Star Wars : The New Jedi Order Star Wars : The New Jedi Order , commonly abbreviated as the NJO , is a multi - author book series that was published by Del Rey between 1999 and 2003 , consisting of nineteen novels , three eBook novellas , and three short stories . Twelve authors in total contributed to the series , which was a collaborative effort conceived by representatives of Del Rey , Lucasfilm Ltd . , and Dark Horse Comics during meetings at Skywalker Ranch in 1997 and 1998 . The NJO is a chronological storyline covering a four - year span of galactic history , beginning twenty - one years after the events of " " and telling the story of an invasion of the galaxy by a race of extra - galactic religious zealots . Within the NJO ' s pages , the Yuuzhan Vong begin a massive invasion of the galaxy , and quickly gain ground despite efforts at repulsion made by the New Republic and Luke Skywalker ' s New Jedi Order . Skywalker , Han Solo , Leia Organa Solo , and a new generation of heroes battle the bloodthirsty fanatics as they overtake an unprepared Republic , killing untold numbers of innocents and devastating countless planets , even conquering the galactic capital of Coruscant . Eventually , a rebuilt galactic government , aided by the Jedi and the mysterious living planet Zonama Sekot , overthrow the Yuuzhan Vong and save the galaxy . Characters from the original " Star Wars " trilogy of films play large roles , as do established Expanded Universe characters and new additions to the galaxy far , far away , all working together to repel the invaders . As a large - scale project the likes of which " Star Wars " had never seen before , the NJO was an undertaking that was supervised closely by Lucasfilm Ltd . and kept consistent by a team of continuity advisors . It spawned many entries to the , and paved the way for future multi - author projects such as " Legacy of the Force " and " " . Several tie - in sourcebooks , magazine articles , and comic books were published , helping to expand the New Jedi Order era within the " Star Wars " mythos . As with any work of " Star Wars " media , fan reception was mixed , but the legacy of " The New Jedi Order " continues to be felt today . Conception . Bantam Spectra and Lucasfilm Ltd . had been publishing " Star Wars " novels written by various authors throughout the 1990s , beginning with 1991 ' s " Heir to the Empire " , which quickly reached # 1 on the . Following the book ' s success , both companies agreed that every subsequent novel would form a part of a larger cohesive continuity . In 1997 , the publishing contract for " Star Wars " novels was renegotiated with Del Rey , the publishing imprint of Ballantine Books , and the decision was made to produce a large series which would take several years to publish . Under the Bantam license , the majority of novels released had been trilogies or stand - alones ; despite the continuity , many novels were being written simultaneously and published in close succession of one another . This often led to stories which took place later in the timeline being published prior to stories which took place earlier . The planned Del Rey series , however , would be one large chronological story line covering a five - year span of galactic history . Dark Horse Comics , which had been contracted to publish " Star Wars " comics since 1991 , conceived of the idea of an " Invasion " storyline rocking the galaxy , and began to plant the seeds of the eventual story by introducing the character of Nom Anor , who appeared as an advance agent of what would eventually become the invading forces in of " " , released in November 1998 . Following the conception of Anor ' s character , planning meetings were held at Skywalker Ranch to discuss what would eventually become " The New Jedi Order " . Attendants at the meetings included Lucas Licensing Executive Editor Sue Rostoni , Del Rey Editor at Large Shelly Shapiro , Lucasfilm Director of Publishing Lucy Autrey Wilson , Dark Horse Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley , and several of the authors who were already onboard , including Michael A . Stackpole , James Luceno , and several comic book authors . Stradley suggested the invasion idea , and it quickly became the premise of the series . The invaders were conceived of as being dark Force - users . As many of the novels published under Bantam Spectra had dealt with the New Republic ' s continuing war against the Empire , it was decided to introduce a newer , larger , and meaner threat . Shapiro had often heard fans complain that nothing significant happened to any primary character in the novels published by Bantam , and that The galaxy had grown too safe for the heroes , preventing any serious drama from occurring . In the NJO ' s initial planning sessions , ideas were brainstormed concerning what kind of crisis the characters would face , and everyone present agreed that it was necessary to shake things up by killing a previously " invincible " character . The death of Luke Skywalker was proposed , but the idea was vetoed by George Lucas himself ; Lucas also indicated that C - 3PO and R2 - D2 were off - limits . It was felt that killing Han Solo , Princess Leia , or Lando Calrissian would not have the dramatic impact that the planning team was looking for , which prompted Stradley to suggest Chewbacca , who , despite being a fan - favorite character , had rarely significantly contributed to a novel ' s plot ; Stradley referred to him as the " quintessential supporting character . " It was felt that the death of a previously untouchable character would give the series its needed emotional impact , but putting Chewbacca on the chopping block was not an easy decision on the part of the creative team , causing many tears to be shed . Once the final decision was made , Chewbacca ' s death was approved by George Lucas . It was also decided during the initial planning stages that a new generation of characters would play a large part in the series . The role of the older generation would remain as important , however — Shapiro indicated that one of the stimuli for the series had been that Bantam authors had been unable to develop Han Solo ' s character . As such , the two generations would star and develop in tandem . At the time , the twin offspring of Han and Leia , Jacen and Jaina Solo , were being developed as Jedi - in - training within the pages of the Young Jedi Knights young reader books , and the youngest Solo child , Anakin , had recently starred in his own young reader books , the Junior Jedi Knights series . Anakin was slated to be the hero of the NJO , and it was decided that Jacen would die midway through its run . However , Lucas stepped in again , worried that Anakin ' s heroic story would too closely parallel the story of his grandfather , Anakin Skywalker , which was to be told in the forthcoming " Star Wars " prequel trilogy . Thus , the roles of the Solo brothers were swapped . Lucas also dictated that the villains could not be Force - users , and , at that point , ceased his involvement with the series . The planning team then constructed a rough outline of the plot direction of the NJO , and began to choose more authors , some of whom were suggested by Shapiro , and some by Lucas Licensing and subsequently approved by her . The planning team had a general idea of how the series would end , but intended the NJO to be an organic and adaptive series , open to new directions and not carved in stone . James Luceno began to write a " series bible " that would coordinate all of the story arcs and function as a database for new characters and continuity . A continuity team was formed that included Luceno and Daniel Wallace , who expanded the galaxy map and began keeping track of new Jedi introduced in the series . They encouraged authors to re - use Jedi in later books rather than inventing new ones . Throughout the series ' run , Lucasfilm Ltd . supervised the NJO ' s production much more closely than they had the Bantam - issued novels . The series ' villains were eventually developed into the Yuuzhan Vong , an extra - galactic race of religious zealots bent on conquering the galaxy . The name " Yuuzhan Vong " was derived from a French - Thai restaurant in New York City where several members of the planning team were eating . A peace treaty with the remnants of the Empire , and the seeds of an alien invasion plotline , were laid in 1998 ' s " Vision of the Future " , a novel by Timothy Zahn published under Bantam ' s contract . Plot synopsis . The series begins 21 years after the Rebel Alliance destroyed the second Death Star . The New Republic is facing internal conflict while trying to maintain peace . A new , unknown enemy called the Yuuzhan Vong , emerges from the outer galaxy , beginning what will be known as the Yuuzhan Vong War . The Jedi , along with the New Republic , struggle to resist this new alien race while it steadily pushes forward , annihilating or occupying different parts of the galaxy . Character arcs . As the longest continuous series of novels in the EU , the NJO was able to establish several long - term character arcs . Many new or previously underused characters were put into the spotlight and were developed extensively over the course of the series . Among the most prominent character arcs : The New Order vs . the Old Order . The Order itself is philosophically distinct from the Jedi Order of the Old Republic ( thus the Old Jedi Order ) by a new Jedi Code and broadened view of the Force . The Order ' s titular head is Luke Skywalker , but other senior Jedi such as Kyle Katarn , Mara Jade and Kyp Durron have significant say in the Order ' s activities . The Order during the Yuuzhan Vong incursion polarizes into two major factions : that of Luke Skywalker , who feels that the Force should be used peacefully , like the Old Republic - era Jedi ; and the faction of Kyp Durron , who holds that the Jedi should take a proactive , aggressive stance against enemies , hoping that in that way to live up to the Jedi ' s roles as " protectors " of the galaxy . Character deaths . Several major characters die within the " New Jedi Order " series , an unusual departure from earlier Star Wars stories , and a source of criticism . The most controversial deaths among fans were Chewbacca and Anakin Solo . In a number of " New Jedi Order " books the characters who die seemed to be of key importance in the novels . The books also revealed the death of some major characters in the Star Wars universe that were not even introduced in the series . It should be noted that while Mon Mothma did not die in the " New Jedi Order " series , she died directly prior to " Vector Prime " ; her death was first revealed in the series . Similarly , while Nom Anor is indicated to have died during the events of " " , many fans believe he is still alive as his off - screen death allows for uncertainty as to whether he did in fact die . Criticism and reaction . Timothy Zahn felt the series was too dark and straying from the " feel " of " Star Wars " . Randy Stradley , alleged that Del Rey used an invasion idea originating with Dark Horse and took it in directions they did not intend . Michael A . Stackpole , just after the publication of his NJO " Dark Tide " books , when asked what his new " " books would involve , responded , " " An alien invasion ? No , a thousand times , no . " " However , author John Ostrander read and enjoyed the series . In an interview published in " " , Shelly Shapiro , the Editorial Director of Del Rey , expressed some regret over the " grimmer " aspects of the series and the Yuuzhan Vong themselves , as well as the timing of the novel " " , coming so soon after the . Media . Television commercial . In 1999 , Mark Hamill reprised his role as Luke Skywalker in a brief speaking role for the series . Hamill spoke as Luke Skywalker in a TV commercial for the first novel in the series , " Vector Prime " . In the commercial , released on the in late 1999 , he recalls the state that the galaxy is in at the present , compared to the times of the Empire .