Editing Mara Jade (section)

==Concept and development==
Her first appearance was in [[Timothy Zahn]]'s ''[[Heir to the Empire]]'' (1991). Zahn imagined Mara Jade as a strong, complex female character, somebody he thought lacking in the ''Star Wars'' universe. While competent, she is flawed.<ref>{{cite web|quote=Mara [is] a strong female character (which were few and far between in the Star Wars movies), but she's also flawed and searching and—dare we say it?—human. At the same time, she's highly competent at her job.|url=http://www.echostation.com/interview/zahn.htm|title=Star Wars Per-Zahn-Ified|access-date=2008-03-18|first=Jeff|last=Carter|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908052928/http://www.echostation.com/interview/zahn.htm|archive-date=2012-09-08}}</ref> When the [[Thrawn trilogy|''Thrawn'' trilogy]] ended in 1993 with ''[[The Last Command (novel)|The Last Command]]'', Zahn thought it was the last book for which he would develop the character.<ref name=forcezahn>{{cite web|url=http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/zahn.asp|title=Timothy Zahn|work=Interviews – Face To Face With The Masters|publisher=[[TheForce.Net]]|date=2008-03-13|access-date=2008-03-13|archive-date=2009-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219221001/http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/zahn.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> Asked to write another novel, he established two goals: "to end the war between the [[New Republic (Star Wars)|New Republic]] and the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]], and to get [[Luke Skywalker]] and Mara together."<ref name=forcezahn/> Although [[Lucasfilm]] resisted the idea of Luke marrying Mara, they eventually acquiesced.<ref name=forcezahn/>

In 2018, Zahn said Lucasfilm gave him some creative control over the character of Mara Jade: any appearance of Mara in new works requires Zahn's approval. Zahn also explained that Lucasfilm Story Group held the authority to prevent him from incorporating Mara back into the canon, so any appearance of the character must be approved by both parties. Zahn said he would only allow her to appear if she plays an important role in the plot, and he would block any kind of [[cameo appearance]]. Previously, the character of [[Grand Admiral Thrawn]], another Zahn creation, made the jump from ''[[Star Wars expanded to other media|Legends]]'' to canon, albeit with a slightly-reworked story. Subsequently, Zahn said he hoped to find a way to bring Mara into the canon, stating "If there was a generic, or organic, spot for her to fit into a story... I promise people, I will pitch it to the Lucasfilm story group, and then, it's their decision whether to allow it or not."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-9-mara-jade-timothy-zahn/|title=Mara Jade Creator Hasn't Been Asked To Approve ''Star Wars'' 9 Appearance|date=July 25, 2018|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=August 19, 2018|first=Chris|last=Agar|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818115413/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-9-mara-jade-timothy-zahn/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Compared to [[Princess Leia]], Zahn said, "Mara has a sharper and sarcastic manner, and of course, she had to go through the painful realization her service was to an evil cause. But both women are strong without sacrificing their femininity, a balance which I think some authors have trouble writing. Bear in mind, too, Leia was one of the first people in the New Republic who decided Mara could be trusted, which perhaps says something about their understanding of each other."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.echostation.com/interview/zahn2.htm|title=Star Wars Per Zahn-Ified|access-date=2008-03-18|first=Jeff|last=Carter|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729231117/http://www.echostation.com/interview/zahn2.htm|archive-date=2012-07-29}}</ref>