Tenel Ka Djo: Hapan Queen Mother and Resilient Jedi

1. Who is Tenel Ka Djo?

Tenel Ka Djo was a female Jedi Knight from Hapes. She was the daughter of Prince Isolder and Teneniel Djo, a witch from Dathomir. Even though she was next in line to rule Hapes, Tenel Ka liked her mother’s ways better than her father’s. This made some people in Hapes angry, including her grandmother, Ta’a Chume. Tenel Ka didn’t like to use her full name, Tenel Ka Chume Ta’ Djo.

As a young teenager, Tenel Ka joined Luke Skywalker’s Jedi school. There, she became good friends with Jacen and Jaina Solo, Lowbacca, Raynar Thul, and Zekk.

While at the Jedi school, Tenel Ka and her friends fought against the dangerous Shadow Academy. They also stopped the Diversity Alliance and put an end to the return of Black Sun. During the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, Tenel Ka was part of a team that went to Myrkr to destroy the voxyn queen, which hunted Jedi. On this mission, she realized she was in love with Jacen Solo, but he was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong. Tenel Ka survived the mission and later became the Queen of Hapes, even though she didn’t want to. A year later, she found out that Jacen had survived.

During the Killik problem in 36 ABY, Tenel Ka agreed to send Jacen Solo a fleet to help the Killiks, who were now led by their old friend, Raynar Thul. She and Solo also had a daughter named Allana. Tenel Ka left the Jedi Order to focus on being Queen.

In 40 ABY, some people tried to kill Tenel Ka and Allana to take control of Hapes. When Jacen turned to the dark side, he promised not to kill Tenel Ka or Allana, even though his Sith teacher Lumiya said it would bring peace to the galaxy.

During the Battle of Kashyyyk, Tenel Ka turned against Jacen because she was shocked by what he did. This made Jacen care more about Allana’s life than Tenel Ka’s. He was ready to kill Tenel Ka if she tried to keep Allana from him. He later took Allana to force Tenel Ka to work with him again, but Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa Solo rescued Allana when Tenel Ka asked them to. This is when the older Solos found out they were related to Allana. They kept it a secret, and Tenel Ka let the Jedi move to the Transitory Mists, inside Hapes.

Tenel Ka soon aided in the defeat of Jacen, who had become Darth Caedus, by trapping his fleet over the Jedi’s base on Shedu Maad. But a virus that targeted Hapan royal blood was released on her main ship. Jacen reached out to her just before he died, telling her to protect Allana. With his help, Tenel Ka and Allana escaped the virus, but Tenel Ka realized Hapes wasn’t a good place for Allana to grow up. She asked Han and Leia to take her to the Jedi school on Shedu Maad and raise her away from Hapan politics.

By 43 ABY, Tenel Ka still hadn’t rejoined the Galactic Alliance because she didn’t like Chief of State Natasi Daala or what the Imperial Moffs were doing. Later, the Lost Tribe of Sith tried to kill her. After they failed, Tenel Ka helped move the Jedi school on Ossus before the Sith could attack.

2. What Was Tenel Ka’s Childhood Like?

Tenel Ka grew up learning about both sides of her family. She learned about politics on Hapes and trained in fighting and using the Force on Dathomir. She believed in the same things as her mother, Teneniel Djo, and her great-grandmother, Augwynne Djo, who led the Singing Mountain Clan on Dathomir. Her father, Isolder, was okay with her choices, but his mother, the former Queen Ta’a Chume, was not. Ta’a Chume tried to get Tenel Ka to train to be a good Queen. However, Tenel Ka chose to follow the path of a Jedi Knight, a decision wholeheartedly supported by her mother.

When she reached the appropriate age, Tenel Ka traveled to Yavin 4 to train at Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy. There, she formed strong bonds with Jacen and Jaina Solo, choosing to keep her royal heritage a secret to ensure her friendships were based on her true self rather than her title.

3. What Challenges Did Tenel Ka Face During Her Time at the Jedi Academy?

Tenel Ka faced many trials, including battling the Shadow Academy, crafting her lightsaber, enduring the loss of her arm, and overcoming self-doubt to emerge as a determined Jedi.

3.1 How Did Tenel Ka Battle the Shadow Academy’s Threats?

A month after meeting the twins Jacen and Jaina, Tenel Ka encountered Lowbacca and his translator droid, Em Teedee. Lowbacca asked Tenel Ka to call him Lowie, but she said no. She explained that it wasn’t because she didn’t respect him, but because she wanted to honor him by using his full name.

While the friends were fixing a crashed TIE fighter, the pilot, Qorl, took Jaina and Jacen. Tenel Ka went back to the school to get help, but by the time help came, Qorl had left in the fixed ship. Jacen and Jaina later escaped, but so did Qorl.

While her friends were visiting Lando Calrissian at his GemDiver Station, Tenel Ka had to stay behind to meet one of her grandmother’s ambassadors who was checking on her. When her friends were taken by the Shadow Academy, she went with Luke Skywalker to find them. They first went to GemDiver Station where Lando told them that the people who took the twins and Lowbacca used Corusca gems to get into the station. This led them to Borgo Prime, where the only shipments of the gems were sent. They found out that the gems had been bought by a Nightsister.

During the trip, they talked about how both of them had been dreaming about the return of the Nightsisters. Tenel Ka was curious about why her mother thought so highly of Skywalker and what happened when her father and Skywalker first visited Dathomir. She was surprised and embarrassed to learn from Skywalker that when they met, Teneniel had captured Luke. Tenel Ka was embarrassed to think about him following the Dathomir marriage customs that she had always thought were old-fashioned. Tenel Ka was even more embarrassed to realize that her mother had captured the greatest known Jedi Master at the time and had expected him to marry her and have children with her. The situation suddenly seemed so funny that she let out a rare laugh.

They then went to Dathomir, where they met with Augwynne Djo, Tenel Ka’s great-grandmother. She told them that the Nightsisters had come back. They then saw Vonnda Ra and Vilas, members of the Nightsisters, trying to get new members by offering equal treatment to men, which was unusual in Dathomir society. Pretending to be interested, Tenel Ka and Luke went to the Great Canyon Clan where they met Vonnda Ra. They showed Ra their powers, and she approved of them and sent them to join the Shadow Academy.

They got on the Shadow Chaser, which was flown by Nightsister Garowyn. When they got to their destination, they put Garowyn in an escape pod and then docked at the Shadow Academy. They got off the ship and were met by the Solo twins and Lowbacca, who had all escaped from their cells. While they were escaping, Tenel Ka fought the Shadow Academy’s Second in Command, Tamith Kai, who tried to get Tenel Ka to join her side. Tenel Ka said no, and kicked Tamith Kai hard in the knee, breaking it and making her fall down the ship’s ramp. This fight made Tenel Ka and Tamith Kai enemies. They then left, knowing they would meet the Shadow Academy again.

Some time after they safely returned to the Jedi school, Tenel Ka went with her friends to Coruscant for a vacation. On their first full day there, she met Jacen and Jaina’s old friend Zekk. They had a rough start when she tied him up with a rope, but Tenel Ka and Zekk quickly became friends.

A couple of days later, Tenel Ka was invited to a dinner for the new Karnak Alphan ambassador and her children. Because she knew about the Karnak Alphans and their strange customs from her royal upbringing, Tenel Ka, with Anakin Solo’s help, was able to do an important Karnak Alphan dinner custom. The ambassador, who didn’t expect her hosts to know her people’s ways, was very happy with Leia Organa Solo.

After Zekk disappeared, Tenel Ka helped Jacen look for him in the lower levels of Coruscant. Tenel Ka remembered the layout of the area from her previous visit with Zekk and the rest of her friends. After saving each other’s lives a few times, they finally found Zekk. But any relief they felt from finding him ended quickly when Zekk told them he was going to train to become a Dark Jedi at the Shadow Academy. Then he left his stunned friends behind.

3.2 How Did Tenel Ka Djo Craft her Lightsaber?

Tenel Ka struggled with the importance of a lightsaber, believing that it was the warrior’s skill that mattered, not their weapon. While her friends were making their lightsabers, Tenel Ka did hard physical training to prove to herself that she could handle a lightsaber. When she heard from Lowbacca that the three were almost done, she started making her own.

Tenel Ka thought about several options for the lightsaber handle, wanting something fit for a Dathomir warrior. She thought of the rancor as the right symbol. Then she remembered that she had kept two of the smaller teeth from her great-grandmother’s favorite rancor, which had died a few years earlier. The two treasured teeth were the right shape and size.

With Lowbacca flying her to a volcano, Tenel Ka went down a lava tube and found the crystals she used for her lightsaber’s focusing crystals. Back at the temple, Tenel Ka realized the tooth’s hollow that she had chosen was a little too small for the crystal arrangement she had hoped for. She also saw a tiny flaw in each hazy volcanic crystal, but decided to use them anyway because she wanted to finish quickly. Her blade was a white-gray color because of the volcano’s crystals. During an exercise designed by Luke Skywalker where Tenel Ka and her friends had to wear visors that made laser remotes invisible, Tenel Ka used the Force to deflect the bolts aimed at her and was the only one to cut her remote in half.

With Luke Skywalker watching, Tenel Ka then began her first lightsaber practice fight with Jacen Solo. Tenel Ka was impressed by her friend’s skill. After switching to their left hand, their blades clashed and got stuck against each other. The stress of pushing back made the parts inside the tooth vibrate, quickly getting worse until the handle itself started to shake. Although worried about how her weapon felt in her hand, Tenel Ka ignored it.

With a sharp crack, her lightsaber parts failed, but Jacen didn’t notice and kept pushing. The power source overloaded with a shriek and suddenly stopped. The blade disappeared, and Jacen’s pushed right through the now empty air, and through flesh and bone, cutting off her left arm just above the elbow. Tenel Ka could see her lightsaber hit the ground and explode in her cut-off hand, making it impossible to reattach.

The accident greatly changed their relationship, especially because, before the accident, Jacen had hoped they would become more than friends. Tenel Ka fainted before she hit the ground. She was quickly brought back to the Jedi academy by Skywalker, who kept the Solos and Lowbacca away from Tenel Ka to protect her secret that she was the Hapan princess. She then refused to see her friends, not because she blamed them, but because she didn’t want them to see her in such a sad state.

Tenel Ka was quickly taken to Hapes by her grandmother, Ta’a Chume’s Ambassador, Yfra. Tenel Ka was greeted by her grandmother Ta’a Chume, who had prepared a show for her arrival. Handsome, nearly naked young men, muscular and dressed only in small loincloths, did a gymnastics show for Tenel Ka, while other barely dressed male servants played music nearby. Later in the medical room, Tenel Ka briefly thought about whether she should continue to train as a Jedi, but in a show of personal strength and confidence, Tenel Ka refused to have the temporary droid arm (which she pushed into the opposite wall with the Force), or the fake arm her grandmother had arranged for her to be attached. She decided to improve her physical abilities along with her Jedi talents to make up for her loss.

Soon after, Jacen and the others arrived and tried to comfort Tenel Ka, and asked her why she hadn’t told them she was a princess. Tenel Ka said that she didn’t think they would accept her for who she was, even though they had. Jacen and Tenel Ka apologized to each other and spent time together. Then after stopping a plan by one of Ta’a Chume’s ambassadors to kill her and her grandmother, she decided that she definitely wanted to be a Jedi. She returned to the Jedi academy and made a second lightsaber from relics of both sides of her family: The second, larger rancor tooth and choice Rainbow gems picked out from the remains of the tiara of the Royal Princess of Hapes (which she accepted because Ta’a Chume insisted she’d take it back to Yavin 4), which she had smashed apart with the tooth. This lightsaber was carefully made and produced a turquoise blade. The use of several Rainbow Gems made her lightsaber one of the most expensive lightsabers used by the Jedi (along with Jacen Solo’s and Ganner Rhysode’s Corusca gem lightsabers).

3.3 How Did Tenel Ka Contribute to the Shadow Academy’s Downfall?

On Kashyyyk, she learned that Zekk had indeed been brainwashed and trained as a Dark Jedi. Along with her friends, Tenel Ka escaped the Shadow Academy’s forces through the Kashyyyk Underworld, leading to Jaina’s confrontation with Zekk. Throughout their chase, Tenel Ka and her friends stopped Tamith Kai’s allies, Vonnda Ra and Garowyn, who both died in the Underworld. They stopped the attack by the Shadow Academy on Kashyyyk and prepared for an attack on the Jedi school.

When the attack did come, Tenel Ka went to the landing pad with Lowbacca, where she fought Tamith Kai. Soon a TIE fighter crashed down on the landing pad only moments after Tenel Ka and Lowbacca were able to escape, though the Nightsister was not. She then watched as Jaina began to fight Zekk, who later redeemed himself by telling the Jedi not to enter the temple. Soon after, the temple was destroyed by bombs that had been placed there by the Shadow Academy.

The Shadow Academy itself had self-destructed, for reasons unknown to the Jedi. In fact, it was because the Emperor’s Royal Guards had planned the entire operation, and, when Brakiss learned the truth, they killed him. Tenel Ka then helped rebuild the Jedi school.

3.4 What Role Did Tenel Ka Play in the Fight Against the Diversity Alliance?

Shortly after, her parents and grandmother sent her an old unmarked Hapan ship which she named the Rock Dragon.

Tenel Ka chose Jaina and Lowbacca as pilot and co-pilot, because she knew, especially with one arm, they could enjoy the title more than she could.

Soon after, Tenel Ka and her friends went to the Graveyard of Alderaan for their first trip in search of a piece of the planet to bring back to Jacen and Jaina’s mother, Leia.

While there, they were confronted by Boba Fett (who, in fact, was Fett’s daughter Ailyn Vel wearing Fett’s armor), but they managed to escape with help from Zekk in the Lightning Rod.

Afterward, Tenel Ka helped stop an attempt to kidnap Raynar and Aryn Dro Thul, who had both been taken by Diversity Alliance agents who wanted to use them to bring Bornan Thul out of hiding. The elder Thul had found the location of the secret Imperial warehouse where a human plague was kept, and Diversity Alliance leader Nolaa Tarkona wanted it.

After Lowbacca had seemingly joined the Diversity Alliance, Tenel Ka and her friends went to rescue him. However, they were caught by Diversity Alliance members and sentenced by Nolaa Tarkona to work in the ryll mines. Lowbacca found out about their presence and arranged an escape plan. In the confusion, Tenel Ka and Jacen were separated from Jaina and Raynar and were stuck on the dark and frozen side of Ryloth, where they found the exiled Twi’lek leader Kur. The two Jedi trainees bonded over their exile, and helped Kur regain his position of power on Ryloth. Help came in the form of the Rock Dragon piloted by Lowbacca.

After Zekk rescued Bornan Thul from bounty hunters, Tenel Ka and her companions went with them to eliminate the asteroid containing the Emperor’s Plague. During the battle Bornan Thul died when the Emperor’s Plague was released, using his last moments to keep the plague from spreading. But Tenel Ka and her allies did win the day. In a celebration, the normally serious Tenel Ka kissed Jacen Solo for the first time.

3.5 How Did Tenel Ka Help Defeat Black Sun?

After the defeat of the Emperor’s plague, an old enemy, Black Sun, came back. One of their agents, a woman named Anja Gallandro on Ord Mantell, caught Jacen’s attention, which made Tenel Ka jealous of the older woman.

Both Jacen and Zekk found her interesting and exotic, something that angered both Tenel Ka and Jaina, and both became instantly suspicious of her.

Though they became friends with Anja after helping her on Anobis, the girl’s unpredictable behavior was unsettling to Tenel Ka.

They then traveled to Cloud City at Lando Calrissian’s request, and they were attacked by Black Sun’s hidden leader, Czethros and his men. During a small battle, Jacen was thrown from the floating city, and Tenel Ka feared him lost. The warrior woman took what appeared to be his death very hard, especially since Jacen had been holding onto her boot before falling, and because she felt that he might have survived if not for her missing arm, because he might have been able to hang on to her hand better than to her boot. But soon after that, he reappeared, alive and unharmed, after being picked up by a Thranta Rider.

Later, Tenel Ka, Jacen, Jaina, Zekk, and Lowbacca helped Anja with her drug addiction and destroyed Black Sun once and for all on Kessel and Mon Calamari. After the defeat of Black Sun, Tenel Ka, Jacen, Jaina, Zekk, Raynar, Anakin Solo, and Lowbacca graduated from the Jedi academy.

4. How Did Tenel Ka Stand Against the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion?

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Tenel Ka demonstrated courage and strategic brilliance, joining the Jedi strike team on the dangerous Mission to Myrkr and assuming the mantle of Queen Mother to lead Hapes in the fight.

4.1 How Did Tenel Ka Support the Jedi’s Early Efforts Against the Yuuzhan Vong?

During the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Tenel Ka continued helping her mother and father deal with the Hapan plotting against her grandmother. She was also present during multiple Jedi meetings about the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong, including the one about the Yuuzhan Vong priestess Elan, who turned out to be a fake. She was present on Hapes when Isolder won the honor duel that sent the Hapan Royal Navy to the doomed Battle of Fondor. After that, she and the Rodian Jedi Jovan Drark went on a spying mission to Bilbringi.

As the war went on, Tenel Ka was once again reunited with her old friends: Jacen, Jaina, Lowbacca, Zekk, and Raynar, as well as two new friends, Anakin Solo and Tahiri Veila. Two years into the war, Tenel Ka and her friends discovered that their old friend, Lusa, had been killed by the Yuuzhan Vong Jedi-killing beasts, voxyn. Soon after the death of Lusa, Tenel Ka went with her friends to the Battle of Froz, where she worked on the group’s sensor platforms with Lowie, Ulaha Kore and Raynar. She was important in the battle, which ended in their victory. Also, the group strengthened their battle meld, which would later be used during the Mission to Myrkr weeks later.

4.2 What Was the Cost of the Mission to Myrkr for Tenel Ka?

In 27 ABY, the Yuuzhan Vong created the Jedi-killing voxyn, and Tenel Ka, along with Jacen, Jaina, and her old academy friends, traveled from planet to planet to collect voxyn bodies for Jedi Scientist/Healer, Cilghal. Cilghal then determined that the location of the voxyn was on the planet Myrkr, or rather, the Yuuzhan Vong worldship orbiting above it. Along with her old friends, Tenel Ka chose to be a member of a Jedi strike team to sneak into the worldship and destroy the Voxyn queen, because all the voxyn were clones.

The mission was to be led by Luke Skywalker himself, though Tenel Ka pointed out that if he were to lead the mission, he would doom them all. She explained that Luke would be killed by the Yuuzhan Vong the moment they were captured (For the Strike Team planned to turn themselves over to the Vong before taking over the Yuuzhan Vong ship). Tenel Ka said that the strike team needed to consist of Jedi who the Yuuzhan Vong would take for granted. Anakin Solo then took control of the strike team, and the seventeen members of the strike team began making preparations.

The strike team was turned over to the Yuuzhan Vong by Lando Calrissian upon the request of Leia Organa Solo, and Tenel Ka and the others were brought on board the Exquisite Death, led by Duman Yaght. Along with the other Jedi, Tenel Ka was tortured in an attempt for the Yuuzhan Vong to learn of the Jedi’s secret base, though the Jedi were able to keep quiet. Tenel Ka managed to resist the torture, and her resistance was later admired by Yuuzhan Vong warrior Khalee Lah. Tenel Ka and the other Jedi soon escaped imprisonment and took over the ship, killing Duman Yaght in the process, though Jedi Knight Ulaha Kore was wounded in the process. While waiting for the Yuuzhan Vong ship to arrive at Myrkr, Tenel Ka helped Jacen patch up the rift between him and his brother, Anakin. After crash landing on the worldship, Baanu Rass, when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked them, Tenel Ka and the strike team accidentally rescued a pair of Dark Jedi from Yuuzhan Vong captivity. The Dark Jedi, Lomi Plo and Welk, were allowed to stay with the strike team, though in the near future it would not be good for the Jedi.

The strike team, now followed by a squad of Yuuzhan Vong warriors led by Executor Nom Anor, prepared to set up an ambush for the Yuuzhan Vong. Tenel Ka and the other Jedi trapped the warriors and managed to kill many, though Nom Anor was able to escape. While journeying through the slave dens, the Jedi were then ambushed by Nom Anor and his forces, and during the battle, Jovan Drark was badly wounded and Tenel Ka brought him to the healer, Tekli, though the Rodian was too far gone. When all hope seemed lost, Tenel Ka and the Jedi discovered the ship, Tachyon Flier, a possible rescue ship. However, the Dark Jedi stole the shuttle with a wounded Raynar Thul and defenseless Em Teedee aboard. When Alema Rar said that she wished the shuttle would be destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, Tenel Ka pointed out the horrible truth that their friend was still aboard.

When Anakin later sacrificed himself to save the strike team and Jaina blamed Jacen for his death, Tenel Ka jumped to his aid. Tenel Ka said that Jacen did nothing wrong and did not deserve Jaina’s blame, though she was rebuked by Jaina, who claimed Tenel Ka had the emotional depth of a ronto. The two were both angered at each other, though Zekk stopped any fight that would occur.

The team then split up into two groups, and Tenel Ka went with Jacen and some others to continue on with the mission while Jaina, Zekk, and some others went to claim Anakin’s body. They were approached by Vergere, a mysterious Fosh whose loyalty was unpredictable. Tenel Ka did not trust Vergere, but was forced to work with her when the bird agreed to help them kill the Voxyn Queen. They then ran into Jaina’s team, who had found a ship to take them to safety, and Tenel Ka and the others helped her secure it while Jacen went off to kill the Voxyn Queen. Tenel Ka tried to kiss him before he left, but was cut off by Vergere.

After securing the vessel, Tenel Ka was shocked to see Jacen captured and at the mercy of Vergere and Nom Anor. The strike team was forced to leave, and Tenel Ka realized that it was better for Jacen if they flee, since the Yuuzhan Vong would not kill him unless they had Jaina too, since they were obsessed with twins.

4.3 Why Did Tenel Ka Become Queen Mother of Hapes?

With the success of the mission, the remaining strike team members set a course to Coruscant, only to arrive to witness the Yuuzhan Vong’s conquest there. Being chased by New Republic ships, Tenel Ka and the others decided that with Coruscant fallen, they needed another safe place to land the ship, and the group chose Hapes. Jaina then performed the Solo Slingshot, a space move created by Han Solo, to convince her parents of the Jedi’s presence on the ship and have them follow them to Hapes. Tenel Ka was sent ahead in an escape pod to tell her parents and grandmother of their arrival. While in the escape pod, she apparently felt Jacen’s death through the Force, and after breaking down, she realized she had loved Jacen.

On the way to Hapes, her escape pod was intercepted by Hapan pirates wearing the colors of the Ni’Korish. Because they resented the fact that Tenel Ka shunned her Hapan heritage and that she was a Jedi trainee, they opened fire on her once she was on board their craft. She used her Force abilities to defeat them, but she let them live as she decided murder was not the way of the Jedi.

On Hapes, Tenel Ka was greeted by her father, and saved him from an assassination attempt by his cousin. Shortly afterward, she went to visit her sick mother, who gave her an emerald ring with instructions to pass it on to the next Queen Mother.

Tenel Ka then attended the funeral of Anakin Solo and watched Jaina fall to the dark side. Noticing that Ta’a Chume paid more attention to Jaina Solo than she did to her heir, Tenel Ka figured out that Ta’a Chume was plotting to replace Teneniel Djo with Jaina. However, she was too late in preventing Ta’a Chume’s Ni’Korish assassins from poisoning her mother.

Even though she hated everything the position stood for, and was still sad about Jacen and her mother, Tenel Ka was crowned Queen Mother of Hapes by her father, very much to Ta’a Chume’s disappointment. Tenel Ka put her grandmother under arrest for her part in the murder of Teneniel Djo, and promised the support of the Hapan government and military to the fight against the Yuuzhan Vong. The emerald ring given to her earlier by her mother was actually a holochip showing the location of a rebuilt Hapan fleet. Tenel Ka put this fleet under the command of Jagged Fel, and the Hapan fleet won a victory at the Battle of Hapes.

During Jaina Solo’s brave attack on the Supreme Overlord’s fleet in 28 ABY, Queen Mother Tenel Ka led a squadron of Hapan ships to help her. They succeeded—only to learn that the ship did not hold the Supreme Overlord at all. Soon after, she learned that Jacen Solo had survived his capture with the Yuuzhan Vong, although it is unknown if they spoke to each other around this time. She was later one of the Jedi that was knighted in a ceremony on Mon Calamari and took part in the battle above Ebaq 9.

Later, Tenel Ka grew more into the politics that came with being Queen Mother. She became a high ranking official in the Galactic Alliance, and her fleet became more active in the war, helping the Galactic Alliance in many battles. She was one of the people in Cal Omas’s inner circle that opposed the use of Alpha Red. Tenel Ka was, at some point, named a Jedi Knight by Skywalker along with the other strike team survivors.

Close to the end of the Yuuzhan Vong war, Tenel Ka joined forces with Lando Calrissian and others to defend Zonama Sekot from the Yuuzhan Vong, and succeeded in pushing back the invaders. After the war was over, Tenel Ka was one of the Jedi that went to Zonama Sekot for Luke Skywalker’s meeting, then returned to Hapes to continue on as Queen Mother.

5. What Was Tenel Ka’s Involvement in the Tension Between Killiks and Chiss?

Tenel Ka played an important role in the Killik-Chiss conflict by lending Hapan military support to the Jedi while navigating the complexities of her secret relationship with Jacen Solo and the birth of their daughter.

5.1 How Did Tenel Ka Balance Her Love for Jacen and Her Duty as Queen Mother?

In 35 ABY, Jacen Solo came back from his five-year journey around the Galaxy. He visited Tenel Ka and asked her to send a fleet to protect the Killiks while the Jedi tried to solve a problem with the Chiss. Tenel Ka told him she had to stay in the Palace on Hapes. She kissed Jacen and said if he stayed the night, he might get the fleet. In the end, the Killiks got their fleet, and Tenel Ka became pregnant.

Tenel Ka put Dukat Aleson Gray in charge of the Hapan Fleet. The fleet was only supposed to help if needed and give the Jedi time to fix the border issue. Tenel Ka didn’t listen when Chief of State Cal Omas asked her to bring her fleet back. Omas then asked Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and Luke Skywalker to convince Tenel Ka, but they said no. Under Gray’s command, the Hapans fought with the Chiss to save Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker on Gorog’s base, Kr.

Over the next year, Tenel Ka and Jacen had many secret talks over the HoloNet. They finally told each other they were in love. But they kept their relationship secret, and Tenel Ka didn’t tell Jacen she was pregnant. To trick her nobles about who the baby’s father was, Tenel Ka used the Force to make her pregnancy last longer. This fooled many people, but not Tenel Ka’s grandmother, Ta’a Chume.

5.2 Why Did Tenel Ka Choose to Hide Her Daughter’s Parentage?

In 36 ABY, Tenel Ka had Jacen’s daughter, Allana. To keep Allana safe from the Hapan nobles, she didn’t tell anyone who Allana’s father was. She made the nobles think one of them might be the father. Tenel Ka also didn’t let anyone see pictures of the baby. She stayed hidden for months before Allana was born, keeping it all secret.

One week after Allana was born, Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Allana were attacked by people working for Ta’a Chume. The Dark Nest was angry about Tenel Ka’s involvement in the Killik/Chiss problem a year ago. During the attack, Ben Skywalker threw Tenel Ka against a wall using the Force. Tenel Ka woke up and helped Jacen protect Allana from the Killiks. Ben found out by accident that Jacen was Allana’s father, so Jacen erased Ben’s memory. This upset Tenel Ka. Jacen then focused on protecting her and their baby from the Killiks. He even put Ta’a Chume in a coma and attacked the Chiss first. Even though Allana was safe, Tenel Ka was very worried about how Jacen was acting.

Later that year, Luke Skywalker called all the Jedi to Ossus. Tenel Ka quit the New Jedi Order. She was very sad to do this, but her duties as Queen Mother made it hard to be a Jedi Knight too. She also couldn’t leave the Hapan people, afraid that a bad ruler like her grandmother would take over. Following an old Jedi tradition, Tenel Ka tried to give back her lightsaber, but Luke Skywalker told her to keep it. He said there would always be a place for her if she changed her mind.

Tenel Ka was touched by Luke’s kindness. He said she had everything a Jedi stands for inside her, and that they would all miss her. She also said that maybe one day she could be a Jedi again, and that she’d miss everyone a lot. Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo tried to cheer her up by saying they’d visit Hapes often to see Allana, but this made Tenel Ka more upset. She knew Leia would be able to sense the connection between them. Tenel Ka got tense when they mentioned her daughter, which Han and Leia thought was strange. Then Tenel Ka went back to Hapes to deal with all the political problems.

6. How Did Tenel Ka Reconcile Love, Loss, and Leadership?

Tenel Ka’s journey of reconciling her love for Jacen, the betrayal she faced, and her responsibilities as Queen Mother highlights her strength in enduring heartbreak and prioritizing the safety of her daughter and her people.

6.1 How Did Jacen Solo’s Fall to the Dark Side Shatter Tenel Ka’s Trust?

In the midst of the Second Galactic Civil War, Jacen Solo betrayed the Jedi, Tenel Ka, and Allana when he secretly started training as a Sith Lord under Lumiya. He did this to keep Allana safe. A few weeks after making this choice, Lumiya told Jacen he had to give up something more than his public image to become a full Sith. Jacen wondered if he would have to kill Tenel Ka and Allana, the two people he loved most.

During this time, Tenel Ka and Allana were also targeted for death by the Corellian leaders. They wanted to get the Hapes Consortium to join their side in the war. The Head of State, Dur Gejjen, really needed allies because many worlds wouldn’t join them openly. Gejjen asked for a meeting with Tenel Ka about her allegiance, but she said no right away. She also gave two groups of Hapan Battle Dragons to Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon. The Corellians, not wanting to give up on their alliance with Hapes, made a plan to kill Tenel Ka and Allana and put a pro-Corellian Queen Mother in charge. Gejjen then contacted Han and Leia Solo, with Han openly supporting Corellia. He tricked them, making them think that Tenel Ka had agreed to a meeting and was thinking about switching sides. He said Han and Leia should go as Corellian representatives. In reality, they were being used to lure Tenel Ka out in the open for their plan to work.

Han and Leia Organa Solo found out about the plot when Tenel Ka put them in a waiting room because it was the day of the Queen’s Pageant. Even though they were on the Corellians’ side, they didn’t like the plan to kill Tenel Ka and wanted to save their old friend and her daughter. They managed to convince the assassin, Aurra Sing, that they were working for Gejjen. After messing up the attempt on purpose, they escaped the palace with Sing to find out who was behind the plot. Jaina Solo and Zekk arrived too late to warn Tenel Ka, and Tenel Ka told them that they might have been involved in the assassination plot, but she wasn’t sure. She then asked them to travel around the Hapan system and get support and fleets from the nobles she could trust.

Tenel Ka then contacted Jacen Solo to help her and her daughter. Tenel Ka thought the assassination attempts would keep happening. She questioned many witnesses and kept them in the Well. She soon found them murdered and realized the plot went deep into her inner circle. When Jacen arrived in his Star Destroyer, the Anakin Solo, Tenel Ka asked if Allana could stay aboard with him. They shared a short moment together before Jacen put out an arrest warrant for his parents.

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker soon arrived looking for their son Ben. They also gave Tenel Ka a message from Han and Leia, which showed they weren’t guilty in the plot and explained what happened with Gejjen. They also told her that Aurra Sing was after Allana, and that Ducha AlGray was a traitor and part of the Heritage Council. Tenel Ka then asked Jacen to cancel the warrant on his parents, but he refused, saying they were still working with Corellia before the assassination attempt on Hapes.

Tenel Ka then got ready for a battle. She prepared all of her fleets and took position over Hapes on her personal Battle Dragon, Dragon Queen. They were soon attacked by the AlGray fleet and the Corellian fleet, which had two Corellian Dreadnaughts. During the battle, Jaina and Zekk arrived to reveal that Ducha Galney was also a traitorous noble. When Galney’s fleet arrived, Tenel Ka knew they were against her. Meanwhile, Han and Leia had arrived and picked up Jaina, Zekk, Ben Skywalker, and a Galactic Alliance Guard operative after their ship had exploded. Jacen saw their ship and fired on it, but they were able to escape.

The battle turned in Tenel Ka’s favor when Galactic Alliance admiral Nek Bwua’tu arrived and attacked the Corellian fleet. The Corellians were forced to run away. However, the Heritage Council leaders besides Galney and AlGray did escape, and later joined the Confederation. Tenel Ka was then told about Jacen’s actions against his parents and was shocked, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, as Tenel Ka talked with Jacen after the crisis was over, she became more and more aware of how much darker his personality was becoming.

6.2 What Were Tenel Ka’s Struggles During the Second Galactic Civil War?

Some months after the failed assassination attempt, Jacen visited Tenel Ka and Allana again, just after he became joint Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance. He had promised never to kill them for his Sith sacrifice, but he still wasn’t sure. He went there to make sure they weren’t his destined sacrifices. After a close family moment, Tenel Ka went with him as he left. She told him she was worried about the coup. She didn’t like it, but wished Jacen luck in handling the job and the war.

A day later, Luke Skywalker and Jaina Solo told Tenel Ka that they had felt Mara Jade Skywalker’s death through the Force. Tenel Ka ordered a search for Mara within the Hapan system, and her body was soon found on Kavan, in the Hapes Cluster. Tenel Ka let the group, which now included Luke, Jaina, Han and Leia Solo, and Ben Skywalker, stay in the Fountain Palace to grieve. She then ordered an investigation into who killed Mara within the Hapan system. Tenel Ka was upset that Jacen didn’t come to mourn with his family, and she had no idea that he was the one who killed Mara and declared himself Darth Caedus.

Over the next week, Tenel Ka had given every Hapan fleet except the Home Fleet to Alliance command because Admiral Cha Niathal asked. When she went to Coruscant for Mara Jade Skywalker’s funeral, she tried to contact Luke to give her condolences, but Saba Sebatyne turned her away because Luke asked to see no one. She started to worry he was shutting himself off, but still planned to go to the funeral. After sending her Lady in Waiting, Lady Aros, to lock down the nursery when she sensed something wrong in the Force in her own rooms, Jacen Solo came to see her. They hugged closely before Tenel Ka asked him how he was handling Mara’s death. He quickly changed the subject, which confused Tenel Ka, and they talked about Luke’s withdrawn state, and how any of Jacen’s attempts to make peace with the Jedi would be stopped because they were afraid Jacen was trying to take over the Jedi.

Then Jacen told Tenel Ka about a shocking vision he had: If the Confederation forces won the upcoming battle at Kuat, they would be able to push to Coruscant and win the war. He told her he didn’t have enough forces to beat the Confederation, with the Jedi refusing to help and the Kashyyyk forces arguing over whether they should give the Galactic Alliance their fleet. He then asked her to give him the Home Fleet, which Tenel Ka immediately refused to do because it would leave her and Allana open to attack from her nobles. Jacen then linked the Galactic Alliance’s fate with Tenel Ka and Allana, saying that the Confederation would kill them and tear the Consortium apart. Tenel Ka then reluctantly decided to give him the fleet, but only if he made peace with Luke. Jacen reluctantly agreed, and they spent the night together.

Tenel Ka then went to Mara Jade’s funeral with old friends from the Mission to Myrkr and other Galactic Alliance officials. There, Tenel Ka attended as a Jedi, and was allowed to meditate with her former friends at the funeral. During the funeral where Saba Sebatyne was giving the eulogy, Jacen arrived to stand with Luke, with whom he agreed to make peace. Tenel Ka then agreed to send him the Home Fleet, leaving herself and Allana without defense in hopes that Jacen could end the war and the threat on their lives like he promised.

6.3 How Did Tenel Ka Fight to Protect Her Daughter from Darth Caedus?

Weeks later, Tenel Ka began hearing reports that Jacen was holding the Jedi academy on Ossus hostage and had sent Ben Skywalker to kill Cal Omas. Once the Jedi refused to work with Jacen anymore and left the Galactic Alliance, Jacen had tracked them to Kashyyyk and Tenel Ka was told that he was burning the planet. She was heartbroken to hear that, and refused to believe it unless she was given proof.

Days later, Han and Leia Solo arrived on Hapes and were attacked by Tenel Ka’s old friend, Tahiri Veila, who was following Jacen’s orders to arrest his parents. Tahiri and Leia got into a big fight, with Leia winning. Han convinced Leia not to kill Tahiri, and Tenel Ka stopped Tahiri from arresting them. When Tahiri told Tenel Ka that Jacen had put out a warrant for them, she reminded her old friend that the Galactic Alliance and especially Jacen had no power in the Hapes Consortium. Tahiri was very angry, and Tenel Ka took away her StealthX and sent her back to Jacen as a message that his meddling in Hapan affairs would not be allowed.

Han and Leia then told Tenel Ka that her reports were true: Jacen had stopped defending Kuat and chased the Jedi to Kashyyyk, where he was burning the planet. Tenel Ka was devastated and couldn’t believe that Jacen had left her and Allana undefended to attack the peaceful planet of Kashyyyk, home of their friend Lowbacca. She couldn’t believe that he had lied about ending the war but was instead making it last longer. It was then that she decided to turn away from Jacen and that she could no longer follow his dark path. She recognized him for what he truly was: evil. With that, Tenel Ka, along with Han and Leia, set out to Kuat to get her Home Fleet back.

After getting the Home Fleet, Tenel Ka and the Solos arrived at Kashyyyk, where Tenel Ka saw the destruction that was happening. She couldn’t believe that Jacen would go so far for revenge. Jacen’s fleet was being beaten by the Confederation forces, and he was still ordering his ship to burn the Kashyyyk forests. Tenel Ka then opened a channel to Jacen, who thought she had come to help him. She then asked for him to formally surrender, which he refused.

He was shocked at what he was hearing and even asked if he was imagining things. When she demanded to know his reasons for his past actions, he tried to lie to her, but she saw through them easily. Tenel Ka then told him that she would send a small ship to get him, but he refused. He then accused her of being a coward, but Han and Leia said she was even stronger for turning against him. Jacen blamed his parents for her betrayal, but Tenel Ka assured him the choice was hers. She opened her heart for him to feel, and where he once felt love was now replaced by anger and disappointment. When he refused to surrender once more and the connection ended, Tenel Ka was forced to fire on the father of her child, her one true love.

Jacen was able to escape Tenel Ka’s attack when the Bothans made a huge mistake because of the Dark Jedi Alema Rar and her Sith Meditation Sphere. She then held a meeting on the Dragon Queen, where she announced that she was taking her fleets back from Alliance command, but that she still fully supported the Galactic Alliance. When asked how, Tenel Ka replied that Jacen Solo was not the Galactic Alliance, and that he had turned it into something more like an Empire. Tenel Ka also joined the Hapes Consortium with the Jedi and Wookiees in the Jedi Coalition.

Days later, Caedus, angry and heartbroken that Tenel Ka had turned against him, swore to kill Tenel Ka if she stood between him and Allana. He also kidnapped Allana to try to force Tenel Ka to support him again, leaving her a message that he would kill Allana if she did not give him military support once more. The threat toward Allana, however, was not true, but Tenel Ka didn’t know that. Still, during the attempt, Tenel Ka sensed something wrong in the Force, and found Jacen’s presence. Using Force speed, she rushed through the Palace and saw many dead bodies of her helpers. Tenel Ka was shocked and horrified that Jacen would kill innocent people.

She made it to her private hangar, where she saw Jacen board Tahiri Veila’s StealthX with Allana. She looked into Jacen’s eyes and saw nothing but coldness. Before she could do anything, the Galactic Alliance ship Jacen had flown in on exploded behind her, knocking her out. When she woke up, she watched a message left by Jacen that lied, saying if she didn’t bring her fleets back under Galactic Alliance command, he would kill Allana.

Tenel Ka, being a trusted friend among the Jedi, was told where their new Jedi base on Endor was, and went there to meet with Luke, Saba Sebatyne, and many other Masters in the forests. She told them that she had cut off ties with the galaxy because Jacen had taken Allana. Luke offered to rescue Allana, and Tenel Ka accepted, feeling a bit less stressed.

Days later, Luke led a team to the Anakin Solo, and they managed to rescue Allana. Han and Leia Solo brought her back to Tenel Ka. Han and Leia found out their connection to Allana, and the secret that Tenel Ka had kept for years was finally revealed.

A week after getting her daughter back, Tenel Ka was visited by Han and Leia, who asked if they could move the Jedi to the Transitory Mists. Tenel Ka agreed, and the Jedi took shelter on Hapes a few weeks later.

6.4 How Did Tenel Ka Contribute to the Defeat of Darth Caedus?

Weeks after giving the Jedi their base, Tenel Ka sent her close cousins Taryn and Trista Zel to get Ben Skywalker, who had escaped from Caedus’ new Sith apprentice, Tahiri Veila. They were to bring Ben to her father, Prince Isolder, and he would take him to the Jedi base on Shedu Maad. However, her father was kidnapped by Jacen, and her intelligence reports said that his fleets were moving towards the Transitory Mists, clearly aware of the Jedi base there.

Tenel Ka and Allana went to Shedu Maad, where she warned Luke Skywalker that Jacen was coming. When asked how Caedus knew where the Jedi base was, Tenel Ka noticed that Jaina, who had fought Jacen weeks earlier, had his blood on her and she realized that Caedus had used a Nightsister blood trail. She then refused to leave for safety, and got ready to help the Jedi in their upcoming battle with Caedus. When Ben asked how to redeem someone, Tenel Ka thought he meant Caedus and said she believed Caedus didn’t want to be redeemed. Realizing this, Tenel Ka was determined to stop him instead of trying to bring him back. Tenel Ka’s Hapan Home Fleet then attacked Caedus’s fleet, along with his ally, the Imperial Remnant.

Caedus and his Imperial allies found the Jedi at Shedu Maad, where they fired on the Jedi fleet while Tahiri Veila led Imperial forces to the Jedi base on the planet below. While the Jedi were defending their planet, Tenel Ka lost another close friend, Zekk, who was shot down and went missing during the battle. Tenel Ka then led her Hapan fleet into the fight and cornered the Imperial forces, destroying their fleet.

During the battle, her main ship, the Dragon Queen, was attacked with an Imperial nanovirus that targeted the blood of the Hapan Royal family. The blood had been taken from Prince Isolder while he was captured on the Anakin Solo shortly before Caedus killed him. Tenel Ka, not knowing about the nanovirus, let an Imperial ship land in her flagship, but that ship carried the virus.

Just before the nanovirus was released, however, Tenel Ka felt Jacen, not Caedus, screaming at her in the Force to protect Allana, and she was able to escape with her daughter from the nanovirus. Her escape wasn’t known to her people during the heat of the battle, and Taryn and Trista feared she was dead while they fought the Imperials on Shedu Maad. Also, there was an attempt by Ducha Requud to take over the throne, along with Commander Livette.

However, she learned the awful truth that Jacen had been killed in a lightsaber duel with his sister, Jaina Solo, and that the Hapan life was too dangerous for Allana. Tenel Ka announced that her daughter was dead, killed by the nanovirus, and secretly asked Han and Leia Solo to raise her daughter at the Jedi academy. With that, Tenel Ka gave up her daughter, ensuring her safety.

7. How Did Tenel Ka Manage Hapes’ Relationship with the Galactic Alliance?

After Natasi Daala, a former Imperial Admiral, became the Galactic Alliance’s new Chief of State, tensions between the Galactic Alliance and Jedi Order grew. Because of this, Tenel Ka allowed the Jedi to permanently move their Jedi base to Shedu Maad. Also, Allana’s adventurous nature was interfering with her education at the Jedi Academy, and Tenel Ka asked that she travel personally with Han and Leia Solo instead of living at the Academy.

The threat of the Imperial Remnant continued, however, and because of this, Tenel Ka refused to rejoin the Galactic Alliance. As of 43 ABY, Tenel Ka had not yet brought Hapes back into the Galactic Alliance. When young Jedi Knights began to fall ill with a strange mental illness and were used as political tools against the Jedi by Chief of State Daala, the Jedi Council decided that they could no longer keep their sick Jedi on Coruscant.

They then asked Han and Leia Solo to ask Tenel Ka if they could bring the affected Jedi to the Jedi Enclave on Shedu Maad, which she agreed to. Tenel Ka also made a request of her own to the Solos, that they bring Allana with them so her daughter could experience the world to one day fulfill the role of Queen Mother.

8. How Did Tenel Ka Respond to the New Sith Threat?

In 44 ABY, after the Jedi successfully removed Daala as the GA’s Chief of State, Tenel Ka was called to the world of Klatooine by the Solos. There, she was to help finalize the deal that would officially and legally allow Klatooine to leave the Hutt Empire and become an official member of the Galactic Alliance. The situation on Klatooine gave Tenel Ka a chance to see her daughter again. Unfortunately, her escort fleet had been followed by members of the Lost Tribe of Sith, led by Sith Saber Querdan Dei. Dei planned to kidnap Allana’s guardian protocol droid, C-3PO, and plant a bomb in him set to go off near Tenel Ka at a rally.

This attempt to kill Tenel Ka was because one of the Lost Tribe’s late High Lords, Sarasu Taalon, had foreseen a Jedi queen who would bring peace and balance to the galaxy and therefore posed a threat to the Sith’s plans for galactic conquest. The Sith had identified the future queen as Tenel Ka’s child. However, Allana stopped this plot and Leia killed Dei to make sure the Sith failed to kill Tenel Ka.

After Klatooine successfully gained freedom from the Hutts, Tenel Ka didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to Allana before her escort took her back to Hapes.

Tenel Ka would meet the Lost Tribe again after they took control of Coruscant. Tenel Ka used the excuse of a training exercise to lend part of the Hapan fleet to help the Jedi and Han and Leia evacuate the Jedi Academy on Ossus. This also gave Tenel Ka a chance to spend time with her daughter, who stayed on the Dragon Queen II with her while Han and Leia led the evacuation.

As the evacuation began, Tenel Ka saw her daughter have a Force vision, and though Allana wouldn’t tell her mother what the vision showed, saying she needed to keep a promise to old friends, she said she needed to talk to Saba Sebatyne. Tenel Ka promised to help Allana, but after the evacuation was done.

At first the evacuation went as planned. Han and Leia, along with Kam and Tionne Solusar broke through the Sith attack to land their students on Tenel Ka’s flagship. However, one ship, before landing on the Dragon Queen II, had been taken over by Sith and tried to board. But Tenel Ka, the Solos, and the Solusars weren’t fooled and didn’t let the ship land, with the Sith killing all those aboard in response.

Despite the loss, the evacuation was successful and Tenel Ka was given custody of Allana, with Han and Leia returning to Coruscant to warn Saba Sebatyne of Allana’s vision. However, Allana disobeyed orders and snuck aboard the Millennium Falcon, prompting Tenel Ka to send Taryn Zel and Zekk, both members, along with Trista Zel of the newly formed Lorellian Court, to keep her safe.

After the war with the Sith and their ally Abeloth ended in the Jedi’s favor, Tenel Ka had her flagship host the wedding of her long-time friend Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel.

9. Tenel Ka Djo’s Turquoise Lightsaber

Tenel Ka Djo’s turquoise lightsaber was the second of two similar weapons she built as part of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order. Her first lightsaber was made from a rancor tooth that belonged to her great-grandmother’s favorite rancor, and she carved intricate battle etchings into the hilt. She used flawed lava crystals from a local volcano, producing a gray-white blade. During a sparring session with Jacen Solo, the lightsaber malfunctioned, causing him to accidentally sever her left arm. After recovering, Tenel Ka rebuilt a new lightsaber using another rancor tooth and Gallinorean rainbow gems from her royal Hapan heritage.

10. How Did Tenel Ka Djo’s Personality Develop Over Time?

As a child at the Jedi Praxeum, Tenel Ka was very serious. Despite Jacen Solo’s best efforts, he could hardly ever make her laugh. Tenel Ka was very serious, as well as stubborn when it came to daily physical routines. Because of her hard training exercises, Tenel Ka developed a strong, muscular body and a proud personality. Tenel Ka preferred acting to talking, and had a very direct attitude, which led to her kissing Jacen after the Diversity Alliance was defeated. She was very confident in her abilities, and chose to use her physical strength rather than the Force whenever possible. During a lightsaber training exercise, Tenel Ka lost her arm when her lightsaber malfunctioned due to her overconfidence. She then refused an artificial arm as a reminder of what overconfidence leads to. Losing her arm because of Jacen Solo didn’t pull the friends apart, but instead brought them closer. Tenel Ka believed Jacen was not at fault, and didn’t hold any bad feelings towards her best friend. However, despite the pair’s attraction to each other, they never told each other how they felt.

During the Mission to Myrkr, Tenel Ka showed her true feelings to Jacen when she tried to kiss him, but was interrupted by Vergere. However, Jacen was soon captured by Vergere and taken as a prisoner of the Yuuzhan Vong. After feeling what she thought was Jacen’s death, Tenel Ka let out a rush of angry emotions, as she realized just how strong her feelings were for him. Despite her anger though, Tenel Ka couldn’t bring herself to kill the assassins that attacked her soon after she felt Jacen’s death, because she was very good at controlling her emotions. This skill proved very useful when she was forced to become Queen Mother. A year later, Jacen was found alive, though Tenel Ka was too busy with her duties as Queen Mother to start a relationship. During the Swarm War, Tenel Ka told Jacen how she felt about him and the two had their daughter Allana.

At the time of the Second Galactic Civil War, Tenel Ka stayed allied with Jacen and the Galactic Alliance. However, when she saw firsthand how far Jacen had fallen to the dark side and was manipulating her at Kashyyyk, Tenel Ka’s love for him was soon replaced by shock and disappointment. When Tenel Ka’s pleas for Jacen to give up his dark path were ignored, she attacked his ship to stop his brutal methods. Realizing the Jacen she had loved was gone and replaced by the Sith Lord Darth Caedus, Tenel Ka took all Hapan support away from the Galactic Alliance. After Caedus had kidnapped and taken Allana hostage, Tenel Ka’s dislike for him deepened into hate. When she learned that Jacen had killed Mara Jade Skywalker and had put a blood trail on Jaina, Tenel Ka gave up all hope of bringing her former love back to the light side and decided to send Allana to live with the Jedi for protection.

After becoming the Queen Mother, Tenel Ka had to give up many of her beliefs and ideals, and adapt them to the Hapan way. No longer the Dathomiri warrior on the outside, Tenel Ka had to become colder and more demanding as a person, a personality fitting for the Queen Mother. She also became more analytical and complex, and enjoyed confusing her nobles and playing games to find out which were loyal to her and which just wanted to become her lover. For example, Tenel Ka’s sense of humor had never been very good, as Jacen Solo had said, and she knew this about herself. So when she told a joke, she knew that those who laughed wanted something from her, as opposed to those who didn’t.

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