Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
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| Lightsabers | |
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Paperback |
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C |
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Lightsabers is the fourth book in the Young Jedi Knights series.
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[edit] Synopsis
Luke Skywalker has come to a grim conclusion. With the threat of a new generation of Dark Jedi being trained at the Shadow Academy, he knows the New Republic will need all the fighters it can muster. At last, it is time for the young Jedi Knights to build their lightsabers.
But there is more to mastering the ancient weapon than mere swordsmanship. Each student must learn about the mysterious bond between Jedi and lightsaber. For Jacen and Jaina, success will mean growing stronger in the Force. But for one of their friends, failure will mean tragedy...
[edit] Summary
With the growing threat of the Second Imperium and the Dark Jedi being trained at the Shadow Academy, Luke decides, against his better judgment, to accelerate the training of his students, and asks them to build and start using their own lightsabers. The young Jedi Knights proudly rise to the challenge, but tragedy strikes when Jacen injures Tenel Ka while sparring, resulting in the loss of her arm. The princess is carried back to Hapes in shock.
On Hapes, Tenel Ka is once again exposed to her grandmother Ta'a Chume's schemings, as the old woman tries to initiate her to Hapan politics, and persuade her to renounce her Jedi training. Jacen, Jaina and Lowbacca arrive later in a welcome respite, but this does not last; after an unknown assassin detonates a bomb in the royal palace, Ta'a Chume determines that their lives are all in danger, and she and the Jedi trainees retire to an isolated Island in the middle of the Hapan ocean.
Even there, however, they are not safe; they barely escape another assassination attempt from a group of Bartokk killers. Upon their return to the mainland, the Queen Mother orders Ambassador Yfra, who was responsible for the attacks, arrested. Tenel Ka has determined that she wishes to continue her training, and returns to Yavin 4 with her friends, and constructs a new lightsaber.
[edit] Character development
The main characters exhibit perhaps the most growth of the entire series in this book, particularly Tenel Ka. On Hapes, the conflicts that have haunted her entire life come back to plague her; most notably, between her heritage as a Hapan royal and her chosen path as a Jedi, and between her Hapan and Dathomiri heritage. On top of this, she also has to decide whether to accept a prosthetic replacement for her arm, as Luke Skywalker did (she eventually decides not to).
Tenel Ka's decisions by the end of the book show much more maturity, and greater comfort with her mixed heritage, than she displayed in earlier books. While she decides to return to Yavin 4 and continue her Jedi training, she also listens to her grandmother's teaching, accepting that she may one day "find a use" for these political skills. She also decides to integrate both her Dathomiri and Hapan heritages, something she intentionally displays in her lightsaber; she carves it out of a rancor tooth (from Dathomir), while using rainbow gems from Gallinore, in the Hapes Consortium, as its focusing crystals.
The other three also develop in the book, especially Jacen, who has to deal with the guilt of having injured Tenel Ka. Jaina also has her issues to deal with; she is deeply affected by Zekk's recent conversion to the dark side, and is still terrified at the thought of having to meet him in combat. They also have to deal, for the first time, with the knowledge that Tenel Ka is a princess and heir to a mighty throne; until then, she had concealed her Hapan heritage, wishing to be judged on her merits alone by her friends and the Academy, not by what her lineage was.
Zekk, finally, is also featured in the book, though he never encounters the main characters or enters the main plotline. However, we see him progress in his training, quickly becoming one of the best pupils of the Shadow Academy. His growth culminates when he wins a fight to the death against Vilas, the Academy's other rising star. Following this, Brakiss hails his victory and crowns him the Emperor's Darkest Knight.
[edit] Dramatis personae
- Brakiss; Dark Jedi (male Human)
- Ta'a Chume; Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium (female Human)
- Tenel Ka Djo; Jedi trainee, heir to the Royal Throne of Hapes (female Human)
- Teneniel Djo
- Em Teedee; miniaturized translation droid
- Isolder
- Tamith Kai; Nightsister (female Human)
- Lowbacca; Jedi trainee (male Wookiee)
- Norys
- Qorl; pilot (male Human)
- R2-D2
- Luke Skywalker; Jedi Master (male Human)
- Jacen Solo; Jedi trainee (male Human)
- Jaina Solo; Jedi trainee (female Human)
- Tionne Solusar
- Raynar Thul
- Vilas; Dark Jedi (male Human)
- Yfra
- Zekk; Dark Jedi trainee (male Human)
[edit] Locations
[edit] Cover gallery
This is a gallery of the different cover variations of Lightsabers.
 German - Young Jedi Knights - Lichtschwerter |
 Polish - Młodzi Rycerze Jedi: Miecze Świetlne |
 Russian - Молодые Рыцари-Джедаи: Световые Мечи |
