Solo family
The Solo family is a fictional family of characters in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 1977 film Star Wars, smuggler Han Solo is initially a morally ambiguous character but evolves into one of the heroes of the film. He is also a major character in the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). In The Force Awakens, Han and Princess Leia have a son named Ben.
In the alternate Star Wars expanded universe of novels and comic books, Han and Leia have three children—Jaina, Jacen and Anakin Solo—who also appear as lead characters in several expanded universe books and other media.
Characters
Canon
Han Solo
Han first appears in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) where he is played by Harrison Ford. He and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca are initially hired to transport Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. Han and Chewbacca later become involved in the Rebel Alliance and are committed to its cause. Over the course of the franchise, Han becomes a military leader for the Alliance and marries Leia Organa, with whom he has a son named Ben.
Leia Organa
Leia first appears in Star Wars: A New Hope, played by Carrie Fisher. She is princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate and also an agent for the Rebel Alliance. She is later revealed to be the daughter of Darth Vader and twin sister of Luke Skywalker. Over the course of the franchise, Leia becomes a leader among the Alliance and later of the New Republic. She marries Han, with whom she has a son named Ben known as Kylo Ren when turned to the dark side.
Ben
Following the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), Leia and Han have a son, Ben. He is taught the ways of the Force by his uncle, Luke Skywalker, but is corrupted and turned to the dark side by Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Taking up the name "Kylo Ren", he sets out to destroy the First Order's enemy and his mother's militant force, the Resistance, as well as kill his former master, Luke.
Legends
In the Star Wars Legends continuity, King Berethon e Solo ruled the planet Corellia during the Golden Age of the Old Republic, and set up a constitutional monarchy in 312 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). His descendants continued to rule Corellia until the establishment of the Diktat centuries later. By 29 BBY, their declining status had driven them out of rule and into poverty. Han Solo was born during this time.
Following the events of the original film trilogy, Han is a hero of the Rebel Alliance, and marries Rebel leader Princess Leia in The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton.[1] Han and Leia have a twin son and daughter in Timothy Zahn's The Last Command (1993).[2] Leia becomes the Chief of State of the New Republic by the time of the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson, and during this period has another son with Han. All three of the Solo children become Jedi Knights under the tutelage of their maternal uncle Luke Skywalker.
Jaina Solo
Jaina Solo and her twin brother Jacen were created by Timothy Zahn in the Star Wars expanded universe novel The Last Command (1994).[3] She is the eldest child of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo, and has appeared in various novels and the Champions of the Force set for the Star Wars Miniatures game.[4]
Jaina, named after Han's mother, is born five minutes before her brother Jacen in the Thrawn trilogy (1991–93). The twins, and eventually their younger brother, live at various safe havens for their first few years under the protection of Leia's handmaiden Winter. The twins play a small role in Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy (1994).[5] In Champions of the Force (1994), Jaina helps her brother defend their unconscious uncle from the spirit of Sith Lord Exar Kun. In Vonda McIntyre's The Crystal Star (1994), Jaina is kidnapped and used in a plot, along with her siblings, to take advantage of their Force powers.[5] In the Corellian trilogy (1994), Jaina is again kidnapped but escapes. Jaina becomes a major character in Young Jedi Knights (1995) as Jaina and Jacen begin their Jedi training.[5]
Throughout the New Jedi Order series (1999–2003), Jaina pursues a life separate from her twin brother and becomes Mara Jade Skywalker's apprentice. Jaina progresses quickly as a Jedi and a pilot, eventually joining Rogue Squadron. She also develops a romantic relationship with Jagged Fel. She briefly becomes the apprentice of fallen Jedi Kyp Durron. Jaina's understanding and manipulation of Yuuzhan Vong technology causes them to associate her with their trickster goddess. She is present at the conclusion of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Walter Jon Williams, author of Destiny's Way (2002), noted that the plot concerning Jaina's love life caused some frantic rewrites.[6] Elaine Cunningham, author of the Dark Journey, commented that the story of the 2002 novel is a personal one focusing on a difficult time in Jaina's life.[7]
In The Joiner King (2005), Jaina and the Jedi Zekk are joined in the Killik hive. Jacen tricks them into attacking a Chiss base to provoke a war between the Chiss and the Killiks; Jaina, furious, vows that she will never fly with Jacen again. In the Legacy of the Force series (2006–08), Jacen throws Jaina out of the Galactic Alliance when she refuses to follow his order to destroy a crippled ship. She senses at this time a growing darkness in her twin. In Betrayal (2006), Jacen falls to the dark side of the Force, and Jaina realizes her duty as the "Sword of the Jedi" requires her to stop him. She turns to Boba Fett to train her. In Invincible (2008), Jaina duels and kills Jacen.
In the Fate of the Jedi series (2009–12), Jaina is promoted to Jedi Master by Luke Skywalker, and marries Jagged Fel.
Jacen Solo
Jacen Solo is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, introduced in the 1994 Star Wars expanded universe novel The Last Command.[3] He is a major character in several Star Wars novels, particularly as the protagonist of The New Jedi Order series and later as the antagonist of the Legacy of the Force series, in which he becomes known as Darth Caedus.[8][9]
IGN listed Jacen as #17 on their list of the top 100 Star Wars heroes, saying that he had a more "profound effect" than any other Solo children on the Star Wars setting.[10] Jesse Schedeen, writing for IGN, also listed him as #5 in a reader-inspired list of top Star Wars villains, and named the character's murder of Mara Jade as his "defining moment of villainy".[11] UGO.com listed Jacen as their top Star Wars expanded universe character, calling him "one of the most fearsome—and most tragic—villains in the Star Wars universe".[12]
Anakin Solo
Anakin Solo is the youngest child born to Han Solo and Princess Leia, and the younger brother of Jacen and Jaina Solo. Anakin is named for his maternal grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, and, like his namesake, is a talented pilot who is prodigiously gifted both in the Force and mechanical engineering.
Anakin appears as an infant and toddler in many Star Wars novels such as the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994). Anakin and his siblings play central roles in other novels such as The Crystal Star (1994), the Corellian trilogy (1995) and The New Rebellion (1996). Anakin's birth is featured in Tom Veitch's Dark Empire II comic book miniseries (May 1995). He is first referred to as Han Solo, Jr. by his father, but Leia corrects him, having named the baby after her biological father, Anakin Skywalker, as a reminder of hope. However, Anakin still fears the name and his grandfather's legacy.[13]
On October 1, 1995, Nancy Richardson started the Junior Jedi Knights series with The Golden Globe starring Anakin and his best friend Tahiri Veila. Anakin was now an eleven-year-old child starting his training at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.[13] Richardson continued Anakin's adventures in the following two novels, Lyric's World and Promises, before Rebecca Moesta finished the series with Anakin's Quest, Vader's Fortress, and Kenobi's Blade, starting in 1996. Anakin appears in the Young Jedi Knights series by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, which follows the adventures of Anakin's siblings, Jacen and Jaina.
In 1999, the first novel of the New Jedi Order series was published, entitled Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore. Anakin is now a teenager studying as a Jedi under his uncle, Luke Skywalker, debating with his brother, Jacen, on the ways of a Jedi and the Force. In the novel's climax, his father's copilot and best friend, Chewbacca, dies saving Anakin's life.
Anakin plays major roles in Dark Tide: Onslaught and Dark Tide: Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole published 1 February 2000 and 1 June 2000, respectively, and is the main focus of the books Edge of Victory: Conquest and Edge of Victory: Rebirth by Greg Keyes published April 1, 2001 and August 1, 2001, respectively.
In the 2001 novel Star by Star by Troy Denning, Anakin leads a team of Jedi to take out a dangerous enemy, resulting in his death. Writers of the New Jedi Order storyline revealed in a question-and-answer section of the paperback edition of The Unifying Force published on August 3, 2004 that Anakin was supposed to be the hero of the story and lead the Jedi Order, but this was changed due to the release of the Star Wars prequel films, in which the hero was also named Anakin. Instead, he dies in battle at the conclusion of the novel.
Even after his death, Anakin Solo has been mentioned several times in most following novels, including a possible appearance in Traitor by Matthew Stover, as a droid in Betrayal by Aaron Allston as Anakin Sal-Solo, and in Backlash, where he appeared to his maternal uncle Luke Skywalker and to Luke's son, Ben Skywalker by Aaron Allston.
Anakin is portrayed in the earlier books as being a genius and a loner, but is haunted by his name. In Lyric's World, it is revealed that he loves to take computers apart and put them back together and sees it as a puzzle.[14] He would also have dreams of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader trying to persuade him to fall to the dark side of the Force; Anakin overcomes this fear in Anakin's Quest, in which he confronts himself.[15]
In The New Jedi Order series, Anakin is older. He still spent time alone thinking about the role of the Force, and would get into arguments with his brother Jacen on the subject.[16] However, his uncle Luke still sees Anakin as too young and reckless.[17]
Reception
In 2008, IGN listed the Solo children as the 16th top Star Wars heroes.[18]
Family trees
Star Wars expanded universe (Legends)
Jonash
e Solo[lower-alpha 1]2,700 years
of Solo family
generationsBerethron
e Solo[lower-alpha 2]Unknown number
of generationsKorol
Solo[lower-alpha 2]Dalla Solo[lower-alpha 2]/
Den Solo[lower-alpha 3]Tira
Gama Solo[lower-alpha 3]Daughter[lower-alpha 2] Randil
Sal[lower-alpha 3]Tiion Gama
Sal-Solo[lower-alpha 3]Jonash
Solo[lower-alpha 2]Jaina
Solo[lower-alpha 4]Threkin
Horm[lower-alpha 2]Skywalker
familyHouse of
OrganaThrackan
Sal-Solo[lower-alpha 5]Han
Solo[lower-alpha 6]Leia
Organa[lower-alpha 2]Hapan
Royal HouseJagged
Fel[lower-alpha 7]Jaina
Solo[lower-alpha 8]Anakin
Solo[lower-alpha 9]Jacen
Solo[lower-alpha 8]Tenel Ka
Djo[lower-alpha 10]Allana
Solo[lower-alpha 10]One
generationAnia
Solo[lower-alpha 11]
- References
- ↑ Fry, Jason; Urquhart, Paul R. (2012). The Essential Guide to Warfare. Del Rey. ISBN 0345477626.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wolverton, Dave (1994). The Courtship of Princess Leia. Bantam Spectra. ISBN 0-553-08928-5.
- 1 2 3 4 Crispin, Ann C. (1997). The Paradise Snare. Bantam Spectra. ISBN 0-553-57415-9.
- ↑ Isabella, Tony (w). "Routine" Star Wars Tales #2 (January 5, 2000), Dark Horse Comics
- ↑ MacBride Allen, Roger (1995). The Corellian trilogy.
- ↑ Star Wars. 1977.
- ↑ Denning, Troy (2012). Apocalypse. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-50922-2.
- 1 2 Zahn, Timothy (1993). The Last Command. Bantam Spectra. ISBN 0-553-09186-7.
- ↑ Anderson, Kevin J. (1994). Jedi Academy trilogy.
- 1 2 Denning, Troy (2005). The Unseen Queen. Del Rey. ISBN 0-345-46303-X.
- ↑ Bechko, Corinna, Gabriel Hardman (w). Star Wars: Legacy (Volume II) comic series (2013–2014), Dark Horse Comics
See also
References
- ↑ Wolverton, Dave (1994). The Courtship of Princess Leia. Spectra. ISBN 0-553-08928-5.
- ↑ Zahn, Timothy (1993). The Last Command. ISBN 0-553-09186-7.
- 1 2 Zahn, Timothy (1993). The Last Command. Bantam Spectra. ISBN 0-553-09186-7.
- ↑ Hershey, Sterling; Sarli, Gary M. (June 8, 2006). "Champions of the Force Preview 7: Solo Twins and Jedi Sentinel". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Databank: Jaina Solo". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Destiny's Author: Walter Jon Williams". StarWars.com. September 30, 2002. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ↑ Hennessey-DeRose, Cristopher. "Shared Worlds: Elaine Cunningham interview". Zone-SF.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Answers from Aaron Allston". Lucasfilm. March 30, 2006. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- ↑ Kaszuba Locke, Josephine Anna (October 2006). "Interview: Aaron Allston". Bookloons. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- ↑ "Top 100 Star Wars Characters: #17 Jacen Solo". IGN. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (April 25, 2008). "Top Star Wars Villains: Fan Favorites". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Top 50 Star Wars Expanded Universe Characters". UGO.com. July 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- 1 2 Richardson, N. Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe. Boulevard, October 1995. ISBN 1-57297-035-9
- ↑ Richardson, N. Junior Jedi Knights: Lyric's World. Berkley Jam, June 1998. ISBN 0-425-16762-3
- ↑ Moesta, R. Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest. Boulevard, April 1997. ISBN 1-57297-136-3
- ↑ Salvatore, R. A. New Jedi Order: Vector Prime. Del Rey, October 1999. ISBN 0-345-42844-7
- ↑ Keyes, G. New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest. Del Rey, April 2001. ISBN 0-345-42864-1
- ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (August 12, 2008). "Top 25 Star Wars Heroes: Day 2". IGN. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
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