So has much as we bash the Denningverse around these parts, some o f us like to talk about it(some of us write fanfics about it).
Let’s go through it’s core premises and see what we can work out.
Firstly-the order after the NJO is initially listless and divided. We’ll ignore Denning’s bastardization of Vergere’s teaching for the moment and chalk this up to young Jedi running around and many Jedi that had non Jedi careers and interests.
Some of these listless young Jedi end up heeding the call of a man believed dead, and end up becoming bugs. Firstly we need to remember the Killiks aren’t evil, just very alien and incompatible basically with the rest of galactic civilization.
Lomi PLO and Welk corrupt them and they fight the Chiss.
Eventually the Jedi prevail.
Oh and also to Jacen Solo, a daughter is born.
That will be important later.
Let’s talk about Jacen, post NJO. Leaving out OOU considerations and authorial biases.
Jacen is deeply changed by the war-he has had experiences his family can’t really understand, both in Vong captivity and when he defeated Onimi.
He is thus somewhat alienated his family, further compounded by his 5 year sojourn to learn new force sects and elements of the force.
Jacen is a sage alone. The wandering sage. Lacking the peace and bliss he found for those few glorious moments. He gets back with Tenel Ka-but they can’t be together on any permanent basis because she’s queen of a virulently Anti Jedi Hapan Consortium. She won’t give this up for him, he isn’t selfish enough to ask and she cares for her duty and her people.
Allana is conceived and born a year later. Important to note Tenel Ka slowed down the pregnancy with the force and is implied to have slept with a lot of nobles in the weeks after Allana’s conception to create uncertainty as to who the father is. So she wouldn’t be killed. Think about that, that’s the sort of culture she is queen of.
At the same time, things are not well in the GFFA. The galactic alliance is demanding more of its undamaged members of which the proud corellians are central. More taxes, less autonomy. And is rapidly federalizing.
The Corellians even construct a secret fleet, clearly they believe war is on the horizon.
Now back to Jacen.
In the timeframe of Betrayal, he is a well respected Jedi, considered possibly Master skywalker’s heir. But is deeply unsatisfied with what is a mundane life. That does not demand anything of him. At a certain level, he knows, he feels he has a special destiny. So he runs into a woman named Brysha Syo.
And we’ll continue in a bit.