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27 Years Ago, Mara Jade Schooled Luke Skywalker & The Fandom Never Forgave Her

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One pivotal instance I’ll always remember involves a surprising lecture from a past agent of Palpatine – an incident that fans might still hold against me. While we typically view Star Wars as a film and TV series, it’s much more than that in essence. This became evident in 1991 when Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy essentially rebooted the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

In simpler terms, before the prequel trilogy, the Heir to the Empire books by Zahn sparked a series of New York Times bestsellers, which some credit for bringing George Lucas back into Star Wars. However, the subsequent years weren’t smooth sailing as the quality of the books varied and the authors had differing views on the Force.

In a different style, Zahn handled the Force delicately, abstaining from displaying excessive Force abilities; he was cautious about strong Jedi diminishing the importance of the situation. On the other hand, Kevin J. Anderson opted for a contrasting approach, as Luke traversed a molten lake, and there seemed to be a gradual escalation in power over time. Notably, Zahn couldn’t resist replying – within the storyline…

Mara Jade’s Lecture On The Force Explained

In Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, readers were introduced to Mara Jade, once an adversary of Luke Skywalker due to her resentment towards him for Palpatine’s death. This animosity stemmed from the Emperor’s final command for revenge, which gradually subsided after she killed Luke’s clone in its place. This event paved the way for the romantic storyline that author Zahn had envisioned.

In the novel “Vision of the Future,” published in 1998 by Timothy Zahn, it was evident that there was growing attraction between Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. During a mission, they spent significant time together, resolving unexpected disagreements and deepening their connection. This development was noticeable even though other authors had previously paired Luke with characters like the prequel era Jedi Callista.

In a captivating story, Zahn wrote about Mara who was initially cold and resistant towards Luke, showing reluctance to collaborate with him and frequently displaying sarcasm. She often teased him for his excessive reliance on the Force. Eventually, Mara revealed her issue with him; she suspected that Luke had been corrupted by the dark side following an encounter with the reborn Emperor, which explained his subsequent actions.

As a movie connoisseur, I find myself compelled to share my thoughts on this captivating cinematic journey. You, the viewer, are the protagonist in this tale, and you’re tasked with deciphering its mysteries. From my perspective, the narrative unfolds around the pivotal moment nine years ago when you embarked on that intriguing expedition to Byss. It was there, amidst the unknown, where you confronted whatever challenges lay before you.

Luke shivered. “The reborn Emperor.”

Mara expressed a hint of irritation as she remarked, ‘Or whatever,’ but I remain unconvinced it was truly him. However, let’s move past that. The crux of the matter is that you chose – what I perceive as a reckless and arrogant decision – to feign joining him, allowing him to instruct you on some of his malevolent skills.

Luke objected, struggling to recall those challenging times, “However, I wasn’t fully embraced by the ‘dark side’, as you might put it.

Mara gave a negative nod, saying, “That’s up for debate, but in any case, you’ve chosen to engage with it. Consequently, it influenced everything you undertook afterwards.

According to Mara, mastering the Force means avoiding its excessive use, as doing so might muffle its softest messages and hinder its guidance.

Mara Jade’s Lecture Didn’t Sit Well With The Star Wars Fandom

As a die-hard cinema enthusiast, I found Zahn’s take on Luke Skywalker’s Force philosophy to be quite disruptive to the fandom. He seemed to be imposing his own interpretation of the Force onto Luke, which didn’t sit well with fans who preferred a more action-packed portrayal of the Jedi Master. Furthermore, Mara Jade herself felt problematic, as she appeared to be an author-insert, and her character underwent quite the transformation in the very book that introduced her.

In my opinion, Zahn grew quite fond of Mara Jade and some of his other Imperial characters, more than what might be considered typical. Zahn became a strong advocate for the “honorable Imperial” concept, which refers to characters who served the Empire with the goal of maintaining order and safety, and who remained relatively untainted by Emperor Palpatine’s control. According to the book Vision of the Future, Mara was one of these characters, along with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

From my point of view, it’s not hard to understand why Zahn’s viewpoint stirred up some debate. On one side, the Luke Skywalker we knew from other tales was shown to have been corrupted by the dark side; yet, on the other hand, a genuine servant of Emperor Palpatine – the one who critiqued him mercilessly – managed to dodge the grasp of darkness somehow.

Did Mara Jade Have A Point?

The old Star Wars Expanded Universe was inconsistent when it came to evaluating Mara’s viewpoints, as each author had their own perspective on the matter. However, what I found appealing about this continuity, now known as “Legends,” is that it dared to delve into the mysteries of the Force, and even challenged and debated its principles within the actual stories themselves.

In my perspective, Zahn’s argument directly takes aim at the troubling tendencies within the fandom that often fixate on feats and overlook the fact that being a Jedi involves much more than just mastering the Force. However, I believe he picked an unsuitable messenger for his message. This is because, over time, he grew to cherish Mara Jade slightly more than Luke Skywalker, which created a somewhat problematic situation.

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2025-07-05 15:58

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