Again with the Mara Jade

MasterSeedy
4992 posts Member
edited November 2020
So Timothy Zahn shares the intellectual property rights to the character Mara Jade, and essentially has veto power over her inclusion in new properties (movies, comic books, games, etc.).

Zahn has said he won't approve Jade's inclusion in a new work if she's present only for a cameo and/or as a two dimensional character. She has to play an important role & there has to be a commitment to giving her a fair & complex representation.

Now, I think this rules out Mara Jade appearing in SWGOH since there's nothing plot-based or complex about any of the toons we have. (To the extent that SWGOH is called a "role playing game", I think it's misnamed: your "character" is a cantina gambler and your only role playing is developing your roster - might as well call Madden 2020 an RPG since you also manage your roster using a slate of pre-approved characters in that game.)

However, if developers earned Zahn's blessing by writing an interesting role for Jade in a Star Wars TV series, she might then be able to make her way into SWGOH.

There are many opportunities for this. Mandalorian Season 3+ could include Jade either pre- or post- meeting Luke in Heir to the Empire (the timeline isn't entirely clear to me, but I think that Mando takes place 8-9 years after the Battle of Yavin & therefore is almost exactly simultaneous with H2E. There are 3 TV series currently in development. One is said to be "female centric" with few other details, but Wikipedia includes this bit:
According to Variety's sources, it "takes place in a different part of the 'Star Wars' timeline than other projects."[54] In early November, Headland expounded that the series would be set "in a pocket of the universe and a pocket of the timeline that we don't know much about,"
That makes it sound like it wouldn't work, since we've explored the entire timeline from Ep:1 through Mandalorian (8/9ABY), though it's still vague enough to be possible. "Pocket" could be a small portion of the timeline, and Jade's backstory as a child during the early days of the Empire could work if the series takes place in the small void between Ep3 & the Rebels Animated Series.

One better candidate is the Cassian Andor series in development. It's said to be "darker" and comes from a period where Jade is already a fairly high level operative for the Emperor, but maybe not yet high enough to be the Emperor's Hand. Which is to say, she might be a powerful nemesis to someone like Cassian who wouldn't be high-enough in profile to receive the direct attention of someone like Vader or Tarkin or Thrawn.

The last series currently in development is the Obi-Wan series (starring Ewan McGregor!) taking place half way between Ep3 & Ep4. Jade would definitely not have been an Emperor's Hand at that point, she'd be too young, but she could have her backstory elaborated & Obi-Wan would need force-sensitive/force-talented enemies as opponents.

Now, I don't know if she'll show up in any of these, but one intriguing possibility is that Jade's life & career span literally **all** of the shows for which we have clear timelines, and she's not yet excluded from the fourth, so they could actually use her as the one character that appears in all the different shows and helps unify the story arc. She wouldn't be the main character in any of them, of course, but she could have an interesting, complex & compelling role in each.

So this is intended as an invitation to speculation. Knowing that we have to get permission from both Disney (who holds the main rights) and Zahn (who holds a share in the rights to Jade), who thinks we'll see Jade in an upcoming season of The Mandalorian or one of the 3 shows in development?

And if we do see the character approved for use in one of those shows, it will be an interesting legal question whether that means she could then be used in SWGOH without further Zahn permission or whether we're essentially barred forever from seeing Jade in this game because of Zahn's veto rights & insistence that she be portrayed in a major & complex way when neither of those things is possible in a game like SWGOH.
Post edited by Kyno on

Replies

  • Maybe if Disney decides to do a kit rework of the Luke Skywalker character by making new movies to replace episodes 8 and 9 then we can have a Mara Jade. Otherwise, she’ll have zero connection to Luke.
  • RTS
    682 posts Member
    Eweff wrote: »
    Maybe if Disney decides to do a kit rework of the Luke Skywalker character by making new movies to replace episodes 8 and 9 then we can have a Mara Jade. Otherwise, she’ll have zero connection to Luke.

    This.

    You can't bring her in too selectively - her and Luke's story is pretty intertwined even before they got married and had kids, and most of that has been de-canonized. Then again, Thrawn...
  • RattyBatty
    94 posts Member
    edited November 2020
    You know sith triumvirate is not canon. If mara jade would be super op would timothy zahn allow it? (because if mara jade is the meta then that's technically playing a central part in the game)
    I'll get my first Gl...after 50 years
  • I love all of Timothy Zahn's books. But I have to admit that I never really liked Mara as a character. She was needed to bring the story forward, but I "hated" some of the things she did. So I don't really miss her^^.
  • So Timothy Zahn shares the intellectual property rights to the character Mara Jade, and essentially has veto power over her inclusion in new properties (movies, comic books, games, etc.).

    Zahn has said he won't approve Jade's inclusion in a new work if she's present only for a cameo and/or as a two dimensional character. She has to play an important role & there has to be a commitment to giving her a fair & complex representation.

    Now, I think this rules out Mara Jade appearing in SWGOH since there's nothing plot-based or complex about any of the toons we have. (To the extent that SWGOH is called a "role playing game", I think it's misnamed: your "character" is a cantina gambler and your only role playing is developing your roster - might as well call Madden 2020 an RPG since you also manage your roster using a slate of pre-approved characters in that game.)

    However, if developers earned Zahn's blessing by writing an interesting role for Jade in a Star Wars TV series, she might then be able to make her way into SWGOH.

    There are many opportunities for this. Mandalorian Season 3+ could include Jade either pre- or post- meeting Luke in Heir to the Empire (the timeline isn't entirely clear to me, but I think that Mando takes place 8-9 years after the Battle of Yavin & therefore is almost exactly simultaneous with H2E. There are 3 TV series currently in development. One is said to be "female centric" with few other details, but Wikipedia includes this bit:
    According to Variety's sources, it "takes place in a different part of the 'Star Wars' timeline than other projects."[54] In early November, Headland expounded that the series would be set "in a pocket of the universe and a pocket of the timeline that we don't know much about,"
    That makes it sound like it wouldn't work, since we've explored the entire timeline from Ep:1 through Mandalorian (8/9ABY), though it's still vague enough to be possible. "Pocket" could be a small portion of the timeline, and Jade's backstory as a child during the early days of the Empire could work if the series takes place in the small void between Ep3 & the Rebels Animated Series.

    One better candidate is the Cassian Andor series in development. It's said to be "darker" and comes from a period where Jade is already a fairly high level operative for the Emperor, but maybe not yet high enough to be the Emperor's Hand. Which is to say, she might be a powerful nemesis to someone like Cassian who wouldn't be high-enough in profile to receive the direct attention of someone like Vader or Tarkin or Thrawn.

    The last series currently in development is the Obi-Wan series (starring Ewan McGregor!) taking place half way between Ep3 & Ep4. Jade would definitely not have been an Emperor's Hand at that point, she'd be too young, but she could have her backstory elaborated & Obi-Wan would need force-sensitive/force-talented enemies as opponents.

    Now, I don't know if she'll show up in any of these, but one intriguing possibility is that Jade's life & career span literally **all** of the shows for which we have clear timelines, and she's not yet excluded from the fourth, so they could actually use her as the one character that appears in all the different shows and helps unify the story arc. She wouldn't be the main character in any of them, of course, but she could have an interesting, complex & compelling role in each.

    So this is intended as an invitation to speculation. Knowing that we have to get permission from both Disney (who holds the main rights) and Zahn (who holds a share in the rights to Jade), who thinks we'll see Jade in an upcoming season of The Mandalorian or one of the 3 shows in development?

    And if we do see the character approved for use in one of those shows, it will be an interesting legal question whether that means she could then be used in SWGOH without further Zahn permission or whether we're essentially barred forever from seeing Jade in this game because of Zahn's veto rights & insistence that she be portrayed in a major & complex way when neither of those things is possible in a game like SWGOH.

    Is she even cannon anymore after the sequels were made?
  • @mInEcRaFtEr0617

    No. The question is whether she will be brought into canon.
  • Highly doubt they will add her at this point.
    Why wasn't Cobb Vanth shards a reward for the Krayt Dragon raid? Why wasn't Endor Gear Luke shards a reward for the Speeder Bike raid?
  • Nihion
    3340 posts Member
    Yes, they could get stuck trying to satisfy everyone and constantly remake things from legends.

    Or you know, they could make new characters.

    They could try new plot lines.

    They could do new and original things.

    Honestly, the last ten years of Hollywood have shown us that it’s time to move on, that our nostalgia is eating us alive and we need to start making NEW things or we will never grow as people and the movie industry will slowly erode until the only thing left standing is Walt Disney and a pile of cash.
  • Nihion wrote: »
    Yes, they could get stuck trying to satisfy everyone and constantly remake things from legends.

    Or you know, they could make new characters.

    They could try new plot lines.

    They could do new and original things.

    Honestly, the last ten years of Hollywood have shown us that it’s time to move on, that our nostalgia is eating us alive and we need to start making NEW things or we will never grow as people and the movie industry will slowly erode until the only thing left standing is Walt Disney and a pile of cash.

    Agreed!
  • In my opinion, the best way to bring back Mara Jade into canon and connect the classic and newer Star Wars movies is through the Kenobi series. Perhaps something like this could occur:

    When Crimson Dawn threatens the Hutt Cartel on Tatooine (and Luke’s hiding place) Kenobi secretly helps Enfys Nest sabotage Maul’s operation and a ship that will eventually maroon Maul on Malachor V (per the Star Wars Rebels series).

    In the process, he rescues Qi’ra. Qi’ra is impressed and attracted to Kenobi, the savior Han Solo never became. As the rules of the Jedi High Council are no more, Kenobi seeks to pass on what he has learned. He and Qi’ra become an item, and eventually have a child together.

    Meanwhile, Palpatine has also been concerned regarding Maul’s operation, and has sent Thrawn and the Deathtroopers to deal with the Crimson Dawn problem. While Kenobi is away or purposely distracted, imperial forces kill Qi’ra (the now head of Crimson Dawn) and take their child.

    In parallel to Kenobi hiding Luke from Vader to someday destroy Palpatine and the Empire, Palpatine then hides the child (Mara) from Kenobi to someday destroy the Rebel Alliance (and later Luke).....

    Believing that both Qi’ra and Mara are dead, Kenobi mournfully returns to hermitage in Tatooine to watch over his last hope, Luke...The rest of the events from Star Wars Rebels series plays out, and Maul is eventually killed by Kenobi...

    The events of Episode IV then occur...Kenobi actually knows of Han Solo through Qi’ra, and wants to place him on a better path. Kenobi sets destiny into place by having Han meet Leia by choosing the Falcon as the ship that is to travel to Alderaan...

    After Palpatine trains Mara as an assassin (in a similar manner as the Timothy Zahn Trilogy) and he later supposedly dies in Episode VI (and the events of The Mandalorian series), she still confronts Luke years later as instructed. Luke convinces her to abandon the dark side, they put the past behind them, and they eventually become romantically involved.

    However, Luke spends too much time dealing with his Jedi Academy and his worrisome nephew, Ben Solo. This causes a rift, they separate, and Mara never tells Luke that she is pregnant with their son.

    Years later, Mara becomes aware that Ben Solo has now destroyed Luke’s Jedi Temple and become Kylo Ren. Mara hides her son (Temiri Blagg) on Canto Bight before being tracked down by the Knights of Ren.

    Kylo Ren attempts to lure Luke Skywalker into a confrontation using Mara as bait. Luke doesn’t arrive in time, and she is killed (or perceived to be killed).

    Despondent, Luke chooses to go into exile after their deaths. Luke leaves the part of the Star Map with Lor San Tekka in the event Leia needs to contact him...Luke never learns that he has a son.

    The events of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy occur.
  • Nihion
    3340 posts Member
    I was with you until you said Temiri Blagg; part of his purpose was to show that a hero (like Rey) can come from anywhere, and him ALSO being a Skywalker really just keeps this coincidental Skywalker storyline rolling into the future, slowly getting worse and worse.

    I love putting together elaborate fan predictions like this one, and I think that you really nailed this, although I doubt the writers will do something like this. The way that big blockbuster companies work usually involves simple storytelling, and Disney hasn’t embraced the universe spanning epics of Legends yet. That being said, I would love to see a storyline like this.

    My hopes for the High Republic are similar: I want good individual storytelling, expansive universe building, and overarching themes/plots that keep us intrigued (AKA what I believe makes the Clone Wars so good). Creating this new era in the books opens up a huge opportunity that the movies never had, and I really really hope that they use this opportunity to its full extent.
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