakin, had recently starred in his own young reader books, the Junior Jedi Knights series. Anakin was slated to be the hero of the NJO, and it was decided that Jacen would die midway through its run. However, Lucas stepped in again, worried that Anakin's heroic story would too closely parallel the story of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, which was to be told in the forthcoming Star Wars prequel trilogy. Thus, the roles of the Solo brothers were swapped.

Lucas also dictated that the villains could not be Force-users, and, at that point, ceased his involvement with the series. The planning team then constructed a rough outline of the plot direction of the NJO, and began to choose more authors, some of whom were suggested by Shapiro, and some by Lucas Licensing and subsequently approved by her. The planning team had a general idea of how the series would end, but intended the NJO to be an organic and adaptive series, open to new directions and not carved in stone. James Luceno began to write a "series bible" that would coordinate all of the story arcs and function as a database for new characters and continuity. A continuity team was formed that included Luceno and Daniel Wallace, who expanded the galaxy map and began keeping track of new Jedi introduced in the series. They encouraged authors to re-use Jedi in later books rather than inventing new ones. Throughout the series' run, Lucasfilm Ltd. supervised the NJO's production much more closely than they had the Bantam-issued novels.

The series' villains were eventually developed into the Yuuzhan Vong, an extra-galactic race of religious zealots bent on conquering the galaxy. The name "Yuuzhan Vong" was derived from a French-Thai restaurant in New York City where several members of the planning team were eating. A peace treaty with the remnants of the Empire, and the seeds of an alien invasion plotline, were laid in 1998's Vision of the Future, a novel by Timothy Zahn published under Bantam's contract.

Related nonfiction

 * Vector Prime television commercial
 * The New Jedi Order in 100 Easy Lessons
 * The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
 * Making a Full Recovery
 * Mission to Myrkr
 * Who's Who in the New Jedi Order
 * Star Wars: New Jedi Order Round-Robin Interview

Plot synopsis
The series begins 21 years after the Rebel Alliance destroyed the second Death Star. The New Republic is facing internal conflict while trying to maintain peace. A new, unknown enemy called the Yuuzhan Vong, emerges from the outer galaxy, beginning what will be known as the Yuuzhan Vong War. The Jedi, along with the New Republic, struggle to resist this new alien race while it steadily pushes forward, annihilating or occupying different parts of the galaxy.

Character arcs
As the longest continuous series of novels in the EU, the NJO was able to establish several long-term character arcs. Many new or previously underused characters were put into the spotlight and were developed extensively over the course of the series. Among the most prominent character arcs:


 * Ganner Rhysode: Rhysode began the series as an arrogant young Jedi, a trait best shown when, on assignment with Corran Horn, he mocked Horn's inability to use telekinesis, claiming that this made him a lesser Jedi. Rhysode gradually became more humble over the course of the series, especially after watching many of his friends die on the mission to Myrkr. After Jacen Solo was captured during this mission, Rhysode went searching for him, even though, in Jacen's words, "we weren't even friends"; Rhysode died fighting thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors so that Jacen and Vergere could escape. It was foreseen that in the future, the Yuuzhan Vong would eventually worship a new god called "the Ganner", referring almost admiringly, to Rhysode's last stand.


 * Tahiri Veila: Not fully developed in her original role&mdash;Anakin's friend from Junior Jedi Knights&mdash;Tahiri was pushed to a starring role in the NJO. When the Yuuzhan Vong captured Yavin 4, she was taken prisoner and subjected to experiments designed to create a Vong-Human hybrid. Anakin eventually rescued her, which stirred the romantic feelings they had had for years; when Anakin died above Myrkr, Tahiri was devastated. At this time, the Yuuzhan Vong personality implanted in her began to periodically take control, and Tahiri would wrestle with this for the duration of the series. Unlike most of the other Jedi, she had a peculiar empathy with the Yuuzhan Vong; at the end of the series, she chose to stay on Zonama Sekot in order to continue learning about the Yuuzhan Vong and to help them build a better society.


 * Jacen Solo: Jacen underwent perhaps the most complete and controversial arc of the NJO. He began the series as someone who actively questioned whether it was right to use the Force as a weapon. Many fans were frustrated by what they saw as his inaction; in some fannish circles, he received the nickname "Jacen Prufrock". After being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong he withstood weeks of torture at the hands of Vergere, an Old Republic Jedi and Vong familiar. He emerged with a new view of the Force, including a willingness to use it offensively. During the battle to retake Coruscant, Jacen achieved a state of oneness with the Force that gave him a 'perfect mastery' and also aged him five years. At the end of the series, he was one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.

The New Order vs. the Old Order
The Order itself is philosophically distinct from the Jedi Order of the Old Republic (thus the Old Jedi Order) by a new Jedi Code and broadened view of the Force. The Order's titular head is Luke Skywalker, but other senior Jedi such as Kyle Katarn, Mara Jade and Kyp Durron have significant say in the Order's activities. The Order during the Yuuzhan Vong incursion polarizes into two major factions: that of Luke Skywalker, who feels that the Force should be used peacefully, like the Old Republic-era Jedi; and the faction of Kyp Durron, who holds that the Jedi should take a proactive, aggressive stance against enemies, hoping that in that way to live up to the Jedi's roles as "protectors" of the galaxy.

Character deaths
Several major characters die within the New Jedi Order series, an unusual departure from earlier Star Wars stories, and a source of criticism. The most controversial deaths among fans were Chewbacca and Anakin Solo. In a number of New Jedi Order books the characters who die seemed to be of key importance in the novels. The books also revealed the death of some major characters in the Star Wars universe that were not even introduced in the series.

It should be noted that while Mon Mothma did not die in the New Jedi Order series, she died directly prior to Vector Prime; her death was first revealed in the series.

Similarly, while Nom Anor is indicated to have died during the events of The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force, many fans believe he is still alive as his off-screen death allows for uncertainty as to whether he did in fact die.

Criticism and reaction
Timothy Zahn felt the series was too dark and straying from the "feel" of Star Wars. Randy Stradley, alleged that Del Rey used an invasion idea originating with Dark Horse and took it in directions they did not intend. Michael A. Stackpole, just after the publication of his NJO Dark Tide books, when asked what his new BattleTech books would involve, responded, "An alien invasion? No, a thousand times, no." However, author John Ostrander read and enjoyed the series.

In an interview published in The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force, Shelly Shapiro, the Editorial Director of Del Rey, expressed some regret over the "grimmer" aspects of the series and the Yuuzhan Vong themselves, as well as the timing of the novel The New Jedi Order: Star by Star, coming so soon after the September 11 attacks.

Television commercial
In 1999, Mark Hamill reprised his role as Luke Skywalker in a brief speaking role for the series. Hamill spoke as Luke Skywalker in a TV commercial for the first novel in the series, Vector Prime. In the commercial, released on the Sci Fi Channel in late 1999, he recalls the state that the galaxy is in at the present, compared to the times of the Empire.