With the Obi Wan Kenobi series looming in the distance, I wanted to take my chance and list off my picks for top 5 Jedi in the Star Wars Universe.
5. Cade Skywalker
The year was 2006 and in order to scrub the taste of the prequels out our mouths, Dark Horse Comics charged John Ostrander and Jan Duursem with creating a kinder, gentler Star Wars Comic...in the form of Legacy. The hero (anti-hero) of which is the epitome of an 80's rock star that fancies himself a pirate.
Cade has the power of Dark Transfer that can bring people back from death and heal all other ailments. Considering that Darth Krayt, who fought along side Master Yoda and witnessed the rise of the new Jedi order under Luke, says he is the most powerful Jedi he's encountered...I'd say this space pirate with a throwback style is definitely worthy of this list.
4. Tenel Ka
I remember I was in middle school when Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta brought this Rancor Tooth wielding bad-ass to the page. Even though she took a break from the story for the first few books of the New Jedi Order series, you just cant keep a Jedi Wonder Woman out of the fight.
Humorless and proud, the Queen Mother of Hapes, is like the female Teal'c from Star Gate...but with more hair and less eyeshadow. Heck she even once refused a prosthetic arm after losing it in a lightsaber accident as a reminder of the importance of being humble...that's one reason Tenel Ka is my number 4 favorite Jedi on the list.
3. Anakin Skywalker
Obi-Wan may have underestimated his power...but can you blame him? Anakin, afterall, like Rocky & Bullwinkle or Yogi Bear is way better in cartoon form than in live action. The Clone Wars cartoon show gave us a great Anakin. On the show we see an arrogant hothead that cares deeply for his wife, friends and Padawan...that one hardly ever complains about sand.The image of him as Darth Vader may be forever burned into our minds, but even before he went all reverse Michael Jackson he was still a Force to be reckoned with. He's an ace pilot, master of force choke and his senses are top notch, all this more than make up for his lack of understanding about what the high ground is.
Even if him building C3PO and being immaculately concepted (is that a word) are still dumb ideas - there are still plenty of reasons for "Sky Guy" to be on this list.
2. Luke Skywalker
While the Expanded Universe (EU) is no longer canon... before Disney retconned him Luke was a family man with a wife and son, and was a fully fleshed out Jedi master. Alas, we shall never see him battle a Dianoga, take command during the Yuuzhan Vong war or woo Mara Jade (ooo I see there's hope for a Poe Dameron romance afterall) and raise his son Ben...but we do get to see two minutes of staring and lots of American Idol camera spinning...so yeah.
I am excited to see what kind of deep rich backstory they give Luke in the new canon...maybe he has gotten really good at topiary, I'm hoping for really cool hedge animals on the island.
1. Jacen Solo
My number 1 Jedi is the obvious inspiration for Kylo Ren and the most tragic figure in the EU. Jacenhas a long history in the Star Wars Novels where we read about his childhood, his rise as a Jedi Knight, the tragic loss of his brother Anakin, his marriage to childhood sweetheart Tenel Ka and his eventual fall to the darkside.
Darth Caedeus embraced the darkside in order to bring peace and stability to the galaxy. Unlike Kylo Ren, Jacen was a typically happy and good natured guy. He was vital in defeating the Yuuzong Vong, and his relationship to his twin sister Jaina is everything that the Luke and Leia dynamic should have been...and it had less makeout sessions.