Anakin Solo

Shrouded in the legacy of his grandfather, with whom he shared a name, Anakin Solo was a shining example of what the new generation of Jedi should be. Despite sharing the name with an infamous ancestor, Anakin forges his own path as a Jedi—one that would change the entire galaxy.

Born to Rebellion heroes Han and Leia Solo, Anakin was destined for greatness from the beginning. But his childhood was far from privileged. With Han and Leia wrapped up in saving the galaxy and governing, Anakin was often left to fend for himself, left under the care of C-3PO or Chewbacca. Whereas his older siblings, Jacen and Jaina, had each other, Anakin had a lonelier childhood because they were away at Luke’s Jedi Academy on Yavin IV.

Of course, this didn’t mean that Anakin’s childhood was boring! Between kidnappings and accidentally bonding with a celestial super weapon, to eventually attending the Jedi Academy himself, young Anakin Solo’s adventures are an absolute blast with their own distinct flavor in comparison with that of the Solo twins.

During his stay on Yavin IV, detailed in the Junior Jedi Knights series, Anakin befriends a girl from Tatooine, Tahiri Veila, who will go on to have one of the most emotional and tumultuous arcs in all of Star Wars Legends.

Before they fell in love or were wrapped up in the Yuuzahn Vong War, Anakin and Tahiri were taken in by the ancient Jedi Master Ikrit (not to be confused with Yoda. . . think more rabbit-like). What’s not to love about ‘90s Jedi boarding school?!

As Anakin became a young adult and was thrust onto the stage of saving the galaxy, he took the opposite stance from his brother Jacen regarding the use of the Force in the early days of the NJO. Anakin favored a more aggressive, proactive use of the Force, as was advocated by Kyp Durron, whereas Jacen took a pacifistic stance.

When the Jedi Academy came under attack by the Yuuzhan Vong, Anakin stormed off to the rescue, where he was once again united with Tahiri. Behind enemy lines, Anakin paved his own path as a Jedi by showing that the Vong were beings deserving of dignity and tried to understand them and befriend them rather than simply oppose them and defeat them.

He was truly one of the most heroic characters in all of Legends and his story is powerful from beginning to end.

In this collection you’ll find the story of his birth (and Palpatine’s attempt to transfer his evil essence into his infant body!), his early adventures from Yavin IV to Dagobah, and then finally taking center-stage in the New Jedi Order.