The galaxy far, far away may be headed in a direction few fans ever expected. According to a new rumor, Starfighter—the upcoming Star Wars film from Shawn Levy starring Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams—may revolve around Mara Jade from the Expanded Universe (EU) attempting to get Luke Skywalker’s son to none other than…Rey.
It should be noted that the following is a rumor only, originating from sources claiming insider knowledge of the situation.
The story first started with Josh of Den of Nerds, who posted on X his shock at what he’s been hearing.
Okay, I’m feeling a bit better, but honestly I still can’t believe this is happening…
It’s true that I’ve been hearing Rey is the center piece of the future for Star Wars content for YEARS, but I also know not everyone over there thinks that’s a good idea…
It is SHOCKING to… pic.twitter.com/jelj7bF0wl
— Josh (@JoshDenofNerds) September 28, 2025
“Okay, I’m feeling a bit better, but honestly I still can’t believe this is happening,” he said. “It’s true that I’ve been hearing Rey is the center piece of the future for Star Wars content for YEARS, but I also know not everyone over there thinks that’s a good idea… It is SHOCKING to me that the entire plot of Starfighter is basically a primer to get the new Force Sensitive character to Rey… Like, that’s too much man… Ultimately, the reason I hate this is because it’s not organic… Like, there’s just ZERO chance Shawn Levy was sitting around thinking of a movie that led to Rey… This is a move a corporation to try and prop up and “fix” the character they created. This is all about building a bridge from the sequels to more movies… Shawn’s movie could still be awesome, but Star Wars should be more than this…”
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
Josh’s post highlights the central fan concern: that Lucasfilm is once again pushing Rey into the spotlight in an attempt to repair a character who never resonated with audiences the way George Lucas’ originals did.
WDW Pro Adds Fuel to the Fire
On Monday night’s Pro Show, That Park Place publisher and industry insider WDW Pro revealed what his sources close to Lucasfilm have told him: Amy Adams is allegedly cast in Starfighter as Mara Jade, the EU fan-favorite character who was introduced as the Emperor’s Hand and later became Luke Skywalker’s wife.
If true, this would mark the first time Mara Jade has been brought into official canon, decades after her debut in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy. According to the rumor, the Jedi child being escorted to Rey is none other than Luke Skywalker’s son.
That would be a massive blending of EU lore with Disney’s sequel canon, tying the long-lost characters of Legends directly into Rey’s future story.
Background: Mara Jade and Ben Skywalker in Legends
For fans newer to the saga, Mara Jade is one of the most iconic characters to emerge from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Initially loyal to Emperor Palpatine as his personal assassin, she ultimately renounced the dark side, joined the Jedi, and fell in love with Luke Skywalker. The two married and had a son, Ben Skywalker.
Ben became a powerful Jedi Knight in his own right, playing key roles in the New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force book series. His existence, along with Mara Jade’s prominence, was erased when Disney wiped the EU from canon in 2014. Yet, the characters have remained beloved and often requested by longtime fans.
Casting Amy Adams as Mara Jade would be a bold choice, instantly lending gravitas and star power to the character’s introduction. Of course if the character is Luke and Mara’s son, he would almost certainly not be named Ben as Disney already gave that name to Kylo Ren, AKA Ben Solo.
The Fan Divide: Rey vs. Legends
Here lies the problem. While Mara Jade’s arrival could thrill fans, the rumor also makes clear that the character’s story would be leveraged to funnel directly back into Rey’s arc. For many fans, that’s a nonstarter.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
The sequel trilogy suffered diminishing returns at the box office, with The Last Jedi splitting the fanbase and The Rise of Skywalker falling short of expectations. Rey’s character was central to this decline, with many arguing she lacked organic development, struggled with inconsistent writing, and represented Lucasfilm’s corporate insistence on “fixing” Star Wars by brute force rather than by genuine storytelling.
She became the avatar of the Kathleen Kennedy Disney Star Wars that so many fans have come to despise.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
Despite this, sources suggest Lucasfilm remains determined to make Rey the centerpiece of Star Wars for years to come. Projects announced around Daisy Ridley’s character have stalled, signaling tepid audience interest. Yet, if these rumors are correct, Shawn Levy’s Starfighter is being designed as a bridge—using beloved EU characters to try and prop up a deeply unpopular one.
Final Analysis
If the rumor holds true, Amy Adams as Mara Jade could finally give fans a payoff they’ve wanted for decades. But attaching her introduction to Rey risks undermining the entire move. Instead of celebrating the return of Legends lore, audiences may view it as yet another corporate attempt to force-feed a character the fanbase has rejected.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
As WDW Pro and Josh both pointed out, Star Wars should be bigger than corporate patchwork meant to justify past mistakes. Fans want fresh, bold storytelling—not another exercise in damage control.
For now, this remains firmly in the rumor category. But if Amy Adams truly is Mara Jade in Starfighter, then Lucasfilm is playing with some of the most beloved elements of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The question is: will they honor it, or squander it in another effort to make Rey the face of the franchise?
Do you think Mara Jade will be in Star Wars Starfighter? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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“Casting Amy Adams as Mara Jade would be a bold choice, instantly lending gravitas and star power to the character’s introduction”
NO actress has any “gravitas and star power”. Not one. We don’t go to the movies to watch a woman, unless it”s porn 😃. This is a fact known for as long as movies existed.
Horror movies like Alien star women, but we’re not watching them for the actresses.
I wish Mara Jade never entered Disney canon. All the EU stuff they’ve brought in like Thrawn they’ve ruined.
Just a reminder that Rey is a Sith. She even killed her grandfather in anger, which Luke had to avoid doing in VI.
Sooooo… they are throwing us a “Mara Jade” bone, with none of the original storyline that made her so iconic and beloved, WITH NO MENTION OF HER AT ALL by Luke in any of those hideous, grotesque sequels…. just a token version of her so the story CAN GET to Rey, a mostly reviled and at best dividing character.
Yeah, that pretty much sounds like the line Disney would take. No thanks.
“What’s your last name”
“I don’t have a last name”
“You don’t have a last name? Who are you here with? Who are your people?”
“I don’t have anyone. I’m here by myself… solo”
“Solo? OK then, HAN SOLO it is then”
☝️🤣🤣🤣 I almost threw my glass of Coke thru the screen.
This is another area where Disney wrecked themselves and the beloved SW universe. The Thrawn Trilogy imho are the true episodes 7, 8, and 9. 🤦🏻♂️