~~Official Expanded Universe Discussion Thread~~ Current Topic: Backlashes against EU characters

Okay, I'm looking at the Dark Empire Sourcebook, the color insets, like the fifth or sixth page. It's showing a World Devastator with the quote.

When the Emperor created the Death Star, Calamari was at the top of the list of worlds scheduled to be annihilated by that dreadful battle station...

And there's been something I've been meaning to ask. I'm just throwing this out. Pro-Imperialists say that everything has a pro-rebel slant due to the 'Journal of the Whills' statement at the beginning of the ANH novelization. If that is the case, then how do we know what's what? Shouldn't there be some bedrock reality that we have to deal with?

If we can't take anything at face value, then what good is it discussing this in the first place?

 

...I am so not getting into a canon debate with you, Jello. I'd get my butt handed to me on a silver platter...

 

The Empire did form a peace over the Galaxy and fixed what the republic during the Clone Wars started.

"That would be a dictatorship"-Amidala

"Well, if it works"-Anikan

 

All right, it is that time all ready!! New topic!!!


TOPIC

Mara Jade...

Was she the right choice for Luke Skywalker? Would she have been better off as a character remaining Imperial, serving as an Emperor's Hand or just working for Talon Karrde as his second lieutenant in the smuggler's business? Or perhaps just another force-user thrown out in the galaxy to make interesting adventures? And if not Luke, then who would have made a better choice for her as husband? Kyle Katarn?

 

I don't know who would take her place, but I think she would have had a much more interesting role to play if she had remained the Emperor's Hand. It seems like her strongest character traits faded after she married Luke.

 

I think they make a great pairing... Mara to see that there is something that can be positive in her life, and Luke can finally have someone he loves without losing her to some tragedy...

 

Mara is perfect for Luke. They work great in Survivor's Quest and the NJO. Karrde's got Shada now and the Imps have Pellaeon. I think it is fine the way it is.

 

Geez, I'm sorry I didn't see this thread sooner. The Empire debate was fun to read. My opinion: the Rebels used whatever means necessary to get the Empire defeated. And vice versa with the Empire. I still believe the Rebels were terrorists, though. Now then!

I don't think Mara was right for Luke. She had wanted to kill him because the Emperor told her to, so since something would happen where she'd be prevented from doing so, some genuine anger had to be there. Granted, eventually it would have faded, but she always seemed better off as a friend/informant of his. I always thought Callista would have been better. Yeah, she left so she could get her powers back, but that wasn't going to happen without her going to the Dark Side. Why couldn't Luke've helped her go to the DS like he did in Dark Empire, and then bring her back? It might've worked. And if that didn't work, their relationship could've still worked, if she had truly loved him. If I love someone enough, I'll stay with them no matter what. But anyhew-it would have been interesting to see Mara as Karrde's second, with Jedi powers. The story featuring her in "Tales from the New Republic" was great-I enjoyed it thoroughly. For her husband-I never really saw her as married. The only person I can think of that might have worked was Lando. Just kidding. A whole series of her discovering other former Imperials and them joining up would have also been interesting. For the time being, I see her as a bachelor girl.

 

Bachlorette.


I think Mara becoming a Jedi has destroyed her character. She was better off as this bad attitude ex-assassin who worked for a bunch of smugglers. If she wanted to broaden her force ability she should have just gone to the Academy, got some lessons and returned to her previous work. She would have been happier as a freelancer and with no restrictions on her life. From what I have read in the post HoT Duology novels, Mara seems rather unhappy despite her marriage to Luke. I believe she deeply misses being a freelancer and roaming the galaxy to find trouble and adventure.

As for Luke being her husband, I do not believe he was the right choice for her. She is an ex-Imperial, an ex-asssassin, and a smuggler. Her political views deferr from those of the Republic and the Jedi. She is drawn to the Empire as seen in SQ and she liked her previous Imperial life a lot more than she wants to admit.

Who would have made a better husband for her? Possibly someone who has similiar interests as hers and enjoys the life of a freelancer. Not a Jedi Master who has a guilt trip every five seconds because he had fallen to the Darkside and did bad things.

 

I think that they are a good pair for future stories because of their newborn son Ben.

 

I'm not sure if Mara was THE right choice for Luke, but she would have been good for him. She could have gotten him to (*gasp*) lighten up a little, snap out of this moping around phase he'd been in for books upon books. She's a woman of action, and she could have helped Luke remember how he used to actually DO things.

All in past tense, as Del Rey did vile and evil things to her and this never came to be.

 

All right. I suppose the Mara character might have been able to pull off marriage to an enemy, but being a MOTHER??? Give me a break! She goes from being Sith Lord's personal assasin to mommy?

 

My .02

Mara, when introduced, was a very fascinating character to me. She pulled no punches, and I liked someone who would do that with Luke, Leia, and Han. And muc of the time, they reciprocated, making an interesting dynamic.

As for her being the best choice, that is debatable (hence this debate ) They do balance each other's strengths and weaknesses well, and make a heck of a good team. Are they perfect? Not really, but they are good together.

And I would disagree about Mara's decision to become a mother, Swan. If an ex-rebel princess who's the #2 person of the fledgling governemnt (and very shortly therafter, the head of said governemnt) wants a career, a little too much action, a fairly stable marriage, AND children, why should we begrduge Mrs. Jade Skywalker the same opportunity?

 

Why do you dislike her so much, Jello? I don't think we can blame her for not remaining loyal to the Empire after all that Palpatine did to her. It's natural that she would want to get as far away from that life as possible and begin the healing process. That's where Luke was really able to help her-- helping himself in the process-- and it's no wonder they ended up together.

I think Mara was a great choice for Luke. The romance seemed a bit contrived at first, but as more novels elaborated on their relationship, it seemed to work. They really do complement each other. Marrying Luke and going over to the "other side," so to speak, changed her character but did not ruin it. My thought is that she would have been a static, dead-end character had she stayed with the Imperials or smugglers. At least with Luke her character had a chance to grow.

 

Palpatine didn't do anything to Mara and how do you know that her character would have not grown had she stayed with the Empire? I can tell you right now that one of the best Imperials, who's character has grown over the years is Grand Admiral Pellaeon. Just cause they are Imperial doesn't mean they'll be stick figures for the rest of time.

 

I definitely agree about Pellaeon but unfortunately he seems like the exception to the rule. Nearly all the other semi-interesting Imperials are either dead by now or never get mentioned. I don't know she would have become an obsolete stick figure but I can't think of any good reasons for her to be an exception, either. That whole ex-assassin freelancer thing only works for so long.

 

I don't like Mara much because she betrayed the Empire. Fine, is she wants to be with the Rebels, go ahead, I've no problems with that at all. But giving the location of Mount Tantiss to the Rebels was wrong. No matter what, it was wrong. Yes, she wanted to help, and yes, she was a Rebel now, but giving the location was wrong.
I don't see anything wrong with her marrying Luke (dunno what they're like in the NJO though), they were OK in Survivors Quest, she and Luke are a nice couple.
But still, I'd rather have seen her staying a loyal Imperial, I liked the fact she was thinking about that in Survivors Quest. She had some pretty good thoughts there, and I felt like screaming "why..why did you betray the Empire like that? Couldn't you have just gone to the Rebels without giving them important Imperial information???"
But it happened. It's OK with me now, what ya gonna do,I'd say..don't think she should be with someone else. Would I've liked her more if she didn't betray the Empire? Probably.

 

The only true thing that I liked seeing was that they had a son, and that is really going to expand the universe in future novels.

Who do you guys think will be Ben's Master after Luke dies(or if he dies early on in the novels to come)?

 

Jello, Mitth, we actually know very little about Mara's past. We don't know what her training might have entailed. Thus, it's an assumpton to say that Palpatine, or any of the people assigned to raise, guard, or teach her did 'nothing' to her. We have absence of evidence, which supports neither side.