A Woman for Luke?

xhonzi said:

 

1. Does Luke dedicate his life to the Jedi order and become celibate like a monk?
2. Is he some kind of space pimp/James Bond character that is too dedicated to his life's work to settle down, but catches some action from time to time as the mission allows?
3. Or does he get to have a wife and kids?

I figured Luke dedicated his life to the difficult task of rebuilding the Jedi.  I have no problem with Jedi not being allowed to marry and I think Luke would go along with that. On the otherhand, There's deffinitly something of an old James Bond in Obi-Wan, so it's not out of hand that Luke may score some lovin' here and there over the course of his adventures, but the rules of his order and his overwhelming mission would stop him from getting too seriously involved with any one woman.

The thread title makes it sound like you are soliciting for your "friend."

I am a big fan of Mara Jade, and get annoyed when people impugn her worth as a character.  A fair amount of people, seemingly often prequel gusher types, rag on her for being a 'Mary Sue' and being oh so perfect and diss Zahn for making the story 'revolve around her' or some such nonsense.  I think these people suck hairy ass through a straw, frankly.  To me Mara Jade was always an intensely interesting character, deeply flawed but with enormous potential, and her practical cynicism ends up being the perfect counterpoint to Luke's idealism.  Sure, when I was young and naive I couldn't wait for her to get hers, but that was only an automatic reaction against anyone who professed to hate Luke.  Does she fit into the world of Star Wars as presented by the OUT?  Your mileage may vary.  Is she an exceptional character who makes the later stories that much better?  Absolutely.

Of course, nobody but Zahn could write her worth a damn, but then, he's one of the only SW authors I find worthwhile anyway (Brian Daley being the other).

The idea of her being Luke's love interest took me by surprise at first, but I came to see that it actually made a lot of sense.  I never remotely thought of the Jedi as being constrained against relationships, which was one of my biggest complaints about AotC and a major factor in turning me against the prequels.  (Neither do I see them as spacefaring pimp daddys.)  When I heard that she had been killed off in the recent books, I was absolutely furious.  I have a very nihilistic view of what 'counts' in Star Wars, negating the validity of anything I don't like.  Original unaltered trilogy, Han Solo adventures, Zahn books . . . everything else is just bilge.  I adamantly maintain that Luke and Mara are still out there exploring the Unknown Regions . . .

hairy_hen said:

I think these people suck hairy ass through a straw, frankly.

Always nice to learn a new phrase. :-)

I think I pictured Luke getting married and having kids before rebuilding the Jedi order.  I never imagined Luke going out looking for recruits, but rather settling down only to step up and do more of his Jedi bizness once trouble arose or some new force adept person was found.  The Cambpellian 'Call to Adventure' seems to go to Luke and not the other way around.

hairy_hen said:

 

I never remotely thought of the Jedi as being constrained against relationships, which was one of my biggest complaints about AotC and a major factor in turning me against the prequels.

 It seemed natural to me. They're space-monks. In the OT the two Jedi we meet are hermits Even as a lad I figured the reason Vader didn't know he had twins was because there was something shady about their parentage.

Given that the dark side feeds on emotion and how Zen and monklike Lukers was in ROTJ living an ascetic lifestyle seemed appropriate.

xhonzi said:

She is killed off like 20 years afterward, right?  I mean, all of the characters have to die sometime.

Not that I've read any of that storyline.

 Yeah. She and Luke had a boy in his early teens. I think Mara should have been in her mid 60s.

Not that characters age in the EU. Han should be in his 70s and it never slows him down in the slightest. And not one hero of the Rebellion has died of disease or old age in the 50 or so years since the OT.

Doesn't Lucas have direct control over all the deaths? I don't think he'd be too happy about Han suddenly dying from a runny nose.

True, but couldt Wedge, or Niemb Niumb or someone die of old age. Or at least be decrepit? Or let Han use a cane?

 Chewie and Mon Mothma are the only dead people in 50 years.

skyjedi2005 said:

You should read the novels that came after the NJO they are absolutely wretched, politics and religion commentary garbage.

 Let's not forget the comics. Those suck major ass too.

captainsolo said:

Why do these characters have to always have some moral qualm that eventually presents itself? Jacen did the whole going evil because its the right thing to do thing.

 

 It wasn't even that good.

He went evil because he could see the future and he saw that in all possible universes where he was good, the world was worse off.

It wasn't a moral qualm. It was a perfectly valid decision based on weighing a cost/benefit analysis with reputable data.

And just as exciting to read as it is to describe.

Carp!  Totally misread your post.

A woman for Luke? Here ya go.

That was easy.