Fate of the Jedi

""You're wrong! You have made your own Order vulnerable. The fate of the Jedi now rests with leaders who are weaker and less experienced than you. That decline will continue until the Order is locked in a hopeless struggle with its government and all but helpless. Then it will die again.""

- The Hidden One

Fate of the Jedi is a nine-book novel series in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, set about two years after Legacy of the Force. It's an attempt to make up for for Jacen Solo's Character Derailment in that series, which was in turn tried to correct for issues from New Jedi Order. The jury's still out on whether it will require an Authors Saving Throw of its own.

Like Legacy of the Force, it's being written by three rotating authors: Aaron Allston, Christie Golden (who replaced Karen Traviss after she dropped out), and Troy Denning.

To Wookieepedia!


 * Outcast (2009)
 * Omen (2009)
 * Abyss (2009)
 * Backlash (2010)
 * Allies (2010)
 * Vortex (2010)
 * Conviction (2011)
 * Ascension (2011)
 * Apocalypse (2012)

Also contains a tie-in series, Lost Tribe of the Sith:


 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice (2009)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Skyborn (2009)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Paragon (2010)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Savior (2010)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Purgatory (2010)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel (2011)
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pantheon (2011)

Tropes used in the novels:


 * Aborted Arc: The way that, only for the relationship to instantly get repaired the next book, makes it obvious that the authors back-tracked due to fan backlash. Not to mention that  , and how in Ascension,.
 * This could be more a case of the authors messing with the fans over the Epileptic Trees and Foregone Conclusions due to the Force-sensitive Emperor Fel.
 * Achievements in Ignorance: By Allies Raynar has recovered enough from his joining with the Killiks to the point that he doesn't need to stay in the Jedi Temple's asylum anymore. He just didn't realize it without a little prodding.
 * Action Girl: Jaina, naturally. Also, Tahiri once she becomes an agent for Jag.
 * Acquired Situational Narcissism: Relatively minor example but soon after Kenth Hamner is promoted to acting head of the Jedi order he starts calling himself Grand Master Hamner.
 * That's no more narcissism than a Commander that gets "frocked" (a Navy term, sort of a halfway promotion) calling himself "Captain." Grand Master is the title of the head of the Jedi Order. Kenth Hamner is currently holding that post.
 * Temporarily; the point being that at the beginning, he was called Acting Grand Master and, at some point, he insisted they drop the "Acting," which is at best irritatingly narcissistic and, at worst, founded of the belief that Luke may not return from his journey.
 * But to him, Luke may not return. He's optimistic that he will, but with the conditions of Luke's exile, it could be years before he does. He can't be an effective leader if there is a large subset of Jedi wondering in the back of their Force-powered minds if his decisions are what Luke would have done. It's a symbolic gesture of reinforcing the idea that he's in charge and what he says goes. If there are things about his administration that Luke wouldn't approve of, well then they'll have to be cleared up when he gets back.
 * A Handful for An Eye: Done twice by non-villains in Backlash, once semi-successfully by a Dathomiri against Luke and once very successfully by Dyon.
 * : Subverted. …
 * Amplifier Artifact: The Codex
 * Anti Hero: Luke Skywalker. From a… certain point of view.
 * After he criticizes her actions, Vestara demonstrates that he's much more like the Sith than he'd like to admit. He acknowledges and shuts up.
 * Apocalypse Maiden: Ben, in Jacen's vision.
 * Arc Welding: Apocalypse ties in elements from Star Wars the Clone Wars, explaining that
 * Armor Piercing Question / Armor Piercing Slap: How Vestara got Rhea to realize that Abeloth had the Sith search team under her thrall.
 * Ben also pulls an Armor Piercing Slap on Vestara in Ascension. . Yeah, it was an Out of Character Moment…
 * Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence: It's believed that the Celestials were once physical beings that managed to find a way to ascend into pure Force entities, or maybe it was the other way around.
 * A Simple Plan: Han and Leia just wanted to take their daughter pet shopping. Instead they wind up with a Jedi going insane and alien predators getting released and running amok.
 * Although they do end up with a pet.
 * Author Existence Failure: While not a literal example (he survived), Aaron Allston's heart attack delayed Backlash's release for several months.
 * Back to Back Badasses: The cover of Ascension.
 * Badass Grandparents: Han and Leia still have galaxy saving adventures whilst raising their granddaughter.
 * Grand Lord Vol is very old, very evil, and the most powerful member of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. He's so badass that he actually manages to Mind Rape Abeloth!!!
 * Badass Normal: Many in the series.
 * Boba Fett, who is not afraid to pick a fight with freaking Abeloth!
 * The Void Jumper space marines, who are capable of taking out Sith Warriors with superior tactics and firepower.
 * Dorvan, who manages to
 * Battle Discretion Shot: This is how Christie Golden's books treat combat, to the bane of some reviewers.
 * Rather this is better or worse than the Gorn in Apocalypse, which artfully describes what a human looks like when they undergo a rapid stop without dampeners as "goo fountains," along with many other vivid descriptions of battle wounds and mutilations.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Ben warns Vestara that drinking from the Pool of Knowledge is not a good idea, since there are things that better left unknown.
 * The Beautiful Elite: The Lost Tribe Sith tremendously prize physical perfection and therefore break Sith stereotypes by being, on the whole, stunningly attractive (and therefore overlaps with Evil Is Sexy). Even a small scar like Vestara's is seen as disfiguring. This is odd, seeing as one of the Dark Side's more reliable and explicit traits is generally that it sort of rots you from the inside out (Palpatine looked like wet paper bag at the end there), and many Dark Siders are especially prone to horribly disfiguring accidents in a possible form of karmic backlash from the Force itself.
 * This is a case were Author Appeal wins out over the Dark Side.
 * Also noted by a number of non-Sith characters in Ascension whenever they encounter a Sith
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Dear god, Ben and Vestara.
 * In Ascension, this gets taken Up to Eleven when …
 * Beware the Superman: Brought up a few times in regards to the Jedi. It'd be more convincing it wasn't, well, Daala bringing it up.
 * Big Bad:.
 * Beware the Superman: Brought up a few times in regards to the Jedi. It'd be more convincing it wasn't, well, Daala bringing it up.
 * Big Bad:.

"Ben: "Dad, if I never see another underground water pumping station or one more droch, I'll be happy."
 * Big Damn Heroes: In Vortex, Luke and Ben end up getting surrounded by an army of Sith. Then the Jedi reinforcements arrive to save the day.
 * Subverted in Conviction,
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Daala, actually. By Conviction, she has reverted back to her old self from the books Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice, and Champions of the Force (The same books where Kyp Durron appeared and committed mass murder). This qualifies as Fridge Brilliance, because her persona from Legacy of the Force and subsequent books was nothing more than a disguise she projected through conscious effort. Pressure and time simply caused her disguise to completely fall apart.
 * Blatant Lies: Vestara's story about how she got her scar… (She was born with it.)
 * Bloodier and Gorier: Parts of Apocalypse read like something out of the Final Destination series.
 * Special mention goes to the "goo fountains"
 * Blue and Orange Morality: How the Aing-Tii view the Force compared to Jedi and Sith. They don't see a light side and dark side. They see a whole rainbow.
 * Body Surf: Abeloth gains the ability to control multiple bodies at once, but her presence tends to ruin the bodies of non-Force users.
 * Brain Bleach: Invoked in Conviction.

Vestara: "We still have plenty of cans of droch spray."

Ben: "Yeah, but do we have any bottles of brain bleach?""

"Anakin: Every Jedi Knight has to be his own light, because the light shouldn't go out when one Jedi dies."
 * Bus Crash:
 * Butterfly of Doom: On Nam Chorios, the fact that the planet is laced with sentient Force-sensitive crystals means that any active use of Force powers means a powerful and destructive Force storm will form somewhere on the planet.
 * Butt Monkey:
 * Kenth Hamner.
 * Vestara, in Conviction at least. She has to deal with being called a Jedi, jumping full speed into a wall, getting soiled on by an infant she's rescuing, etc.
 * Dab Hantaq, for his short appearance, suffers all kinds of abuse from Tahiri merely due to his resemblance to Anakin Solo.
 * Cardboard Prison: The mercenary who breaks  out of prison Lampshades this by pointing out all of the inherent security flaws in most modern prisons and takes advantage of all of them.
 * The Cassandra: Since they were raised in an environment that encourages plotting and backstabbing, the Sith are too ridiculously paranoid to trust anything Luke says.
 * The Chosen One: Allana seems to be headed this way with the frequency of people having visions of her sitting on the Throne of Balance (i.e. having some big part to play in leading the galaxy).
 * Anakin Solo however deconstructs this idea in Abyss. He feels it isn't fair for anybody to place all their hopes on one person.
 * Anakin Solo however deconstructs this idea in Abyss. He feels it isn't fair for anybody to place all their hopes on one person.

"Jaina: What is it doing?
 * In Vortex, Taalon sees the vision of Allana and is scared out of his mind of the idea of the galaxy being ruled by a "Jedi Queen." Even Abeloth seems determined not to let this future come to pass. In Conviction,.
 * By Ascension, Abeloth has decided to do everything to become this Queen, as a stepping stone to godhood.
 * In Apocalypse the reader is told that
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: The Sith constantly suffer from this, since it's actively encouraged within their society. Unfortunately,
 * Cliff Hanger: End of Omen, Backlash, Allies, and Ascension.
 * Contagious Powers: Each of the insane Jedi has exhibited powers that had been learned by Jacen Solo during his five-year sojourn after the New Jedi Order, however, it appears to have been stated that each Jedi never had the opportunity to learn the power from him or the people who taught him.
 * Comatose Canary: Played straight as a rail with Daala's conversation with a comatose Admiral Bwua'tu.
 * Contrived Coincidence: In Apocalypse,
 * Convenient Coma: Admiral Bwua'tu falls into a coma after being attacked by fake Jedi, just so he can't actually tell anybody said Jedi were fake.
 * Corrupt Church: Many see the Jedi Order as this, though Luke is cool.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: A Kuat businesswoman is trying to manipulate the events of the series to oust Daala and revive the Empire.
 * Dark Action Girl: Vestara. She's an extremely good fighter, considering she hasn't been an apprentice for long, and she's only sixteen.
 * Dark Horse Victory:
 * Deadpan Snarker:
 * Ben Skywalker, though Vestara also gives him a run for his money.
 * Jaina also programmed her ship's astromech droid to be this.
 * Jaina also programmed her ship's astromech droid to be this.

Rowdy: RUNNING AWAY BECAUSE IT IS SO OBVIOUSLY OUTMATCHED PERHAPS."

"Abeloth: A masquerade. How fitting."
 * Death World:
 * The world Abeloth was stranded on was populated with aggressive flora and everything was trying to kill the Sith search team. This happens anywhere Abeloth stays for more than five SECONDS. Her world even reverts back a more normal world once she departs. Animals eat plants instead of the other way around, turns out
 * Nam Chorios is another one: on top of the freezing temperatures, winds, and droch bugs/plague, the heroes can't use the force without causing devastating storms.
 * Deus Ex Machina: This being Invoked, in order to stop Abeloth in the ancient past, is Discussed in Apocalypse. In the time of the novels,
 * Deus Exit Machina: Luke and Ben are both unable to deal with Daala consolidating her power because they are elsewhere.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Vestara points out that the biggest weakness the Lost Tribe suffers is their overall ignorance and lack of knowledge about the galaxy as a whole, making them easy to fool.
 * Did We Just Have Tea With Cthulhu: Subverted: The Tribe think this mysterious woman is their friend, but she isn't.
 * Played straight in Ascension. . Lampshaded by Abeloth:


 * Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu:
 * In Allies,  Unfortunately, it gets better.
 * In Conviction,
 * In Apocalypse,
 * Did You Just Romance Cthulhu: Abeloth has a thing for Luke. It is explained in Conviction:, influencing Abeloth's actions in different ways…
 * Distant Prologue: To the Legacy comics. Sets up and hints at everything from the Empire becoming a major player again to the One Sith.
 * The Dog Bites Back: In Vortex,
 * Driven to Suicide: Cha Niathal
 * Droid Wrongs Group: Made all the more embarrassing by the fact that an eight-year-old discredits them.
 * Dropped a Bridge On Him:
 * Also, in Ascension,
 * Dying Like Animals: All different kinds, in the background of Apocalypse.
 * Dynamic Entry: Boba Fett makes a sudden and awesome appearance in Conviction when he.
 * Eldritch Abomination:
 * Eldritch Location: Abeloth's home planet. Plants eat animals, animals photosynthesize, and it seems to be the location of Force purgatory. And it's in the middle of a black hole cluster. Can't forget that.
 * Emotion Eater:
 * Abeloth gains her power by feeding off peoples' negative emotions.
 * The mutated Dream Singer feeds off of the terror created by the nightmares it causes.
 * Enemy Mine:
 * In Allies,
 * In Ascension,
 * In Apocalypse,
 * Expy:
 * Freedom Flight is a rather blatant analogue to the real life Underground Railroad.
 * Haydnat Treen is basically an expy of Viqi Shesh from NJO, except instead of collaborating with Vong, she is working for Imperial hardliners. Kuat seems to be the new Bothawui.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Vol, the Grand High Lord of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. In Ascension.
 * Evil vs. Evil:.
 * Failed a Spot Check:
 * In Ascension, Although, this is something of a Foregone Conclusion.
 * Earlier on, despite
 * Failsafe Failure: Subverted. While planning for a possible coup against Daala, the Jedi learn that they can lock down the entire Senate Hall on command by tricking the security system into thinking the Hall is under attack by the Yuuzhan Vong. Even though the Yuuzhan Vong are no longer a serious threat, nobody bothered to remove the program. Similarly, is broken out of prison thanks to exploiting several failsafes in the prison security system, such as vents not being sealed in the event of a gas attack so that the gas can be vented out.
 * Face Stealer: How was Abeloth able to take 's form and mess with Luke? Because she ate her several years ago! She also eats several other characters in the course of the story.
 * Fan Nickname: Ever since a certain excerpt from Ascension was released, Gavar Khai has been called "Space Fabio."
 * Fetch Quest: The Aing-Ti send Luke and Ben out to recover some of their holy relics that their religion prevents them from touching. Luke and Ben ponder the Fridge Logic as to how they collected the relics in the first place.
 * First Kiss: For Ben and Vestara, in Ascension.
 * Foe Yay:
 * People paired Ben and Vestara together even before the two directly met. Now that they have, some Dating Catwoman at the very least seems to be in the works, as each does seem to find the other attractive… As of Ascension
 * Abeloth and Luke certainly qualify. He even confuses her with Mara. And they have Callista-style ghost sex. Eventually goes up to Yandere levels, with her killing (and becoming) all his ex-girlfriends who are still alive.
 * Foregone Conclusion: A minor example. The end of this particular story arc, as well as the fate of most characters by the end of it, is all up for grabs. However, this happens to mark the first appearance of The One Sith in the novels, and they are going to triumph at some point in the future.
 * Since Luke has several direct descendants living by the time of Star Wars Legacy, it's pretty much a given that Ben will live long enough to have at least one kid.
 * Also, Abeloth obviously won't succeed since the galaxy still exists…
 * Four Is Death: Not Backlash itself, no. Nor do any villains come in fours. But chapter 4 of Ascension definitely qualifies.
 * Gambit Pileup: This series may be the definitive example from the Star Wars canon. We've got Daala, the Sith, the other Sith, Abeloth, Moffs, Freedom Flight, and gods know how many others working each other behind the scenes at the same time.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Lots. For instance, there's this one time in Allies when Ben says that he could go for the Star Wars equivalent of a shower, and Vestara says, "I was thinking the same thing." And don't get me started on Daala and her Bwua'tu's bits of interaction.
 * Glasgow Grin: Vestara has a small scar at the edge of her mouth that serves as a compact one of these.
 * Gallows Humor: This conversation:
 * Gambit Pileup: This series may be the definitive example from the Star Wars canon. We've got Daala, the Sith, the other Sith, Abeloth, Moffs, Freedom Flight, and gods know how many others working each other behind the scenes at the same time.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Lots. For instance, there's this one time in Allies when Ben says that he could go for the Star Wars equivalent of a shower, and Vestara says, "I was thinking the same thing." And don't get me started on Daala and her Bwua'tu's bits of interaction.
 * Glasgow Grin: Vestara has a small scar at the edge of her mouth that serves as a compact one of these.
 * Gallows Humor: This conversation:

"This has been done with honor, without error, and by my own choosing. out."
 * General Ripper: The series points out why it's an extremely bad idea to put one (like Daala) into a position of power. It becomes extremely apparent when losing her position makes her revert to her previous Complete Monster personality.
 * Get Out of Jail Free Card: Tahiri avoided punishment for  in Legacy of the Force. The GA is now attempting to put her on trial for this, but the series has gone out of its way to make their (pretty legitimate) accusations be linked with a general anti-Jedi witch-hunt, thereby turning Tahiri into a victim to be rescued. A lot of   fans were not happy..
 * Glamour Failure:
 * Some people can see through Abeloth's illusions, for as of yet unknown reasons.
 * In Vortex, the local populace is tricked into thinking they're infected with a virulent plague through a Force illusion, but Luke is knowledgeable enough to see right through it.
 * In Conviction, some Genre Savvy smugglers Abeloth runs into don't take any of her crap, including turning on and locking up the people that she influences.
 * A God Am I: Abeloth's long term goal. But, what's the step in-between?
 * God Save Us From the Queen: Daala, taken Up to Eleven.
 * Goodbye Cruel World

"Where fields once grew, a road runs through, and buildings hide the sun,
 * Good Feels Good: In Ascension, Vestara says this . Granted, at least one of the others is her relationship with Ben.
 * Guys Smash Girls Shoot: Luke and Ben tend to fight with their lightsabers, while Vestara and Jaina tend to fight with force lightning and from a star-fighter, respectively. For example, in Vortex,
 * Insanity: Force Psychosis; it really doesn't fit any one trope, it's more of a mix. In short; it causes Force-sensitives to go completely nuts and think everyone is an impostor. They also gain high-level Force powers, but that's after the fact.
 * Han Solo Is About To Shoot You: The cover of Vortex.
 * Hand Wave: When Zekk appears in Backlash, how he was rescued from his predicament after the events of Invincible is given this treatment. It was to be explained somewhat in depth in a book called Blood Oath which was cancelled, so there is no manual.
 * Hannibal Lecture: Practically Vestara's hobby. Most of her Inner Monologues are this, even!
 * Helium Speech: Ben decides to annoy his father near the end of Outcast with this jaunty little piece:

Where grass of green could once be seen, are only gray and brown.

My childhood home, while I did roam, became a place of sadness.

Now I return, my heart does yearn for times of light and gladness."

"Luke: You want me to take a Sith who's trustworthiness seems to depend on the time of day, the season, and the phases of whatever moons happen to be nearby, on "
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Vestara. Discussed by Luke and Jaina:

""Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as husband and wife!""
 * Hero With Bad Publicity: Played with when Han attempts to act menacing but his reputation gets in the way. Han would like people to think he is dead serious when he threatens them with a blaster. But as the person he is threatening reminds him, Han Solo has been a galactic hero and household name for several decades now nobody believes he will shoot unarmed bystanders. Naturally he is right, much to Han's annoyance.
 * Hidden Depths:
 * Wynn Dorvan is shown to be an extremely skilled sabacc player after he wins a sabacc tournament against hundreds of the best players in the galaxy.
 * In Conviction, Han proves that he actually knows how to manipulate people into doing what he wants without having to actually shoot them. Leia is extremely impressed:

""We're not just recycling Odysseus' adventures. Though we did make some jokes about it at our story conference. 'So we have this cave, see, and there's a blinded rancor in it, and he has a herd of banthas, and Luke and Ben have to escape strapped to the banthas' undersides…' Nothing like that.""
 * Even before that, in Vortex, he played Daala like a fiddle, and even had to hide his confidence so that he wouldn't give his plan away.
 * Hidden Elf Village: Quite a few actually. The Sanctuary of the Baran Do Sages, the Aing-Ti world, Sinkhole Station for the Mind Walkers, the island community for the Fallanassi, and Kesh for the Lost Tribe of the Sith.
 * Homage: Luke and Ben's visit to the Hidden Ones' sanctuary is an intentional reference to the underworld of Greek myth.

- Aaron Allston, Star Wars Insider 109

"Luke: "Tell you what, if you think it's wrong for you to think of them as ugly, just think of how you look to them. Short, squat, unlined skin, a nose that puffs up like a rodent, tiny little mouth with jagged white things in it, a horrible shrub-like growth on your head."
 * Ironically, Allston wrote a scene exactly like that between Allana and the mechanic Monarg for Backlash.
 * Hope Spot: The middle of Ascension: Luke is back on Coruscant and is leading the Jedi Order once again; Moff/Senatorial conspiracy is falling apart; all three villains (Abeloth, Daala and Lost Tribe) are on the run with few resources left; Vestara chooses to become a Jedi and Wynn Dorvan is about to be elected Chief of State. And then it all goes to Hell.
 * Humans Are Ugly

Ben: "This, from the man who's worn a bowl-cut hairstyle almost all his adult life.""

"Snaplaunce: "He and the girl, are they a couple?"
 * Hurricane of Puns: In Conviction, Threepio . After it's discovered and removed, R2 can't stop making puns at Threepio's expense.
 * Hypocrite:
 * Saba Sebatyne in Vortex.
 * Daala is just as much a hypocrite as the others listed, if not more so. She thinks that it's not okay for Kyp Durron to commit mass murder, but she treats her mass murder as no big deal. Really, she should turn herself in and let herself be put on trial for what she had done. Also, she believes that Jedi are bad for peace in the galaxy, when she sends Mandalorians to violently suppress riots and slave protests. Oh, yeah, that ought to be good for peace!
 * Inferred Holocaust:
 * In Soviet Russia Trope Mocks You: On Abeloth's planet, plant eats you!
 * Interspecies Romance: Daala (human) and Nek Bwu'atu (bothan) don't quite hide their relationship.
 * Irony: Yes, the crazy Jedi think everyone's an impostor. Yes, Boba Fett did just disguise himself as… Boba Fett.
 * It Got Worse: All of Ascension just seems to pile things getting worse on top of each other. First, then Abeloth and her Lost Tribe cronies vanish into the galaxy, leaving Luke and co. out of luck. Then the Jedi leave Coruscant, only for it to be revealed that  What they don't know is that
 * Its All My Fault: Saba blames herself for.
 * Jerkass: Jacen's ghost acts like this Abyss.
 * Jumped At the Call:
 * Vestara's reaction to a strange ship appearing in the sky promising to teach her how to be a Sith master? Fuck yeah!
 * The trope later gets taken Up to Eleven and combined with Undying Loyalty, resulting in entire battalions of Space Marines volunteering to help Storm the Castle.
 * Karma Houdini: Averted hard. Remember that Sith girl that assassinated Pellaeon and tortured and molested Ben? She's on the cover of a book titled Conviction. I wonder what will happen… The trope gets Played With later: the trial looks like it's going well for her…
 * Karmic Death: Not exactly a death, but  gets his comeuppance in Allies when  . In the same book,.
 * Kill It With Fire:
 * Han uses a flamethrower and really enjoys doing so.
 * Allana has troubling visions of.
 * Kick the Dog: In Ascension, for no reason other than to clear his thoughts,.
 * Klingon Promotion:
 * Lampshade Hanging: So Dorvan is ? This inherent contradiction is remarked upon by all his supporters.
 * Like an Old Married Couple: Ben and Vestara, Discussed in Conviction, between Mayor Snaplaunce and Luke.
 * Lampshade Hanging: So Dorvan is ? This inherent contradiction is remarked upon by all his supporters.
 * Like an Old Married Couple: Ben and Vestara, Discussed in Conviction, between Mayor Snaplaunce and Luke.
 * Like an Old Married Couple: Ben and Vestara, Discussed in Conviction, between Mayor Snaplaunce and Luke.

Luke: "No."

Snaplaunce: "They argue like one."

Luke: "So you are a couple with every one of your political opponents?"

Snaplaunce: "Oh, well struck, Master Skywalker.""

""I don't want to get too sentimental here, uncle Luke, but don't underestimate the power of love. It's pulled two family members back from the Dark Side already. Ben's sixteen, but he's not a fool.""
 * Lost Tribe: The Lost Tribe of the Sith.
 * Ludicrous Gibs: Apocalypse revels in describing the results of being squashed by a piece of building, split in two lengthwise by a lightsaber, splattered on the floor due to a malfunctioning transport tube, caught in the fiery disintegration of a flying vehicle, …
 * Made of Explodium: This is actually explained (in Conviction): Apparently, everything in Star Wars has circuitry inside it, including guard rails. Whenever a 'force storm' happens on Nam Chorios, all that circuitry…
 * Mama Bear:
 * Mirax Horn gets her moment when she slaps Colonel Wruq Retk so hard, it knocks him unconscious. This is because he's got her carbonite-imprisoned children hanging on the wall like trophies. And, to add to this, Retk is a Yaka.
 * Leia, of course. Jag even Lampshades it when he comments how he feels sorry for the poor bastard who attempted to assassinate them and put Allana in danger.
 * Mind Rape: In fact, Abeloth's mental probing is treated like rape.
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family: Abeloth's true form.
 * Naughty Tentacles: While on Abeloth's planet, Vestara is attacked by carnivorous vines that wrap around her body to immobilize her. Also, while fighting Abeloth, Luke is strangled into submission by her tentacles when she grapples him. Cue the Fetish Fuel.
 * Negative Space Wedgie: The Kathol Rift and the Maw Cluster.
 * New Powers As the Plot Demands: Part of Force Psychosis involves the crazy Jedi knowing Force skills they never used before. Luke also seems to pick up a new Force technique at least once per book during the first half of the series.
 * Nice Job Breaking It Hero:
 * It's implied that Centerpoint Station, which our heroes destroyed in Legacy of the Force, was the thing keeping the can Abeloth was trapped in sealed. The Kessel situation may have also been caused by Centerpoint's destruction.
 * Apocalypse reveals that Also, it's revealed that
 * Oedipus Complex: Several fans see shades of this in Ben, in his relationship with Vestara.
 * Oh Crap: When the Jedi Council starts tracking down Sith pirate attacks and realize they're building an entire fleet.
 * One Winged Angel: Abeloth has three or four forms.
 * Once Per Book: Up until Vortex, each book has one or several Jedi develop Force Psychosis.
 * Only One Name: Backlash seems to make a point of noting this in the case of Zekk.
 * Only Sane Man:
 * Inverted in the case of Jedi suffering from Force Psychosis. It causes them to believe that their friends and family have been replaced by duplicates, and that they're the only ones who noticed.
 * Dorvan plays this straighter. He realizes what's at stake and tries to rein in Daala's excesses. When he realizes Daala has gone beyond the breaking point, he decides to resign rather than work for her.
 * Open Secret:
 * Out of Character Moment: See Domestic Abuse above. One major complaint about Christie Golden's books is that they're filled with them.
 * Papa Wolf: Corran's children (Valin and Jysella) are imprisoned in carbonite thanks to their going completely batshit, and he's… not happy. At all. And that's putting it lightly.
 * Paparazzi: Javis Tyrr; all right, so he's only one guy, but he more than fits. Also plenty of unnamed ones in Outcast, especially after Valin's rampage.
 * Peoples Republic of Tyranny: Despite Leia arguing in Legacy of the Force that attaining the post of Chief of State of the GFFA through any means other than election (which is what her son Jacen did) is unconstitutional, Daala is basically installed in the position by military leaders. This is only emphasized by an aversion of the Good Republic Evil Empire trope. The previous and current leaders of the Empire, Gilad Pellaeon and Jagged Fel, are often shown as being far more benevolent and trustworthy leaders of their authoritarian state than Daala is of the nominally democratic GFFA.
 * Philosophical Parable: For a while, each book had Luke and Ben visiting a different locale to learn about Jacen's fall, and the episodes tended to resemble this. Backlash slightly averted this: while Jacen did train with the Witches of Dathomir, that plot point was not present in the novel. Allies averted this trope entirely, while Vortex and Conviction don't even mention Jacen's motivations.
 * Plot Armor: An egregious instance of this shows up in Apocalypse: Who will survive the first wave of a Jedi-only assault force? The ones who had been named in earlier books, of course! Compounded when one character has thoughts about how they were friends with some of the (never named) deceased, highlighting this effect.
 * Pointless Doomsday Device: It turns out Centerpoint Station wasn't so pointless.
 * Powered Armor: Some of the Void Jumper Space Marines, called "Stompers", wear suits of these. Having them back-fires
 * The Power of Love / Love Redeems: Jaina invokes this, while vouching for Vestara:
 * Paparazzi: Javis Tyrr; all right, so he's only one guy, but he more than fits. Also plenty of unnamed ones in Outcast, especially after Valin's rampage.
 * Peoples Republic of Tyranny: Despite Leia arguing in Legacy of the Force that attaining the post of Chief of State of the GFFA through any means other than election (which is what her son Jacen did) is unconstitutional, Daala is basically installed in the position by military leaders. This is only emphasized by an aversion of the Good Republic Evil Empire trope. The previous and current leaders of the Empire, Gilad Pellaeon and Jagged Fel, are often shown as being far more benevolent and trustworthy leaders of their authoritarian state than Daala is of the nominally democratic GFFA.
 * Philosophical Parable: For a while, each book had Luke and Ben visiting a different locale to learn about Jacen's fall, and the episodes tended to resemble this. Backlash slightly averted this: while Jacen did train with the Witches of Dathomir, that plot point was not present in the novel. Allies averted this trope entirely, while Vortex and Conviction don't even mention Jacen's motivations.
 * Plot Armor: An egregious instance of this shows up in Apocalypse: Who will survive the first wave of a Jedi-only assault force? The ones who had been named in earlier books, of course! Compounded when one character has thoughts about how they were friends with some of the (never named) deceased, highlighting this effect.
 * Pointless Doomsday Device: It turns out Centerpoint Station wasn't so pointless.
 * Powered Armor: Some of the Void Jumper Space Marines, called "Stompers", wear suits of these. Having them back-fires
 * The Power of Love / Love Redeems: Jaina invokes this, while vouching for Vestara:

"Jevon: "Can I get up?"…
 * Precursors: A lot of hints as to the Celestials…
 * Besides prophecies about the "Destructors" and "Skyborn." Abeloth's lair had Destructor ruins inside, and Ben Skywalker was born in space.
 * So was Luke. And they are Skywalkers at that.
 * In Ascension
 * Apocalypse seems to confirm that the Killiks have been around since the Celestials lived in the galaxy. In fact, the Killiks themselves helped build the devices that imprisoned Abeloth.
 * Praetorian Guard:
 * Daala's use of the Mandalorians is surprisingly similar to how Roman Emperors used vikings, in what was known as the Varangian Guard.
 * In Ascension,.
 * President Evil:
 * While not exactly evil (at first), Chief of State Daala certainly has her qualms about the Jedi and won't hesitate to use government resources to put them in line. There is, however, quite a bit of irony to her running the galaxy from a planet (Coruscant) that she once hatched a plot to destroy. Fortunately, she is not as brilliant of a strategist as her reputation makes her out to be.
 * Properly Paranoid: After the assassination attempt on, Daala is (correctly) convinced that somebody is trying to frame the Jedi for it, because in her mind, if the Jedi really wanted to kill him, they would not have failed. Plus they wouldn't be crazy enough to try and fake a failed assassination attempt.
 * Psychic Assisted Suicide: In Vortex,.
 * We Can Rule Together:
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Mayor Snaplaunce isn't your average fictional politician.
 * Reassigned to Antarctica: Borleias, once one of the most strategically valuable planets in the galaxy due to its proximity to Coruscant, is now home to a small outpost where military careers are sent to die.
 * Recycled in Space: In Conviction, the conspirators' plot to remove Daala is suspiciously parallel to that of the conspirators in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
 * Refuge in Audacity:
 * Doctor Thalleus Tharn, to prove that Jedi Knights Sotharis Saar and Turi Altamik are no longer insane, knees Saar in the crotch. The fact that he's still alive 30 seconds later convinces the majority of the crowd.
 * Booster Terrik invites over a hundred of Coruscant's most powerful people to a sabacc tournament on the Errant Venture. Then he goes and blows up several satellites to provide a distraction for the Jedi while the defense fleet can't retaliate due to the "hostages", all while the sabacc tournment is running since the participants are unaware of what is happening.
 * The Reveal:
 * The Lost Tribe of the Sith had assumed that the Sith had long ago conquered the galaxy while they were stuck on Kesh. Ship sets em straight. Their reaction? Let's go out and set things right by conquering everything!
 * Some part of Abeloth is no one else but.
 * We get one of these in Ascension.
 * Rule of Three: In Conviction, Lieutenant Jevon Thewles' apartment is being raided:
 * Rule of Three: In Conviction, Lieutenant Jevon Thewles' apartment is being raided:

Jevon: "Can I get up?"…

Jevon: "Can I get up?"…

Guard: "Yes, sit up."

Jevon: "Can I get dressed?"…"

"Ben: "I think I'd rather be tortured again than go through another conversation like that. You seemed to take it well enough. Making me promise to kill you."
 * Sacrificial Lamb: Kani, alias KP (Kenth's Pet).
 * Screw the Rules I Have Supernatural Powers: Discussed between Luke and Daala. Of course, the Force can't really be a witness later, and the Force does have a dark side.
 * Sealed Evil in A Can: The feminine creature called Abeloth, hidden in the Maw.
 * Secret Police: In Allies, it's implied that Daala is seriously considering using the Mandalorians as a covert "peacekeeping" force by sending them to conflict zones on the payroll of GA front companies to put them under the guise of protecting corporate interests. Then in Conviction, she starts doing it openly,.
 * Self Made Orphan:
 * When one of the Baran Do Sages hears Luke's request to learn techniques picked up by Jacen Solo, she asks if it's safe - there is the possibility that these techniques, designed for and by Kel Dor, who are distinctly nonhuman, might have adverse effects on a human mind. If they do have such effects, and they turned someone like Jacen into what he became, how much worse off would the galaxy be if it happened to Luke Skywalker? Luke wants to learn anyway, believing that they now know how to pick up on any of the signs. When his son asks what if the effect is sudden and total, Luke gets Ben to agree to kill him. And he does, with difficulty.

Luke: "Only under certain circumstances. Not just because I insist you eat your vegetables.""

"Jaina: "We have to stop seeing each other like this."
 * In Ascension,
 * Sequel Hook: The final novel reveals that ! Also,.
 * Shaped Like Itself: Boba Fett's disguise. he even changes his body language so people will think someone's impersonating him.
 * Shout Out:
 * In Allies, Ackmena is an abolitionist, in honor of the late Bea Arthur. In the same book, Dyon knocks someone out by grabbing the neck and pinching (the author of Allies, Christie Golden, has contributed some books to the Star Trek Novel Verse).
 * In Conviction, when at a bar, Moff Lecersen orders a drink called the "Sonic Screwdriver".
 * Ben's line: "What if you're Luke Skywalker today and Darth Starkiller tomorrow?" 'Starkiller' was the original last name assigned to Luke in early drafts of Star Wars. It's been referenced in various ways in much of the EU.
 * Ship Sinking:
 * While Zekk's bus came back, we learn that he is working with a Hapan agent last seen in Legacy of the Force, and that he is involved with her.
 * Appeared to happen
 * Ship Tease: This banter between Jaina and Kyp in Allies:

Kyp: "I know. It's just so wrong, but I can't help it.""

"Jaina: "They're the stealthiest vehicles in the galaxy."
 * Sidetracked By the Analogy: In Abyss Saba compares Daala and the Jedi to animals on her homeworld. Kyp gets confused as to what each animal is and they spend about a page clarifying.
 * Space Marine: The GFFA's troops are this trope incarnate. One of them even falls asleep during a combat drop.
 * Spell My Name With an S: In Allies, Dyon Stadd, Kyp Durron, and Gilad Pellaeon's surnames are consistently misspelled Stad, Durran, and Pallaeon. Also, the plurals "Jedis" and "Siths" are used.
 * Spirit World: Wherever it is the Mind Walkers go when they use their eponymous power (which seems to be some sort of astral projection), which may or may not be the netherworld of the Force. Evidence towards the former is the fact that
 * Interesting to note that Mara seems to be stuck along with Anakin and Jacen in the netherworld "lake", yet her Force Ghost, along with Vader's and others, appears to Cade Skywalker 100 years later in the Legacy comic (Ossus arc).
 * If it is, as has been noted, a purgatory-like location, then of course she gets out, as do her nephews.
 * Cade Skywalker was having a deathstick-induced hallucination, so Mara's appearance may not really count.
 * Jacen Solo dwells there as well, and when questioned as to what his fate is, he unequivocally responds, "Damnation."
 * It turns out they are visiting Abeloth's planet.
 * Stab the Scorpion: Variation:
 * Star Crossed Lovers: At the end of Ascension, Vestara considers her relationship with Ben to be this.
 * The Starscream:
 * Yuvar Xal in true Sith fashion.
 * The Moffs… again. Even lampshaded by Jag in Apocalypse when he opens a public speech by mentioning that, when he accepted the job of Imperial Head of State, he didn't expect to survive as long as he did.
 * Start of Darkness: Luke and Ben's quest is to figure out just when Jacen had his.
 * Stating the Simple Solution: Surprisingly enough, Taalon advocates just executing Luke when Abeloth manages to capture him, but is quicky overruled.
 * Stealth in Space: Conversed for Stealth-X fighters, in Backlash.

Kyp: "In space.""

"(Han tries to get the secretary to help by threatening him.)
 * Stockholm Syndrome: Played for Laughs, with a Bothan secretary in Conviction.

Secretary: "Forgive me, General. But I won't help you, and you won't sell me. You're a hero of the Alliance."

Han Solo: "Leia, I swear, I hate having a good reputation. I HATE it!""

"Han Solo: "Take me to your leader. We come in peace."
 * Storming the Castle:  The Cavalry only   And that was before the
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge:
 * In Allies we finally find out what happened to, and what happens to.
 * About, in Conviction,.
 * Take Me to Your Leader: After blasting his way through a room's lock, and stunning the guards:

Leia: "Han."

Han Solo: "Sorry, Leia. Sometimes I can't help myself.""

"Moff Getelles: "Natasi Daala has been an erratic officer, a laser cannon with a malfunctioning actuator if you will, since she was an ensign in the Imperial Navy, and her recent actions bear out this diagnosis…""
 * Take That:
 * There's specifically a Kyp Durron reality show. Kyp says, "There goes my social life."
 * The series' portrayal of Mandalorians may be a huge Take That against Karen Traviss' Mary Sue (and Creators Pet) portrayal of them in Legacy of the Force and the Republic Commando Series. See the Moral Event Horizon entry above.
 * In Apocalypse, Admiral Bwua'tu mentions that the reason why they didn't hire Mandalorians to help them fight the Sith was due to their previous failures in fighting the Jedi.
 * Another one I liked was the Take That to Kyp. (Daala threatens to send him to the Empire. Granted, Luke installed the Emperor, so Kyp might get life imprisonment if that happens.) And to the Ewoks cartoon. (Ben's Helium Speech.)
 * Callista.
 * Ship delivers a huge Take That to the One Sith.
 * Also, the series seems to be one huge plot thread pointing that in retrospect, making Daala the Galactic Alliance Head of State was pretty much a very bad idea.

""The Sith were coming now, and Luke had only a single Jedi Knight--Ben--to stand at his side. With the fate of the Jedi and their own lives hanging by a thread, the Skywalkers had run out of time…""
 * Teleporters and Transporters: The Aing-Tii can use the force to teleport themselves and objects. Mostly notably they use it and Flow-walking to navigate the rift where they live. They end up teaching Luke how to do this.
 * Thanatos Gambit:  does one in Vortex.
 * That Man Is Dead: The philosophy of the Baran Do sages who retreat into their sanctuary. Their old life on the surface is over and dead with so they must take a new name.
 * The Reason You Suck Speech: Luke gives one to the Barran Do sages and the Hidden One about how hiding away in their caverns is not living in tune with the Force. He didn't do this to insult them but to point out the problems in their philosophy.
 * Luke tries this on Vestara, after what she does in Conviction, but she interrupts, demonstrating that he is just as calculating and manipulative as the Sith. Luke gives up the argument.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Ben defeats a Baran Do Sage because if Luke did so, that would imply the Jedi's inferiority to the Baran Do Sages.
 * This Is Gonna Suck: The moment Raynar Thul tells the Killik Queen that Abeloth has escaped, the Queen goes crazy and begins ordering her drones to prepare for the coming apocalypse.
 * Title Drop: See the Hidden One's rant at the top of the page.
 * We get a second one in Vortex.
 * Title Drop: See the Hidden One's rant at the top of the page.
 * We get a second one in Vortex.

"Ben: "Yes, dear Papa.' 'No, dear Papa.' 'You are amazing, dear Papa.""
 * Too Dumb to Live: During the, a cameraman breaches the security line around the Senate Hall and starts moving forward to get a better shot as the security officers, busy trying to hold off an angry mob, yell at him to stop since he's about to walk into range of the giant automated laser cannons designed to shoot intruders. A security officer is forced to shoot the cameraman with a stun bolt to keep him from getting vaporized.
 * The Lost Tribe of the Sith
 * Tragic Villain: Vestara sees herself as this, after
 * Trash of the Titans: The Mind Walkers in Sinkhole station are so busy meditating that they don't clean up anything ever.
 * Two Lines No Waiting. Luke and Ben try to find the truth about Jacen. Daala's not cut out for administration, to put it mildly. Then there's the Lost Tribe of the Sith. And Abeloth. And Force psychosis. And Jaina and Jag's engagement. And minor plots along the way, like Allana going to a petting zoo or the current slavery storyline. Lot of stuff going on.
 * Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny: An in-universe example occurs !
 * Also in Backlash, a card game is featured that is based around this concept.
 * Undying Loyalty:  uses this to whip up The Cavalry, who Jumped At the Call and fell asleep during the drop.
 * The Uriah Gambit: Tahiri's prison warden was a close friend of Pellaeon, so in order to get revenge on her, he deliberately places her within the general prison population, which mostly consists of criminals that the Jedi have put away, some of them having been personally arrested by Tahiri herself. She's also warned by her attorney to watch out for security droids that might suddenly "malfunction" around her.
 * Villain With Good Publicity: While not necessarily villainous, Chief of State Daala certainly fits.
 * Hero With Bad Publicity: She's the one that pins the blame for Jacen's fall on Luke Skywalker and forcing him into a self-imposed exile from the Jedi Order. Subverted in that the Jedi Council wishes him luck with his quest to investigate Jacen's Face Heel Turn, and his son Ben joins his father on the quest.
 * By Allies, Daala is pretty clearly a main villain of the storyline. With her approval rating plummeting due to her gross mishandling of the Jedi situation, she decides to force the Jedi to bend to her will, by ordering a massive Mandalorian fleet to blockade the Temple. When she learns that the Mandalorian commander has amplified her orders to "massacre without warning anyone who exits the Temple who is not the specific individual we're trying to kidnap, and we'll burn the whole place to the ground tomorrow if our demands aren't met." she reacts with a "meh".
 * In Ascension, the Sith try their hand at this, getting a hold of the media. Apparently, the tough news service from earlier books just grabbed onto the Idiot Ball.
 * Violation of Common Sense: See Dark Horse Victory above.
 * The Virus: Abeloth.
 * Walking The Galaxy: Luke and Ben.
 * Weak but Skilled: Dyon, who lacks the Force powers necessary to become a Jedi but makes up for it Blasters Akimbo
 * Well Done Son Guy: Ben and Vestara, both. It doesn't keep Ben from mocking her about it, though.
 * Well Done Son Guy: Ben and Vestara, both. It doesn't keep Ben from mocking her about it, though.

"Vestara: "How goes maternal parent?… I reach to make you pride.""
 * Of course,
 * Funnily enough, Gavar is impressed by Ben's fighting skills, and Luke is impressed by Vestara's cunning. If only they could trade fathers…
 * Well Intentioned Extremist: Daala. Admiral Bwua'tu in Allies thinks that she is doing wrong things for the right reasons.
 * This is also the reason, alongside the Papa Wolf trope, why Jacen Solo became Darth Caedus.
 * Wham Novel: In Ascension, the Senate votes as the new GA Chief of State.
 * What the Hell Hero: Abeloth-possessed  just loves to point out how much the Jedi have screwed things up and made the galaxy a worse place.
 * Why Am I Ticking:  in Conviction. R2-D2 responds to this with a Hurricane of Puns.
 * The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask: While not an actual queen, Daala shows shades of this as she begins chafing under the pressure of being the Galactic Alliance Chief of State.
 * Woman Scorned:
 * Woobie Destroyer of Worlds: Abeloth's primary motivation for her atrocities was desiring to be loved, as she feared losing her family (which was largely her own fault in the first place that she did lose The Ones as her family). However, by the time of the current time in the novels, she's long abandoned the Woobie aspect of her.
 * Working Title: Fate of the Jedi's working title was Star Wars Odyssey.
 * You Cannot Grasp the True Form: Abeloth, though it's speculated that she might be a Celestial. The Aing-Tii Prophet's predictions corroborate this.
 * According to Lost Tribe mythology, Abeloth might be a Destructor, a race of powerful beings that regularly exterminate all life in the galaxy. Sounds familiar…
 * The Killiks try to describe what Abeloth and the Celestials are, but aren't very good at it, citing that it's something mortals simply can't comprehend.
 * Abeloth started out as a mortal though.
 * You Keep Using That Word: Vestara is worried about Jedi genocide on the Sith because of a desire for revenge. Ben starts to think about how the Jedi's goal isn't genocide, just… to destroy the Sith. He wisely shuts up upon realizing how stupid that sounds.
 * You No Take Candle: C-3PO's translation of Keshri. Justified, as the language had never been heard before by the galaxy.
 * You No Take Candle: C-3PO's translation of Keshri. Justified, as the language had never been heard before by the galaxy.


 * Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Even said so.