Orphan, Princess, Senator, Rebel leader, Head of State, wife and mother, ambassador, Jedi Knight. A strange career path for anyone except our own Leia Organa Solo.
Who can forget that scene in "Return of the Jedi?"
"The Force is strong in my family," Luke says. "My father has it, I have and my sister has it."
"I know," Leia replies. "Somehow, I've always known."
And it seem likely that she did. There she was running around the galaxy with two attractive men, one who mirrors her beliefs and ideals, the other one an older man, a scoundrel, one with his own agenda. One would seem the perfect match for her, and yet she falls for the dubious one.
(Yes, I know she kissed Luke in ESB, but that was just to make Han jealous.)
So even early on, she knows there's something special about Luke.
But even knowing, always knowing, doesn't make it easy to accept.
Even after all these months, she couldn't make herself entirely belief that actual Jedi blood ran in her veins... She had never entirely gotten her mind around the truth that her instincts and intuitions and premonitions were much more that psychological phenomena...
Coming to grips with their Jedi heritage must have been easier for Luke; growing up on the Outer Rim, he'd barely even known what a Jedi was. Leia, on the other hand, had been raised in a household that was steeped in reverence for the Jedi Order and everything it had stood for. ("Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor"
Before reading this, I never gave much thought to Leia's upbringing, and how it affected her throughout her life. Bail Organa was a great supporter of the Jedi, and his memories of the Old Republic and the Jedi Order must have seeped into the stories and lessons he gave his adopted daughter.
He knew she was the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, but did he know that Darth Vader was Anakin? I don't think so. I don't think he would have involved Leia so deeply in Imperial politics if he'd known. Whatever he knew, it's obvious he never told her anything, for her own protection.
It takes Leia a long time to come to terms with being a Jedi. Was it denial? Fear? Awe? Or just plain disbelief?
Whatever the cause, she does come around in the end and becomes a Jedi Knight. A fitting profession for someone who's done it all!
4 comments:
(Captain) Jack Sparrow (Qui-Gon Reborn)
date Posted: Aug 30, 2009 9:23 PM
"The Force is strong in my family," Luke says. "My father has it, I have and my sister has it."
I saw the films IV, V, IV, I, II, III, simply because my mom, who wanted me to watch the OT because she thought I might like it, (she now calls those her "famous last words") didn't really know that the PT existed. During ESB, "I am your father" wasn't a surprise for me at all, because, at this point, it's something that just about every kid is born knowing. But finding out that Luke and Leia are siblings came as an enormous surprise to me. And I was completely upset about it, because I didn't think Leia was worthy of marrying Han, really. :p (Don't try to understand the mind of a 10-year-old.)
the other one an older man, a scoundrel, one with his own agenda
But, ultimately, a good man! A pirate, but a good man, mate. ;)
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
An awesome book. Matt Stover needs to write more Star Wars...Everything he comes up with -- ROTS, Traitor, and SoM -- is fantastic!! :D Way better than most other Star Wars authors.
I don't think so. I don't think he would have involved Leia so deeply in Imperial politics if he'd known.
There was no way for him to have known. Most of the Republic, the Senate, and even most other Jedi were in the dark about the whole thing.
It takes Leia a long time to come to terms with being a Jedi. Was it denial? Fear? Awe? Or just plain disbelief?
I think it was unwillingness to follow the path that she believed led her father to the very brink of darkness. Leia was tortured at the hands of Darth Vader, something that I wouldn't forget very soon. :p I think it's easy to see how she might be frightened of the path of a Jedi.
Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi
I was a Teenage Jedi
date Posted: Aug 30, 2009 10:17 PM
That's a really good insight. I'm really looking forward to picking up Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, and even more so now. However, I've promised myself I'll wait until it's out in paperback, so I've still got a few months to go.
JediMelindaWolf
Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.
date Posted: Aug 31, 2009 6:41 AM
Luke
:x
Leia is one awesome, formidable character, and the world of fiction - whether it be print or film - is all the richer for it! :D
As are we. :D
I have to admit, I never get grossed out by Luke :x and Leia kissing in ESB because, at that point, they did not know (nor did GL, if I remember correctly) they were brother and sister. Ignorance is bliss. :)
When I first saw ROTJ (my fav of the trilogy, btw ;), I thought Luke's :x and Leia's exchange on the bridge was ... well, lame. "How could she react that way, learning that Luke :x was her brother???" Forget their kissing in ESB! "I know. Somehow I've always known." How could she say that??? ?:| :O
But given the whole Jedi mystique, & growing older & wiser (I hope ;), it wasn't long before this simple exchange took on a lot more significance for me. There are moments, aspects, facets of one's life where there is no reasonable way to explain something. One just knows. That voice deep down inside tells you something is just so. It brooks no argument. That's just the way it is.
Like Anakin, like Luke, :x Leia learned that those 'edges' were more than just plain luck. ;)
You know, Bail had a hard path to walk in raising Leia. Like just about everyone else, I don't think Alderaan's leader knew that Darth Vader & Anakin were one and the same. Given the plight the Jedi faced after Order 66, I would err on the side of caution, and keep her true parentage a mystery to her. But boy oh boy! Would it be a shock to learn DV is one's father! :O Torture aside, if I was Leia, I'd want to put as much distance between myself and any such connection!
It may have taken Leia a while to come to terms with her biological parentage, which delayed her Jedi training. But we know she certainly was not idle during that tenure! :D
In the end, I think that made her a stronger Jedi.
Sometimes we take different routes to the intended-all-along destination. It isn't necessarily the destination. It's the journey. :)
Great musings, gl! :D
MTFBWY :)
ewanandhaydenfan5
I Have You Now!
date Posted: Aug 31, 2009 9:19 AM
When Leia said "I've always known", I think she meant that ever since she and Luke met, she felt a special bond with him, although she might not necessarily have realized that it was the bond of siblings.
If I remember correctly (and that's a big IF :O) , In Dark Lord: The Rise of DV, Bail did know that Vader was Anakin. He was frightened for Leia when Vader came to Alderaan; he didn't want Vader to get near her, not just because Vader was evil but because Bail was afraid that Vader would sense that Leia was his daughter.
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