Lucasfilm merging with Disney may have given fans the gift of several new movies, TV shows, books, and comics, but it also had a downside. While Disney’s titles have incorporated some Legends concepts and characters in canon (like Grand Admiral Thrawn), others haven’t been brought over — including Mara Jade. She is just one of several fan-favorite characters who live and die on the pages of Legends publications, an unfortunate turn of events considering her potential.
Mara has an exquisite character arc, which would have been popular fodder for live-action. After the Emperor dies, he gives her one last mission: kill Luke Skywalker. This order sends the two on a collision course where Mara grows, changes, and finds love. By far one of the most popular Expanded Universe figures, fans will likely only see Mara in cosplay form now. The other character fans mourned is Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, the infamous Starkiller. Voiced by Sam Witwer in the Force Unleashed games, Galen Marek is another character full of depth who turns to the light side. One can only hope that as the creative director of Star Wars, Dave Filoni could find some way to fit these beloved characters into upcoming canon projects. But given Mara’s connection to Luke Skywalker and the events of the sequel trilogy, her possible inclusion is perhaps the least likely.
