The fan-favorite Legends-era Star Wars character Mara Jade could have easily appeared in Return of the Jedi, but why didn’t she? Mara Jade was introduced in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which was the franchise’s official timeline until 2014 when it became an alternate continuity and was renamed Legends. Star Wars had something of a renaissance during the 1990s, with novels like the Thrawn Trilogy and comics like Dark Empire breathing new life into the franchise before the prequel trilogy came to theaters. The Star Wars trilogy special editions featured new scenes and Easter eggs, many referencing Expanded Universe content, but the popular Mara Jade was strangely absent for several potential reasons.

Debuting in 1991’s Heir to the Empire (book 1 of the Thrawn Trilogy), Mara Jade was Emperor Palpatine’s adopted daughter, who he trained as a Sith assassin (known as the “Emperor’s Hand”). Following Palpatine’s first death, the Empire descended into chaos and warlordism, and Mara fled, becoming a smuggler. A key component of Mara Jade’s character arc in the Thrawn Trilogy was rejecting the dark side, becoming disillusioned with her father, and breaking free of a suggestion he’d planted in her mind before his first death. Thanks to a loophole, she followed his last command to kill Luke Skywalker without truly killing him, embracing the Force and becoming a Jedi after the trilogy’s conclusion.

Related: Star Wars: All The Potential Setup For Mara Jade

The Thrawn Trilogy not only introduced Mara Jade to the Star Wars mythos but revealed that she was present in Jabba’s Palace, disguised as a dancer, during the events of Return of the Jedi as well. 1997’s Return of the Jedi special edition featured additional footage in Jabba’s Palace that included new cast members hired as extras. Mara Jade, under the guise of “Arica,” could have easily been included in the new footage, potentially being played by Shannon McRandle, who portrayed Mara in promotional photos. Mara Jade’s omission from the new footage may have been an oversight, but another potential reason was that George Lucas was allegedly not fond of the character.

Mara Jade Star Wars

According to the late J.W. Rinzler, a writer and executive editor for Lucasfilm, George Lucas disliked Mara Jade, despite her prominence in the pre-2014 canon. His reason for this was that Mara Jade eventually (and famously) married Luke Skywalker in 1997’s Hand of Thrawn novel duology. Although Luke and his Legends-era New Jedi Order eschewed Jedi celibacy, Lucas may have felt that this contradicted his ideas of Jedi Knighthood. Nevertheless, Luke and the New Jedi Order canonically encouraged romance and marriage, and his relationship with Mara Jade was cherished by fans.

Although the Star Wars special editions didn’t include Mara Jade, they did feature other Legends-era content. The new footage in Mos Eisley notably added vessels and droids from the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, which launched in 1996. Most notably, the Outrider, the ship captained by Shadows of the Empire’s Dash Rendar, can be seen launching from Mos Eisley in one of the spaceport’s establishing shots. The planet Coruscant, which first appeared in Heir to the Empire, was added to Return of the Jedi’s ending montage, with its citizens celebrating the Empire’s defeat on Endor.

Mara Jade’s mission to Jabba’s Palace was depicted in other Legends material, such as the 1995 short story Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade, and the Dark Horse Comics miniseries Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand. Moreover, Return of the Jedi’s 1996 radio drama included a scene in which the disguised Sith assassin conversed with C-3PO. While it isn’t a live-action appearance, this cameo acknowledged Mara Jade’s whereabouts in Return of the Jedi and further demonstrated the character’s well-deserved popularity.

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