The Rise of Skywalker Keri Russell is Zorii Bliss

[Last Skywalker]

*Laughs* How in the hell is Mara Jade a "selling point" for anyone other than the hardcore? Nobody general-audience-wise knows who she is.

Few outside the hardcore knew who Dr. Strange was either.

How about the Guardians of the Galaxy? Particularly Rocket Raccoon? The idea of bringing a freaking talking Raccoon to the screen was ridiculous in 2013. Now its old hat. Its what they do.

If you can't take your core IP and turn it into a sellable product, particularly when that IP is STAR WARS, you don't belong in Hollywood. Its what they do.

If they aren't going to use stuff from the EU, what was the point of punting it from the canon? The art of taking material from funny books or books and formatting new movies and TV out of it, is not a hard one. The best part is, you have provenance against copyright claims.

Spider-man: Far From Home is rumored to use some funnybook villain named Mysterio? Who is that? I haven't the first clue. I'm sure they'll make it work.

But you go making stuff up and a) the audience won't recognize it, and b) you tend to open yourself to frivolous lawsuits from people who claim you stole their scripts... even if you didn't.

Why worry about that when you have quite a few characters you can draw on over 40 years from the deprecated canon? Seriously... i'm not sure if you guys actually want Star Wars. Look at the reaction when it was announced Thrawn was getting used. It wasn't... OMG FANSERVICE OMG?!. It was... TAKE MY MONEY.

You seem to be caught up in this idea(same as Kennedy), that you can just peel out some new story or character like you're a sensitive arteest and boom.. its salesworthy because it has the words STAR WARS on it. Doesn't work that way. It didn't work that way years ago either as they threw a lot of stuff at the wall, and some of it.. like MARA JADE.. stuck.

So make something good and take our money already. Or don't and go broke trying to miracle up some masterpiece... I really don't care.

 

[Aximili86]

What the hell?

Strange was the lead character they were trying to get out to the masses. You don't randomly throw Mara Jade of all people into a story she doesn't belong in, based on the notion of thinking she's a hook/draw that'll get people interested.

Whole other thing. Same with Guardians.

 

[Last Skywalker]

What the hell?

Strange was the lead character they were trying to get out to the masses.

And? I see no difference. The stories he's been in with Dr. Strange and Infinity War aren't the ones from the funny books. They've reformatted and used his character such that it can now sell.

Just because he's the lead he gets to get this treatment? Means nothing.

Pretty much every character is fair game. Find a good story and then use characters to tell it. Update them as needed.

You don't randomly throw Mara Jade of all people into a story she doesn't belong in, based on the notion of thinking she's a hook/draw that'll get people interested.

The story she belongs in is the one they write. That other stuff was punted from the canon. When Batman goes to use The Joker or some B Villain, they don't pull the character along with the story. They pull the character, update it, and give it a new story. Its What They Do.

Whole other thing. Same with Guardians.

The Guardians of the Galaxy as you know them aren't the originals(and in fact they went through a lot of variations). They started to reformat those characters into the team we have now around 2000, and are a fairly recent addition.

All of them were unsellable garbage cinematically until Marvel found a way to make them work. Now they're all bankable characters. That's what Rain never understand. You don't destroy the past. You simply reuse it in new, modern updates, all while adding new, fresh canon.

You need only look at what Marvel Studios has done to understand that to be true. And they're the #1 IP in the World for a reason, but 20 years ago, before Blade, they couldn't sell Ice in the desert.

 

[Aximili86]

So...why wouls they put Mara Jade into this, a third movie in a trilogy, exactly? If Luke has some spouse & confidant out there, you've gotta do a deep-dive into him abandoning/leaving her, you've gotta explain why she hasn't been around so far, the force skills/background, the works.

It's looking backwards rather than forward, and for what? A cool EU character that was popular 20 years ago?

They've thrown Thrawn into the books, and Rebels, yes. There's a precedent. But he came along without any of the baggage in a narrative sense, starting from scratch as far as any of the younger and/or casual audience is concerned, there's no reason he wouldn't have shown up already. If Luke's had a wife out there this whole time with the ST, she's too big a deal to have not known about so far. A name drop, a reference, hell, a broad wiggle-room hint.

We've got nada.

 

[Last Skywalker]

So...why wouls they put Mara Jade into this, a third movie in a trilogy, exactly? If Luke has some spouse & confidant out there, you've gotta do a deep-dive into him abandoning/leaving her, you've gotta explain why she hasn't been around so far, the force skills/background, the works.

See... you're all hung up on the story of Mara Jade itself. They don't bring that over. They bring over Mara Jade and give her a new story.

So in the BOOKS(and its been so long so correct me if i'm wrong), she goes from being an assassin of The Emperor and ends up being the wife of Luke. Cool cool.. that's THAT story.

In these films maybe she's the assassin of Snoke who is to avenge his death and maybe also served under Palpatine? If you really want to have fun, maybe she was a student of Luke, and they had feelings, but Kylo/Snoke turned her and messed that up. If it wasn't for that twerp, they would have been married! Whatever she becomes is going to be per the needs of this story. Not the EU. You reformat the character. You don't take her and her story verbatim. Now THAT, would be a textbook definition of fanservice. That Mara Jade HAS to be Luke's wife, because that's the only way FANS see her.

We go back to Marvel... Marvel managed to use both Hank Pym and Scott Lang, along with Hope and Janet Van Dyne, while there is little relevance to any of their funny book versions. They all got reformatted to meet the needs of the MCU and none of them, particularly Ant-Man, were viewed as being able to hold their own cinematically. But here we are having had Ant-Man in 3 MCU films, two of which he was the lead.

That's Movie Magic.

It's looking backwards rather than forward, and for what? A cool EU character that was popular 20 years ago?

Its mining the past for ideas and characters that people can identify with from that IP, to build the present. Its how Hollywood works. I mean... did you even watch the X-Men films? Blade? Transformers? They all do this.

When you go to make TRANSFORMERS, do you say... ok... we'll have a new car Trashcan lead the carbots and a new villain Drone lead the Planebots? No. And using OPTIMUS PRIME to lead the AUTOBOTS and MEGATRON to lead the DECEPTICONS isn't fanservice. You don't just make up all new stuff, you use the known quantities with the IP to create something new.

And once you have that... guess what, you start formatting in some of the other popular characters and/or storylines(Days of Future's Past is a good example of reformatting a story arc) to fit the cinematic version.

In fact, the last 3 main X-Men films(including the one at the end of the year), will have covered Dark Phoenix, Apocalypse, and DoFP… all 3 ripped taken from popular storyline arcs from the funny books. Do you consider those fanservice?

They've thrown Thrawn into the books, and Rebels, yes. There's a precedent. But he came along without any of the baggage in a narrative sense, starting from scratch as far as any of the younger and/or casual audience is concerned, there's no reason he wouldn't have shown up already.

If you think the younger audience has read the EU and even knows who Mara Jade is just LOL. Wow.. I got a hearty chuckle out of that. The only baggage is in YOUR mind, which is hung up on a preconception of who she must be. The character can be whatever they need her to be and us old-timers can go... 'damn kid... I remember the days back in the old EU when she was Luke's wife'. And the kids can chuckle and call us OLD.

If Luke's had a wife out there this whole time with the ST, she's too big a deal to have not known about so far. A name drop, a reference, hell, a broad wiggle-room hint.

Except in this version, she's probably not Luke's wife. That doesn't mean the character doesn't work... unless you believe her only quality was being the spouse of the hero.

 

[wampa1]

So you want Mara-In-Name-Only basically.

 

[Last Skywalker]

So you want Mara-In-Name-Only basically.

If we are to get it, I want the cinematic version of Mara Jade.

Within that character, they certainly have license to shift around her backstory and character in order to work in the current movies. The EU was punted, so the requirements of the EU are not at play here.

If all you can see her as is Luke's wife, and she's DESTROYED if she isn't Luke's Wife? I feel kind of sorry for you. The character was much more than a wife for the hero imo.

 

[wampa1]

I don't really see her as anything - I'm not even a fan of the character. All a bit too fan-fictiony and author wish fulfillment for my liking.

 

[Last Skywalker]

I don't really see her anything - I'm not even a fan of the character. All a bit too fan-fictiony and author wish fulfillment for my liking.

*shrug* Ok.

Wait.. that's supposed to matter?

And hey.. who knows... its all just pure speculation that she'd even be playing Mara Jade anyways. Maybe she's just the leader of the Rebel Alliance in 9.

 

[Karelia]

You please the fans, they bring their friends... for multiple viewings.

I think people underestimate some of the popularity of the EU. Especially the Thrawn trilogy. It sold 15 million copies and revitalized Star Wars during the dark times. Bringing in Mara would get the fans who may have wrote off Star Wars after TLJ to see it... or complain.

I do agree, I think they may end up introducing her through a Filoni animated series or be it live action. Or maybe a book. Regardless, as cool as I think it would be to see her in a movie, I doubt Lucasfilm would do it. It does feel too late, especially with the way Luke turned out.

 

[Last Skywalker]

You please the fans, they bring their friends... for multiple viewings.

Don't go making sense!

I think people underestimate some of the popularity of the EU. Especially the Thrawn trilogy. It sold 15 million copies and revitalized Star Wars during the dark times.

She at least has a fanbase, which makes her about 10 times better than say... Amilyn Holdo.

As per the EU, it was fairly popular in its day. But its been like a quarter century since some of these books came out. If you're under 25, i'll say there is about a 1 in 1000 chance(if that) you even know who Mara Jade is. And those people are hardcore SW fans.

As much as some guys make her out to be some sacred thing that can't be changed.... um... nobody would really care if the story was compelling.

Bringing in Mara would get the fans who may have wrote off Star Wars after TLJ to see it... or complain.

It would at least be something to look forward to.

Regardless, as cool as I think it would be to see her in a movie, I doubt Lucasfilm would do it. It does feel too late, especially with the way Luke turned out.

Well... this one is on Abrams. I'm relatively sure he asked for carte blanche and got it when he signed on for 9. No reason not to, as it was clear there really wasn't anybody else at that point.

If he wants Mara Jade, he'll get Mara Jade.

 

[Lobo]

I kind of hope she is a non human. Maybe she could be some new species of Alien we have not seen yet.

 

[Last Skywalker]

I kind of hope she is a non human. Maybe she could be some new species of Alien we have not seen yet.

Eh... I like Keri Russell being Keri Russell. As The Americans showed, when she wants to be a badass, she can be a badass. Doesn't need dots all over her face for that.

If you only remember her from like Felicity.. she's way cooler than that now.

One thing I really just realized is a must... i'd really like to see her not only wielding but owning with a lightsaber. Worth the Price of Admission right there. I'd rather have her be that type of character, than a Holdo/Leia political type.

 

[Lobo]

I watched The Americans (Underappreciated show). I am well aware of her talents. I just want more aliens.

But yes, Keri with a lightsaber would be great.

 

[Last Skywalker]

I watched The Americans (Underappreciated show). I am well aware of her talents. I just want more aliens.

But yes, Keri with a lightsaber would be great.

Ya... its kinda weird. We've already seen Kylo and Rey go at it in TFA, we've seen them go at others in TLJ... new blood with sabers thx! I don't need Kylo/Rey Round 3. TLJ kind of noted this when their 1v1 in TLJ happened off-screen.

 

[Grievous]

I remember when TFA hype was in full effect, and ppl were still aruging over the new cannon. I mentioned that a character like Mara could be in the films, but used differently from the old EU. I recall one or two ppl basically treating what I said as silly and not gonna happen. It may not, but you can't rule out what I said as being possible.

 

[Tg11]

I can definitely see her being Rey's mother but if she is I wonder if they would give Keri an English accent considering Rey's accent

 

[MaceB]

Yeah.... they had their opportunity to use Mara, but they chose the "Luke goes off alone" route. Mara Jade is connected to Luke. Without Luke's physical form, what would be the point of introducing her?

 

[Marvolo]

They didnt miss their chance. Keep in mind we have only seen 7 - 10 days of Luke's life since ROTJ. That's 7-10 days out of 11,000 days (30 years). He could have been with Mara at some point during that time. And that's when and where a Luke/Mara story belongs. Not in this trilogy.

 

[Marvolo]

I can definitely see her being Rey's mother but if she is I wonder if they would give Keri an English accent considering Rey's accent

Why would they? A persons accepted t is developed by the people they live with and around and their environment. Rey was very young when her parents left her and she hasn't been around them so it's unlikely she would have her mother's accent. Plus if we are going to assume her accent is from her parents then it's just as easy to assume she has her accent because of her dead father. Not to mention, she grew up in an intergalactic society. Accents are numerous and all over the place. Even more so than on earth so Rey could have gotten her accent from exposure to a wide range of people/species.

Best to just let Keri use her own accent rather than trying to fake one.

 

[MaceB]

They didnt miss their chance. Keep in mind we have only seen 7 - 10 days of Luke's life since ROTJ. That's 7-10 days out of 11,000 days (30 years). He could have been with Mara at some point during that time. And that's when and where a Luke/Mara story belongs. Not in this trilogy.

Good point. A post ROTJ Luke Skywalker spinoff with Mara Jade would be A-okay with me. Yessir.

 

[TheVileOne]

If she turns out to be Rey's mother, that's complete trash.

 

[Doc Sidisous]

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Wow

She's a real beauty

 

[Sawyer]

Three words: Knight of Ren