Mara Jade is one of the most popular Star Wars characters from the original Legends continuity, and there may be a way for her to gain a counterpart in the modern canon – though perhaps without her and Luke Skywalker’s romantic relationship. Mara Jade was introduced to the Star Wars mythos in Timothy Zahn’s 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, which breathed new life into the Star Wars franchise, along with the Dark Empire comic series that debuted that same year.

Mara Jade was part of the official Star Wars canon for over 20 years until Legends became an alternate timeline. Mara Jade’s background as the dark side-trained adopted daughter of Emperor Palpatine, her compelling redemption arc, and her eventual romance with Luke Skywalker made her one of the most popular characters in the Legends timeline.

Naturally, with the Legends continuity serving as a wellspring of inspiration for the modern canon, some viewers hope for a new version of Mara Jade to be introduced in the newer timeline. Although a strong case can be made for Mara Jade remaining exclusive to the Legends timeline, the modern canon has created a potential opening for a new iteration of the iconic Emperor’s Hand.

The Inquisitors Are A Chance To Introduce New Dark Side Force-Sensitives

The Imperial Inquisitors – dark side-using Imperial Intelligence agents who ᴀssisted the Sith in hunting down the Jedi – were introduced in Legends, but Star Wars Rebels reimagined them for the modern canon. The new version of Inquisitors – who are less powerful than their original incarnation and no longer part of Imperial Intelligence – are quite popular among viewers and have had major roles in modern canon materials.

Inquisitors are genuinely threatening to Jedi who survived Order 66, yet are hardly a threat to the likes of Sith Lords like Darth Vader and exceptional Jedi such as Ahsoka Tano or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Given that Imperial Inquisitors consistently introduce new dark side users to the original trilogy era, it would be understandable to ᴀssume that a new version of Mara Jade might be a former Inquisitor.

While not impossible, this is most likely not the case, as all Inquisitors are former Jedi who fell to the dark side voluntarily or after prolonged torture. Making Mara Jade a former Inquisitor is an easy way to create a new iteration of her, but there is another way for her to join the newer timeline – one that connects her to the Inquisitors without making her one.

Star Wars Has Confirmed The Inquisitors Kidnapped Children

Before the Jedi Purge, Palpatine (as Darth Sidious) initiated a sinister scheme during the Clone Wars, in which the bounty hunter Cad Bane kidnapped Force-sensitive infants and brought them to a secret facility on Mustafar. Palpatine intended to turn the infants into dark side agents, but the plan failed, at least for a time. Once the Republic became the Empire, Palpatine restarted the project, deeming it Project Harvester and having his Inquisitors carry out the kidnappings.

While some younglings were rescued during the Empire’s reign, it is unknown what became of those who were not so lucky. One possibility is that a new version of Mara Jade might be one such youngling. In her original Legends-era incarnation, Mara Jade was taken from her parents by Palpatine at an extremely young age due to her astoundingly strong connection to the Force.

Mara was raised as an ᴀssᴀssin and spy, with well-honed dark side powers by the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War. This aligns quite well with Palpatine’s intended use for the Force-sensitive children of Project Harvester, making it a natural place to introduce a new version of Mara Jade to the modern canon.

We’ve Never Seen Force-Sensitive Children Inducted Into The Inquisitors

No Star Wars property has shown what happened to the Force-sensitive beings who were successfully kidnapped for Project Harvester. If a new iteration of Mara Jade is among them, she could end up having a similar upbringing to her original incarnation. If Mara Jade also has an exceptional connection to the Force in the modern canon, she might have been singled out by Palpatine and raised by him like she was in the Legends continuity. This would separate her from the other dark side agents of Project Harvester and possibly explain her survival of the Empire’s downfall.

In the Legends timeline, Mara Jade remained a loyal spy and ᴀssᴀssin for Palpatine up to the Battle of Endor. Once Palpatine died (for the first of several times) and the Empire quickly fractured into warlord factions, Mara Jade was betrayed by Ysanne Isard, who saw her as a threat to her own standing within the Empire. Mara Jade would not fully sever her ties with Palpatine until she learned that she was not his only dark side spy and ᴀssᴀssin.

Mara Jade Could Even Still Be An Emperor’s Hand

Mara Jade’s original тιтle in the Legends continuity was Emperor’s Hand, a position shared with other covert dark side agents. Some of the most dangerous and influential Emperor’s Hands were Lumiya – who would initiate the next Sith Order after the fall of Darth Bane’s dynasty – and Cronal – the conniving mastermind behind the Mindor campaign. Fascinatingly, the тιтle of Emperor’s Hand carried over into the newer timeline, albeit with a different meaning.

While the modern canon’s Emperor’s Hands remain covert agents of Palpatine, they no longer need to be Force-sensitive, as the Mandalorian Gar Saxon was among them. A modern canon version of Mara Jade could have become an Emperor’s Hand after having been trained as a dark side agent following her abduction via Project Harvester.

Mara Jade’s training and position within the Empire could have made her one of Palpatine’s most valuable agents, perhaps even allowing her to survive the intentional destruction of the Empire following the Battle of Endor. While she still would not quite match her original incarnation in the Star Wars Legends continuity, this hypothetical new incarnation of Mara Jade would retain elements of her original background in the modern canon.