Older fans will remember well that during much of the 1990’s, as the internet exploded and top ten lists ruled the galaxy, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Mara Jade were often considered the most popular Star Wars characters. Step forward decades to the mdoern day and Mara is mostly a memory, one firmly rooted in the past and the realms of Legends. Speaking recently at Megacon in Orlando, authors Claudia Gray and Timothy Zahn – the writer who created Mara back in 1991 in the classic Heir to the Empire – discussed her potential arrival, and it would appear there’s more chance of getting a Ben Solo film than there is Ben Skywalkers mother arriving in canon.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2014, the Star Wars franchise was given a continuity shakeup, and novels like Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy were classified as non-canonical ‘Legends.’ However, certain characters like Thrawn have found a home in the new Star Wars canon, appearing in the Rebels animated series and the Disney+ series Ahsoka. With Thrawn back in continuity, could this mean Mara Jade is next? Don’t count on it.
“A couple of times I was like, ‘Really? Really, no Mara Jade?’ And they were like, ‘[Stern voice] Nope,’ Star Wars: Bloodline author Claudia Gray revealed during the Writing the Star Wars Universe panel at MegaCon 2026. “I asked them too,” Mara Jade creator Timothy Zahn added – and similarly, he was told no.
In the past Zahn has acknowledged that George Lucas disliked Mara Jade. The author has also tried to bring Mara back on other occasions, but Lucasfilm has always said no. Unless Zahn or Gray can learn how to do a Jedi mind trick, it looks like Mara Jade will be staying in Legends for quite some time.
