Star Wars Legends Spotlight: The Wedding of Luke and Mara
In this last week of writer signups for the From a Legends Point of View fanfiction event, we’ll be celebrating Legends by spotlighting some key events, characters, and moments from the Legends continuity.
Writers: Help us add to the story! Sign up to write for the From a Legends Point of View fanfiction event now through June 2. Together, we’ll build a collection of Star Wars Legends fanfiction set during the time of the Original Trilogy. Use our Signup Form to pitch your story concepts (Signup Guidelines available here) and please encourage your favorite writers to participate!
Our first spotlight is the wedding of the galaxy’s most eligible Jedi bachelor, Luke Skywalker, with former Emperor’s Hand and current Jedi Master Mara Jade in 19 ABY on Coruscant.
Luke and Mara are in many ways the power couple of Star Wars Legends (along with Leia Organa and Han Solo). While Leia and Han were shown as a committed couple by the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker spent a fair amount of the Legends continuity in various ultimately doomed love affairs. Mara Jade, one of the most prominent characters to originate in Legends, was introduced in the Thrawn trilogy and clearly had some chemistry with Luke from the start, as well as going on her own journey from Emperor’s Hand to smuggler to Jedi knight to Jedi master before ending up with Luke.
The engagement takes place toward the end of Timothy Zahn’s novel Vision of the Future, appropriately happening in the middle of a life-or-death situation. The room they are in is filling up with water, and Luke asks Mara to marry him. She says, “You mean, if we get out of this alive?” and he says, “I mean regardless.”
The wedding and the leadup take place in Star Wars: Union, a four-unit comic series written by X-Wing series writer Michael Stackpole. Most of the series deals with the more mundane events leading up to any wedding— choosing a dress, the bachelor / bachelorette parties, the wedding itself, and moments from the reception— but the happy couple being who they are, of course there is danger, intrigue, and shenanigans. There are actually two weddings: a Jedi wedding only attended by members of the Jedi Order early in the series, and a formal wedding that serves as a major event for the New Republic.
The Jedi portion of the wedding largely goes off without a hitch, but the New Republic ceremony is where the shenanigans come in.
We see Mara attempt to “say yes to the dress” only to be confronted with some of the worst fashion crimes imaginable, then find her dream designer out in the alley, having been originally prevented from preventing her designs by her evil boss.
Luke’s bachelor party at the Red Rancor (attended by Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, Chewbacca, Gavin Darklighter, Talon Karrde, Wes Janson, Derek “Hobbie” Klivian, Tycho Celchu, Kam Solusar, Corran Horn, Booster Terrik, and Lando Calrissian) ends in a bar fight instigated by a Moff who is trying to kill Luke / prevent the wedding.
Meanwhile, the women (Mara, Leia, Tionne Solusar, Winter Celchu, Mirax Terrik Horn, and Iella Wessiri Antilles) have a spa day and then kick some ass in a slingball game.
The day of the ceremony is a major New Republic event, with people like Mon Mothma in attendance and Admiral Ackbar presiding. A Moff is determined to interrupt the ceremony and violently prevent the festivities, but Chewie, the Jedi, and the Rogues take care of that while those with parts in the ceremony carry on. Meanwhile, Booster Terrik has been tasked with keeping the children quiet during the ceremony, including his grandson Valin Horn as well as Myri and Syal Antilles and Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo.
Finally, we see the happy couple wed:
…And various other couples at the ceremony get nostalgic about their own weddings as they enjoy the reception.