Legendary Adventures: Jedi Trial

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi…Padawan! The Legendary Adventures arrive at the first major invasion of the Clone Wars. The Separatists take aim at a Republic communication center on Praesitlyn. Jedi Knight Neeja Halcyon and Padawan Anakin Skywalker team up with local rebels to push back the Separatists and save a major center of the Republic.

You may remember from the previous review that the Clone Wars novels are on an accelerated timeline thanks to The Clone Wars. In this novel, Anakin Skywalker is still a Padawan, left on Coruscant by Obi-Wan while he is on a mission. This puts this novel within the first three months of the war. Admiral Pors Tonith, a Separatist commander, prepares to invade Praesitlyn, a major communications center. The invasion of a Republic communications center follows hot on the heels of the failure to produce a line of deadly anti-Jedi droids (as referenced in Cestus Deception!)

Admiral Pors Tonith’s assault on Praesitlyn destroys the planetary defense force, leaving only two survivors: Odie Subu, a soldier in the army, and Erk H’Arman, a pilot. Tonith uses the communicators director, Reija Momen, as a hostage to force the Republic to surrender the planet. Momen rebels: she calls on the Republic to strike the planet, taking whatever force is necessary to free it. General Zozrider Slayke, a former Republic officer, who deserted from the Republic fleet to fight the Separatists on his own terms begins a counter-assault on Tonith.

Back on Coruscant, the Jedi deliberate over whether or not they should commit clone troopers to the system. The Senate and Jedi Council, seeing Zozrider’s counter-assault, authorize an attack on the planet. Nejaa Halcyon has been on a mission earlier in the War: he was sent to track down the rogue Zozrider and bring him to justice. Zozrider ended up taking Halcyon’s ship on Bpfassh, causing a rivalry to rise between them. This pairing illustrates two unsual aspects of the early stages of the War: first, Jedi were forced to work with local militias to overtake the Separatists. This early into the War, the Republic was not prepared for battle, unsure of how to fortify their defenses, if they decided to fortify them at all. Second, it demonstrates the already growing weaknesses of the Jedi. If a regular general was able to outwit the Jedi, they were in trouble. As the Dark Side grew more powerful as the War progressed, they would only grow weaker.

Halcyon and Anakin bond in the Jedi Temple through a series of meals and lightsaber sparring sessions. Halcyon then tells the Council he wants to bring Anakin along on this mission. On Praesitlyn, moving to connect with General Zozrider, Anakin sends a secret letter to Padmé. Having only been married for a few weeks, Anakin is not used to being away from her to lead an attack force. This letter causes Anakin to open up to Halcyon, who reveals that he himself has been hiding a secret wife and children for years. This confession gives the two men a stronger bond, but I wonder what it does to Anakin’s view on the Jedi. The novel is incredibly straight-forward, hardly spending much time in different character’s minds, other than brief glimpses into Anakin’s angst. Because of this, we aren’t left with a lot of new insight on Anakin. But this early in the War, it has to force Anakin to reconsider his views on the Jedi. If the best Masters, in this case, Halcyon, were still great Jedi despite being married, why would marriage be withheld? Why couldn’t he live as a married Jedi? Anakin’s crises with the Order were only beginning here.

Halcyon and Zozrider are able to overcome the tension between them as Anakin comes up with a plan to free Momen and the communications center. As Halcyon and Zozrider lead a direct frontal assault on the base, Anakin and some clone troopers sneak into the base and secretly rescue the hostages. Anakin’s plan pushes him into situations that reveal the multi-faceted dimensions of his character. After he successfully inserts himself into the base, he makes a strong connection with Momen. She reminds him of his mother, and he finds her a suitable place to project the issues he has with leaving her, and his inability to let go of those connections. Battle droids discover their infiltration, and in the ensuing fight, kill Momen. Anakin lashes out in anger to destroy all of the droids, growing closer to the Dark Side in how he embraces his anger. Losing Momen was like losing Shmi all over again for Anakin. In one day, he learns that other Jedi are married, allowing him an excuse to retain his attachment to Padmé while also growing close to someone that was ripped away from him. The strain of gaining a possible link to Padmé while losing a connection to his mother would be tough for any young man, but probably especially to one so connected with the Force.

Following his outburst of anger and hatred, Anakin returns to the Jedi ideal of self-sacrifice. As Anakin captures Tonith and his crew, his anger is still burning. He turns this anger on Tonith and is ready to kill him. Qui-Gon’s voice fills Anakin’s mind, causing him to repent from killing him. He spares Tonith, but the Separatists have another plan in mind. Asajj Ventress, having been off screen for so long, has launched her reinforcement fleet to Praesitlyn. Anakin and some clone pilots try to take out their flagships. In a last ditch effort, Anakin flies his starfighter into the flagship, where he is seemingly killed in action.

Halcyon mourns for Anakin, planning a wedding for the two survivors of Tonith’s initial offense on the planet. Anakin returns in time for the wedding, acting as an official at the ceremony due to his position in the Republic Army. Anakin is left in another hard place: Halcyon is married, he now watches another marriage ceremony, and he has recently lost Momen, a mother figure. How can Anakin be in a good spot, watching everyone around him get everything he can’t have? While it may be extremely early in the war, Anakin’s turn is becoming extremely believable.

One of the greatest things about this novel is that it has a more balanced Anakin. He goes to both extremes: he dips into the power of the dark side to destroy droids. He also reaches to his basest instincts of compassion, sacrificing himself for the clones and Halcyon. A lot of Legends shows us a one-note Anakin: he was murdering early, Force choking people for looking at him funny, or bad mouthing literally any authority figure in his general vicinity. This fair and balanced Anakin shows the true hurt and struggles of an overly powerful 20 year old. Because of his action on Praesitlyn, he is granted the title of Jedi Knight.

Jedi Trials is a relatively straight sci-fi military story. There are relatively few twists and turns, and the stakes raise higher and higher. I didn’t connect to many characters; in fact, I neglected to mention a whole character in this review and I don’t feel like anything was lost. It is a shorter story, though, and a quick read. If later Legends novels didn’t list Praesitlyn as one of the major turning points in Anakin’s life, I might’ve forgotten this novel entirely.

Legendary Travel Tips:
-Due to the shifted timeline of the novel, it is hard to place. In the accelerated timeline, it follows Secret of the Jedi and precedes The Clone Wars.
–Praesitlyn is in the Sluis sector, which the novel refers to as a Republic controlled sector. The rest of Legends referred to as a Separatist sector.
-I’ve been told to keep an eye on the name Halcyon in the future, which may make this required reading despite my middling review.

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Movie Reviews:
The Last Jedi