Zekk Zekk was a street - smart , Force - sensitive Human male orphan from Ennth who befriended the Solo twins Jaina and Jacen . After a fall to the dark side of the Force in his teenage years , he trained to be a Jedi Knight . Zekk would later go on to participate in the offensives against the Yuuzhan Vong and Dark Nest . During the Dark Nest Crisis , he and Jaina became Joiner s and formed a particularly strong mental connection with one another . As of 40 ABY , Zekk and Jaina were un - Joined but still shared some thoughts . Soon after that they became partners , though Jaina ' s family thought they were romantically involved . During the Second Galactic Civil War he and Jaina participated in the Battle of Tralus as part of the Hardpoint Squadron . Soon after , he participated in the Blockade of Corellia under the leadership of Jacen and Jaina . Zekk later joined forces with Jaina and Jagged Fel to hunt down the rogue Dark Jedi Alema Rar . Zekk mysteriously vanished from the Force during the war ' s final battle . Jaina , who never felt him die , insisted he was still alive somewhere . He was considered missing in action , only to emerge months later alive , well , and romantically involved with the Hapan Security officer Taryn Zel . Biography . Early life . Zekk spent the first nine years of his life on the planet Ennth , where his parents were colonists . When Ennth began to self - destruct , as it did every eight years , Zekk , a bright , promising child , was sent to one of the planet ' s crowded orbiting refugee stations for several months until Ennth was safe for habitation again . His parents , who intended to join him in orbit , stayed on the surface too long trying to retrieve the last of their possessions and were killed in a groundquake . Zekk , not wanting to stay on Ennth any longer without a family , escaped the refugee station and stowed away on a supply ship . For a period of time Zekk jumped from one ship to another , seeking out a life for himself , until he met the old spacer Peckhum , who became his friend and took him in . Life on Coruscant . Peckhum and Zekk shared a mid - level apartment on Coruscant that had been abandoned during the Galactic Civil War . Zekk had a degree of freedom that most children didn ' t have , since Peckhum was often away running supplies in his beat - up freighter , the " Lightning Rod " , or working as a caretaker for one of the many Orbital Solar Energy Transfer Satellite s that surrounded Coruscant . Zekk would often leave the apartment to explore Coruscant ' s undercity , where he discovered that he had something of a talent for finding things that were valuable . This talent was hit - or - miss , though . On one occasion Zekk climbed down forty - two stories of an abandoned turbolift shaft to find that what seemed to be a glittering object was actually a piece of foil wrapping stuck to some ooze . Zekk would give the valuable scraps of metal , trinkets , and lost objects that he found to Peckhum , who knew how to sell them and whom to sell them to in order to put food on the table . However , the things that Zekk found were collected faster than Peckhum could sell them and as a result , they accumulated inside their apartment . Zekk ' s knowledge of Coruscant ' s undercity and his talent for finding things caught the eye of Norys , the leader of a gang known as the Lost Ones . Though Norys derided Zekk as a " trash collector , " he wanted Zekk to be his right - hand man so that he could access Zekk ' s vast knowledge of the streets of Coruscant ' s undercity . Zekk refused the offer because he didn ' t want to be the accessory of a bully like Norys . Norys didn ' t react well to the rejection , and while he decided that he wouldn ' t care if Zekk was maimed or killed , he still kept the invitation to join the Lost Ones open . Meeting the Solo kids . Sometime around 18 ABY , Zekk met Jaina Solo and her brother Jacen . Though he was aware of — and somewhat resented — the fact that they were better off than himself , Zekk didn ' t allow that to keep him from becoming friends with the twins . Zekk and the twins , as well as their brother Anakin , had many adventures together . Eventually Jacen and Jaina left for Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 , leaving Zekk behind on Coruscant . The Solo twins would later return to Coruscant with their friends Tenel Ka and Lowbacca for a month - long vacation . On the first day that they were there , they joined Zekk for yet another adventure into the undercity of Coruscant , where they discovered an abandoned Imperial shuttle and helped Zekk " acquire " a hawk - bat egg . After that , Zekk invited them to a midday meal of stormtrooper rations at his apartment . Jaina eventually suggested that in return , she and Jacen should invite him to a diplomatic dinner that would be held a couple of days later . Zekk accepted the invitation and had Peckhum help him select some new clothes that would help him fit in at the banquet . Before Peckhum left once again to attend to his duties as the caretaker of an OSETS , Zekk promised the old man that he would find a central multitasking unit that would be needed to make the broken - down station more fit for Human habitation . A day later , Zekk made his way to the Imperial Palace to attend the banquet . At the moment that he met C - 3PO , the Solos ' droid , Zekk ' s well - hidden resentment of the difference between his social status and that of his friends returned . The prissy droid stated that Zekk ' s " new " clothes were out of style and attempted to comb out the tangles in his long hair . The height of Zekk ' s embarrassment came at the banquet when Jaina pointed out to him that he had eaten a bouquet , which he had mistaken for a salad . Jaina ' s mother , Leia Organa Solo , not wishing for Zekk to be publicly embarrassed also had her family eat the bouquets . After the diplomatic function was over , Zekk furiously left the Imperial Palace as quickly as possible . He was unaware at the time , however , that his gaffe had indirectly " helped " pave the way for a trade agreement and alliance between the New Republic and the world of Karnak Alpha , as the native ambassador , of a species that held children above all , had been impressed with Organa Solo ' s effort to make young Zekk more comfortable . On his way home , he came across Tamith Kai , who was looking for Dark Jedi recruits for the Shadow Academy . She scanned him with a Force detector , and , seeing that he had the potential to be a very strong Jedi , stunned and kidnapped him . Dark Jedi . Induction into the Shadow Academy . Later , Zekk awoke in a cell aboard the Shadow Academy . His first visitor would be Brakiss , the master of the Shadow Academy . He apologized to him for Tamith Kai ' s " enthusiasm " and promised that he would be quartered in better lodgings . Brakiss then informed Zekk that the talents that he had used to survive in Coruscant ' s undercity were no small thing , for they were an unconscious manifestation of Zekk ' s Force - sensitivity . And if the readings of Tamith Kai ' s Force detector were right , he was especially strong in the Force . Brakiss then turned to the task of turning Zekk against his friends Jacen and Jaina . Among other things , Brakiss claimed that the twins knew of Zekk ' s power and consciously decided not to tell him about it . He also cast doubt upon Zekk ' s belief that his " friends " or anybody else would come seeking for him , given that he was merely a street youth . Lastly , Brakiss made Zekk question his future . If he chose not to develop his powers , he would be allowed to leave the Shadow Academy and continue his existence as a trash collector and nothing more . Brakiss told Zekk that he would be giving up a once - in - a - lifetime opportunity to make something of himself . After this , Brakiss left Zekk alone with his thoughts and a number of delicious pastries . True to Brakiss ' promise , Zekk was eventually assigned better accommodations and given a uniform that he found to be dark and dashing . Darkest Knight . The next day , Brakiss brought Zekk to his office and showed him the power that he could wield if he trained at the Shadow Academy . Impressed that he indeed could use the Force , Zekk decided to do so at once . His first assignment on behalf of the Shadow Academy would be recruiting members of the Lost Ones to fill the ranks of the Second Imperium . Zekk would be accompanied to the headquarters of the Lost Ones by Tamith Kai , Garowyn , and Vilas in order to ensure their cooperation , and possibly his as well . As he recited his speech to a large group of unusually subdued members of the Lost Ones gang , Jacen and Tenel Ka stumbled upon the gathering . Despite Jacen ' s pleas to him to leave the Shadow Academy , Zekk refused to listen to him , not wanting to squander the opportunity to better himself . He looked on as Jacen and Tenel Ka were stunned and left unconscious on the floor . He left with the new recruits for the Shadow Academy . Eventually , the Shadow Academy was forced to leave its hiding place near Coruscant , but Zekk managed to keep one last promise to an old friend . Defying his new teachers , he jettisoned a message pod that contained the central multitasking unit that he had promised to get for Peckhum . It also contained a message to his former friends . Zekk ' s hologram explained his reasons for choosing to train at the Shadow Academy . After killing Tamith Kai ' s apprentice Vilas in a forced duel to the death to prove himself , Zekk earned the title " Darkest Knight " , and thus Brakiss ' right hand man . Zekk then was chosen to lead Tamith Kai and two other Nightsisters to Kashyyyk . There , he came face to face with the Solo twins , Tenel Ka , and Lowbacca . He faced off with Jaina , then warned her about the attack on the Jedi Praxeum . Because of his feelings for her , Zekk spared her life and fled . End of the Shadow Academy . Zekk then led the assault on the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 . He proved that he was not completely a Dark Jedi when he refrained from killing Raynar Thul , instead humiliating him in front of other Dark Jedi that were with him so that they would not consider it worth the effort to kill Thull . Most of his Dark Jedi were killed , as was Tamith Kai , and in a last - ditch effort , he walked to the Great Temple , where he had a confrontation with former friend Jaina Solo . She tried her hardest to turn him back to the light , but Zekk refused her efforts , although he did refrain from killing her . After his duel with Jaina , he warned the students to stay away from the Temple , or everyone would die . Shortly thereafter , a bomb inside the Temple went off . Zekk was not as lost as it appeared , for he had saved everyone by keeping them away from the impending explosion . During the explosion , a shard of rock hit Zekk in the head , knocking him out . Jaina and the others cared for Zekk until he recovered from his injury . Bounty hunter . After recovering , Zekk was asked to stay at the Academy and train as a Jedi , but he refused , fearing he ' d fall to the dark side again . Trying to decide what to do next , Zekk returned to Ennth , his homeworld , arriving during one of its destructive cycles . Zekk used the " Lightning Rod " , which Peckhum had given to him as a going - away present , to help evacuate as many colonists as possible , but soon realized that Ennth was no longer where he belonged . Having always been good at finding things , Zekk decided to learn how to become a bounty hunter , believing that his skills would enable him to become one of the best bounty hunters available . Perhaps through the will of the Force , Zekk ' s bounties always seemed to be connected with the missing Bornan Thul . Because of this , Zekk crossed paths with a bounty hunter he thought to be Boba Fett , actually Ailyn Vel in disguise . He also took the opportunity to ask about proper business conduct while working bounties . He shared his information with Jacen , Jaina , Tenel Ka , Raynar Thul , and Lowbacca , and together they stopped the threat that was the Diversity Alliance . Zekk then realized that he had too much of a conscience to be a bounty hunter , and finally had enough faith in himself to be trained as a Jedi . Black Sun . Following the Diversity Alliance conflict , Zekk would return to the academy to train as a true Jedi . His initial attempts proved difficult , so Luke Skywalker suggested he start using the Force in ways that felt familiar to him . Zekk would go on to participate in — and win — the Ord Mantell Blockade Runners ' Derby . There , the young Jedi and his friends would encounter Anja Gallandro and be pulled into the rise of a new Black Sun crime syndicate . Zekk , seeing anger untamed in Anja , sympathized with the girl and , along with Jacen , spent a great deal of time trying to help her , much to Jaina ' s dismay . Zekk would finally go on to construct a new lightsaber with a flame - colored blade . He would later use it to help his friends defeat Black Sun and escape an underwater glacier on Mon Calamari . After this mission , he and the other young Jedi Knights were promoted to apprentice Jedi Knights in a ceremony at the Jedi Praxeum , and Zekk finally accepted the mantle of a Jedi . The Yuuzhan Vong War . During the opening months of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion , Zekk acted as a forward observer for the Jedi in monitoring the invasion path . He also assisted in several planetary evacuations and refugee relocations sponsored by SELCORE . Two years into the conflict , Zekk was chosen as one of the members of the Myrkr strike team sent to destroy the voxyn queen . This reunited him with Jaina , whom he still had romantic feelings for , but Jaina revealed to him that she thought of him as a brother , not a potential lover . He flew under the callsign " Bounty Hunter . " During the mission , the team rescued two Dark Jedi , Welk and Lomi Plo , but Zekk was instantly wary of them given his past history with the Shadow Academy and his own experiences as a dark Jedi . His fears were proven right when the two stole the " Tachyon Flier " , a ship that was to be used to extract the strike team . Raynar Thul , injured and badly needing medical attention , was still aboard during the hijacking . With the mission in shambles , the remaining members made a risky attempt to recover Anakin ' s body . With Anakin ' s body in tow , Zekk and the others stole a Yuuzhan Vong frigate and forged their escape from the Yuuzhan Vong worldship , under heavy fire from their pursuers . With Raynar , Jacen Solo , and Anakin Solo dead or missing , Zekk watched as his best friend , Jaina Solo , started to turn to the dark side . Zekk feared that if he tried to bring her back , he would just fall with her , and he knew that he would never be able to kill her if she truly fell , so he gave her some distance . Zekk was present on Hapes for Anakin Solo ' s funeral . Zekk later accompanied the other Myrkr survivors to Borleias , where he participated in the battle there . Four years into the war , Zekk officially became a Jedi Knight in a ceremony on Mon Calamari . He then joined Jaina , Tesar Sebatyne , Lowbacca , Tahiri Veila , and Jacen in participating as starfighter pilots for the Galactic Alliance against the Yuuzhan Vong , with fleet action culminating above Ebaq 9 . Zekk was one of many Jedi who bonded with seed partners on Zonama Sekot at the Battle of Yuuzhan ' tar , where he helped defend the living planet from Nas Choka and Alpha Red . Dark Nest Crisis . In 35 ABY , Zekk was one of the Jedi involved in the Chiss border dispute . He had abandoned his post to join other Myrkr survivors in the Unknown Regions , where they discovered Raynar was still alive and leading a colony of Killik s . Due to the amount of time spent around the Killiks , he eventually became a Joiner along with Jaina . The two shared an extremely close mental bond , resulting in the awkward situation of sharing not only thoughts but also feelings , as Zekk was forced to experience Jaina ' s romantic feelings for Jagged Fel , just as she was forced to experience Zekk ' s romantic feelings for her . Despite its awkwardness , the Joiner bond caused Zekk and Jaina to grow closer to one another . The two Joiners , along with the Killiks and Tenel Ka ' s Hapan fleet , helped defend Qoribu from the Chiss . Zekk and Jaina then helped track down pirates that were smuggling black membrosia just before the Swarm War started . Their actions during the skirmish led them to be expelled from the Taat Nest . A year later , Zekk and Jaina were assigned to investigate reports of stolen Tibanna gas on Bespin . Upon their arrival at BesGas Three , the two intercepted three Tibanna tapper s using siphoning balloon s to siphon gas and pursued them into the planet ' s high atmospheric zones . After the thieves were taken into custody , it was learned that the stolen Tibanna gas was being stolen by Joiners for use in the Killik military buildup . Zekk , Jacen , Jaina , Tesar , Tahiri , and Lowbacca were later tricked by Jacen into attacking a Chiss base , believing that they were the enemy . When Luke Skywalker called all the Jedi to Ossus , Zekk and Jaina ignored the call , choosing to remain on Tenupe and help the Killiks win the battle there . They were forced to work with the Jedi traitor Alema Rar to destroy the Chiss ' weapon against the Killiks , parasites . During the battle , Zekk led airborne squadrons of Qeeq and Aebea , providing aerial support to the ground forces of Jooj and Rekker , led by Jaina . Zekk and Jaina engaged Jag in a dogfight , but Jag ejected before he could be shot down . At the end of the Swarm War , Zekk and Jaina were rescued by the " Millennium Falcon " from the shelter they were holed up in on Tenupe . As the war came to its conclusion , both of them were recovering in the infirmary , and were quite worried about Jagged Fel ' s fate . Shortly afterwards , Jaina and Zekk decided to go through a reconditioning process under Jedi Master Cilghal . Second Galactic Civil War . The War begins . Zekk and Jaina were later un - Joined , though not completely ; in 40 ABY both still shared a close bond , and still shared some thoughts . Both — especially Jaina — denied their relationship as being anything more than one of friends and partners , but Jaina ' s family saw something more than a simple friendship . They both were part of the strike force sent to capture Prime Minister Aidel Saxan on Corellia with Kolir Hu ' lya and Thann Mithric . Here they encountered a trap where Zekk suffered burns on his leg and back as a result from a explosion and was only saved due to the combined efforts of Kolir and Jaina . They later fought together at the Battle of Tralus commanding the Hardpoint Squadron . Sometime after the Battle of Tralus , which initiated a new galactic war , Zekk and Jaina joined Rogue Squadron , with Jaina as its leader . Jacen Solo was commissioned as a Colonel to lead the Galactic Alliance Guard . During the Blockade of Corellia , Jacen became the new Rogue leader . This upset Zekk and Jaina . Zekk watched as Jacen aggressively handled the situation , and feared that Jacen had turned to the dark side . Intrigue on Hapes . After Jaina ' s suspension , both Zekk and Jaina ceased operations for the military , instead serving the Jedi Order , which included a reconnaissance mission to the Kiris Asteroid Cluster , where they detected the " Millennium Falcon " jump towards Hapes . Shortly after their scouting missions , Zekk shared a revelation he had with Jaina : he and Jaina truly were better friends than they would ever be lovers , a fact Jaina had tried to convince him of for years . Ironically , this caused her to treat him with more respect and possibly even attraction . Later , Zekk and Jaina were assigned to investigate Ducha AlGray ' s estate , but it turned out to be a trap . The Ducha , however , had joined the Hapan insurrection and sent YVH 1 droids after them . Narrowly escaping , Zekk and Jaina were eventually rescued by Ben Skywalker , who had been sent by Jacen to rescue them . Upon arriving near Hapes with the valuable intelligence , Zekk , Jaina , Ben and another crewman fled in the escape pods as the skiff came under attack by insurrection forces . Rescued by the " Millennium Falcon " , Zekk and the others boarded the ship under heavy fire from the " Anakin Solo " , by order of Jacen . As Han helped them aboard , Ben tried to arrest Han , but Zekk prevented him from doing so . Seeing the severe extent of the damage , Zekk helped patch the " Falcon " together , but as he was doing so , Ben again tried to take Han into custody and force him to surrender to the Galactic Alliance , even going so far as to pull his lightsaber on Jaina . Seeing this , Zekk came up behind Ben , restraining him , but Ben turned and slashed Zekk ' s side with his saber . Zekk , severely injured , jettisoned in the " Falcon " escape pods along with Jaina , Ben , and the other crewman ; all were later rescued by Hapan vessels . On Hapes , Zekk was taken to the infirmary for surgery , but was expected to survive the injury . The Hunt for Alema Rar . Zekk later teamed up with Jaina and Jagged Fel to hunt down Alema Rar . During the mission , Jagged admitted to both Zekk and Jaina that he was jealous of Zekk , and that it was this jealousy , and not any lack of skill on Zekk ' s part , that had led Jag to keep Zekk out of Jaina ' s Twin Suns Squadron during the Yuuzhan Vong War . Despite the marked rivalry between Zekk and Jag over the other ' s supposed interest in Jaina , Zekk and crew nearly nabbed Alema aboard the " Errant Venture " before she managed to escape on the " Duracrud " . After her escape , Zekk , Jag and Jaina followed Alema to Ossus , where they found her abandoned vessel in the forest treetops . After an initial disagreement between Zekk and Jag over who would accompany Jaina to the academy to guard the younglings , Zekk agreed to stay behind and watch Alema ' s ship . Upon arriving , Jaina and Jag discovered that Major Salle Serpa had taken the Academy hostage on Jacen ' s orders , and Jaina warned Zekk to stay hidden in the forest . When Serpa stopped Jaina ' s offensive by holding one of the children , Vekki , at blasterpoint , Zekk emerged from the trees in a surprise attack , cutting off Serpa ' s arms and saving Jaina and the younglings . After encountering Alema Rar ' s Force phantom aboard the " Love Commander " , Zekk , Jaina and Jag tracked her to Lumiya ' s asteroid habitat . While there , Zekk was injured by one of Alema ' s phantoms ; soon after , he and Jaina were attacked by Ship , Alema ' s Sith Meditation Sphere . Zekk realized that he could talk to Ship using the dark side techniques he ' d learned at the Shadow Academy , and chose to make the sacrifice of once again touching the dark side to save Jaina ' s life . Buying time for Jaina to escape , Zekk successfully convinced Ship to leave Alema Rar and the asteroid . However , with his defenses now compromised , Zekk was overcome by the dark side energy of the asteroid , making it impossible for him to escape . Jaina found Zekk , dazed and emotionally wounded , and managed to get him out of danger , leaving Jag behind on the asteroid , where he found and killed Alema Rar . Though still traumatized , Zekk began to recover when he was away from the dark side energy present on the asteroid . Taking on Caedus . Zekk remained at the Jedi base on Shedu Maad , recovering from his brush with the dark side , eventually gathering strength enough to spar with Jaina . Zekk was present for the arrival of Ben Skywalker and Tenel Ka Djo , accompanied by the Queen Mother ' s cousins , Trista Zel and her identical twin Taryn , who immediately took a liking to the " handsome " Zekk . During the pre - launch preparations for the Jedi attack on the " Anakin Solo " , Zekk was oblivious to the thoughts of Jaina as she reflected on their relationship , which had grown more distant while she had been with the Mandalorians . During the actual battle , Jaina and Zekk drew the " Anakin Solo " fire long enough for the Hapan fleet to arrive . With their ships heavily damaged , Zekk disappeared during their last and most dangerous pass on the " Anakin Solo " . He was no longer present in the Force , but Jaina had not felt him die . After the death of Caedus , Jaina ordered a search to begin for Zekk . He reappeared six months later , romantically involved with Taryn Zel and refusing to speak about where he had been , leading Han and Leia Solo to speculate he had gone on a secret mission for Tenel Ka . Back in action . Zekk reemerged from his absence during a period of turmoil for the Order : the Galactic Alliance citizens were becoming increasingly hostile to the Jedi , Chief of State Natasi Daala was determined to bring the Order under control , and Luke had been exiled . Zekk came back to lend his aid , and was also romantically involved with Taryn Zel . Personality and traits . Having grown up as an orphan , Zekk became very independent . As such , he constantly had only his own skills to rely on , scavenging what he could and finding his way first around the galaxy , then through the lower levels of Coruscant , unaware he was being aided by his affinity with the Force . This talent allowed him to find valuable items others could not and even meet people such as the Solo twins that would change his destiny . Zekk was a loyal friend and had an unusual sense of humor ; he was the only one who laughed at Jacen Solo ' s jokes . In spite of this , he was bitter over growing up without parents and living without the luxuries that were afforded to his friends . Seduced by the promises of a better life , Zekk became a pupil at the Shadow Academy where he was a keen learner . He became the best apprentice of the academy after he beat his rival Vilas . After being redeemed , he sought his own way in life and became a bounty hunter , though he ultimately turned away from that way of life after realizing how amoral that way of life was . When he became a Jedi he was absolutely against acts of revenge and would attempt to point out the flaws of such actions to his friends . Behind the scenes . With the release of " " , Zekk ' s age was called into question . Previous sources all state that he is about two years older than Jaina , but " Betrayal " states he is a few years younger . This has been stated by " Betrayal " author Aaron Allston to be a continuity error , and that the older age is correct .