Den of Geek takes a look back at the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order book series.
Here’s why it’s still important.
If I timed it right, I would finish well beforeThe Force Awakensturned theStar Warsuniverse upside down.
The series also ties back to the Prequel Era.
The novelRogue Planettells of Obi-Wan and Anakin encountering Zonama Sekot, the key to saving the galaxy inNJO.
Luke Skywalker himself is a critical character in the series, but not an incredibly active one.
His characterization is sometimes wildly undecided, perhaps due to the different authors contributing to the series.
We see her give a shot to desperately save the New Republic from its inevitable self-destruction.
The New Jedi Orderis full of epic space battles, dramatic fight scenes, and strange aliens.
The Yuuzhan Vong themselves are frightening, equipped with oozing, moving, living weapons.
The series also introduces a great mix of new characters with which to explore these new concepts.
Droma, an adventurous Ryn, becomes Han Solos co-pilot on the Falcon after the high-profile demise of Chewbacca.
Alemas sister is violently killed.
(For what its worth, Alema does go to the dark side in a later series.)
However, there might still be some similarities betweenNJOand the Sequel Trilogy.
Its a plausible assumption.
I started re-reading the series for a couple of reasons.
One is a bit simpler than the other.
The other motivation was more naval-gazing, perhaps more selfish.
I wanted to know how my tastes had changed since I first read the series as a teenager.
There wasnt, but the series seemed to acknowledge that, too.
Later in the series, Nen Yim finds out that the Eighth Cortex is empty.
There is no secret weapon, no revelation to turn the tide of the war.
My own relationship with fandom is like the Eighth Cortex.
There isnt any world-shaking secret in it.
I just like the stories.
And in reading the stories, it is affirmed that secrets arent the point.
The cliches that say its about the journey and the people you meet along the way are right.
Megan Crouse is a staff writer.
