Ben Skywalker

"I'm just afraid of placing an extra one on his shoulders. Suppose I named him Obi-Wan, as a salute to my old master? Would he think that means that I want him to grow up to be a Jedi? Would he think he had to live up to Ben's reputation?"

- Luke Skywalker

Ben Skywalker was a Jedi Knight and the son of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker. He was also the grandson of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala and nephew of Leia Organa Solo and Han Solo, and was named after his father's first mentor, Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. For most of his early life, Ben was sequestered in safeworlds so that his parents could fight the Yuuzhan Vong and keep him safe; however, the pain and suffering caused by the Yuuzhan Vong War caused Ben to withdraw from the Force. Later on, Ben began to open himself up to the Force due to the guidance of his cousin and informal teacher Jacen Solo.

With Jacen's guidance Ben grew confident in his use of the Force and became a powerful Jedi. During the Second Galactic Civil War, Ben joined the Galactic Alliance Guard against the Council's wishes, partly because of his desire to make a name for himself and escape his father's fame. On a GAG raid, Ben made his first combat kill, an event which shook him to the core, and shattered his once unblemished view of his master, Jacen Solo. The death of Ben's own mother, Mara, drove the cousins even further apart. It also gave Ben the desire to take vengeance on the murderer who killed her.

Pre-birth (25 ABY–26.5 ABY)
"How long before we get to sleep through the night again?''" "''If this one is anything like the Solo kids, I'd say at least another twenty years."

- Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker

As Mara Jade was infected by Yuuzhan Vong coomb spores, she and Luke decided against having children. However, despite their efforts, Mara found, while attempting to heal her body with the Force, that she was pregnant. Mara and her nephew, Anakin Solo, were on Duro in 26 ABY when she sensed the unborn child, even though she had feared that the spores would render her barren. Although a temporary cure was found in the tears of a Fosh named Vergere and sent the disease into remission, it started to return and threatened Mara's health once the tears ran out. This was due to her efforts to keep the spores from attacking the child, which drove her to a near-death state while giving birth. Fortunately, the disease was permanently cast out of her body with the help of Luke and Ben. During this ordeal, Luke had a vision of Ben as a young boy by a river holding a stone. After his birth, Luke and Mara made it their primary goal to protect their son from any danger during those dark times. With his birth, Luke confronted his fears and pushed himself to the front line of battle.

Yuuzhan Vong War (26.5 ABY–30 ABY)
"He could sense it. Think of what could happen to him!"

- Mara, to Luke

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Ben was born aboard the Star Destroyer Errant Venture, shortly after the Skywalkers were forced to flee Coruscant during heightened troubles between the Jedi and the New Republic Senate. The Skywalkers then moved into Eclipse Station, a secret base for the Jedi in the Deep Core. As a baby, Ben was brought to Shelter in the Maw black hole cluster by his uncle and aunt, Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo, with all of the other Jedi children along the Great River. He was then in the custody of Leia and Han and raised on Coruscant for a short time. Leia and Han enjoyed their nephew's company, but in some ways Leia was reminded of her late son, Anakin.

Ben had little contact with his parents, though became embroiled in a kidnap attempt by the treacherous Senator Viqi Shesh during the Fall of Coruscant. Viqi Shesh was caught on camera in the Solo's apartment kidnapping baby Ben while her guards killed Leia's bodyguard. Fortunately, Lando Calrissian and C-3PO were able to save Ben high above the Galactic capital. After this incident, Mara and Luke wanted to spend time with him, but all attempts were halted by the war and Luke and Mara's dedication to the order. During this time, Mara feared that this separation caused anxiety in young Ben. Mara, being overprotective of her son, hired a defender and nanny droid, Nanna, to keep him safe&mdash;though Ben would often trick the nanny droid into shutting down. He would later find this annoying and admitted that he wanted to be more like his uncle, Han&mdash;working on his own and doing things the hard way. During the waning days of the war Mara and Luke decided that Ben was safer with them and brought him to Ossus to be raised with them. Even when he got to spend time with his parents, he never really understood them&mdash;especially his mother.

While attempting to find answers about the Yuuzhan Vong, Luke, Mara, and Ben's cousin Jacen traveled to Zonama Sekot, where Luke had his second vision of an older Ben flying a starfighter of an unknown design. It was here that his father learned more facts about his grandfather from the Magister Jabitha. According to Jabitha, Anakin and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi came there to find Jedi Knight Vergere&mdash;the same Vergere whose tears had cured Mara's illness&mdash;and were interested in the planet's living ships. Jabitha went on to explain that that the planet was attacked by Wilhuff Tarkin, and how Anakin saved her from a Blood Carver by using the Force to kill him. However, when Luke tried to tell her what became of Anakin in the following years, she tensed up and told them not to ruin her memory of him.

Though Ben survived the Yuuzhan Vong war, the pain and suffering he had sensed through the Force during that dark time caused the infant to cut himself off from the Force. During this time, Ben developed the ability to hide himself in the Force, which made it difficult for his parents to locate him. It was then that his parents realized that their son had pulled away from the Force because of all the bloodshed, pain, and suffering during the war. He didn't want to use the Force or follow its callings, because he feared it would bring more trouble in his life. It was also during this time that his empathy with Humans began, particularly around his parents and aunt. Luke and Mara were careful with their emotions around Ben, in fear that their son would pull farther away from his powers and Jedi heritage. Despite this, Ben continually refused to use the Force, a disturbing development his parents did not know how to overcome. However the experience left Ben wary of his parents which caused him to resent his parents, especially his father, and chafed against authority.

Meeting Gorog
"I just hope Ben grows up to be as fine a man as Anakin was. Nothing could make me more proud.''" "''Thanks. He will."

- Mara Jade Skywalker and Han Solo

Ben went with his parents to the Unknown Regions during the war. Han Solo discussed to Mara how Ben inherited many of Anakin Solo's traits including a headstrong defiance of others. When Ben was eight years old, during the buildup to the Swarm War, he befriended a Killik named Gorog, thinking of the creature as his friend. Ben was unaware, however, that by befriending Gorog, he had put his mother in grave danger. Secretly, Gorog attempted to brainwash the child to join the Dark Nest, but the plot was uncovered by Mara, who was forced to kill the Killik. Despite this, Ben was still able to sense the Gorog nest's presence and thoughts.

A year later, his cousin Jacen Solo took on Ben as an informal apprentice. Ben felt comfortable around Jacen, and slowly began to open himself up to the Force with Jacen's guidance. Luke and Mara saw it as their only way to get Ben to open up to the Force. Mara and Luke reluctantly let their son train with Jacen, but Mara still had doubts about Jacen and didn't trust him. During the time Ben spent with Jacen, his raw Force power sometimes boiled to the surface. The time and distance away from Gorog, however, had done nothing to weaken his connection to the Dark Nest and only narrowly avoided becoming a full Joiner. During the war he accompanied Jacen in his Starskiff to Hapes where he served as a co-pilot.

When they arrived in Hapes, Queen Mother Tenel Ka presented her child to Ben, and he was able to figure out that the Gorog were planning to kill the baby of Jacen and Tenel Ka. Although he attempted to persuade them not to, his nest-mates managed to convince him to help them, which caused Ben to instinctively apply an untrained powerful Force Push against Tenel Ka, due to his overwhelming connection to the Gorog. However, this connection allowed them to avoid the bugs and escape only to be confronted by Tenel Ka's grandmother, Ta'a Chume, who hired agents of the Dark Nest to kill Allana. He then witnessed Jacen use the Force to give her a brain hemorrhage that sent her into a coma. Jacen decided that he could not trust Ben with the knowledge he had, and erased Ben's memory of the visit.

When Luke was told by Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne that Jacen had tampered with Ben's memory, Luke confronted his nephew. Jacen responded with a cover-up story, explaining that when a group of Ewoks on Endor had been captured and killed by a Gorax, Ben had felt their deaths in the Force&mdash;and thus erased the traumatic memory from Ben in order to prevent him from retreating further from the Force. Although Luke was able to sense that Jacen was hiding something, he accepted the story. Mara, however, became suspicious of Jacen and became disturbed by his behavior. After the incident, Ben kept his father company when he was looking for answers about the death of his grandmother in the memory banks of R2-D2. He was presumably present with his parents and Jacen when R2 showed them holograms of Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Becoming a Jedi
Prior to the outbreak of the Swarm War, Ben was present at the Conclave on Ossus along with the rest of the New Jedi Order. His father had summoned all the Jedi throughout the galaxy using the Force as he was concerned for the New Jedi Order and its future, but using the Force to call the Jedi made him temporarily weak. Luke and Mara then told Nanna to bring Ben as Luke felt that his son should be there. It was then when his father declared himself the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

At the age of nine, Ben attended the Praxeum on Ossus where he learned how to handle a lightsaber. Closely guided by his mentor and childhood hero, Jacen, Ben began to gain confidence in his use of the Force. He briefly studied under his father and Master Cilghal, who taught him basic healing techniques.

Mission to Adumar and aftermath
"I'm sure he'll grow up into a fine Jedi Knight&hellip; years and years from now."

- Admiral Niathal

After several years of training under Jacen, Ben became more open to other people and the Force. He viewed Jacen as a father figure and attempted to mirror some of Jacen's traits. In 40 ABY, a thirteen-year-old Ben and his master, Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, were sent on a mission to uncover an illegal missile factory on the planet Adumar. By this time, Ben displayed a greater maturity and willingness to use the Force. He and Jacen were there to investigate whether or not Adumari missile-manufacturer Dammant Killers were developing concussion missiles for planets close to rebellion, as Galactic Alliance regulations chafed against planetary interests. When they got to their destination, Ben and Jacen were given a tour of the facility by an Adumari tour guide named Testan ke Harran, who commented on Ben's lightsaber. The two Jedi were to pose as Jedi investigators for the Galactic Alliance and use the Force to detect any uneasiness from the workers or foremen at the plant. The mission ended in a violent ambush when the two discovered a secret room containing missiles. Despite being confronted by twenty Adumari guards, Ben managed to capture information for the Alliance while Jacen took care of the guards with his lightsaber.

The incident sparked political unrest that threatened to ignite into total rebellion that could have shattered the young Galactic Alliance. In a desperate attempt to avoid such a fate, the Alliance readied a preemptive display of military might in a bid to bring the rogue worlds to heel. In a display of poor decision making, Corellia, the Solo home planet, was chosen as target of this exercise. To prevent Corellia from using its main planetary repulsor, Centerpoint Station, Luke sent Jacen and Ben to disable it, though both Luke and Jacen had their doubts about Ben participating in the mission&mdash;for Thrackan Sal-Solo had somehow been able to use Anakin's biometrics to activate the repulsor. Before they were able to start their mission, the Alliance Intelligence and Ben's father, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker convinced scientist Toval Seyah to assist him and Jacen in their mission to destroy or disable Centerpoint Station. Seyah put the Jedi pair through several simulated scenarios and provided the two with a datachip that he thought could cause the ancient station to tear itself apart.

After the simulations, the pair went on their mission to the Centerpoint Station. While Jacen created a diversion by destroying many of the CorSec guards, Ben, separated from his Master, went inside the control room only to find a four meter tall droid that believed itself to be Anakin Solo. Thanks to Ben, Thrackan Sal-Solo's plans to use the Centerpoint Station were foiled. This action was not only due to Ben's successful persuasion, but because the droid still contained Anakin's morals. Ben, for his part, kept his meeting with the droid a secret from everyone, except his father, who later advised him not to tell his aunt and uncle.

During the negotiations at Toryaz Station, Ben, the Jedi, and the politicians were attacked, causing him to feel that the assassination attempt was his fault due to his success of destroying Centerpoint Station. After the attack Ben and his Master, Jacen, went to Lorrd to investigate the mysterious tassels and the events at Toryaz Station. According to the locals, Force ghosts took the image of someone they loved and appeared before them, making them insane like the local Ordith Huarr. There Ben saved many people by warning them to run away from a Y-wing about to be blown up by the Huarr. He found the shuttle the Jedi were looking for. Ben met Nelani Dinn, a Jedi Knight assigned to Lorrd at the time, and developed a crush on her.

Along with Jacen and Nelani Dinn, Ben followed a woman named Brisha Syo to an asteroid lair of Darth Vectivus. Later, Syo revealed that she was none other than Lumiya, a Sith who had once known Ben's grandfather and father. While Brisha attempted to subvert Jacen to the dark side, Nelani and Ben battled the Force Phantoms conjured by Lumiya to keep them at bay. Ben had to battle a Force Phantom of his mother (who was actually in her apartment with Luke at that same exact moment battling Force Phantom of Ben and Jacen). He won, but at the last moment decided not to kill the phantom because it had his mother's face. After Nelani's confrontation with Jacen and Lumiya, Ben was then told that Nelani Dinn and Brisha Syo had been killed by a Sith Lord. Jacen left the asteroid to search for an apprentice of his own, as Ben had been deemed too steeped in Jedi ways. When they left Jacen again tampered with Ben's memories and removed the memories of Lumiya from him.

Growing up
"Ben has grown up very, very fast."

- Luke Skywalker, on his son

During Jacen's fall to the dark side, the Second Galactic Civil War was well under way, creating a rift between the Solos and Skywalkers as they took opposing sides. Due to attacks on Coruscant by Corellian dissidents, Ben's mother was given the opportunity to lead an anti-terrorist organization, which she refused. After she refused, the job was given to Ben's Master, Jacen, who gladly accepted, creating the Galactic Alliance Guard with Ben at his side, something his father and many other Jedi Masters were not pleased by.

As Jacen fell further to the dark side, Ben was shocked as Jacen tortured and killed the bounty hunter Ailyn Habuur during an interrogation. Jacen didn't find the information he was looking for, but Ben successfully deduced that the bounty hunter had been tracking the Millennium Falcon. During the chaos Ben befriended Barit Saiy, a Corellian living on Coruscant. In order to understand Corellia's reason for attacking Coruscant, Ben decided to investigate on his own. Shortly afterwards Ben stumbled onto a GAG raid where he saved a Galactic Alliance officer from being killed.

After visiting several Corellian parts of Coruscant, he participated in a Galactic Alliance raid that resulted in him killing two people, one that was unarmed protecting a member of the GAG. Sometime after this he realized that the Corellian he had befriended, Barit, might be up to no good, and informed Jacen to his whereabouts, resulting in Barit's arrest. During this period, Ben was constantly trying to piece together how Nelani and Brisha had died, believing that what Jacen had told him made sense and yet no sense at the same time. He also failed to understand the true nature of the war and believed that everyone was fighting themselves, a belief once held by his grandmother, Padmé Amidala. Shortly afterwards, he revealed to his parents a murder he committed during the GAG raid. Ben began to wonder about Jacen and even considered that he didn't want to be like him any more. Despite this, Ben continued to train under Jacen, believing that he could teach him techniques that he desperately wanted to learn. Eventually, he came to believe that Jacen couldn't be mistaken, and continued to participate in the raids, knowing fully well that the captured suspects would be interned, and tortured during interrogation.

Cousins grow closer
"...you were acting like a Jedi wannabe."

- Jaina Solo, to Ben

Shortly after the disastrous incident, Luke decided to test his son in order to see if he was corrupted by Jacen's teachings. The test involved a sparring match in which Ben was supposed to make his father activate his lightsaber. The young boy showed Luke that he knew how to fight and survive in battle but lacked good sparring ability. He couldn't break through his father's defenses. After disarming Luke, Ben picked up the lightsaber and tried to ignite it, to no avail. His father's saber didn't even have a power cell inside. Upset, Ben asked his father if he could have regular duels with him, which Luke happily agreed to. Jacen began teaching Ben lightsaber combat and even started to influence Ben to use emotions associated with the dark side without Luke's knowledge. Shortly afterwards, Ben was sent to rescue Jaina and Zekk after their StealthX's had been destroyed by Miy'tils owned by Ducha Galney. Once rescued, Jaina and Zekk began to talk with Ben and Ben unknowingly gave away a few secrets of his training. Jacen also began to teach him how to lie; not even Jacen himself knew when Ben was lying to him in their practices. During Jacen's hunt for Han and Leia, Ben attempted to arrest Han aboard the Millennium Falcon while it was being shot at by the Anakin Solo under Jacen's orders. During the incident, Ben accidentally wounded Zekk with his lightsaber.

Following the battle, Luke informed Ben and Jacen that he was returning Ben to the New Jedi Temple for training, and removing him from Jacen's tutelage. Though Luke claimed it was due to his suspicion of Lumiya trying to get at Ben, he secretly believed that Jacen was falling to the dark side, and thus decided it was better for Ben to train at the Temple.

Ben was later sent a message through Seha Dorvald by Lumiya (posing as Jacen) to recover a Sith artifact, the Amulet of Kalara. After leaving the Jedi Temple and Coruscant against the wishes of his parents, Ben started his search on the Almanian moon of Drewwa. There, he discovered that the amulet seemed to have been stolen by a man called Faskus. During his mission, Ben came across an R2 unit named Shaker, who tagged along.

Alone
"Hi Mom, hi Dad. For my fourteenth birthday, I killed a little girl."

- Ben Skywalker, mulling a potential response to his parents' birthday message shortly after temporarily leaving Kiara Olvidan to fend for herself

Surviving by his wits, Ben tracked Faskus to an encampment on Ziost and retrieved the amulet. Faskus was dying of injuries that Ben's attack worsened but that he initially received while saving his young daughter, Kiara Olvidan, from their transport as it was strafed by a TIE fighter. Before dying, Faskus requested that Ben take care of Kiara, and he explained that a Bothan named Byalfin Dyur had been the one to steal the amulet and had ordered Faskus to take it to a cave on Ziost. Ben abandoned the little girl at first, but then reconsidered and decided to take her with him as he searched for a way to leave Ziost. Along the way, Ben, Kiara, and Shaker battled predators that resided on the planet and were observed and strafed by several TIE fighters under Dyur's command. Ben struggled with the dark influence of voices that haunted his dreams and even urged him to kill and eat Kiara when they ran out of food. However, Ben resisted these voices and realized that Kiara seemed able to sense the dark side within him. Ben also realized that, just as he had initially prioritized his mission over Kiara's life, it was possible that Jacen might also sometimes be wrong in his priorities.

After following the guidance of the voices, Ben and his companions discovered a living ship, actually a Sith Meditation Sphere. Ben used what he had learned from the voices to activate and fly the ship off Ziost and into a dogfight with Dyur's freighter and its remaining TIE fighter. Using his anger to fire the ship's weaponry, Ben destroyed the TIE fighter and damaged the freighter, presumably killing Dyur too.

Disillusionment
Ben returned Kiara and Shaker to Drewwa and headed to the ship Anakin Solo, where he handed the amulet over to Jacen before returning to Coruscant. The unpleasant ordeal on Ziost had negatively affected Ben's idolism toward Jacen.

Nevertheless, on the orders of Jacen, Ben resumed his role in the Guard and participated in a mission to Vulpter to assassinate the Five Worlds Prime Minister and Confederation leader Dur Gejjen. Ben killed Gejjen with a high-powered sniper rifle and completed his mission; though at the cost of his friend and fellow GAG member, Jori Lekauf. The mission caused Ben much grief with him confiding in his mother who he had developed a much stronger connection with over the past weeks, especially due to her relating with his current situation, as she was similar during her days with the Empire.

When Ben discovered Jacen's affiliation to Lumiya, the mind rubbings and what became of Nelani shortly thereafter, he lost all the admiration he had for his cousin and mentor. He later told his mother about Jacen's partnership with Lumiya, and taught her how to disappear in the Force, an ability Ben learned from Jacen.

But there were greater losses to come, as Jacen Solo struck down Ben's mother, Mara Jade, on Kavan and took the name Darth Caedus. Feeling his mother's death in the Force, Ben sped to Kavan and, through the Force, went directly to her body. He stayed there with her, part of him wishing that she was only asleep, and the other noting every detail of the place of her death. Jacen later found Ben there with Mara's body, and promised Ben that they would find Mara's killer and make him pay. Ben briefly wondered how Jacen had found him, as that he was hiding in the Force. Ben felt that he didn't want to be with Jacen anymore, and that he now wanted to be with his father. Meanwhile, believing Mara's killer to be Lumiya, Ben's father tracked her to Terephon where he decapitated her. Later, on a Jedi shuttle en route to Coruscant, Ben informed Luke that Lumiya wasn't Mara's killer after all, as he was with her at the time of Mara's death. This pushed Luke over the edge, having killed a woman in vengeance for a crime she didn't commit. Ben told his father that he had done a service to the galaxy anyway, and to save his tears for Mara.

It was revealed that Jacen still wanted Ben to be his Sith apprentice. Darth Caedus felt that, once Ben learned that he was responsible for the boy's mother's death, then his adoration for his master would be gone and replaced by a vile, unshakable hatred. Caedus believed that this hatred would give Ben the strength to be a successful Sith Apprentice and one day, become a great Dark Lord.

Vengeance
"With all due respect, sir, you can shove that order down the nearest black hole. You're the one who turned me into a killer."

- Ben Skywalker, to Darth Caedus

Ben attended the funeral of Mara Jade Skywalker with his father and the rest of the Jedi Masters, and voiced his objections to allowing Jacen Solo to bully the Jedi Order. Later, he confronted Jacen about Mara's killing directly, and accused Jacen of the murder until Caedus showed Ben a holovid which appeared to implicate Cal Omas as Mara's killer, though Jacen ordered Ben not to attack Omas. To convince Jacen that he believed this story, and to provide a cover for his return to Jacen's side, Ben went to assassinate Omas (though he planned to only smuggle Omas to safety so Jacen would think he had killed him), who was still under house arrest. However, Ben's plan did not go entirely as he had planned: Omas impaled himself on Ben's lightsaber in order to completely convince Jacen that Ben had killed him, and Ben was seen fleeing the scene.

Regardless, Ben returned to the GAG and to Jacen, where he continued to act as though he believed Omas was responsible for Mara's death, and took several apparently extreme measures to consolidate Jacen's trust, advocating the killing of the adults on Ossus, volunteering for that task, and suggesting that the Anakin Solo bombard Kashyyyk's cities. Ben only gave up this cover when the Jedi Knight Lowbacca launched a shadow bomb at the Anakin Solo, at which point Ben attacked a distracted Jacen, killing Commander Twizzl but giving Jacen only a shallow wound. In response, Caedus attacked Ben with Force lightning and placed his cousin in the Embrace of Pain, hoping to turn Ben as he himself had been turned. Caedus left briefly to engage his sister and uncle in a dogfight, during which Luke concealed himself in the Force which made it seem as if he had been killed by friendly fire. He then returned to the business of torturing Ben. Caedus used his powers to subdue Ben's Force powers, and told him his father was dead. When he allowed Ben to sense with the Force briefly, Ben sensed his father on board, and he realized Luke was only allowing him to sense him.

Caedus's attempts to turn Ben were interrupted when Luke Skywalker burst into the room, dueled and severely injured Caedus, and gave Ben the chance to escape from the Embrace. Once free, however, Ben attacked Jacen, stabbing him through the back with a vibroblade with such hate and anger that his father did not kill Jacen or allow Ben to kill him. By Luke's estimation, killing Jacen at that moment would doom Ben to the dark side, and so father and son left the Anakin Solo to the attacks of the Confederation and the Hapan Home Fleet.

Against Jacen
Ben was later officially taken as his father's apprentice. He accompanied his father to Endor, where the Jedi Order were setting up their base until Jacen was out of power. During a training exercise with Luke, he noticed his father was in a near-suicidal state due to everything that had recently occurred, and was able to talk his father out of it. Luke, impressed by both this and that Ben had let go of his hatred, told Ben that he was ready to build his own lightsaber.

After hearing Jacen had kidnapped Allana to blackmail Tenel Ka into supporting him again, Ben accompanied his father on the mission to the Anakin Solo. During this attempt, Jacen sensed that there was no hatred towards him in Ben anymore, and disappointedly realized that he would never be able to turn him to the dark side. The mission ended with Allana's successful rescue.

He helped Luke and Master Saba Sebatyne distract Jacen while Allana was rescued. He later revealed to Leia and Jaina that he did not believe Alema killed his mother. He still believed Jacen was the real killer and believed him a Sith. Ben was somewhat concerned about having to be around Jacen if he were to be redeemed. After that, Ben sought out Captain Lon Shevu to help investigate his mother's murder. While searching on Kavan, Ben saw a vision of his mother pulling strands of her hair out. Ben then went to look at the interior of Jacen's Stealth-X where he found a strand of his mother's hair. Captain Shevu then went on to record Jacen Solo confessing he had killed Mara, though he claimed it was in self defense, and admitting he was a Sith Lord named Darth Caedus. Ben brought all the evidence to his family, finally proving that Jacen had indeed killed his mother. Luke, after seeing the evidence that Ben had brought him, then became determined to have Caedus removed as a threat.

The end of the War
At some point Ben, along with Lon Shevu, was captured by a group of GAG soldiers, led by Tahiri Veila, Caedus's apprentice, while he was on Coruscant. Tahiri attempted to get the location of the Jedi's base out of Ben. When seducing and then torturing Ben didn't work, she tortured Shevu, and accidentally killed him, much to her own horror. Ben escaped captivity, and managed to get off Coruscant. He later teamed up with Tenel Ka's cousins, Trista Zel and Taryn Zel who helped him reunite with the Jedi. However, their escape was marred by the capture of Prince Isolder by Tahiri Veila.

Ben was reunited with his family at the secret Jedi base on Shedu Maad. He was a little embarrassed by his cousin Jaina's scolding him like a child for running away from his backup on Coruscant, but soon all realized Ben was far more grown-up than they often gave him credit for. He was also with his family and Tenel Ka as they discussed the battle to come against Jacen. It was at this point Ben first expressed his belief that Tahiri perhaps had not fully embraced the dark side and could be redeemed. He believed this because of her shock and obvious regret at having tortured Shevu to death as well as her utilizing all means of persuasion before resorting to torturing Shevu, particularly the attempted seduction of a 14 year old boy half her age. Ben did not share with his family that Tahiri had tried to seduce him, believing that that detail remained better unknown.

Later, as Darth Caedus and his sister Jaina dueled on the Anakin Solo, Ben briefly dueled with Tahiri Veila on the surface of Shedu Maad. She and her team had been allowed to land by treacherous Hapan officials, bringing with them a bomb that would destroy the asteroid. As they fought, the two fell down a sinkhole into an underground lake. Physically subdued for the moment, Ben informed Tahiri that he could feel the conflict within her and that she wasn't a true Sith, assuring her that the Jedi could forgive her over time. He offered to let her go and report her dead, but instead Tahiri surrendered, not wanting to lie anymore. Ben brought her into Jedi custody, and redeemed her while Caedus died at his sister's hands. By this time, according to his father, Ben was a Jedi Knight.

Travels with his father
"...What's one of the first things you learned in training to be a Jedi?''" "Don't cut off your own head with your lightsaber." "After that." "''Your eyes can deceive you. Be mindful of your feelings. Girls are fun but dangerous. Lando has extra cards up his sleeve."

- Luke Skywalker questioning his son Ben

Two years after the end of the war, the Jedi were the target of much criticism: many people blamed the Order for Jacen's fall and his reign of terror as a Sith Lord. Chief of State Natasi Daala shared this idea, and soon had Luke arrested for "dereliction of duty." Luke agreed to exile himself from the Order and Coruscant in exchange for his freedom. Ben joined his father in a quest to find out exactly how Jacen fell to the dark side. The first place they traveled to during the exile was Dorin.

The Hidden Ones
Upon their arrival in Dor'shan, Ben and Luke found the Baran Do sages, and began to train under them, Ben with combat training under Charsae Saal, and Luke learning hassat-durr techniques under Tila Mong. They had only been with the Baran Do a few days before Charsae Saal decided that it was time for him to die. According to the Baran Do culture, when one decided to die, they simply willed themselves to do so and gave themselves over to the Force. Luke and Ben attended Saal's funeral, along with the other Baran Do sages. Luke, however, was not convinced that Saal had indeed died. He later scouted out the area with Ben, and they found that the platform upon which Saal had "died" was in fact a trap door leading to an underground chamber. The Skywalkers confronted the Baran Do there, and convinced them to be led to the "dead" Baran Do, known as the Hidden Ones.

The Hidden Ones proved to be led by a paranoid, corrupt leader, the "dead" Koro Ziil, whom had trained Jacen Solo during the former Jedi's travels. Ziil, known as the Hidden One, would not let the Skywalkers leave, claiming that no one was allowed to leave the caverns, as, once there, they were officially dead. The Skywalkers eventually confronted the Hidden Ones in a duel that resulted in the freedom of the Hidden Ones and the Skywalkers' escape from the caverns.

Personality and traits
"I got my brains from Mom.''" "''As well as your tendency toward verbal abuse."

- Ben and Luke

Ben Skywalker was kind, mature, and brave. Like his father, he was headstrong, fearless, and curious, and like his mother he had a quick wit, sharp tongue, and an irreverent sense of humor. Ben was also very observant and vowed to question everything he believed in, even the Force itself, before putting trust in any faith after discovering Jacen had killed Mara Jade. He lived life on his own terms. His personality was similar to that of his cousin Anakin Solo.

For the earlier part of his life, Ben was unable to understand his parents. Instead, his cousin Jacen served as both a mentor and role model for Ben. However, with the death of his own mother and Jacen's fall more and more evident, Ben lost all confidence in his cousin and began to grow closer to his father.

Ben also lived under the expectancy that he would one day be a great Jedi Knight, much like his parents and cousins.

Ben spoke with a distinct Coruscanti accent, and was gifted with an eidetic memory.

Behind the scenes
Kathy Tyers, the author of Balance Point, proposed a pregnancy for Luke and Mara to Shelly Shapiro while writing the book. She later learned that the New Jedi Order planning team was considering it for later in the series, and urged them to move it sooner, believing that the New Jedi Order needed more bright moments early on.

In a Hyperspace celebrity chat, Mark Hamill voiced his support of the decision of the EU authors to name Luke and Mara's son Ben, saying that "Pablo just told me about this. It doesn't surprise me. Somebody's using their head. George had talked about me handing Excalibur down to the new young hopes if there ever was a sequel trilogy, and not having hooked up with anyone, it makes sense that Ben ends up being the most influential person in Luke's life. It all makes sense, and I'm glad the caretakers are doing such a good job with the galaxy."

At the forums on starwars.com, Sue Rostoni was asked the following question (about George Lucas):

To which she responded,

Timothy Zahn is interested in doing a Skywalker family adventure novel or more Skywalker family novels with Luke, Mara and Ben sometime in the future in order to write the Skywalker family properly which would be set Post-New Jedi Order and Pre-Legacy of the Force and is also interested in doing a Ben Skywalker story which Ben teams up with a clone of Grand Admiral Thrawn likely in the Unknown Regions to face a galactic crisis only the Thrawn clone would solve and would likely be set Post-Fate of the Jedi.

The lost lightsaber
In a questionably canon reference, after completing his training at the Jedi Praxeum, Ben managed to track down his father's lost lightsaber, previously owned by his grandfather Anakin, which was in the possession of a Dark Jedi. The Dark Jedi was preparing to imbue the weapon with the power of the dark side, but Ben took it from him before he was able to do so.

Appearances
{{Scrollbox {{Imagecat|Images of Ben Skywalker}}
 * content=
 * Balance Point {{1stm}} {{C|Unborn}}
 * Edge of Victory I: Conquest {{Mo}} {{C|Unborn}}
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth {{1st}} {{1stID|Ben}}
 * Star by Star
 * Dark Journey
 * Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
 * Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand {{Mo}}
 * Destiny's Way {{Mo}}
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant {{Mo}}
 * Equals and Opposites {{Mo}}
 * Force Heretic II: Refugee {{Mo}}
 * Force Heretic III: Reunion {{Mo}}
 * The Unifying Force
 * Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Tempest
 * Exile
 * Sacrifice
 * Inferno
 * Fury
 * Revelation
 * Invincible
 * Outcast
 * Omen
 * Abyss

Non-canon appearances
}}
 * The Lost Lightsaber