Star Wars is actually making a new movie, and casting for it has sparked new theories about Mara Jade’s canon return. It’s been six years since the last Star Wars movie hit the big screen. Disappointment in The Rise of Skywalker and Disney’s pivot to streaming, combined with a slew of canceled projects, led to a theatrical pause, but Lucasfilm is finally changing that. The Mandalorian and Grogu will land next year, before Star Wars: Starfighter is released in 2027. There are others in development too, but they remain wait-and-see in terms of whether they actually happen or not.
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Still, we do know that the first two mentioned are coming, and Star Wars: Starfighter is now in production. The movie, which is directed by Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Gosling, has fleshed out its cast, including a few impressive names. Joining Gosling will be the likes of Aaron Pierre, Matt Smith, and most shockingly, Amy Adams. The 6-time Oscar nominee joining those ranks makes this one of the strongest Star Wars movie casts we’ve seen, and her inclusion is particularly exciting. That’s not just because she’s one of the best actors of her generation but, this being Star Wars, it’s inevitably sparked theories about who she’s playing.
Could Amy Adams Really Be Playing Mara Jade?
As reported by THR, Adams is playing the mother of Flynn Gray’s character, whom Gosling will protect from some new galactic evildoers (believed to be played by Smith and Mia Goth). But the casting of a high-profile actress in Star Wars is always going to lead to greater speculation, especially when it’s a star in their 50s, with red hair, for a movie set around the sequel timeline (Starfighter takes place five years after The Rise of Skywalker). So, could this be Mara Jade?
For those unfamiliar with the Expanded Universe, now Star Wars Legends, Mara Jade is one of the most popular characters from that time. She was introduced as the Emperor’s Hand, a covert Force-sensitive agent he used for missions, including a final one: kill Luke Skywalker. However, Mara went on a journey of redemption. She eventually ended up married to Luke Skywalker and became a Jedi Master as part of the New Jedi Order. She’s a fantastic character, and pretty much ever since Star Wars came back, there have been theories about how she could return to canon.
Of course, doing so is not easy. We got an entire sequel trilogy with Luke in it (to varying degrees in each movie), with no mention of Mara. Star Wars has also started exploring the post-Return of the Jedi timeline on Disney+ and, again, there’s no sign of her. That’s not to mention the comics and books that further develop all of this. The Star Wars canon landscape is very different from how things played out in Legends, and so while Adams’ casting raises the idea she could be Mara Jade (and she would be amazing casting for the role), it’s definitely a long shot.
That said, don’t rule out or completely scoff at the idea. Since Disney reworked canon, it’s gradually reintroduced Legends elements in different ways, and isn’t afraid to play fast and loose with them. It’s also worth looking at how another Disney-owned franchise, Marvel, operates: they take character names, concepts, and story arcs/titles from the comics, and use them in any way they want, even if it means drastic changes. Would it be so surprising if Star Wars did something similar with Mara Jade? Starfighter‘s release coincides with the franchise’s 50th anniversary, and it’d certainly be a way of celebrating the old EU, which is a crucial part of its history.
How Mara Jade Could Fit Into Star Wars: Starfighter
Mara Jade is a multifaceted character, but there are two main elements to focus on in terms of her canon status: the Emperor’s Hand and Luke Skywalker’s wife. And, well, the former actually is already canon, and it’s an example of how terms and concepts are used differently. The Mandalorian Gar Saxon held the position, as established by Star Wars Rebels, meaning these weren’t the same group of Force-wielding assassins Palpatine had in Legends. Nonetheless, it means there is a basis for them, and we know the Emperor had a lot of secret plans and contingencies.
So, if all of that exists in canon, it’s not really a stretch to imagine there’s a woman called Mara Jade who served as one of the Emperor’s secret assassins. It’s a pretty simple retcon, and far less inconceivable than some of the other twists the franchise has pulled with Palpatine, such as his return in The Rise of Skywalker, or the reveal that Rey is his granddaughter. By the time of Star Wars: Starfighter, Mara would be in her 50s – using Legends, she’d be just a few years older than Adams is now (56-57 vs. 51), which is easy enough to make fit.
This is a new era where the Empire and then the First Order have fallen. Mara being a former Imperial who switched sides, or even just sought out a life of anonymity and had a child, is rather straightforward. Her being Force sensitive is a little more complicated, but given Star Wars canon loves to reveal secret Jedi and even Order 66 survivors at every turn, it’s another thing that’s no less remarkable than what we’ve seen before. Some of this could even factor into why her child is being hunted and has to go on the run with Gosling’s character, if her past is catching up with her, and could give the character some more emotional depth for Adams to play.
It is much more difficult to make Mara Jade into Luke’s wife, especially in a period after his death. Technically, there’s nothing to contradict it, and certainly nothing Lucasfilm wouldn’t happily trample over (given it essentially operates with a tiered canon, where anything outside the movies/shows can be retconned to service the on-screen story). It’s not like Luke says he was never married. But it’s an extremely weird fit, he does seem to continue Yoda’s approach to attachments, and it doesn’t really make sense for us to meet a character in Starfighter who it’s revealed was married to Luke.
Is There Enough To Justify Making Mara Jade Canon Now?
If Adams is playing Mara Jade in Star Wars: Starfighter, then it has to be a stripped-back version. It can include several core elements of the character and, hell, if she’s a secret Jedi, then maybe even have her return in one of the New Jedi Order movies. But is there much point? For general audiences, it’d be pretty meaningless. For the fans who know and care about who Mara Jade is, it’s a diluted version, rather than the character they love.
It’s possible to talk yourself into it to some extent, still, not least because Adams is so good, and Mara Jade is such a great character that it would be wonderful to have her back in some capacity. But if that were to happen, this is the wrong place for it. The Mandalorian/New Republic era would make a lot more sense, especially with it potentially building to a new take on the Heir to the Empire story with Thrawn. It could work in more of her story there, especially with regards to any kind of relationship with Luke, though the timeline would probably rule out Adams from playing the role.
So, she’s probably not Mara Jade in Star Wars: Starfighter, but it’s still fun to think about. If Star Wars is going to continue bringing Legends elements into canon, then eventually getting as much of the character as possible would be nice. But in the meantime, Adams is one of the most exciting castings in a Star Wars project in recent memory, and hopefully, it can deliver something great with her, no matter who she’s playing.
Star Wars: Starfighter will be released on May 28th, 2027. Before then, The Mandalorian and Grogu debuts on May 22nd, 2026.
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