Jacen’s downfall, and the recontextualization of Vergere’s teachings. You see, delving into the EU as a newcomer, I heard nothing but awful things about these two plot developments, with them often cited as the precise, unfortunate moment in which the creative decline in the post-ROTJ EU went into full swing. And funnily enough, for all the insistence I keep hearing about neither one of these revelations feeling earned or organic in the story, I actually didn’t hate them at all. They weren’t executed perfectly, mind you, but I didn’t find them to be the canon-breaking character assassination gimmicks that I had been led to believe they were up until reading them myself. First and foremost is the complaint that Jacen’s Dark Side turn was abrupt and out of nowhere, poorly-devised and ill-fitting of his character. Putting aside all of the symptoms that were advertised with the subtlety of a foghorn in Dark Nest, I feel it worth mentioning that in NJO and LOTF, Jacen is constantly being written as a man haunted by visions and mounting all the responsibility for saving the galaxy and his loved ones on his shoulders alone. His actions here aren’t unreasonable or out of character considering that aspect of his character growth, especially considering how frantically he worked to try and course-correct the outcome of his visions throughout the entirety of NJO. One might compare this resurfacing in LOTF to Luke Skywalker in TLJ, showcasing the irrational urge to react to visions before he understands them, a lesson he already learned once before in ESB and is narratively lazy to kick into gear again for cheap drama. The difference, and what makes Jacen Solo repeating his mistakes from NJO (in an arguably worse fashion, this time around) is that Jacen hasn’t evolved into a wise master that should know better: he’s gotten more arrogant. He’s become calculating and callous, absorbed in what he believes to be a superior amalgamation of Force ideals over the Jedi, and he routinely proves how much he believes in the ends justifying the means. His journey since NJO has only basted and fostered his hubris, with him actively communicating that he thinks he knows better than the Jedi of Luke’s order, due to his experiences with the Vong and the diversified Force Teachings he’s incorporated during his spiritual exile prior to Dark Nest. Luke himself points out the problem in how Jacen embraces Vergere’s teachings as an older man have evolved into something misguided, stating that individual evil actions might seem logical for the sake of the greater good, but are hindered by the eventuality of snowballing into a callous, unfeeling philosophy of “ends over means”. And Jacen, feeling that his experiences and victory in previous conflicts make him unique, equipped with a higher understanding of the Force than those around him, dismisses Luke flatly.
For me, this is why Jacen’s turn doesn’t feel at odds with how his character has evolved since NJO. Ever since I found out that Lucas had ordained Jacen be the NJO hero who turns to the Dark Side, I was afraid that it was going to feel inorganic, tacked-on and forced, due to its nature as an editorial decision…but it didn’t. Everything from Jacen’s journey throughout NJO, to his symptoms of calculated manipulation and over self-reliance in Dark Nest, to all of his actions here, flow in a sensible and organic fashion. At no point did anything he said or did in these post-NJO books felt at odds with what had been established…it mostly made sense to me. Especially when you factor how Jacen’s experiences have isolated him from the rest of Luke’s Jedi Order, and have fueled him into thinking he knows better than all of them, even Luke.
