The Sequel Trilogy would have fans believe that after training Ben Solo, Luke Skywalker lived as a hermit on Ahch-To, eschewing all contact with the outside world in favor of making sure the Jedi ways were never passed down to any hopeful Force adepts. With rumors that Mara Jade, a character from the Legends catalog could make an appearance in new Disney Star Wars content, fans are learning that Luke wasn't as lonely as they thought between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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Aside from some confusing feelings about Leia Organa, Luke was never seen harboring romantic feelings for anyone in canon, but Legends explored Mara Jade and many of Luke's love interests in novels, short stories, and comic books. The taciturn Jedi Master gave even the charming Lando Calrissian a run for his credits in the romance department.

Mara Jade

Mara Jade holding blue lightsaber with a red background with X-Wings

First introduced in Timothy Zahn's critically acclaimed Thrawn trilogy, Mara Jade was the Emperor's Right Hand, doing the dirty work he often didn't even let Darth Vader know about. She was as resourceful and intelligent as she was beautiful, and she had a set of martial skills that made her a deadly assassin.

Her final order was to kill Luke Skywalker, and she tried to succeed in her mission even after the Emperor died but ended up working with Skywalker instead, and over many years they developed a tentative romance. Her fiery passion and temper were a perfect complement to his calm and collected disposition, and fans enjoyed their verbal sparring. She would go on to train as a Jedi, and the two would eventually get married and have a son together.

Tanith Shire

Tanith Shire and Luke Skywalker's budding romance in Star Wars comics

Tanith Shire was a slave after crash-landing on Ophideraan in the newspaper comic strip storyline Darth Vader Strikes, and like the title implies, was involved in a trap set by Darth Vader to capture Luke Skywalker sometime before The Empire Strikes Back. Tanith helped Luke escape, and for her bravery, Luke repaid the favor by helping to free her people from the Serpent Masters.

After their successful teamwork, she tried to get Luke to stay and start a relationship with her, but at that time, Luke still had feelings for Princess Leia and was devoted to the Rebel Alliance, so he politely declined her offer.

Dani

Dani pointing a blaster against a background of stars in Star Wars Marvel Comics

In Star Wars #70: The Stenax Shuffle, Luke met and fell for a Zeltron named Dani, who returned the feelings to such a degree she smuggled aboard the Millennium Falcon and followed him on a few missions. She was beautiful and charismatic, with a strong personality and love of adventure who became a grizzled veteran after years of watching allies die.

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While she initially had her sights set on Luke, she ended up falling for his apprentice Kiro, and the pair's blossoming romance truncated what she'd had with the young Rebel pilot. Like Leia, she would reaffirm his passion for strong women who make their own choices, a trend that continued throughout his life.

Mary

Luke Skywalker and Mary from Marvel's Star Wars #89 comic book

A few years after the Battle of Yavin, Luke visited the planet Solay in Star Wars #89: I'll See You in the Throne Room, and helped the local inhabitants overthrow the Empire's occupation, falling in love with a young woman named Mary in the process. Like Dani and Leia before her, she had a fighting spirit that enthralled him, and he considered remaining on Solay to help rebuild its government.

Unfortunately, the Empire didn't take kindly to being ousted and sent reinforcements, and during a firefight to retake the planet Mary was killed. She died in Luke's arms, and in his rage, he nearly tapped into the dark side but managed to resist its pull when he thought of better ways to honor her memory.

Gaeriel Captison

Gaeriel Captison from the Star Wars Legends novel Truce at Bakura

In the popular Legends novel The Truce at Bakura, Luke Skywalker went to Bakura to fight the invading alien Ssi-ruuk, and ended up being attracted to Gaeriel Captison, a young woman raised in a family of noble aristocrats much like Leia Organa. Unlike Leia, she was Imperial-leaning in her politics, until the death of her parents at the hands of the Empire pushed her into joining the Rebel Alliance.

Despite a mutual attraction with Luke, she would marry Bakura's new defense commander. She was a widow by the time Luke came back into her life many years later, but their romance would never be allowed to start; a diplomat to the end, she sacrificed herself to preserve the New Republic against Imperial insurgents.

Alexandra Winger

Luke Skywalker and Alexandra Winger in A Glimmer Of Hope

Debuting in the short story A Glimmer Of Hope, Alexandra Winger was raised by Imperials as a girl, but as she began to explore her Force-sensitivity, she started to have dreams of a man with blue eyes guiding her. This man turned out to be Luke, who would eventually find "Alex", and she would help him and the Katarn Commandos take out an Imperial base.

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In addition to training to become a Jedi, she also shared Luke's love of piloting, and the two seemed to be a perfect match. Unfortunately, she became paranoid about the seductive powers of the dark side and chose to withdraw from Luke's tutelage and affections.

Akanah Pell

Akanah Pell from Star Wars legends novel Before The Storm

While Luke solved the mystery of his father's identity, his mother's was a different matter, seemingly scrubbed as she was from most databases by the Empire, as though she never even existed. In the Legends novel Before The Storm, a woman entered Luke's life that promised to give him information about her life; Akanah Pell.

As they traveled the galaxy, Luke comforted Akanah when she came to terms with her father's issues, and they grew from allies to something more. Unfortunately, after all their time together it was revealed that she knew nothing about his mother, causing him to end any possibility of a romance.

Jem Ysanna

Jem Ysanna from the Star Wars Legends comic Dark Empire

In the popular Dark Empire comics, which saw a resurrected Palpatine in a young clone's body, and envisioned what it would have been like for Luke to briefly turn to the dark side after Return of the Jedi, the Jedi Master met a Force-sensitive woman with incredible power while trying to regrow the Jedi Order.

Jem Ysanna and her brother Ralf shared a Force connection not unlike Luke and Leia's, and Luke decided to help Jem learn how to channel her abilities. Over the course of her training, they fell in love and looked forward to a future together, until assassin droids meant for Luke ended up killing his student instead.

Shira Brie/Lumiya

Luke Skywalker's former girlfriend Shira Brie and him fighting her dark side persona Lumiya

When Luke first met Shira Brie in Coffin in the Clouds, she was a fellow pilot in the Rebel Alliance, and they started to form feelings for each other with each mission. What Luke didn't know was that his new lover was in fact an Imperial agent and that accidentally shooting her down meant inadvertently dodging a blaster bolt meant for him.

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Darth Vader recovered her body and implanted cybernetics, similar to his own life support system, to keep her alive. She would reappear decades later as Lumiya, a fearsome Sith warrior who was instrumental in turning Jacen Solo to the dark side, and Luke was forced to slay his former love to save his nephew.

Callista Ming

Callista Ming girlfriend of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Children of the Jedi

One of the oddest–but nevertheless most substantial–of Luke's love interests was Callista Ming, a former Jedi who had bonded her consciousness with the Eye of Palpatine's computer. Luke communicated with her through the Force, but their love could never be consummated until Cray Mingla sacrificed her body so that Callista might enter it.

Unfortunately, Callista was hesitant to connect with the Force again in a physical body and didn't feel she could love Luke properly until she did. She left him on a journey of self-discovery promising to return but was killed by Abelothin in the Maw. Decades later when Luke encountered the entity it took her shape to try to destroy him, and while he wasn't fooled, he was surprised to realize his feelings for her hadn't lessened since he'd last seen her.

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