Star Wars Isn’t Allowed to Use Its Most Iconic Female Jedi, Mara Jade, & It Makes No Sense

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From Princess Leia in the original films to characters like Ahsoka Tano and Jyn Erso, Star Wars has a history of strong female heroes. Despite this, Lucasfilm has surprisingly chosen not to include one of their most famous female Jedi Knights in new stories, which doesn’t quite add up.

Mara Jade quickly became a beloved character when she first appeared in Timothy Zahn’s novel, Heir to the Empire. The stories that followed showed her transformation from a spy for the Empire to a powerful Jedi Master, and her marriage to Luke Skywalker. This has led many fans to wonder why she hasn’t been included in more recent Star Wars stories.

Mara Jade remains a fan favorite from the old ‘Legends’ stories, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be officially added to the current ‘Star Wars’ timeline. According to io9, Lucasfilm has reportedly prohibited writers from including her in their books, even preventing her creator, Timothy Zahn, from writing about her. This is surprising considering other characters created by Zahn, like Grand Admiral Thrawn, have been brought into the new canon with appearances in shows like Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka, as well as several canon books. This raises the question: why the different treatment for Mara Jade?

The Expanded Universe’s Missed Potential

Lucasfilm could benefit from viewing its ‘Legends’ stories as a testing ground for new ideas. They should consider bringing popular characters and concepts into official canon when it fits the overall narrative. It’s a missed opportunity, especially considering authors like Claudia Gray – who wrote Star Wars: Bloodlines and wanted to feature Mara Jade – haven’t been allowed to incorporate these well-loved elements, despite clear interest from many writers.

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, they decided that many of the older Star Wars stories from outside the movies weren’t official anymore. This caused a lot of debate among fans. While some of those older stories weren’t very popular, others – like the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn – were highly regarded and fans hoped they might be used in future films. In fact, some elements from those older stories have been incorporated into the new movies, leading many to believe that the character Mara Jade could be as well.

Possible Future Plans for Mara Jade

Lucasfilm might be planning to include the character Mara Jade in future Star Wars stories. Some fans believe actress Amy Adams could play her in the next movie, Star Wars: Starfighter. Keeping a character’s identity a secret until their reveal is a common tactic for big franchises trying to surprise their audience.

Bringing Mara Jade into future Star Wars films would raise questions about why she wasn’t included in The Last Jedi, especially considering her important relationship with Luke Skywalker. It seems odd that a character so significant to him wasn’t even mentioned. Beyond her connection to Luke, Mara has a rich backstory – from being a deadly assassin working for Palpatine to becoming a Jedi Master – that could support numerous stories in books, movies, and TV shows. There’s still hope Lucasfilm plans to develop her character further, but if they don’t, it makes their previous avoidance of her even more puzzling.

Mara Jade has always been a great way to connect the classic Star Wars films with newer stories. Currently, Star Wars is trying to find ways to link past characters to new adventures without relying too heavily on nostalgia. With the sequel trilogy finished, options for characters from the original Empire era are limited, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, introduced in Ahsoka, stands out as a key villain. While a movie featuring Thrawn, potentially directed by Dave Filoni, was once planned, that project is now on hold. Because of this, bringing Mara Jade, a character with a compelling history, into the current storyline feels like a logical next step for Lucasfilm.

Bringing Mara Jade into the current Star Wars storyline would definitely mean reimagining her somewhat. Writers would need to find a way to include her without it feeling strange that she wasn’t present in The Last Jedi. It’s important that she still has a strong connection to Luke Skywalker, but authors like Timothy Zahn and Claudia Gray seem well-suited to update her story while staying true to her core character.

Even though Lucasfilm has brought back characters and ideas from the older ‘Legends’ stories – like Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Dark Troopers – they continue to ignore Mara Jade. It’s disappointing to see such a popular character, who fans and writers alike would love to see return, remain unused by the studio.

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2026-04-18 18:33