In Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" trilogy, Star Wars fans met Mara Jade and learned she was once the Emperor's Hand. Undercover in Jabba the Hutt's palace during the events of Return of the Jedi, she didn't make it onto the sail barge in time and failed to assassinate Luke Skywalker.
Palpatine's loyal soldier subsequently blamed him both for Palpatine's defeat and the fact she lost everything, prompting her to hunt Luke down years later.
Despite initially setting out to kill the Jedi, Mara ultimately realises that Palpatine planted the idea in her head at the moment of his death and embraces the idea of being a Jedi too...after ridding herself of the Sith's voice by dealing the killing blow to Luuke, a clone of Luke created by Dark Jedi Jorrus C'baoth (it's a long story).
Eventually, she and Luke marry and have children, something we know can't happen thanks to the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
We could, however, still see Mara introduced as a compelling new female protagonist who is front and centre in this next era of storytelling. For many fans, the hope is that Dave Filoni might introduce her in his upcoming Star Wars movie (also rumoured to be titled Heir to the Empire).
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, scooper @MyTimeToShineH brings word that Lucasfilm is developing a TV series revolving around Mara Jade. While we'd imagine most of her history with Luke will be scrapped, there are still ways to adapt her history as the Emperor's Hand and, for all we know, she and Luke did cross paths before his self-imposed exile.
The insider has also revealed that Spider-Man: No Way Home star Zendaya is also being "considered" for a Star Wars role. Mara Jade isn't mentioned, though we're sure you'll agree that she'd be a good fit for the character.
Ahsoka was reportedly a hit for Lucasfilm - season 2 is already in the works - so another female-led series featuring a badass lightsaber-wielding warrior stands a good chance of being just as successful, regardless of who plays the lead.
Mara is a fantastic character and one fans have dreamed of seeing in live-action for decades. Lucasfilm doing so will make a lot of people very happy and the studio need a win after delivering so many divisive movies and TV shows in recent years.
Addressing his plans for his Star Wars movie, Filoni has chosen his words carefully but confirmed we won't necessarily see the classic Rebel soldiers vs. Stormtroopers battles which have defined the Star Wars franchise. So, the New Republic vs. undead witches? It seems likely.
"I’m setting up what seems to be a larger conflict with the Imperial remnant. That conflict can’t just mirror what we’ve seen before," the filmmaker teased. "It has to take on a different shape. It can’t just be the Empire versus what looks like the Rebellion, or even the Republic. It has to be visually different."
Would you like to see a Mara Jade-led Star Wars TV series on Disney+?