Authored by Barbara Hambly and brought to shelves by Bantam Spectra in April of 1995, Children of the Jedi stands as a bestselling Star Wars Legends novel. Functioning as the initial installment in a loose trilogy centered around the former Jedi Knight Callista Ming, the narrative unfolds a few months following the events of The Jedi Academy Trilogy. The subsequent entry in this sequence is Kevin J. Anderson's Darksaber (1995), succeeded by Planet of Twilight (1997), also penned by Hambly.
In 2007, an audio version was made available, with Anthony Heald lending his voice as the narrator.
On a critical mission for the struggling New Republic, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca embark on a quest to locate the lost offspring of the Jedi. Their journey leads them to Belsavis, a once-thriving stronghold now a desolate, frozen world. Tales abound of a Jedi departure from the planet's dark underground chambers, yet none who have ventured into these crypts have ever returned.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Luke Skywalker undertakes a similarly perilous expedition. Its failure could spell doom for Leia, Han, and Chewbacca. Driven by unsettling visions and an unknown Force, Luke travels to a remote asteroid field above Pzob. There, he discovers the automated Dreadnaught Eye of Palpatine, a relic from the height of galactic warfare.
Concealed within a dense gas cloud and dormant for three decades, the Eye of Palpatine is governed by an advanced artificial intelligence known as the Will. Aboard the Dreadnaught, Luke receives guidance from the spectral form of Callista, a Jedi Knight who once sacrificed herself to halt the ship. Now, Luke must learn from her how to permanently destroy it. The Will has been reactivated, and the Eye of Palpatine is mobilizing, its objective: the complete obliteration of Belsavis.
The mysteries of the crypts, the indomitable power of the Will, the missing Jedi, and the burgeoning romance between Luke and Callista converge in the climactic events of Children of the Jedi, the newest installment in the grand Star Wars saga.
The saga of George Lucas's blockbuster Star Wars universe reaches new heights as the Republic faces its greatest challenge yet in…
Children of the Jedi
For the sake of the fragile New Republic's survival, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca embark on a vital mission. Their goal: to find the long-lost Children of the Jedi on the icy world of Belsavis, from whose shadowy crypts no explorer has ever emerged alive. Simultaneously, Luke Skywalker is engaged in an equally treacherous endeavor halfway across the galaxy. Aboard the enemy Dreadnaught Eye of Palpatine, Luke must discover a means to disable the automated vessel before it carries out its programming: the total destruction of Belsavis. To succeed, Luke will require the assistance of Callista, the spirit of a Jedi Knight who previously gave her life to stop the ship. The enigma of the crypts, the Dreadnaught's immense power, the lost Jedi, and the growing affection between Luke and Callista all culminate in a breathtaking conclusion befitting the magnificent Star Wars narrative.
Twelve years following the Battle of Endor, Princess Leia, her family, and various other representatives of the New Republic make their way to Ithor to participate in the Time of Meeting, an event that happens once every three years. During this gathering, they are confronted by Drub McKumb, an old associate of Han Solo who seems to have lost his sanity. From his incoherent ramblings, they glean information about the Children of the Jedi and the planet where they were hidden, Belsavis. Accompanying Luke Skywalker are two of his new apprentices, Cray Mingla and Nichos Marr, both of whom were once part of the Children. While probing Nichos' mind for additional details, Luke uncovers coordinates leading to the Moonflower Nebula. The trio, along with C-3PO, decide to investigate these coordinates, while Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 set course for Belsavis.
While exploring the Moonflower Nebula, the Huntbird, the ship on loan to Luke, is attacked by plasma bolts originating from what appears to be an asteroid base concealed within the nebula's depths. This asteroid is revealed to be the automated Dreadnaught Eye of Palpatine, one of the Galactic Empire's earliest operational superweapon prototypes. Forced to make an emergency landing on Pzob, a primitive world inhabited by Gamorreans, the group encounters Triv Pothman, a former Stormtrooper stranded since 18 BBY. They are drawn into the conflict between the rival Gamorrean tribes Klagg and Gakfedd before being captured and brainwashed by the Eye into believing they are Imperial stormtroopers. Luke discovers that the Dreadnaught, reactivated after being disabled 30 years prior by Jedi Callista Masana and Geith Eris, was designed with the express purpose of destroying the Children of the Jedi. During its journey, the ship's artificial intelligence, The Will collects sentient beings from various species, including Talz, Affytechans, Jawas, Kitonaks, Tusken Raiders, Tripods, and Gamorreans. Luke must now devise a plan to stop the Will and rescue all the kidnapped beings. He will encounter Callista, whose spirit has been confined within the ship's data banks since her fateful mission, and the two quickly form a close bond.
Concurrently, Han Solo and Princess Leia delve into the fate of the Children of the Jedi within the domed community of Plawal. They uncover a vast network of tunnels and a conspiracy orchestrated by former Emperor's Hand Roganda Ismaren, who intends to install her son Irek as the new Emperor. Irek, who has a subelectronic converter implanted in his brain, can manipulate droids and computers through the Force. Roganda's scheme involves using Irek's abilities to control the Eye of Palpatine to impress the powerful lords of the Juvex and Senex sectors and leverage the superweapon, as well as their wealth and influence, to shift the momentum of the civil war.
However, their plot is thwarted when Luke, Cray, Nichos, and Callista succeed in destroying the Dreadnaught, resulting in the deaths of Nichos and Cray. In the end, Callista's spirit is resurrected in Cray's body, as Cray, not wishing to live without Nichos, willingly gives it up.
The initial concept for Callista Ming was that she would be "the great love of Luke Skywalker's life," a directive given to Barbara Hambly by Lucasfilm. However, due to the overwhelming fan response to the character Mara Jade from the Thrawn Trilogy, Lucasfilm decided that Skywalker and Jade would ultimately be paired together. Consequently, Anderson collaborated with Hambly to devise a method of gradually writing Ming out over the course of the subsequent novels, Darksaber and Planet of Twilight, without killing off the character.
The exact timeline of the story is inconsistent; various statements within the text place it in 11, 12, and 13 ABY. However, it is officially set in 12 ABY. It mentions that Leia is "not quite thirty," even though she would be thirty-one years old in 12 ABY.
The novel (along with Darksaber) asserts that the Clone Wars concluded before the Great Jedi Purge, and suggests that Order 66 may not have been issued until after Palpatine became Galactic Emperor. The prequel trilogy would not definitively establish this chronology for another decade.
Dannik Jerriko is misspelled as "Danik Jericho," SoroSuub is misspelled as "Sorosub," and "Seinar Corporation" was likely intended to be Santhe/Sienar Technologies. Thrawn is referred to as a High Admiral, and the X-34 landspeeder is called a T-70. Furthermore, it is stated that Luke Skywalker destroyed the Sun Crusher, when in reality it was Kyp Durron, and that Luke felt the Destruction of Carida through the Force, while in Champions of the Force he was unconscious at that time.
The character of Triv Pothman and the other stormtroopers scheduled to be deployed aboard the Eye of Palpatine conflicts with the later clone troopers of the prequel trilogy; however, they may be early non-clone recruits or GeNode clones.
Finally, there are inconsistencies with the depiction of the members of the Jedi Order as portrayed here, particularly their decentralized structure and acceptance of family and relationship ties. Aside from brief mentions that Plett and Djinn Altis belonged to a "rogue" sect, as detailed in Callista's entry in The New Essential Guide to Characters, this issue has been retconned in Karen Traviss's The Clone Wars: No Prisoners, which fully elaborates on this rogue sect.
Callista Ming would later appear in Karen Traviss' novels Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel and The Clone Wars: No Prisoners. The character would also have a more significant role in the Fate of the Jedi series.
Roganda and Irek Ismaren would reappear in the New Jedi Order novel The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand.
- ISBN 0553089307 and ISBN 0615007287 ; Bantam Spectra , May 1995 , 345-page hardcover
- ISBN 9780553089301 ; 1995; Bantam Spectra; US hardcover, Science Fiction Book Club edition (07692) [5]
- ISBN 0553471953 ; Random House Audio , May 1995, Abridged cassette
- ISBN 0553745662 ; Random House Audio, May 1995, Cassette
- ISBN 9780553572933 , ISBN 0553572938 , and ISBN 0553840088 ; Bantam Spectra, June 1996 , 409-page paperback
- ISBN 060611887X ; Sagebrush Corporation , June 1996, School/Library binding
- ISBN 0553471953 ; Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, 1995, two cassettes
- ISBN 9780307796332 ; June 28 , 2011 ; Del Rey ; US eBook [2]