Okay, I know this sounds wild, but yeah—Luke Skywalker, the guy who helped redeem Darth Vader, ended up falling in love with one of Palpatine’s most loyal agents. And not just that, he actually married her.
Her name was Mara Jade. And she used to be the Emperor’s Hand.
She Was Literally Trained to Kill Luke
Mara Jade wasn’t just another dark side user. She was personally chosen by Palpatine. He trusted her with secret missions, assassinations, the works. And when he died on the second Death Star, his final command to her—sent telepathically as he was falling down the shaft—was “Kill Luke Skywalker.”
That command stayed in her head for years, it felt like her entire purpose. So when she finally met Luke, yeah, she wanted him dead. That was how it started.
Things Didn’t Go How She Expected
I think what changed everything is that Luke didn’t fight her like an enemy. He didn’t try to kill her. He listened, helped, and treated her like a person who’d been lied to and used.
The more time they spent together, the more obvious it became. She wasn’t evil—she was just caught in Palpatine’s game, like so many others.
They had to work together on several missions, and little by little, the hate turned into understanding. Then came a weird moment—she helped him fight a Dark Jedi named Joruus C’baoth, who had cloned Luke using his old hand. That clone, “Luuke,” was using Anakin’s lightsaber.
It was Mara who killed the clone. She finally fulfilled Palpatine’s last command—but in her own way. She wasn’t obeying him anymore. She made the choice herself. That was a huge turning point for her—and for them.
They Didn’t Fall In Love Right Away
One of the things I really like about their story is that it wasn’t rushed. It took years. They didn’t just team up and kiss after one mission. They argued, disagreed, and pushed each other. But they also learned to rely on each other.
Luke saw Mara’s strength, not just in combat but in how she thought and handled things. And she saw that Luke wasn’t some naïve Jedi. He was calm, honest, and didn’t judge her for her past.
She even trained as a Jedi herself and eventually became a Jedi Master.
They Got married while saving the galaxy (of course)
Luke proposed to her during a dangerous mission—because that’s just how their lives were. And she said yes. Their wedding ended up being a huge moment not just for them, but for the galaxy. It showed how far both of them had come. A Jedi marrying someone who once worked for Palpatine? That’s not nothing.
Later on, they had a son—Ben Skywalker. And yeah, that name means a lot. Luke named him after Ben Kenobi, the Jedi Master who helped guide him at the start of his journey. Ben grew up learning both strength and compassion from his parents. He trained as a Jedi too, but he wasn’t just living in Luke’s shadow. He had his own path, his own challenges, and his bond with Mara—his mom—was especially strong. She grounded him in a way only she could.
Their family wasn’t perfect, but they were real. And in a galaxy where legacy and power often lead people down dark roads, Luke and Mara tried their best to raise someone who could choose differently.