10 Most Powerful Jedi From The ‘Star Wars’ Expanded Universe
I like to think of myself as a pretty avid Star Wars fan. I know a lot about the main saga. I've built my own theories about what certain things could mean or the potential of what the story could become. I'm also pretty well versed in the Disney Star Wars era. However, the Expanded Universe, or Legends as it has come to be known by many, is a part of Star Wars lore that I know very little about. The Expanded Universe is much like a legend to me - a part of the story that I've only heard about.
So why would I, a self-proclaimed noob when it comes to the SWEU, be writing an article about 10 of the most powerful Jedi from the EU? How does any noob become an expert? By doing the research. This article will not only help me understand more about such a cherished part of Star Wars among fans but will allow me to help others know the basics as well. Let's get started.
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Mara Jade
A woman of many talents with a troubled past, Mara Jade was raised as a servant and later assassin to Emperor Palpatine. Utilizing her natural ability with the force, Palpatine trained Jade to carry out his bidding, including one final order in the case of his untimely death - to kill Luke Skywalker. However, in the chaos after the Empire's destruction, Jade found herself smuggling. This would lead her into a situation where she was forced to work with Luke and eventually gain respect for him.
Keeping intermittent contact over the years with Luke, who was training Jedi on Yavin 4, Mara climbed through the smuggler's ranks, eventually taking over the Smugglers' Alliance. After some time and many missions working together, Luke and Mara fell in love and were soon married. From that moment on, she devoted her life to the New Jedi Order, honing her skills with the help of her husband until she became one of the most skilled and powerful Jedi Masters. She took her niece Jaina Solo as her apprentice and later was killed by her nephew Jacen Solo after she learned he had become a Sith.
Jaina Solo
Jaina Solo inherited the skills and force sensitivity of her parents, Han and Leia. This led to her eventual training at the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 with her uncle Luke Skywalker, making her one of the most powerful Jedi. However, Jaina became powerful due to the many different experiences she went through in her life. Soon after her training, she became a Rogue Squadron pilot during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Being on the frontlines of almost every major battle, she soon built a reputation and took on the moniker, the Sword of the Jedi.
After the death of her younger brother Anakin Solo, she began to fall dangerously close to the dark side of the force. After being redeemed by Jedi Master Kyp Durron, she and her brother Jacen Solo took command of Rogue Squadron. Unfortunately, the result led to the duo splitting due to Jacen's increasingly aggressive actions. However, it wasn't until after Jacen killed their aunt and Jaina's Master, Mara Jade, that she sought to find a way to stop her brother. Jade joined forces with Boba Fett, who trained her to fight her brother with the skill and ruthlessness of the Mandalorians. She defeated her brother, now known as Darth Caedus, on the Star Destroyer named after their brother: Anakin Solo. Following his death, she remained an active member of the New Jedi Order, fighting alongside her uncle in many notable battles.
Anakin Solo
The youngest member of the Solo family, Anakin, was named after his grandfather. Due to this, the pressure and fear of being lured to the dark side weighed heavy on him. He began his training at age 11 with his friend Tahiri Veila and went on many adventures.
He played a pivotal part during the Yuuzhan Vong War not long after his training. His greatest test came early in the war when the Yuuzhan Vong used a tactic that would put a moon on a collision course with the planet Anakin, his father, and Chewbacca were on. In an attempt to save Chewbacca, Anakin took control of the Falcon with his father on the entrance ramp, ready to grab Chewie. Unfortunately, a blast of wind pushed Chewie just out of Han's reach, and Chewie was lost in the destruction. After the loss and subsequent damage to Han and Anakin's relationship, Anakin began to dig deeper into the Jedi arts. Using Jedi tactics, he became instrumental in ending the war. Later, during a mission to stop the Jedi-killing creatures called Voxyns. Anakin was overwhelmed and used force energy to disintegrate the enemy and died a beacon of light, sacrificing himself for his brother and sister and Tahiri.
Kyle Katarn
Once a former Imperial Officer, Kyle Katarn defected and became famous by performing covert missions for the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic. However, Katarn feared the dark side of the force, declining to train with Luke Skywalker. Soon after, Kyle Katarn taught Mara Jade the ways of the force after shutting herself off due to her past connection with the Emperor. Agreeing to train her, the two took up a rare bond of being each other's master and apprentice. During an Imperial assault, Katarn found Sith ruins which briefly corrupted him until Jade opened herself up to his killing blow during a duel. This action snapped him out of the darkness and back into the light.
Luke again offered to train him after creating the Jedi Praxeum, Katarn finally accepting, believing that this would tame the darkness within him. However, this thinking was disturbed when his fellow trainees and friends fell to the dark side. Discouraged and fearful, Katarn left the order and the force, entrusting his lightsaber with Luke. He soon returned to being a mercenary and became ruthless, leaving a destructive trail hunting down remnant Imperial Officers. Kyle and Luke teamed up shortly after for some key moments to help build the New Jedi Order, where he became a Jedi Master.
Revan
Thousands of years before the events of The Phantom Menace, Revan, known as the Butcher and the Prodigal Knight, played pivotal roles not only as a Jedi but also as a Sith. Revan studied under many different Jedi Master's and quickly became a Jedi Knight alongside his close friend, Alek. Revan was very outspoken and critical of the Jedi Order's decision to not take action during the Mandalorian Wars. Revan and his friend Alek, now Malak, defied the Counsel by joining the Republic Military and appointed Supreme Commander. After defeating the Mandalorian leader, Revan and Malak followed a mysterious Sith influence, leading them to a dark discovery.
In the Unknown Regions, the two found a new Sith Empire and were turned to the dark side by the Sith Emperor. Now known as Darth Revan, he broke free from the mental hold of the Emperor and created his own empire with an ancient space station: the Star Forge. The newly appointed Sith Lords waged war on the Republic, resulting in the Jedi Civil War. It was then that his apprentice and friend Malak betrayed him and was captured by the Jedi. Wiping his memory, the Jedi gave him a new identity where he helped the Republic take down the Star Forge and his former apprentice Malak.
Now a Jedi Master, Revan, sought to find answers from his past memories. The Sith captured Revan in the Unknown Regions, where he was held for 300 years and tortured. After being recused by the Republic, he worked on finding a way to destroy the Sith Empire but failed when he was defeated by an Imperial strike team. The torture he endured during his captivity, however, splintered his mind. Refusing to die, the dark side of Revan took over in search of a way to destroy the Sith Emperor. After one failed attempt and Revan's final death, his spirit aided the heroes in defeating the Sith Emperor. Finally able to become one with the force, Revan's legacy lived, eventually helping create the philosophy of the Rule of Two.
Galen Marek
Codenamed Starkiller, Galen Marek was taken by Darth Vader after he discovered the location of a Jedi hiding on Kashyyyk. There Vader confronted Kento Marek, Galen's father. During the battle, in an attempt to save his father, Galen used the force to take Vader's lightsaber. This attempt was futile when Vader choked the life from Kento, killing him. Seeing the boys' potential with the force, Vader took Galen, making him his secret apprentice.
Now known as Starkiller, he did Vader's bidding, hunting down the remaining Jedi. Here is where he meets Juno Eclipse, his pilot chosen by Vader himself to escort Starkiller to his missions. It was two Jedi, however, that began to reach Galen's true heart. Eyes opened to the truth of who he is, Galen starts to help the rebellion build their forces and take on the Emperor and Vader. This attempt to destroy two of the most powerful beings in the galaxy failed after Galen sacrificed himself to save his friends and keep the flame of rebellion alive.
Six months after his death, Galen was taken by Vader to the Cloning facility on Kamino. Here he spent years learning how to perfect the cloning process to create a perfect clone of a force user. Finally succeeding in cloning Galen, Vader worked to purge his mind of any remnants of his love for Juno Eclipse and his loyalty to his rebel friends. One day pushing a little too hard, clone Galen turned on Vader and broke out of the cloning facility, and fled to find answers to his past self's memories. He searches for his friend Rahm Kohta hoping to gain his help in rallying some troops to attack the cloning facility on Kamino.
In his search to find the truth about who he is, Galen ran into Jedi Master Yoda on Dagobah. There he entered a cave similar to that of Luke in Empire. In the cave is where Galen discovers that Juno is in trouble and under attack by the Empire. He rushes to reach her, but Vader has different plans, using Juno as bait to lure Galen back to Kamino. This plan proves successful; however, Vader fails at killing Galen and instead gets captured after the clone overpowers Vader by using the force to restrain him. Unfortunately, this is where Galen's story ends, as the game series featuring his character was canceled. Fans have speculated about where his story may have ended up.
Jacen Solo
Son to Han and Leia Organa Solo, Jacen Solo grew up to be a mighty Jedi Knight. Much like his grandfather, Jacen shared similar hotshot qualities and his desire to protect the galaxy no matter the cost. Unfortunately, this ideology would eventually be his downfall. Much like his grandfather, Jacen fell into darkness, becoming Darth Cadeus. However, during his Jedi years, Jacen trained alongside his younger brother, Anakin, on Yavin 4 at the Jedi Praxeum under their uncle, Luke. He was an instrumental part of the success against the Yuuzhan Vong.
After the death of his younger brother, Anakin, during a strike team assault against the Voxyn Queen, Jacen took over as team leader, killing the queen and ending the Voxyn threat. He spent a year in captivity being tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong. His teachings began to slip as he fell into darkness during this time. After escaping his captor, he learned from different forces using sects, which eventually led him on a year-long descent into the dark side. Now, Darth Caedus, Jacen went on in his assault against the Jedi and his family. Jacen committed many atrocities by killing his aunt Mara Jade and torturing his former apprentice Ben Skywalker (Luke and Mara's son). He even took his late brother's best friend and made her his Sith apprentice. However, his reign would not last much longer after his sister Jaina confronted and killed her brother.
Tahiri Veila
Tahiri Veila lived a similar life to Luke Skywalker. She was born on Tatooine. The daughter of two moisture farmers who were killed, Tahiri was adopted by the Tuskens, where her force abilities were discovered by a Jedi Master who brought her to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4. There she formed a close friendship with young Anakin Solo. Her combat skills were nearly unmatched due to her life among the Sand People.
She fought alongside her friend Anakin through the Yuuzhan Vong war until the ill-fated mission to destroy the Voxyn. After the death of Anakin, with whom she had begun to build deeper feelings for was heartbroken and overcome by a personality implanted by the Vong. Eventually, Tahiri learned to successfully unify both of her personalities, where she then infiltrated the Yuuzhan Vong and learned information that would be crucial in ending the war.
During another the Dark Nest Crisis, Veila was banished for revealing confidential information about the Jedi. Although becoming a member of the Order again sometime later, she would renounce the Jedi joining Anakin's fallen brother Jacen Solo, now Darth Caedus. Before Caedus' death, she would renounce the Sith and live life as an outcast and bounty hunter. She assisted the Jedi in many different missions during her time as a bounty hunter. Finally, she returned to her ranks in the Jedi Order during their conflict with the Abeloth, a lost Sith tribe.
Rahm Kota
Mace Windu discovered Rahm Kota's force sensitivity and brought him to the Council on Coruscant when Rahm was 18. Although older than the required age to become a Jedi, Kota was eventually trained by Jedi Master Yoda. Later becoming a General during the Clone Wars. Rahm didn't trust the clones and opted to have his own militia. This boded well for Rahm as after the execution of Order 66, he was able to survive as he didn't have any clones under his command. After going into hiding, Rahm became interested in Darth Vader, hoping to find a way to confront him. He soon found his opportunity when Vader sent none other than Galen Marek to find and kill Rahm Kota. However, during the confrontation with "Starkiller," he loses his sight, forcing him back into hiding. His confidence was shaken, and his connection to the force weakened. Kota turned to drink to cope with his failures.
However, not long after, Kota has another run-in with Galen, this time with a request to help him fight the Empire. Although discouraged by his predicament, Kota senses a bright spot in Galen's heart and agrees to help him. Kota contacts an old friend, Senator Bail Organa, to rally a rebellion to set up a skirmish against Vader and the Emperor. During the battle on the Death Star, Kota attempted to attack the Emperor, only to be thwarted by his force lightning. Kota was, however, able to help the senators escape the Emperor's capture with their lives with the help of Galen Marek's sacrifice. Unfortunately, he was later captured and forced to fight in gladiatorial games for the amusement of the ruler of Cato Neimoidia. He was found by Galen Marek's clone and freed to help him capture Vader on Kamino and save his love, Juno Eclipse.
Kyp Durron
Kyp Durron became a polarizing figure in the galaxy after becoming a Jedi Master under Luke Skywalker and the New Jedi Order and was responsible for the many deaths during an anti-Imperial rampage. Durron held deep anger in him that became exploited by a dark spirit of a Sith named Exar Kun. However, he was saved by Han Solo, who took him to Luke on Yavin 4. He would steal a superweapon that he used to destroy several Imperial targets. Then after realizing that he killed his own brother in the process, Kun, the entity influencing him, was banished from him. It was then that Kyp Durron would accept being Luke's pupil and eventually become one of the first Jedi Masters of the New Jedi Order.
Kyp desired more than anything to atone for his actions, but his aggressive actions towards his enemies prevented him from obtaining them fully. This became true during the Vong war. He rallied like-minded Jedi to follow him into battle against Luke's wishes. After a handful of losses in the war, Kyp took on Jaina Solo as his apprentice for a brief time. This would lead to reconciliation in his relationship with his Master Luke. The two would work closely together through to the end of the war, and eventually, Kyp Durron would be seated on the newly formed Jedi Council as one of Luke Skywalker's most trusted advisors.
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Source(s): screenrant.com, cbr.com, denofgeek.com, starwars.fandom.com