When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the controversial decision was made to relabel Expanded Universe materials as “Star Wars Legends,” removing those materials from the official canon timeline. With the franchise starting a new era, it made sense to wipe the slate clean, but fans had grown to love many of the stories and characters present in Expanded Universe publications. In the years since, Lucasfilm has pulled from the EU, selectively bringing some Legends characters over to the new canon (Grand Admiral Thrawn perhaps being the most notable example). Of course, there are many other figures fans would love to see again, and they’ve grown frustrated with Lucasfilm’s stance on one fan favorite in particular.
During an appearance at the Writing the Star Wars Universe panel at this year’s MegaCon (via Popverse), authors Claudia Gray and Timothy Zahn revealed their pitches to bring Mara Jade to Star Wars canon were denied. “A couple of times I was like, ‘Really? Really, no Mara Jade?’ And they were like, ‘[Stern voice] Nope,’” said Gray. With this anecdote circulating online, Star Wars fans have shared their opinions. While most are in agreement there would need to be changes from the Expanded Universe, the feeling is Mara Jade could potentially retroactively enhance certain canon stories, like Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Maybe it’s because they have a plan for her in film/series and don’t want to be boxed in. I am hoping for a MJ storyline where she escapes Kylo’s attack on Luke’s school with their son and goes into hiding.
— Shawn Solo (@shawn__solo) April 9, 2026
This has always been the weirdest thing to me about Disney, why are they so reluctant to bring Mara Jade in? She’s a widely beloved character. Probably kind of late now but they could bring her in as Lukes daughter.
— Kendalactic (@GalacticCurator) April 9, 2026
Please bring her into canon. I feel like it would be really awesome if we see her meet up with Luke, go through a similar arc, but in this universe he either gets her killed or fails to turn her to the light. Could help explain his TLJ characterization too!
— Nadia (@aidanwi56023033) April 9, 2026
Im assuming its because they want to use her in a show / movie sooner or later and using her in a book / comic now would limit their ability to do the former
— Felix🇺🇦 (@CaptUnbalanced) April 9, 2026
I’m honestly fine with them never touching her. Bringing into canon would change her character so much she would basically be a new character. We already have plenty of books and comics about her. Disney should focus on making their own characters at this point.
— Admiralpool (@Sladepool64) April 9, 2026
Is there a reason why? Maybe they just don’t want Luke having a wife at all? Going down the Jedi no attachment route? I don’t know 🤷♂️
— Douglas Mackenzie (@DolefulDoug) April 9, 2026
That would be a great retroactive weight for The Last Jedi, though.
Why would Luke stay on that island? Kylo Ren murdered Mara Jade Skywalker.
— Eric Mrozek 🇺🇸🦅🌎⚛️🧦🗽✍🏻 (@EricMMrozek) April 9, 2026
I genuinely don’t see how they could without heavily changing her. She cannot be some right hand of the emperor when the inquisitors exist and she was not one of them.
If she is portrayed as having a relationship with Luke it cannot end with them together either.
— DannSloth (@Dann_Sloth) April 9, 2026
I get it, unlike thrawn there is nowhere you can make her fit in the story and have it still work
You cant use her for the reign of the Empire era as the inquisitors exist, and you cant use her post OT as the Emperor isnt around as soon as he was in legends, I say leave her out
— Josh (Raptor) (@ArkhamJosh) April 9, 2026
Which is so wild since Disney sells/sold her lightsaber! They can still bring her character in, design and name wise and change her lore to fit the canon they need.
— Beast from Outer Space (@rxmazz) April 9, 2026
Can Mara Jade Ever Become Part of Star Wars Canon?
Since Gray and Zahn seemingly did not go into detail about why their Mara Jade pitches were rejected, Disney’s possible reasoning was (understandably) a topic of much debate online. The optimistic fans are holding out hope that this could be a sign Lucasfilm intends to use Mara Jade in a future movie or TV show, and they want that to be the character’s first canonical appearance. By keeping Mara Jade out of published materials for the time being, Lucasfilm would have more control over Mara Jade’s on-screen role. The biggest benefit is that they wouldn’t be boxed in to a particular era on the timeline, allowing the opportunity to bring Mara Jade in wherever they saw fit.
While that makes sense, the odds of Mara Jade becoming canon are low. As some fans have pointed out, the biggest issue stems from her connection to Luke Skywalker. In Legends, Mara Jade (who previously served as part of the Emperor’s Hand and was a smuggler) marries Luke and the two have a child together. With how Luke’s story has unfolded in canon, it would be very difficult to add in something as substantial as his relationship with Mara Jade without significantly retconning previously released materials. Since Mara Jade hasn’t even been mentioned in canon to date, one has to assume all of Luke’s post-Return of the Jedi exploits took place without a loving wife by his side.
Theoretically, Lucasfilm could introduce a character named Mara Jade in canon (one who has many of the same traits and attributes as the Legends version) and just eschew her relationship with Luke. That may not sit well with fans, however, because it would be such a drastic shift from Legends. Mara Jade’s history with Luke is such an integral part of her personal journey that it would arguably defeat the point of canonizing her if that dynamic wasn’t going to be depicted. Lucasfilm would probably be better served creating a new character partially inspired by the Mara Jade archetype — one who doesn’t come with the heavy burden of baggage and expectations. It would be very disappointing if Mara Jade became canon and never met Luke.
The situation is quite different from Grand Admiral Thrawn. Canon Thrawn is not a 1:1 adaptation of Legends Thrawn, but there was still a way to organically work him into the overarching Star Wars story that stayed true to what fans loved about the old Legends materials. It’ll be harder to pull that off in the case of Mara Jade — not just because of Luke, but also the existence of the Inquisitors making the Emperor’s Hand moot. Still, that won’t stop fans from holding out hope one day Mara Jade will be in official canon. Some have speculated Amy Adams is playing a version of her in Star Wars: Starfighter.
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