By Chris Snellgrove | Published
As a child of the 80s, I grew up in that fascinating time in between Return of the Jedi again The Phantom Menace. It was a time when all new Star Wars content came through books, comics, and video games.
This led to the creation of some really cool characters, including two fan favorites from writer Timothy Zahn: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. After Disney destroyed the past (Kylo Ren would be proud) by removing the Star Wars Expanded Universe from canon, they brought back Thrawn in a big way, but if Disney hopes to save Star Wars, they also need to bring back Mara Jade.
Who is Mara Jade, you ask? Presented at Zahn’s Heir to the EmpireJade is a talented woman whose intelligence and sensitivity to the Force led her to serve the Empire as Hand of the Emperor. His life is thrown into chaos when the Emperor dies, and he is later forced to reluctantly work with Luke Skywalker (whom they blame for Palpatine’s death) against Thrawn and his resurgent Imperial forces.
Jade’s popularity among fans helped her become one of the most prominent characters in the Star Wars EU, and she became Luke’s wife and mother to his child. Now, based on everything we know about Luke’s life in the background Return of the Jediit seems that the hermit-like Jedi Master had no time for love. But Disney+ could easily adapt the rest of Mara Jade’s story for future shows and movies, and this kind of olive branch to older fans might be all that can save Star Wars.
As for why Star Wars needs saving, where do we start? The Sequel Trilogy was a mess that left many fans unhappy, and most of the Disney+ TV shows are a little disappointing (The Book of Boba Fett) to get angry annoyingly (The Acolyte). Now that the solo Rey movie has lost writer Steve Knight, it seems clearer than ever that Disney really doesn’t know what to do with the franchise it paid billions to secure from George Lucas.
However, making Mara Jade the center of her own films and TV shows would help to understand this sinking pleasure, and that’s not just my fanboy talking. Jade is similar to Grand Admiral Thrawn in that she is a known quantity. A character of course you have Many fans appreciate his cool backstory. It’s a reasonable bet that his story will gain new fans as well, thanks in large part to his cool connections to both Palpatine and the Force.
Additionally, reintroducing Mara Jade back into the Star Wars canon would mean that Disney has a strong female character, something the franchise has struggled with recently. Daisy Ridley’s Rey should have been the one to hire, but her character divided audiences rather than uniting them. With production difficulties for Rey’s solo film potentially jeopardizing the film’s release, there’s no time like the present for Star Wars to focus on a female protagonist without so much conflict or responsibility.
Because Mara Jade was an Imperial spy long before she became a smuggler, it would be easy to place her in any Star Wars era. For example, he was easily taken in AndorLast season as an Imperial agent since Palpatine recruited him as a young child. Besides, he can appear during shows like The Mandalorian as a weighty man of State he once proudly labored against the ragtag remnant he has become.
Talking about it The Mandaloriansome fans think the show has already secretly introduced Jade in the form of Elia Kane (Kate M. O’Brian), someone whose name and apparent loyalty to Moff Gideon could be cover stories. While that would require a bit of digging into Jade’s background in the books, Disney would be lucky to have an actor as talented as O’Brian (known for his excellent acting. Lies Lies Bleed) play one of the most popular characters in Star Wars.
No matter who plays her or how she’s introduced, Mara Jade needs to be a legitimate part of the Star Wars canon again. He’s a great character with limitless storytelling potential, who won over the fandom long before the prequels came out. With him on the roster, Disney may be able to do something that now seems impossible: create great Star Wars content again.
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