Corran Horn – a New Republic pilot strong in the Force – is pulled between the dark and the light on a mission to save his wife. Join the Legendary Adventures as we read I, Jedi!
During the Clone Wars, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was a mess. At once, he was a Jedi Knight, a Republic General, and a husband. The entire Jedi Order, really, was having a hard time balancing what it meant to be a Jedi Knight and a General, but never had to worry about being a spouse as that was forbidden. One Jedi Knight, however, did not struggle with this balance: Nejaa Halcyon. Nejaa counseled Anakin in a definitely not Order approved way in how to be a Jedi husband to middling success. But this Jedi Knight’s story didn’t end in the Clone Wars: after the fall of the Empire, his grandson, Corran Horn, would be an instrumental part of rebuilding the entire Jedi Order.
Flying with Rogue Squadron on a mission to stop a pirate group called the Invids, Corran Horn becomes acutely aware of his connection to the Force. During the mission, he can’t help but feel worry for his wife, and his worry for his wife impedes his ability to use the Force. And, even though he did not know it, his wife was kidnapped, which affects his connection to the Force even more than he had initially known it was. Following his mission, Corran returns home, where he discovers the absence of his wife.
Luke Skywalker, however, took notice of Corran Horn, visiting him and revealing that his connection with the Force was broken due to “psychic damage” that he had sustained. Luke offers to bring him to the Temple on Yavin IV, making him one of the earliest Jedi in his Academy. Corran Horn’s training is normal compared to other Jedi, like Kyp Durron, leading Exar Kun’s disembodied spirit to Kyp. After Kyp attacked Luke, separating his soul from his body, Corran took over the Academy.
But Kyp/Kun wouldn’t totally leave Corran alone. The pair, occupying the same body, are able to poke at one of Corran’s biggest weaknesses: his wife. They offer him the power of the Dark Side, the power to take down the Invids, save his wife, and be one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. This really pulls at Corran’s heart and he actually becomes really tempted to follow Exar Kun to the Darkness. This already poses serious questions for the new Jedi that Luke is gathering: are attachments a pull to the Dark Side? Should his new Jedi be married or stick to the old Jedi Order’s code of non-attachment? The question is almost completely undercut when the spirit of Kun starts torturing Corran, almost making Corran’s decision for him to stay in the light.
Corran then follows an exciting life that shows the need for a more structured Jedi Order and maybe more New Republic oversight on the pilots. After his confrontation with Exar Kun, Corran goes into an undercover mission with the Invids. Despite being a powerful Jedi, Corran works hard to keep his identity as a Jedi secret. Unfortunately, it becomes harder and harder to keep this secret while he works across the galaxy because of his power. While fighting with the Invids, on their flagship, Corran Horn also attracts the attention of the Hutts and the Imperials, straining tensions in an already tense galaxy. Complicating his plans to remain secret, Corran begins to build a reputation for himself as a pirate. As a pirate, he attracts a lot of attention with many pirate groups, most of which start trying to get him to join their bands, not knowing of his huge distaste toward pirates. He also gains the attention of an ex-Moff named Leonia Tavira, who begins to chase him across the galaxy. She pushes him further to outing himself as a Jedi.
Finally, the secret is almost revealed to the galaxy when the Hutts begin to learn about a person they begin to identify as a Ghost Jedi. As more pirates are beaten back, and as Imperial forces are driven toward defeat, the Hutts begin to suspect that a Jedi is the one who stands behind all of it. Having worked with the Jedi before, very closely, the Hutts are probably in the best position to figure out what they are doing. The Hutts issue a challenge to this Ghost Jedi and the conflict almost ends with Corran’s death before he is saved by Rogue Squadron. After attracting all of this attention, Corran’s wife is finally saved and Corran is freed from his intense need and desire for revenge. Unfortunately, the legacy of the Jedi has shifted in the galaxy. Instead of seeing the Jedi as a purveyor of peace and justice, some are starting to see the Jedi more as vigilantes and as loose cannons. Now, the Hutts and Imperials believe that Jedi are mostly autonomous. This legacy of the Jedi would create a sour taste toward the Jedi in the realm of politics and the government.
Maybe the most prominent change that Corran makes is that he destroys an entire Sith/Jedi Temple on Yavin IV. Corran is able to help Luke recover from his grievous injuries in his battle with Exar Kun, returning the Jedi Master to his body. As Kyp Durron, possessed by the spirit of Exar Kun, travels the Galaxy in the Sun Crusher, Corran takes part in a journey to destroy the superweapon. The superweapon is destroyed, and Kyp Durron freed from Exar Kun’s control, but not without the destruction of the Sun Crusher. Corran indelibly leaves a mark on the Jedi Academy by destroying the temple that housed Exar Kun’s spirit. Somehow, Corran figures out that the spirit of Exar Kun wouldn’t be defeated due to its strong connection with the Jedi Temple that his spirit was housed in, so he felt that he was forced to destroy it. The Jedi Academy would survive in spirit, but would now need a new base to live.
So, the Jedi search again for a new home. Without the Sun Crusher, and with a handful of new Jedi, Luke and Leia are on a mission to find new Jedi. But what they end up finding might be even weirder than they expected…and one long-dead Sith Emperor might still have his eye on them…
Legendary Travel Tips:
–I, Jedi precedes the Children of the Jedi trilogy, maybe better known as the Callista trilogy.
-Maybe more interesting than the story, in this reviewer’s opinion, is the fact I, Jedi is a whole cloth retcon of the entire Jedi Academy trilogy. Almost every major event in the trilogy is redone in order to add Corran Horn to the story. Usually, Legends operated in the blanks and margins of stories, adding in characters that were “just off screen.” Not this novel: instead, it inserts Corran into major events from the book trilogy, adding Corran as an instrumental part of every event. Even for Legends this was fairly bold. The added context generally works, and I felt like it added a lot to most of the scenes.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!
Essential Legends Collection: Revan | The Old Republic: Deceived | The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance | The Old Republic: Annihilation | Darth Bane: Path of Destruction | | Darth Bane: Rule of Two | Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil | Darth Plagueis | Shatterpoint | Kenobi | Rogue Squadron | Rogue Squadron: Wedge’s Gamble | Rogue Squadron: The Bacta War | Rogue Squadron: The Krytos Trap | Heir to the Empire | Dark Force Rising | The Last Command | Yoda: Dark Rendezvous | Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void | Republic Commando: Hard Contact | Republic Commando: Triple Zero | Republic Commando: True Colors | Outbound Flight | | Survivor’s Quest | Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter | The Courtship of Princess Leia | I, Jedi
Click Here For More Legendary Adventures!