If you have not seen the most recent episode of The Mandalorian, "Chapter 13: The Jedi," then I suggest you do so, since what I am about to talk about relies on something that is said toward the end of the episode. So fire it up on Disney+ and then come back when you are done.
Now that you are back, you have heard the mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn come out of Ahsoka Tano's mouth. Of course, they had previously appeared in animation, bringing the question of whether we may see Thrawn in live-action anytime soon, whether it be in The Mandalorian or in Ahsoka's own spin-off series should one be made. But could anything else be carried over from Timothy Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy?
In Legends, that trilogy took place in 9 ABY. The Mandalorian is set in that same year, albeit in canon. Previously, it seemed that an adaptation of the Thrawn trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command) to the screen would be impossible, given that Thrawn seemed to have been sent to parts unknown with Ezra Bridger at the end of Star Wars Rebels. But now that he is a major player in the galaxy at this time, perhaps we could see more elements of that novel trilogy come into the picture, even if it does not end up being a straight up adaptation.
One of the memorable aspects introduced in that trilogy was the character Mara Jade. According to her backstory in Legends, she was the Emperor's Hand. After the Emperor's supposed death, Mara Jade sought out Luke Skywalker so that she could hunt him down for revenge. However, by the end of the novel trilogy, she ends up becoming somewhat of a hero in her own right, defeating the clone known as Luuke Skywalker. With the body in the tank that we saw in "Chapter 12: The Siege," is it possible that we could see something akin to Luuke or Joruus C'baoth rather than just a Snoke or Palpatine connection?
Later in the Legends timeline, Mara Jade married Luke Skywalker, and they had a child named Ben Skywalker. Later on, she had to face her nephew Jacen Solo, who had turned to the turned to the dark side, becoming Darth Caedus. Given that George Lucas did not think that Luke would go on to have a wife, and Disney used some of his ideas, it seems doubtful that Luke Skywalker would marry Mara Jade in the canon timeline. Nothing in the sequel trilogy or even the comic miniseries The Rise of Kylo Ren so much as hints at her existence. And given that we have Ben Solo, it seems doubtful that we would have Ben Skywalker, or perhaps even a confrontation between Mara Jade and Kylo Ren that would be meaningful.
If Mara Jade gets brought into canon, I imagine it would have to be without the connection to Luke. This would probably displease fans who see them as a one true pairing, but I would be curious to see how she would be reimagined in this era if she were to be brought in, say, season 3 of The Mandalorian. Could she be working alongside or against Moff Gideon, or even Grand Admiral Thrawn? Could she now be a mercenary or bounty hunter of sorts, perhaps filling in the Cara Dune slot next season if that character does not return? Could she even try to train Grogu, on the side of the light or the dark? The inclusion of Mara Jade would certainly be a wild card. (The same could be said if Talon Karrde and his ship the Wild Karrde make it into canon.) The viewers probably would not know what to expect of her at first. While I am not certain whether she will make an appearance, I think she would be best saved for season 3 at the earliest since season 2 already has a couple of familiar characters, and I would not want Mara Jade to take too much of the focus away from Din Djarin and Grogu.
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