Jade Crusades

Jade Crusades logo illustrated by Brandon McKinney.

For five years, I co-operated the Mara Jade fansite Jade Crusades under the alias Mazzic. Jade Crusades had enjoyed a long and successful run under ArchJedi Sarah before our time, and my partner Shada and I were happy to continue that tradition. This was at a time when Del Rey had taken over the Star Wars license from Bantam, and Mara Jade was appearing (newly wed to Luke Skywalker!) in nearly every publication: novels, short stories, role playing games, comic books, card games, action figures – Mara Jade was everywhere!

Jade Crusades enabled us to meet many incredible authors, artists, and creators who were happy to share their stories with us. Most importantly, Shada and I met many fans that shared a love for a particular fiery red-headed Jedi. Without them, Jade Crusades would never have been possible. Jade Crusades, under the leadership of Mazzic and Shada, closed its doors in July of 2005.

Preliminary art by Carlos Ezquerra. “Star Wars: Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand” comic series. January, 1998.

The late Carlos Ezquerra penciled and inked the “Star Wars: Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand” comic series by Dark Horse Comics. Seen here is preliminary art of Mara, by Ezquerra, who had these memories to share in an exclusive Jade Crusades interview from 2002:

Illustration by John VanFleet. “Star Wars: Allegiance.” January, 2007.

Timothy Zahn expanded upon Mara Jade’s time as the Emperor’s Hand in the first of the Hand of Judgement series, in 2007. The first edition hardcover of “Star Wars: Allegiance” displayed a spread of the Hand of Judgement stormtrooper squad and Mara Jade, as depicted by artist John VanFleet. In an interview with StarWars.com, Zahn spoke about his inclusion of Mara in the novel:

Cover art by Tsuyoshi Nagano. “Star Wars: Allegiance” Japanese edition. January, 2007.

Timothy Zahn expanded upon Mara Jade’s time as the Emperor’s Hand in the first of the Hand of Judgement series, in 2007. The Japanese edition of “Star Wars: Allegiance” displayed a beautiful spread of the book’s protagonists, as depicted by artist Tsuyoshi Nagano. In an interview with the Rebel Legion Japan from 2021, Nagano spoke about his adoration of Mara:

Carlos Ezquerra and James Sinclair. “Star Wars: Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand” Issue #1. August, 1998.

Page 5 from Dark Horse Comics’ “Star Wars: Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand,” Issue #1, written by Michael Stackpole and Timothy Zahn. The panels depict several of the missions and adventures of a young Emperor’s Hand, including an appearance of Imperial Intelligence Director, Ysanne Isard. I like to imagine how these stories might have unfolded.

Illustration by Gonzalo “Gon” Flores. “Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition: Jedi Academy Training Manual.” May, 2009.

Cover art by Munehiro Uchimichi. “Star Wars: The Last Command,” Japanese edition. May, 1993.

Cover art by Tsuyoshi Nagano. “Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology,” Japanese edition. February, 2006.

Olivier Vatine, Fred Blanchard, and Isabelle Rabarot. “Star Wars: Heir to the Empire” Issue #1. October, 1995.

Carlos Ezquerra and James Sinclair. “Star Wars: Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand” Issue #1. August, 1998.

Illustration by Doug Alexander Gregory. “The Dark Side Sourcebook.” August, 2001.

In 2001, Wizards of the Coast released “The Dark Side Sourcebook,” a roleplaying supplement that explored all things evil in the Star Wars galaxy. Written by Bill Slavicsek and J.D. Wiker, the sourcebook outlined rules for roleplaying dark side characters, and information on dark side equipment and traditions. In addition to the cover art, Mara Jade was featured in a section called “The Emperor’s Minions.” Illustrator Doug Alexander Gregory had these memories to share with Jade Crusades in an online interview:

Edvin Biuković and Pamela Rambo. “Star Wars: The Last Command” Issue #5. April, 1998.

Star Wars CCG Players Committee virtual play card. “Light Side Mara Jade.” December, 2021.

Although photographs of Shannon McRandle wearing the green “Light Side” Mara Jade costume were taken during the initial Decipher photoshoot in 1998, the card never made it into an official Decipher deck release. A play test version of the card debuted during Match-Play Championship in 2008, after being discovered in Decipher image archives by the Players Committee. But the infamous unproduced card had remained “lost” until recently. 

Star Wars Trading Card Game play card. “The Empire Strikes Back.” October, 2003.

The Star Wars Trading Card Game, produced by Wizards of the Coast after acquiring the Star Wars license from Decipher, featured Mara Jade in a new image. The card was produced after Mara overwhelmingly won the “You Make the Card” competition, and Wizards used Shannon McRandle as the model for Mara Jade in response to voter demand. The image was shot by photographer Ric Fogel, edited in post-production by Mark Goetz, and debuted at Gen Con in 2003. In an interview with Star Wars News Net from 2015, McRandle had these memories to share:

Illustration by Mathieu Lauffray. “Star Wars: The Last Command” Issue #2. December, 1997.

Star Wars Customizable Card Game promotional and play cards. “Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy.” January, 2001.

Decipher’s Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy series brought a handful of Expanded Universe characters to life including Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Talon Karrde, Corran Horn, Mirax Terrik, Dash Rendar, Prince Xizor, and Guri. Decipher also created an exclusive 5”x7” Promotional Oversized “Signature” Card depicting Mara, Talon Karrde, and Corran Horn for the summer ‘01 convention circuit. Model Shannon (Baksa) McRandle portrayed Mara Jade, while Timothy Zahn was made up to depict Talon Karrde, and Michael Stackpole was costumed to resemble Corran Horn. Stackpole had these memories to share on his blog:

The stuff done in a photostudio is really magic. At first glance, the guys they got for Corran and Karrde were right, in general. Good on the overall dimensions, hair color, eye color, etc., but they were just guys off the street. Then the hair and makeup folks went to work. Karrde got a wig and a full makeup job, which sharpened his features and totally changed him. By the end of the process - during which Tim's camera was clicking almost incessantly - I was believing the guy was Talon Karrde.

Once Karrde was made up and costumed, he was taken onto the photostage and lit. That's a fascinating process. If they put a yellow filter on a light, the light is considered "hot." A blue filter makes it "cold." The art director, photographer and photographer's assistant all discussed and debated, pulling lights this way and that, setting them up at angles, getting the model to look here or there. Then they took test Polaroid shots and digital shots and finally agreed that things were right. It was almost anticlimactic when the shooting got done, but the results were great. Talon Karrde lived.

Convention Sketch by Sean Gordon Murphy. New York Comic Con. October, 2010.