his name(s)

JACEN » I took a little liberty with this first section. I took out the stuff not needed and made comments which are in brackets & italics about the things that apply to him. [source: kabalarians]

Your name of Jacen gives you a clever mind ["Hey, at least he thinks you can read."] and a sense of responsibility [Mr. "I-can't-use-the-FORCE-because-I-don't-know-exactly-how-it-works-lemme-figure-it-out"]. You are serious-minded and not inclined to make light of things even in little ways [Caedus all over], and in your younger years you had more mature interests than others your age [His collection of animals and his interest in all things life].

Home and family mean a great deal to you and it is natural that you should desire the security of a peaceful, settled home environment [like trying to set the galaxy right for his daughter] where you can enjoy the companionship of family and friends [He gets crushed in Traitor when he realizes his family is broken and it'll never fully be fixed].

Whatever you set out to accomplish you do your very best to complete in accordance with what you consider to be right [Everything he does fits in with his view of the force and how it works. Also when he takes on the Caedus name and sets out to put the galaxy right -- his view of right].

Others can rely on you; once you have given your word you will do your utmost to fulfil a responsibility. However, there is a tendency to be a little too independent in your thinking [His "I'm-not-using-the-force" caused heads to turn] and it is difficult for you to accept the help of others when you should. Due to your strong sense of responsibility, you could experience worry and mental turmoil through assuming more responsibility than you should [Again, with the Caedus actions here].

Friction could arise through others feeling that you were interfering with their rights and privileges, even though you are only trying to help. [This has Jacen through Caedus written all over it. D:]

Also, Jacen is obviously an alternate spelling of Jason, which has Greek origins and means 'healer' [source: thenamemeaning.com]

CAEDUS » This name came from a contest that ran before the Legacy of the Force books were released. It was called the Darth Who Contest and there were around 8500 entries received for Jacen's possible Darth _____ moniker. You can see the main image they used for the contest to the right -- which obviously made all this a clear indication of where Jacen was headed. The three authors of the Legacy of the Force series (Troy Denning, Aaron Allston & Karen Traviss) picked the top 5 and those were put out to the public to vote on the winner. The top 5 choices and their descriptions by LFL were:

• Darth Acheron
  (a river in Hell for those who deny justice)
  
• Darth Caedus
  (a battle of darkness)
• Darth Judicar
  (the final judge)
• Darth Paxis
  (bringer of peace)
• Darth Taral
  (Ancient Sith for "he who protects")

Caedus -- the winning name (obviously) -- is a variant of the latin word caedes, which means:

The people who sent in the top five names and the longer descriptions for each name can be seen at the Darth Who Contest Wookieepedia page.

(Also, I'm pretty sure Tenel Ka is not amused by the first definition of caedes.)

jacen and the color green

jealousy, envy - renewal, life:

"Green is a dualistic color. It can represent envy, evil, and trickery, and/or growth, renewal, and life, as lush vegetation. In Arthurian legend the green knight slew all who attempted to cross his bridge, until he was killed by Arthur. In this respect green can be seen as death's unbiased nature and the slaying of the naive."

Jacen doesn't strike me as the jealous type in any of the books he appears in. Some might think he holds some envy for his little brother, Anakin, who is hailed to have potential to be one of the greatest Jedi's ever. Some also might think he holds a jealous grudge against his twin sister, Jaina, who flys for Rogue Squadron (among many other squadrons) and became a Major. But really, even if he is a bit jealous, he still loves them both and never lets it show.

The flip side to the dualistic nature of the color also shows in Jacen's character much more than the negative side. He pretty much adores almost every living thing. And after New Jedi Order: Traitor, some say he's like a new person -- like he was reborn. Being on Yuuzhan'tar and learning from the Yuuzhan Vong and Vergere taught him many things about himself and the Force. Even when he became Darth Caedus, as twisted as his ways were, he was doing it for the good of the galaxy and to save his family.

nature:

This is where green really comes into play with Jacen. Jacen's lightsaber is green, number one. Number two? He's a nature buff. Throughout the Young Jedi Knights series, he's seen collecting various crazy little animals from many different places. He has a collection of flora and fauna and he's usually seen feeding them, playing with them or showing them off to Jaina, Tenel Ka and Lowie... who don't really pay attention. Jacen cares about living things no matter what they are. That's why he's so hesitant to use the Alpha Red on the Yuuzhan Vong in New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way -- Yuuzhan Vong are living creatures and he knows firsthand that not all of them are bad. They're just taught to be that way. Just like humans, just like every other species in the galaxy.

The authors giving him a green lightsaber was ultimately a VERY good choice, seeing as how the color defines Jacen's attitide towards many things.

(This was also where the original name for this site came from. Viridity's two main definitions are "the color of grass and foliage" and "naive innocence" -- when I started this site there was absolutely no clue that there would be a Darth Caedus as that was still an event that was years in the future. :B)