The war against the invading Yuuzhan Vong fleet has caused crisis after crisis for the New Republic – but what happens when the galaxy’s most well-known family is driven into an even deeper crisis themselves? Join the Legendary Adventures as we read New Jedi Order: Balance Point!
It has been two months since the Battle of Fondor. The Yuuzhan Vong have launched a surprise attack on the Fondor shipyards, severely crippling the New Republic fleet. Now, the Vong again aim to destroy their way of life, this time targeting refugees resettled on Duro.
After the Yuuzhan Vong fleet invaded the galaxy a few months ago, starting with the scientific outpost ExGal 4, the galaxy has never been the same. The New Republic has lost world after world to the invading fleet, including Sernpidal, Ithor, and Fondor, and has lost many heroes, including the legendary Wookiee warrior Chewbacca. Driven to desperate measures, the New Republic has been forced to seek help from the Imperial Remnant, Hutts, and the Hapan Cluster. Unfortunately, these unification efforts have mostly failed. The Imperial Remnant only works with the Republic a little, while still holding on to old grudges. The Hutts tried to play both sides of the war and were crushed for their efforts. The Hapan fleet was mostly wiped out by Centerpoint Station, which was rebuilt by Anakin Solo and wielded against the Vong by his uncle, Thracken Sal-Solo. Refugee efforts are pushing New Republic allies to their breaking point, and former Chief of State Leia Organa Solo is overseeing the mission…and seeing it fall to pieces.
But Leia’s personal struggles to rehome the galaxy are not the only problems the Solo family are facing. After having been forced to leave Chewbacca on Sernpidal to be crushed by a falling moon, Anakin Solo has shouldered the guilt for Chewbacca’s death. He now holds extra guilt for restarting the Centerpoint Station, despite the fact that it was used in a way that he obviously would not have approved. Jaina Solo was injured during a battle two months after Fondor, forced to eject from her X-Wing, which caused temporary blindness. Han Solo’s tour of the galaxy, where he learned how to grieve Chewbacca and save his friends, has ended, but the pain has not. The Solos now gather on Duro, where Leia homes refugees, and they see just how personal the effects of the war really can be.
But there seems to be an even larger side effect of the war on the Jedi Order. At the onset of the war, Luke Skywalker wondered if it was right to rebuild the Jedi Council, which was destroyed by Sith Lords Darth Sidious and redeemed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. As the Jedi spread through the galaxy, they began to operate as independent agents with no oversight. This caused some political turmoil, but it also caused death – both for the Jedi and planets like Ithor. Now, Jacen Solo has a vision: if the Jedi continue to fight the Vong with offensive actions, the galaxy will succumb to darkness. And not just the darkness of the Vong, but the Dark Side of the Force. In light of this vision, Jacen swears off the use of the Force. This takes him off the table at one of the most volatile times in galactic history. Unfortunately, since so many Jedi are dead, Jacen is unable to process the meaning of the vision with people who followed visions before, like his grandfather.
Unfortunately, Luke Skywalker and his wife, Mara Jade, are unable to help Jacen process the vision as they sit on opposing ideological sides of the debate. But they also have something else to worry about: after her illness was healed by the tears of Vergere, Mara Jade is pregnant. The couple is elated, but the reality of having a child at this point in the war is daunting to them. They continue to root out Yuuzhan Vong warriors, hoping to capture one and glean information from them. As they come into contact with one, he kills himself, but not before accidentally giving them the impression that someone has infiltrated Duro and is working for the Vong.
This Vong, Nom Amor, is another sleeper agent, who has been involved in the galactic affairs for longer than anyone else knows. When Crimson Guards Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax warred for control of the Empire, Nom was working in the background to make the galaxy ready for the Vong’s invasion. As other efforts, such as yammosks and world brains were failing, infiltration seemed to be the best path forward. Because the Vong are religiously anti-technology, Nom Amor uses a really interesting biological weapon to target the Duros people: a moth. This moth would destroy Duro’s infrastructure, causing the refugees on the planet to become sick and die as they are subjected to the planet’s atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the Duro people are not exactly working against the Vong. In fact, one of the leaders of Duro hopes to hand a victim over to the Vong to appease them enough to not attack the planet. First, Jacen Solo is captured by the Vong, then he and Leia are presented to the Vong warmaster, Tsavong Lah. After Leia speaks with the warmaster, Jacen opens himself up to the Force to defend her. Despite swearing off the Force, Jacen realizes that he can’t stop using it when it comes to saving the people that he loves. But between Nom Amor’s subterfuge and the failure of Duro’s leadership, the planet falls to the Vong. The Vong are sort of crippled, however, when Jacen defeats Tsavong Lah by destroying his foot. More refugees are brought off planet and the search continues.
But the Vong are now angrier than ever. Tsavong Lah sends a message to the galaxy: hand over the Jedi Order, and the galaxy may be spared. But if the Jedi are not turned over, their sights are set on the biggest target of all: Coruscant itself. But on the way, they will stop and try to extract their revenge on Yavin IV and the youth of the Jedi…
Legendary Travel Tips:
-A few of the books released in the New Jedi Order series are sort of “tent poles” for the series, including Balance Point. These books are the five released in hardcover and serve as the major touchstones for the event.
-This book was originally followed by the Knightfall trilogy, including the books Jedi Storm, Jedi Fire, and Jedi Blood. The first book in the series was finished by never published and the entire trilogy was shelved.
-The next novel is the full novel Edge of Victory I: Conquest, but readers of the paperback edition of Star by Star can read the true sequel, the eBook Recovery.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!
Legendary Adventures
Essential Legends Collection: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction | Darth Bane: Rule of Tw0 | Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil | Darth Plagueis | Shatterpoint | Kenobi | Rogue Squadron | Rogue Squadron: Wedge’s Gamble | Heir to the Empire | Dark Force Rising | The Last Command
The New Republic: Heir to the Empire | Dark Force Rising | The Last Command| Isard’s Revenge | Jedi Search | Dark Apprentice | Champions of the Force | Children of the Jedi | Darksaber | Starfighters of Adumar | Planet of Twilight | The Crystal Star | The Black Fleet Crisis | The Hand of Thrawn | Survivor’s Quest
The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime | Dark Tide Duology | Hero’s Trial