Book Review: 'Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force'
Possible Spoilers For Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Unifying Forces
“This day has been years in the making. What we do from this moment forward will test our fealty to the Force in a way that the Jedi haven’t been tested in more than a generation. Be mindful that we are not the purveyors of conflict and inequity, but the guardians of peace and justice. Above all, we want what the Force wants, no matter where that leads us. If some of us are not seen again today, that does not mean that our actions will have been in vain or will not be remembered.”
-Jedi Master Luke Skywalker laying out the future of the Jedi
Secrets are revealed. Friends are avenged. And the galaxy narrowly avoids falling into the chaos of eternal darkness. The Unifying Force is the final title in the disruptive and long-running The New Jedi Order series, pitting the New Republic and the Jedi Order against the alien warrior race, the Yuuzhan Vong.
The story starts out well enough with a group of prisoners staging a breakout for critical information to rescue well-known heroes from their sacrifice at the hands of the Vong. Elsewhere, the Jedi are establishing themselves on the living planet Zonoma Sekot, which will have great consequences for the end of the war. The planet’s arrival at Coruscant heralds a false Vong prophecy and disrupts the Vong hierarchy. That sets the stage for the grand finale with the Jedi facing the Supreme Overlord Shimrra (secretly under the thrall of his Shamed One jester, Onimi), who wields the late Anakin Solo’s lightsaber. The third Solo child may have given his life for his comrades at a key point earlier in the war, but his life still has a great impact on the course of the galaxy.
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Jacen Solo uses the power of the Force to end Onimi’s reign, leading to the Yuuzhan Vong surrender, and ending the years-long conflict. In the aftermath, the Skywalkers and Solos reunite and the galaxy begins to rebuild. Luke, for his part, suggests that his Jedi Order believes in the Unifying Force, which is the idea that the best way to serve the Force is to act accordingly to their consciences, aiding or staying out of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliance affairs.
Although Warmaster Nas Choka expected the defeated Vong to be executed, they ended up with a bit of leniency. They were forced to settle on Sekot, which took them into the Unknown Regions to make a new civilization for themselves and to hide from possible reprisals.
Throughout the series, the Yuuzhan Vong have been the villains you love to hate. Although it may seem like the perfect solution to grant the Vong warrior caste the death they all crave, revenge is not the Jedi way. There is also poetic justice since the seed that became Zonoma Sekot originally came from the original Yuuzhan Vong world from an ancient conflict.
Overall, Unifying Forces follows the most resolute, classic (and new), and excitable characters in Star Wars Legends, and James Luceno’s text is always exemplary and chock full of lore references. The action is both well-scripted and constant, so the reader can follow along the journey and enjoy plenty of space battles that the saga is known for. The new Force powers and post-war politics may be a subject of debate, but here they fit perfectly. It follows the best traditions of previous Star Wars works in that aspect. Perhaps it wraps up too many threads too quickly, but as a finale, it is almost pitch-perfect and succeeds in setting up the next stages of the expanded universe.
Rating: 8/10
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