‘Star Wars’ Month — The ‘Young Jedi Knights’ Books Were Absolutely Amazing

All good things must end. After a month of toys, comics, movies, shows, and more, Comicon’s Star Wars month concludes.

We’ve extolled the virtues, and the pitfalls, of the many corners of Star Wars franchise media. From the films that began it all to the shows that carry on the spirit to comic books new and old to novels that are no longer any sort of canon.

Helping close this month out, I thought it was pertinent to talk about the past and the present in a two-fold way — doing it through the lens of the Star Wars Legacy editions, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, which is the aforementioned novel realm that isn’t canon.

Let’s talk about the Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights saga then, shall we?

I loved Star Wars from the moment my parents graced my science fiction loving impressionable mind with the saga. We devoured the films (the Ewok TV movies being the first we ever saw) both on VHS and in theaters when they returned for the special editions. I’ve consumed copious novels, comics, television series (animated and live action), parody specials, and more alongside the films for decades.

Despite all that, the series of novels in the Young Jedi Knights saga remains so close to my heart.

In the current canon, there is just one child born of the trio of heroes that headlined the original trilogy. That would be moody emo Ben “Kylo Ren” Solo (Adam Driver). A long time ago in a galaxy not far away though, there were more children and stories to be told.

The series was headlined by the twins Jacen and Jaina Solo as well as their younger brother Anakin Solo, their best friends Lowbacca (and trusty translator droid Em Teedee) — the nephew of Wookie hero Chewbacca — and Tenel Ka Djo, the daughter of Prince Isolder of the Hapes Consortium and Teneniel Djo, a witch from Dathomir. Fun fact: Isolder was once courting Princess Leia for marriage and Teneniel Djo was enamored with Luke Skywalker before the two married each other instead.

Thanks Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia, the weird gift that keeps on giving! That’s the book where Han Solo kidnapped Leia because she could have married someone else. Hey, I didn’t say all the EU stuff was bangers.

Far from it.

Anyways, running from 1995 to 1998, the Young Jedi Knights series was a popular entry point into the Expanded Universe for young readers like me. Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta wrote these stories featuring the young Jedi Academy students of Luke Skywalker based in the former rebel base on Yavin IV. Covers were by Star Wars legend Dave Dorman.

They battled everything from lost TIE Fighter pilots to a Shadow Academy to the Diversity Alliance, which was a bunch of non-human races seeking to overthrow the New Republic. Boba Fett returned to take them on and they had to stop the release of a virus.

These books were steeped in the themes of friendship, forgiveness, perseverance, guilt, and so many other things. Generally, they were lighthearted, but they didn’t shy away from harder subjects. An accident happens when the teens build their lightsabers, leaving one of them disabled in the aftermath. Guilt and forgiveness are paramount in this particular story, as well as continued kernels of burgeoning love.

All this didn’t stop in 1998 though.

No, these characters became more and more the backbone of the Expanded Universe as it grew and aged. The Star Wars: New Jedi Order era brought a new foe and war to the galaxy, with these characters often at the center. They were a part of fights, losses, wins, deaths, betrayals, and oh so much more.

One of their own became enamored with the Dark Side eventually — leading to even more tragedy, betrayal, loss, and growth for these characters and the legacy characters they were attached to.

These books gave me a thread into things that resonated with my teenage heart, stringing me along for most of the next decade of life and giving me something to root for in these characters I grew up alongside.

To me, these were my Star Wars characters.

They still are, to this day.

And that is where I bring the present into the matter. Oh, to have something like this right now that would be so accessible for new readers and give more foundation to build upon. Sure, there are new things happening in Star Wars, but so much of it is wrapped up around the same favorite toys and elements that don’t speak as much to younger audiences.

I’m not asking for these particular characters to be rolled back. That would be kind of silly and also would be exactly the favorite toy mentality I just pushed against. Instead, what I’m asking for is something similar in theme and spark. Right now the book lines from Lucasfilm serve to mostly extend stories from the shows and films, filling in gaps or expanding and keeping to that canon.

Give us a new expanded universe that stands alone from the canon and tells fun stories in a “what if” sort of way. Instead of us only having Ben Solo because we can’t have the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han too much between the films, let things expand even more. Give creators room to do big bold swings like they used to do and knock down the dominos in surprising or even groan-worthy ways.

Call it Absolute or Ultimate or whatever Star Wars.

Long live the Young Jedi Knights and the Expanded Universe.

With that, we close the door on this month and say until next time, may the Force be with you.