Solar System formation in the context of Extra-Solar Planets

The past decade of exoplanet observations has confirmed one of humanity's (and all teenagers') worst fears: we are weird. Even though Jupiter is the only Solar System planet likely to be detected with present-day technology, the Solar System is quantifiably unusual among exoplanet systems at the ~1% level. Instead, at least half of main sequence stars host close-in "super-Earths", and ~10% have Jupiters on non-Jupiter-like, eccentric or close-in orbits. In this talk I will explore how the Solar System fits in a larger context by addressing key steps in planetary system formation. I will present models to explain the diversity of observed planetary systems (including super-Earth systems and giant exoplanets) and the mechanisms that create that diversity. While there is as yet no consensus on exactly how the Solar System formed, Jupiter is likely to have played a decisive role.