Star Wars Expanded Universe: The New Jedi Order

The New Jedi Order was the first ongoing Star Wars novel series after Del Rey acquired the license to publish Expanded Universe novels in 1999. The license was previously held by Bantam Books, whose era began with The Thrawn Trilogy and ended with The Hand of Thrawn, both by Timothy Zahn.

Background and Books

During the Bantam era, Star Wars books were mostly stand-alone novels or trilogies which could be understood without reading the previous books in the timeline. Published between 1999 and 2003, The New Jedi Order was a daring new project, a long-term, ongoing story spanning 19 novels, two e-book novellas, and three short stories by 12 different authors.

Summary

The main story of The New Jedi Order was an invasion of the Star Wars galaxy by an extragalactic race, the Yuuzhan Vong. A different kind of creature than anything previously seen in Star Wars, the Yuuzhan Vong exist outside the Force, shun technology in favor of genetically engineered organisms, and have a culture and religion that values sacrifice and pain. Despite massive losses on all sides, the heroes are eventually able to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong with the help of a sentient planet, Zonama Sekot.

List of Works

1. Vector Prime by R. A. Salvatore (novel, 1999)
2. Dark Tide I: Onslaught by Michael Stackpole (novel, 2000)
   
3. Dark Tide II: Ruin by Michael Stackpole (novel, 2000)
4. Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial by James Luceno (novel, 2000)
   
5. Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse by James Luceno (novel, 2000)
6. Balance Point by Kathy Tyers (novel, 2000)
7. "Emissary of the Void" by Greg Keyes (short story, 2002)
8. "Recovery" by Troy Denning (e-book novella, 2001)
9. Edge of Victory I: Conquest by Greg Keyes (novel, 2001)
   
10. Edge of Victory II: Rebirth by Greg Keyes (novel, 2001)
11. Star by Star by Troy Denning (novel, 2001)
12. Dark Journey by Elaine Cunningham (novel, 2002)
13. "The Apprentice" by Elaine Cunningham (short story, 2002)
14. Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream by Aaron Allston (novel, 2002)
    
15. Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston (novel, 2002)
16. Traitor by Matthew Stover (novel, 2002)
17. Destiny's Way by Walter Jon Williams (novel, 2002)
18. "Ylesia" by Walter Jon Williams (e-book novella, 2002)
19. Force Heretic I: Remnant by Sean Williams & Shane Dix (novel, 2003)
20. Force Heretic II: Refugee by Sean Williams & Shane Dix (novel, 2003)
21. "Or Die Trying" by Sean Williams & Shane Dix (short story, 2003)
22. Force Heretic III: Reunion by Sean Williams & Shane Dix (novel, 2003)
    
23. The Final Prophecy by Greg Keyes (novel, 2003)
24. The Unifying Force by James Luceno (novel, 2003)

Reception and Legacy

The New Jedi Order received mixed reactions from fans. The dark tone and focus on character death led many readers, such as Star Wars author Timothy Zahn, to criticize the series for not feeling like Star Wars.

On the other hand, the commercial success of The New Jedi Order paved the way for future multi-author series, such as Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi -- which both tightened the plot and pacing by reducing the number of books to nine and the number of authors to three. While Del Rey still publishes stand-alone novels, the focus since 1999 has been on building up the Expanded Universe with long-term, intense storylines.

Other Uses

The term "New Jedi Order" also refers to the Jedi Order as re-founded by Luke Skywalker after Return of the Jedi, as well as the time period between 25 and 40 ABY. The comic book series Invasion takes place during the New Jedi Order era.