Right now, Lucasfilm is keeping fairly quiet on Leia’s role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but if a recent pair of leaks has it right, then this year’s release could offer some key insight into the journey of Carrie Fisher’s character between the Original and Sequel Trilogies. Be warned that potential spoilers lie ahead.
You may have heard about the recent rumor that J.J. Abrams’ highly anticipated trilogy-closer will open with a scene that follows on shortly from the events of Return of the Jedi. In this flashback – as reported by the usually reliable Making Star Wars – it’s said that Luke Skywalker will be seen giving Leia some Jedi training on the forest moon of Endor.
The sequence would certainly provide some context to the divisive space flight scene in The Last Jedi, but it also raises the question of why Leia eventually stopped her training. After all, Carrie Fisher’s character had several decades to hone her skills between trilogies, so if her brother Luke’s phenomenal rate of progress is anything to go by, then surely she should’ve been a fully-fledged Jedi by the time we caught up with her in The Force Awakens.
Evidently, that wasn’t the case, but according to a second leak relayed by MovieWeb, there’s an important reason for that. Apparently, the former princess had to give up her training after she became pregnant with Ben Solo, adding to the tragedy that Adam Driver’s character ultimately turned to the Dark Side and killed his father Han.
Of course, none of this alleged intel has been officially confirmed just yet, but we’ll find out if the leaks have it right when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.