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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit Should Mara Jade exist in the nu Continuity?

Discussion in 'Literature' started by StarWarsFan91, Mar 16, 2017.

  1. jamminjedi23

    jamminjedi23 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 19, 2015
    For every few that don't want some of their favorite EU characters to find their way into canon there are far far more that would like to see it done. All you have to do is watch the video of the Rebels panel from last years celebration and the standing ovation that Filoni got when Thrawn was in the trailer. Also all the fan videos people made of themselves geeking out when Thrawn appeared on screen.

    As far as the authors go I would say it is being very respectful of them to put the character they created into a universe that is supposed to be considered on the same level as the movies.
     
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  2. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004

    Pretty sure Tim Zahn thinks it's great and would love for Mara Jade to get the same treatment.
     
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  3. Vorax

    Vorax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2014
  4. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004
    All that says is she's not showing up in Thrawn.
     
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  5. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    Zahn, notably, says, "Remember, Thrawn isn't EU anymore, he's CANON."

    He seems to absolutely love what's been done with him.

    So, good for him.

    Then again, as a writer, I'd love to have my creations survive 20+ years and get brought to a new generation.
     
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  6. Skywalker2B

    Skywalker2B Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2000
    As promised...here's my idea. I've updated it since 2016, but not too much.

    One thing I like in multi part stories, and especially Star Wars, is that each new part connects to and sometimes changes the way you see previous parts. ESB changed the way you saw ANH, RotJ changed the way you saw ESB, the PT changed how you saw the OT, TCW changed how you saw AotC and RotS, Rogue One changed how you see ANH, etc. I’m also big on continuity between all stories in the SW canon. My intent with these ideas is to connect and change the way you see the PT, TCW, the OT, and the ST while maintaining canon continuity.

    OB1 is my favorite character from the prequels and TCW. I loved Ewan as OB1 in the PT. And James Arnold Taylor (JAT) did an awesome OB1 voice in TCW and Rebels. And now, Steven Stanton has done an awesome job as OB1 in Rebels. There have already been rumors that there may be a Kenobi trilogy with Ewan. And, how about the cool fan (Ben Ostrower) theory of Rey (from TFA) being Kenobi's granddaughter (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-ostrower/rey-is-obi-wan-kenobis-granddaughter_b_8911656.html)? Well, I took those ideas, what we know in the new canon thus far, and my love of the EU and ran with them.

    Things to keep in mind:
    1. Kathleen Kennedy said that the saga is, and will be, about the Skywalker's. While Ben Solo is technically part Skywalker, I don't think that is what she meant. I think Rey is a Skywalker.
    2. When I came up with this story idea in early 2016, TFA and most of the new canon stuff did not connect too much to the PT, TCW, or Rebels.
    3. Pablo Hidalgo, in discussing the Legends title, said that they called it Legends because there is some truth in it. Even in Rebels' season 2 Ahsoka states that there is some truth in legends. During a panel at an earlier Celebration about the new Story Group: "...the Story Group said that while the Expanded Universe is now Legends and has been wiped clean, they do have plans to reboot or reintroduce characters from that world in the canon." We now have proof…Thrawn.
    4. Filoni and Pablo, at Celebration London (2016), in an Ahsoka lost stories panel talked about how TCW was supposed to end with the Siege of Mandalore. Filoni talked about it previously, but we got a little more info about it recently…the characters involved and the basic plot and how it connected to RotS. Also, we’ve been told that even unproduced TCW story arcs are considered canon. This idea stems from the Siege of Mandalore story arc and several previous TCW episodes.
    5. The current rumor is that Kenobi (played by Ewan) will be in Episodes 8 and 9 and has some connection to Rey (as his voice in Rey’s Force vision implies in Episode 7).

    So, with that said, here is an idea I put together for a trilogy of Kenobi related stories...

    Star Wars: The Kenobi Connection: The Protector. The beginning shows OB1 watching the Lars' homestead from a distance when Luke is only around two years old. There's not much for OB1 to do, so he reaches out to Qui-Gon Jinn through the force (unlike the Kenobi novel, Qui-Gon talks to OB1). OB1 is struggling with what to do with himself as he watches over Luke from a distance. Qui-Gon tells him of his “discovery” about the force and begins to teach OB1. He also suggests that OB1 take on a new identity. To manage his loneliness, he goes to a nearby settlement, perhaps Toshi Station, to purchase some supplies. When asked his name he replies with only "Ben". He doesn’t say much and doesn’t have too much interaction with anyone. The only one that he feels he should talk to is Qui-Gon. Sometimes Qui-Gon talks to him when he's out, but when Ben responds it's like he's talking to the air because they can’t hear Qui-Gon. People walking by give him strange looks (establishing why Owen calls him a crazy old man in ANH). Having what he came for, he returns to his home.

    Next scene: A city environment on a different planet. A familiar looking woman, her black hair is shoulder length and dressed in plain clothes carrying a small holdout blaster, is on the run through a crowded street. She is trying to get away from someone. She quickly ducks into an open door as someone walks out. Inside she makes her way to a window, but staying out of sight if someone looks in just as a squad of stormtroopers, led by a Mandalorian Protector, shuffle past the window. She then heads back out the door and back the way she came, grabbing a cloak on her way and covering her head. She makes her way to a docking bay and approaches [possible: a handsome young man in his twenties] someone looking over his small freighter (pre-flight inspection). After a few small talk comments [possible: during the small talk, she asks his name, he says a name followed by “but most people just call me Dash”], she tells him that she would like passage off of the planet and is willing to pay for a ride to wherever he is going. It’s apparent that he needs the credits. He accepts and tells her to get onboard. As they lift off, she asks him where he’s headed. “Anchorhead, on some outer rim planet called Tatooine,” he answers. “Tatooine?” she repeats. “Never heard of it.” From a rooftop not far away the Mandalorian Protector aims a long barreled rifle towards and departing YT-2000 freighter and fires. But, instead of a laser bolt, the rifle fires a tracker which attaches itself to the hull of the ship. The Protector watches as the ship flies off into space.

    Back to Tatooine. Now going by Ben, he is walking through Mos Eisley. We see him ask someone where he can get a drink, to which the person points in a direction. Ben thanks the person and heads in that direction. We see him walk into a cantina…yup…that cantina. We then see him at the bar ordering a drink. With drink in hand, he turns to look for a place to sit. Seeing someone he thinks he remembers sitting at a small table in a darkened part of the room near the rear door, he goes to sit with her and says his distinctive: “Hello there,” as he removes his hood. She instantly recognizes him and smiles, happy to see a familiar face. Before she can say his name he tells her that he now goes by Ben. We find out that she is Bo-Katan Kryse, with whom OB1 fought in the Clone War. They talk, but as they do she is scanning the place.

    “It’s wonderful to see you again, Bo,” Kenobi says with a smile on his face. He’s clearly happy to be speaking with a friendly face from his past…someone living, in the flesh. He continues. “You look different,” he pauses to look her over a bit more as she touches her hair, “without your armor I mean.” Her eyes stop wondering around the room to lock onto his for a moment. Leaning toward him slightly, in a hushed voice, she replies, “That’s the idea.”

    Still in a good mood, Ben uses the force to sense the fear and anxiety that is evident in woman’s voice and demeanor. Considering that she is constantly scanning the darkened room with her eyes instead of maintaining eye contact with him he asks her, “Are you alright?” in a concerned tone.

    “No, not really,” she answers.

    Not the answer he was hoping to hear. His curiosity peaked, he asks, “Has something happened? The last I heard Ahsoka and her soldiers left Mandalore with you as their provisional leader. What happened after that? What brings you…” he gestures the seedy looking room “…here?”

    “After the Republic came in and cleared out Maul’s Death Watch and the remaining Shadow Collective…” she paused and reached across the small table to put her hand on his arm. “Thank you, by the way, for sending Ahsoka and the Republic.”

    Ben placed his other hand gently over her hand that was on his arm. “It wasn’t all my doing.” He said with a smirk. “But it was the least I could do for Satine’s sister.”

    She could see in his eyes the love that he had had for her sister. Smiling and dropping her head a little she fondly remembered her sister and wished that they had not been on opposite sides for so long. Then her thoughts drifted to Satine’s death and she grew angry at her sister’s murderer, Maul, and all that had happened to Mandalore because of him. “Things were going well at first,” she continued from her previous comments. “We were preparing for elections. People wanted to get back to who we were, to regain our culture and our history. Then we heard about what happened to the Republic. We heard about the Supreme Chancellor making himself an emperor and reforming the Republic into a Galactic Empire. And we heard about…the jedi.” She looked at his face and saw the disappointment and the sadness.

    “Bo…” he started to say. But she cut him off.

    “I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. Not after what you, Ahsoka and the Republic did for Mandalore.” She smiled to reassure him that she wasn’t his enemy.

    “Thank you,” was all he could say.

    She continued her story. “It wasn’t long before they, the new Empire, showed up and took over.” She sighed. “Everything changed. After all of the chaos Mandalore went through before, most people seemed to welcome the new order the Empire promised. Sure there were some that openly opposed them, but they were always dealt with quickly. I, still being the provisional leader, saw what was happening. I saw our culture disappearing. The Empire even went as far as outlawing parts of it. So, I tried to do something about it.”

    Ben sat back in his chair and stroked his bearded chin. “Oh I don’t like where this is headed.”

    “I amassed a small following…my Nite Owls of course, and some others. We vowed to oppose the Empire’s rule. But the Protectors sided with the Empire and helped them hunt us down.” Her eyes were sad. “I’m the last one,” she said, her eyes welling with tears.

    “Oh, Bo.” He tried to console her.

    “I’ve been on the run ever since. From system to system, the Protectors keep finding me. I made it here a couple days ago by hitching a ride with a young freighter pilot.”

    “I see,” Ben said, thinking of something he could do for her.

    “I’ve been keeping a low profile here in Mos Eisley. So far, so good. I haven’t noticed any Protectors, so I think I may be safe here for a while.”

    Little do they know that the Protector has tracked Bo-Katan to Tatooine. Kenobi agrees to help her. As they start to leave, various patrons try to capture Bo-Katan, but, together, they manage to evade capture. This is an extended sequence of different chases and close calls which force Ben and Bo-Katan to rely on each other to get through it. The relationship between them that was formed (in TCW) and during the Siege of Mandalore is quickly rekindled. At different times during the escape Ben saves Bo-Katan from capture and she, in turn, saves his life from certain death. All the while, Ben is trying to conceal the fact that he is a jedi. This sequence is where Ben learns that Mos Eisley is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. There’s a point where the odds seem overwhelming, but they get away and, for the moment, are safe at his hut. Both of them are near exhaustion, bruised, and bleeding from minor cuts and scrapes. The shared near death experiences draws them closer and they have a moment of intimacy before falling asleep. The next day she is talking to him and hoping that he’ll come with her, but he tells her that he can’t, that he has a mission on Tatooine that will take many years. However, he promises to help her get off world. They get into his speeder and head out, seemingly to another space port. They don’t get too far before discovering that the Protector has found them. Ben has no choice but to fight Protector to allow her to escape. He jumps off of their speeder and onto the Mandalorian’s. A fight ensues as Bo-Katan reluctantly speeds off towards a nearby settlement. (The fight is reminiscent to OB1’s short battle with Jango Fett in AotC, but it is clear that he has learned how to deal with Mandalorians since then, but the Protector has new tricks) After an intense battle in which both are wounded, the Protector believes that OB1 is dead and staggers away. Ben is not dead, but badly wounded and is conflicted. Part of him wants to pursue to finally put an end to his threat to Bo-Katan, but he realizes that his mission is to protect Luke. The Mandalorian warrior pursues Bo-Katan, almost catching up to her, but is suddenly knocked off of his speeder by a giant Krayt dragon. Before the warrior can stand, he quickly becomes the dragon’s snack. Bo-Katan is able to escape off planet.

    A few weeks later, still bruised from the battle, Ben is sitting alone on a large rock in the desert. He is watching Luke from a distance and finishes writing an entry in a journal (yes, the one from the Marvel comics). He closes the journal, calms himself, and calls to Qui-Gon. He asks Qui-Gon, “I’m ready to begin the next lesson.”

    A few years later, in another part of the galaxy, Bo-Katan is running from Stormtroopers. She is carrying something in her arms. There’s no place for her to hide to escape the Stormtroopers’ in pursuit. She continues to run, shielding the object in her arms with her body. Suddenly, a blast of blue energy slams into her, instantly knocking her unconscious. She falls to the ground…with a young daughter in her arms. The Stormtroopers’ orders are to deliver the child to the Inquisitors. The end of part one.

    **I originally had Maul be the one to pursue Bo-Katan to Tatooine and fight OB1, but think that Rebels made that not work as well. It just would have been Maul fighting OB1 too much for neither of them to “win”.

    NOTE: I was struggling with a reason for Bo-Katan to be on the run from the Empire and/or Death Watch. While reading some things about the latest Rebels episode, about the last time that Ahsoka saw Anakin, I did some research. I found out that Dave Filoni had intended for the wrap-up of the TCW series to be about the Siege of Mandalore in which Ahsoka would instate Bo-Katan as provisional leader of Mandalore after the Republic intervenes to remove Maul's Death Watch from power. He also said that, afterwards, when the Republic becomes the Empire, the Imperials take over rule of Mandalore, ban their mercenary practices/culture, and set up an Imperial Academy there. So, based on Bo-Katan's history with Death Watch, the Nite Owls, fighting along side Obi-Wan, (essentially everything we see of her in TCW), and then being on the Republic's side during the siege, it's pretty clear that she would oppose Imperial rule and what they do to Mandalore. She would most likely fight them in some way, making her a criminal to the Empire. And since we also know, through Rebels, that the Protectors side with the Empire, well, I think that makes a pretty good case for her to be fleeing from the Empire. Oh, and with this info/new idea, I changed Death Watch to the Protectors. I also think it would be a good idea for her to at least dye her hair (probably black), making it a little more difficult for OB1 to recognize her at first. In fact, I think she'd recognize him first, then he senses it and goes to investigate.

    Katie Sackhoff is supposed to reprise her role as Bo-Katan in Rebels. In a recent episode, Sabine Wren is told that her mother is looking for her. I did some more research and found a little tidbit that Satine Kryze had two siblings…Bo-Katan Kryze and some other character. I couldn’t find any info on that other sibling, but I speculate that it’s another sister who marries into the Wren family. So, I’m hoping that, in Rebels, Bo-Katan, having escaped the Empire, finds Sabine (her niece) in her search for her “stolen” daughter.

    Star Wars: The Kenobi Connection: In His Service. It opens with the daughter, now about 15. She is a young beautiful redhead, but dangerous. The Inquisitors discovered her nominal force sensitivity and trained her to be a spy. She is on the Death Star, walking down a corridor with a couple other students her age on their way to receive their first mission. As they are walking past a hangar where a YT-1300 freighter is sitting she notices some blaster fire. Across the way, in the distance, she sees Darth Vader with his red lightsaber dueling some old man in a brown cloak with a blue lightsaber. They are too far away for her to make out any details, but she sees Vader cut the other down with his saber. She's glad that Vader was able to defeat his challenger, but feels something strange stir inside her. It’s almost as if she could feel the death of the old man. A couple moments later the freighter takes off and escapes. Not knowing what to think of the strange feeling she had, she turns and continues on her way. [transition showing her on various missions and receiving accolades from her superiors] She is so good that the Emperor himself takes an interest in her. He, personally, gives her a secret mission. He has her steal the plans of the second death star and get them to the Alliance's Bothan spies. At the same time, she tips off the Imperial forces that allow most of the Bothan spy ring to be killed. The Emperor praises her for a job well done, but she keeps her true feelings hidden. Deep down she doesn't like what she is doing. The last surviving Bothan spy delivers the plans to Mon Mothma. The Emperor gives the woman a new mission that is to be kept secret from Darth Vader...find and kill Luke Skywalker. End of second movie/show.

    Star Wars: The Kenobi Connection: Friend or Foe. Set several years after RotJ. The woman is now a soldier of the New Republic. After the destruction of the 2nd death star she believed her master, the Emperor, was dead. Not knowing what to do, whom to follow, she decided to complete her last mission. Over the years she has infiltrated the Rebel Alliance, and now New Republic, with the goal of getting close to Luke Skywalker. However, he has been elusive thus far because he's been searching for jedi temples. She finds out that Luke is looking for more people with force sensitivity that he could train and submits herself for training. The training, however, brings out the good in her and, slowly she falls in love with Luke. This makes her somewhat conflicted, which Luke senses. Things happen, she and Luke get married and it ends with the birth of their daughter...Rey.

    So Rey would be Kenobi's granddaughter as well as a Skywalker. And, obviously, her mother is modeled after Mara Jade, though, in the new canon could have a different name. And no clone of Luke. She simply has a change of heart. It’s essentially a story of “Mara’s” (whatever her name would be) journey, that has love and truth win in the end. And she is Kenobi’s legacy.

    As for OB1 having a child, we know from TCW that he had a romantic relationship of sorts with Satine. And in Ep.2 Anakin tells Padme that jedi are forbidden attachments. That doesn't exclude them from having feelings for someone or intimate encounters. Many times, when two people go through a tough time together romantic feelings surface and may lead to an intimate encounter. That's the idea I had for OB1 and Bo-Katan. In TCW they fought together and even shared a loss together. In this idea they'll share more tough times...which will lead them to an intimate encounter that happens to result in her being pregnant. But OB1 never learns that he has a daughter.
     
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  7. Maythe14thBeWithYou

    Maythe14thBeWithYou Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2014
    I'm going to admit I'm not familiar w/the EU but agree w/some here who say that whereas some should be taken from it and reapplied it may not work w/all & might disappoint EU fans who have a certain expectations.
     
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  8. StarWarsFan91

    StarWarsFan91 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 14, 2008
    I would like that. In fact I prefer if Luke wasn't in any romance and stayed single. Taking the path that the majority of other Jedi before walked.
     
  9. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2015
    I would it like more if the new jedi are different to the ones in the prequels than just a rehash of them. Like having emotional attachments and families, as it was in the EU.
     
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  10. StarWarsFan91

    StarWarsFan91 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 14, 2008
    Agreed. But that can happen without Luke having a romance.
     
  11. Darth Basin

    Darth Basin Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2015
    Why should Luke not experience love? It was love of his dad that saved the day.
     
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  12. Skywalker2B

    Skywalker2B Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2000
    One thing to keep in mind, and I think a couple people here have touched on it, Disney and Lucasfilm are for-profit businesses. Everything they do is to make money, a profit. If, while doing so, they can put out a great story...all the better. With that in mind, think about it...how many "new fans" that are being introduced to Thrawn in Rebels are now wanting to go and read the Legends material just to find out more about him? That equates to more book sales...more money. I think some elements of TFA had the same effect. Thrawn and Mara were the two biggest fan favorite EU characters. Bringing Mara back, no matter how or in what capacity would have the same effect as bringing back Thrawn.

    For those that say that they don't want the EU "strip mined", I hate to break it to you, but they are already doing just that. And they've pretty much told us that was their intent from the get go in 2014 when they announced Legends. That's what GL and Dave Filoni did with the prequels and TCW. So it should come as no surprise. As a EU fan from the start (1991...well...actually going back to Splinter of the Mind's Eye), I've come to terms with what they are doing and would be happy to see more of the EU, in one shape or form, brought back into canon. Heh...maybe one day I'll even get Corran Horn back in some way.
     
  13. SpecForce Trooper

    SpecForce Trooper Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2016
    So basically bringing back Mara would mean...
    -EU fans wanting to see Mara again = Disney makes more money.
    -New fans wanting to read EU = Disney makes more money.

    Bringing back Mara would be a good decision, from a business prospective.
     
  14. Darth Basin

    Darth Basin Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2015

    Whoa! Back to SOTME? I bow before you, grandmaster.
     
  15. Darth Droid

    Darth Droid Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2013
    I don't have so much an issue with Mara coming back, but it would need to be for a DIFFERENT purpose then in the EU. One thing I don't want is a total retread of the EU. While people used to complain about the TCW doing things differently from the EU and so on, with the new canon I think they should strive to NOT be like the EU. Not because the EU was bad but because we've already seen that story. I don't need to see every last event from the EU remade. We really don't need the Vong. Lets get something new instead. As someone mentioned earlier, this isn't a comic book.
     
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  16. godisawesome

    godisawesome Skywalker Saga Undersheriff star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2010
    I kind of agree with your point, but it also begs the question what differences we should expect, hope for, be against, and so on. The comic book comparison feels a little disingenuous to me, while still making a very valid point. As a DC fan, I despised the way that some of their stories return to familiar territory and add nothing new, not even a stylish flourish. But at the same time, some of their retellings act less as banal repitition (or worse, outright decay and regression if you read the New 52 Teen Titans), and more like pure refinement. Sometimes you get "Teen Titans vs Trigon Rd 45 (This time written like **** and fateurong magical sexual assault on multiple teens!)" and sometimes you get The Killing Joke, or The Long Halloween, or The Sinestro Corps War.

    As for myself, I find myself a supporter of an evolving timeline in comics, which gives me that frustration you mentioned about a "total retread." I support Superman and Spiderman being married because I'm bored as hell with holding patterns over romantic relationships, and I'm a fan of Young Justice, both the comics and the show, which both rely on having new characters take the place of old. To me, great fiction requires a moving timeline with consequences...

    ...Which is why I think that the comic comparison doesn't work when talking about it making Mara's return distasteful to some, and why I'm curious how you and I might differ on "PURPOSE" and story with someone like Mara. She ain't fitting back into her old portrayal; the Inquisitor's are the only Imperial Force Users and their pretty much confirmed to be totally extinct by ANH, so no Emperor's Hand as it used to be; no huge war between the Empire's remnants and the New Republic until TFA, so no adventures could possibly match the scale of the Thrawn Trilogy in terms of men and material; and form an OOU POV, no desire to repeat exact story beats, which is the main issue I have with comics looking to their lasts. To me, Mara's old "purpose" of being Luke Skywalker's eventual love interest is nowhere near anything I'd expect to be boring. The context would be to different, both in the new EU setting for such events and in the real world manner of how she and her story arcs would be seen.

    Mara Jade's initial purpose was not *actually* to be Luke's official love interest; she was mostly just a new cast member allowing Zahn some lateral movement and fun with the universe. She became the OLI because she organically fit the role. Kind of like how some wrestlers naturally get themselves over and become top carders with a single match but seem to lack the long-term consistent push that usually heralds that promotion, Mara's emergence as the OLI just kind of happened in one book. You get the story group behind a character as prolific as she wound up being, with long term strategic objectives designed to milk her potential as both a stand-alone character and as Luke's OLI? Gold. Gold both in story, and in cash. It won't be a retread unless they're really stupid. Smart repackaging is stuff like making Lois Lane actually a *good reporter* and treating her espectfully like in Man of Steel, while stupid repackaging is stuff like making Lois Lane a glorified baby-mama Damsel-In-Distress for the umpteenth time who can't spell words correctly like in Superman Returns.

    There's a reason why I've made the argument that she could hold down an entire cartoon series between the OT and ST. It's because she can. An ex-imperial adventure hero with the Force who becomes Luke' GF is so broad a description it can go anywhere, without retreading anything, and it's still possibly the most viable way to handle a Rey Skywalker scenario. Just look at what worked for Mara, trim the fat (the lack of moral ambiguity, sometimes too-perfect history characterization) and and inject steroids into the stuff that works (the complex view of her time as an Imperial, the contentious but respectful relationship with Luke.) Boom. Perfecting a proven character instead of risking failure on a new one in comparison.
     
  17. Darth Invictus

    Darth Invictus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 8, 2016
    Have any news fans actually been led to read the Thrawn Trilogy by his Rebels appearances because I seriously doubt it.
     
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  18. godisawesome

    godisawesome Skywalker Saga Undersheriff star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2010
    Some probably have; otherwise they wouldn't be releasing the new books with the "Legends" sticker. The real question is whether any substantial increase in the number of fans has occurred because of it. And that honestly a probably "no", simply because when the Thrawn Trilogy was first released it was the only game in town. Now it's just really good, and surrounded by dozens of other books.

    The real value to integrating Thrawn was the free publicity and word of mouth spread by the older fans to those around them. One of my students joined me in briefing another two about why Thrawne was cool and why he should watch Rebels more. That's the advantage monetarily. No amount of book sales could match the hype old fans would spread to impressionable coworkers and kids. Mara Jade would presumably have the same benefit on name value alone as well. I mean, come one, most theaters would have at least one person walking out a day talking all his friends' ears off if Mara were revealed alive or in the background The Last Jedi. Just add some kind fo money-making follow-up, and start printing money.
     
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  19. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    I'm not terribly convinced Mara could be brought back in a way that satisfies her fans (myself included). Not to say it's impossible, but there's a fairly large number of potential stumbling blocks:

    1. The changes to the Inquisitorius and other agents of the Empire in Rebels - I shan't spoil one recent development, since this isn't a Rebels thread, but it seems less likely that Mara would be outside of the Inquisitorial ranks. OTOH, she wasn't there in Legends, so ... ?

    2. There's plenty of room for Mara to move around in during Palpatine's reign, much as she did in Legends. But the after-effects of the truncated GCW (as opposed to Legends, where it continued on effectively for another 15 years) makes things far more difficult.

    Yes, she could've gone underground to avoid the NR (and, presumably, the First Order, since there's no way an in-character Mara would bow to the likes of the F.O. - she'd schutta-slap that whiny punk Hux, for starters), but after that - what, no Last Command? No interaction with Luke? Sure, Mara's a strong-enough character to stand on her own, but a major part of her appeal is her relationship with Farmboy. And that leads to ...

    3. If Rey is a Skywalker, and if L/M become a thing as in Legends ... the only satisfactory ending to Mara's story, for me, would be if she annihilates at least some of the Knights of Ren in a blazing fight scene as she gives Rey time to escape. Because she's that bad-shebs, and I can't see her willingly abandoning her daughter on some backwater rock.

    Basically, I want Mara to be gotten right instead of having her shoe-horned in. And while Rebels is a great show, I'm not convinced that LFL could carry her forward effectively from then on.

    (Now, in novels only ... that might be different, and it'd take a really good writer ... [face_thinking])
     
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  20. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004

    Yes. In fact, I'm currently hosting a podcast that I started after the Celebration Europe announcements in order to encourage new readers.
     
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  21. Skywalker2B

    Skywalker2B Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2000
    The idea that I posted here I believe, I hope, provides a scenario that both honors the EU Mara while also providing a new version of her. And, like I said in that post, so far, it is not contradicted by any new canon...so far.

    As for new-er fans picking up the Thrawn EU books just because he's in Rebels, yes, there are. In my organization alone I know of several that had only seen the movies, or movies and tv shows (TCW and/or Rebels), or only the new canon material. They expressed an interest in reading not only the Thrawn trilogy, but all other EU sources that have Thrawn in them. And those sources will also expose them to other EU characters that we "long timers" know and love.

    Darth Basin, I did a book report in 4th or 5th grade (probably around late '79 early '80) on SotME. At that time, it was the longest book I had ever read...I was about 9 at the time. But it wasn't until Heir to the Empire in 1991 that I became an avid reader...of SW lit.
     
  22. SpecForce Trooper

    SpecForce Trooper Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2016
    Mara doesn't have to be an Inquisitor, vodé! When Heir to the Empire was released there was no such thing as an Emperor's Hand; Zahn didn't feel the need to make Mara apart of an existing group, he created a new group. I'm not saying Mara has to be a Hand, but she doesn't have to be an Inquisitor either. Personally I think she should be a Shadow Guard*; I feel the distinction between The S Guards and Hands was a tad bit unnecessary in the EU
    *Sovereign Protector
     
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  23. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Two words: YES INDEEDY!
     
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  24. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    This is a really good point. My first introduction to Mara was the Mysteries of the Sith where she played a detective/undercover op type role, albeit for the NR by that time. That game is still one of my absolute favorite SW games. The concept of Mara as a secret mission operative is what I hope they do if they use her in the new EU (whether Hand or Shadow guard or whichever -- although she doesn't strike me as an inquisitor at all).
     
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  25. Stymi

    Stymi Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 10, 2002
    Not only are they they doing it, but they told us in the initial press release that they would do so.

    So why complain about it like it's this new outrageous thing?

    I find the bring back Legends but don't use Legends dichotomy odd.

    sent from my Moto X-Wing
     
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