The 20 best Star Wars characters who’ve never appeared on the big screen

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 16: Actress/singer Emily Rose Morrison dressed as Mara Jade on Day Four of Disney’s 2015 Star Wars Celebration held at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 19, 2015 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

11. Mara Jade

Now, if you’ve just watched the Star Wars movies and nothing else, you’re probably scratching your head and thinking, “Ummm, did I miss something? Did he say Luke Skywalker’s wife?”

I did, but you’re right in the be confused. In the movies, Luke did not have a wife. However, in Legends, he does. Her name was Mara Jade and she was first introduced in the Timothy Zahn 1991 Star Wars novel Heir to the Empire.

Described as an Emperor’s Hand, Mara Jade was essentially an assassin working for Emperor Palpatine. She was able to use the Force and proved highly valuable to her master, killing many rebels and corrupt officials within the Empire under his orders.

Shortly after Palpatine’s death, Mara was given the order to assassinate Luke Skywalker, but because the Emperor was dead, she decided to ignore it and instead became one of the best smugglers in the galaxy. However, her path did eventually cross with Luke’s.

With the Emperor dead and the Empire falling to pieces, Grand Admiral Thrawn took it upon himself to restore order. To stop him, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade worked together, and Mara gained a deep respect for the Jedi Knight.

Over the years, Mara continued her work as a smuggler and intermittently work with Luke. With every job, the two grew closer. When they realized they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, they got married. Afterwards, Mara decided to devote her life to the New Jedi Order, where she became a Jedi Master.

The story of Mara Jade is beloved by fans. Her exploits both with and without Luke have made her a fan favorite, but sadly, she hasn’t featured or even been mentioned in any. of the sequel movies, so it seems as if she’s been cut from the Canon.

There’s still a slight possibility she could appear, since a lot of time passes between the sixth and seventh movie. Disney could also just take parts of her story and lose others, but either way, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Next up, we’re back to Sith Lords. What? They make good characters.