Mara Jade

Name

Mara Jade

Species

Human, Female

Occupation

The Emperor's Hand

Plot

To kill Luke Skywalker by any means possible

Reason

Emperors Orders

Co-Conspirators

The Emperor

Action Taken

Emperor Palpatine sent Mara, as the Emperors Hand, to Tatooine in an attempt to kill the last remaining Jedi, Luke Skywalker. She made her way to Jabba's palace and posed as the dancer Arica in the bloated one's court.

She waited patiently for the moment that Skywalker would arrive to save his friend, Han Solo, who was encased in carbonite and hanging in Jabba's throne room.

When Luke finally arrived she became sloppy. She slowly took a blaster from one of Jabba's guards while Skywalker was talking to Jabba. However she did not realise that another dancer, Melina, was watching her. Thinking she was trying to assassinate Jabba, Melina pulled out her own blaster and brought Mara back to a side chamber.

The dancer confronted Mara and told her that Jabba would give her a reward if she turned her in. Mara, now furious with herself, used mind tricks on Jabba's Gammorrian guards to distract Melina and escape. By this time Skywalker had killed Jabba's Rancor and was to be sent to the Sarlacc Pit.

Having missed her first chance to kill Skywalker, Mara tried to join the trip to the Sarlacc on Jabba's Sail Barge. She pleaded with Jabba to let her go with them but she was unsuccessful. Perhaps Jabba knew who she was and was not about to let her spoil his fun at the Great Pit of Carkoon. Mara was left behind at the palace.

Outcome

Emperor Palpatine contacted Mara. She told him of her failure. Palpatine ordered her to go to the planet Svivren and wait for further instructions. After the Emperor was killed, Mara soon joined the Smuggler, Talon Karrde and stayed with him for many years.

When she finally met up with Skywalker she again tried to kill him, finishing the final orders given to her by the Emperor. She failed again and Luke turned her from the Dark Side of the Force.

Luke trained her in the light side of the Force and she became a Jedi.

After nine years of getting to know and trust Luke, Mara Jade married him in an ironic twist of fate.

My Opinion

Mara's plan, although seemingly foolproof, was in fact never going to work. Mara was obviously skilled enough to make her way to Jabba's palace and gain admittance to the throne room. However her inexperience showed when she allowed a dancer to creep up on her and capture her just at the moment that she was about to strike at Luke.

It was only after the death of the Emperor and her many years with Karrde that she gained her experience as a fighter.