By Maxine Morrell
The Thrawn trilogy introduced us to the first of the next generation of heroes, the Solo twins, Jaina and Jacen. Today we will be highlighting the legendary, Jaina Solo Fel. The Sword of the Jedi.
Jaina Solo was born in 9 ABY on Coruscant during the emergence of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Even before she was born, she and her twin brother Jacen were already being targeted by the evil forces of the dark side, specifically the mad dark jedi, Joruus C’baoth. Luckily the attempts at kidnapping the Solo kids were thwarted by their parents and uncle. Over the years of her childhood, Jaina had been kidnapped and threatened with death numerous times, needless to say, hers was not a normal childhood and all through her life, Jaina’s life would be anything but normal.
While Jaina looked a lot like her mother, she mostly took after her roguish father, sharing his mechanical aptitude and hot headed nature. She was also an excellent pilot just like her father and uncle. All through her childhood, Jaina loved to take apart mechanics and tinker with them, even her room at her uncle’s Jedi academy was cluttered with bits and pieces of various parts and junk. She would often build containers for her brother Jacen’s menagerie of creatures he had found in Yavin’s jungles.
At the age of 13, Jaina and her twin brother started their Jedi training with their uncle at his Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4. In her studies, she became close friends with the princess of Hapes, Tenel Ka, Chewbacca’s nephew, Lowbacca and Raynar Thul. Jaina would form lifelong bonds with these friends and would embark on many adventures with them through her teen years at the Jedi Academy. At such a young age, Jaina had a hand in the defeat of the Second Imperium and the Diversity Alliance which these stories are detailed in the Young Jedi Knights series. After Jaina graduates the Jedi academy’s basic training, she is taken on as a padawan to her aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker.
Shortly thereafter Jaina would be drawn into the bloodiest war the galaxy had ever known. Jaina would be a key player in the Yuuzhan Vong war, she would always be on the front lines along with the rest of her family. Due to her expert piloting skills, Jaina would be put onto the legendary Rogue Squadron, Jaina would fly with the Rogue’s at many battles during the Vong war. Specifically during the battle of Ithor, she would meet the ace pilot, Jagged Fel whom she would share a budding romance with during the war. During the war, Jaina would experience unknowable loss, losing countless wingmates, Chewbacca and her little brother Anakin.
After the final defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong at Coruscant, Jaina would be involved in the Dark Nest crisis in which Jaina would fight on the side of the Killiks as she was a Joiner in their nest for a while. It was during the Dark Nest crisis where she would see Jagged Fel again and ultimately cause him to be exiled from his family in Chiss space. It was also during this crisis that Jaina would notice a drastic change in her twin brother after he returned from his five year sojourn.
Two years later, Jaina would have to bear witness to her twin brother slowly fall into the dark side and become Darth Caedus, in what would become the second galactic civil war. Jaina would experience the sting of loss once more when Jacen murdered their aunt, Mara Jade, all the while experiencing the heart-rending corruption of her brother and best friend. Also during this time, Jaina would reconnect with Jagged Fel and the two would start falling for each other once more, much to the dismay of her childhood friend, Zekk.
To end her brother’s tyranny, Jaina was given the heartbreaking task of having to hunt down and kill Jacen. To prepare for her inevitable fight with her brother, she sought out famous bounty hunter and one of her fathers rival, Boba Fett. for weeks, Jaina trained in the fighting ways of the Mandalorians and eventually became skilled enough to defeat even the best of Fett’s mandos. At the battle of Uroro station, Jaina boarded her brother’s flagship and in a brutal and vicious duel, she defeated her fallen brother, forever scarring her heart.
Two years later, Jaina would be involved in the Lost tribe of the Sith crisis and the awakening of the ancient force entity, Abeloth. During this time, Jaina would help her uncle Luke and cousin Ben in fighting the emergent Sith, quickly gaining herself a feared reputation among the Sith and Vestara Khai. Jaina would be present during the battle of Coruscant against the Sith and Abeloth, fighting primarily inside the Jedi temple, absolutely trampling lost tribe members and showcasing her amazing skill and power in the force. It was also during this crisis that Jaina would be granted the rank of master and appointed to the Jedi council.
After the defeat of Abeloth and the Lost tribe, Jaina would marry Jagged Fel in a beautiful wedding surrounded by friends and family. Finally some happiness for Jaina after a life of loss, pain and war.
Unfortunately, Jaina’s story in the EU ends there due to the EU being discontinued by Disney. Jaina’s story was planned to be continued in the canceled Sword of the Jedi trilogy that was to be written by Christie Golden. Maybe one day we will see this story come to light, Jaina is a spectacular character and she deserves to have her story told.
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