In the Star Wars saga, there is one particular aspect that fans find deeply regrettable: the fact that Leia ultimately did not remain steadfast on the path of the Jedi. As a member of the Skywalker family, Leia possessed a natural affinity for the Force and an exceptionally keen sensitivity to its presence; indeed, Luke explicitly noted that her Jedi potential was extraordinary. Luke even went so far as to preserve a lightsaber specifically for her, firmly believing that Leia was fully qualified to complete the journey of a Jedi. He further implied that had Leia chosen to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to the Jedi way, she could have risen to become a truly great Jedi Master.
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However, fate had other plans. Princess Leia Organa Solo ultimately did not embark upon the Jedi path. As the biological daughter of Anakin Skywalker—better known as Darth Vader—she inherited many of her father's fatal character flaws; it was precisely these inherent weaknesses that served as the underlying reason for her persistent reluctance to step onto the Jedi path.
Portrayed by the late Carrie Fisher, Leia stands as one of the most significant female heroes in the entire Star Wars saga. Throughout the series, Leia consistently—albeit subtly—channeled the Force within the realm of her political career; her words and strategic acumen served as her weapons, much in the same way a lightsaber served Anakin. Yet, despite harboring a deep, inner yearning for the power of the Force, she ultimately never became a Jedi Knight—a decision rooted in profound elements of both destiny and character.
Throughout her life, Leia placed the utmost value on emotional bonds; it was precisely this deep attachment that drove her desire to study and master the Force.
In the official novel The Princess and the Scoundrel, Leia observes her brother Luke’s innate talent for the Force with a heart full of admire, prompting her to engage in serious introspection: what, exactly, was her true motivation for seeking the Force?
If the Force could not even protect the very people she loved, then what meaning was there in possessing such power?
This specific perspective—regarding the nature of power itself and the manner in which it should be wielded—bears a striking resemblance to the internal logic that, years earlier, had inexorably driven Anakin down the path to darkness and his transformation into Darth Vader. For both Anakin and Leia, that burning intensity of attachment—that deep-seated desire to protect their loved ones—served as the initial impetus compelling them to reach out to the Force and embark upon the path of the Jedi. Despite their vastly different origins—Anakin having spent his childhood in slavery, while Leia was born a princess of Alderaan—their most fundamental desire was identical: to give everything they had to protect the people they cherished.
In The Phantom Menace, young Anakin was given the opportunity to leave Tatooine with Qui-Gon Jinn and embark on the path of Jedi training; yet, his heart remained entirely with his mother, whom he had left behind on Tatooine. Initially, he openly declared that he could not bear to abandon his mother to travel alone; later, however, he made a silent vow: once his training was complete, he would return to rescue her.
Young Anakin had already experienced the agony of helplessness. As he perceived it at the time, he currently lacked the ability to save his mother; the Force—and the power of the Jedi—offered him precisely the hope he needed to one day fulfill that dream.
Leia’s mindset was much the same. To her, the Force was a power capable of altering destiny; she yearned to master this power so she could protect all the loved ones around her. Like Anakin, she, too, often succumbed to feelings of despondency and self-reproach when she found herself powerless to shield her closest kin.
In the books, Leia once expressed this heartfelt sentiment: "If only I possessed even a shred of Luke’s connection to the Force, I could actually do something—yet, as it happens, I lack that very ability."
Leia had ample reason to fear separation and loss; she had witnessed with her own eyes the utter destruction of her homeworld, Alderaan, and had lost her adoptive parents in that very catastrophe. After the conclusion of the Original Trilogy, she gained a brother in Luke and met—and fell in love with—Han Solo. Long before the birth of her son, Leia had already accumulated a wealth of cherished relationships and bonds—people and connections she could not bear to lose.
Throughout Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Anakin’s life was deeply tormented by the fear of loss. The root of all his tragedy lay in the searing pain caused by his mother’s brutal death; and his overwhelming terror at the prospect of losing Padmé was what ultimately drove him irrevocably toward the dark side of the Force.
While the light side of the Force undoubtedly possesses immense power, it remains, at its core, incapable of controlling life and death. It was precisely this inherent limitation—coupled with the temptations dangled by Palpatine, who claimed that only the Dark Side could master the destiny of life and death—that ultimately led, step by step, to Anakin’s fall.
When Anakin realized that relying on the Light Side of the Force could neither save Padmé nor spare his mother, he remained unable to relinquish the deep-seated obsessions and fears within his heart, nor could he serenely accept the inevitability of loss and death; even after Yoda’s repeated guidance and counsel, he could never find true peace.
Although Leia never ventured into the Dark Side, she, too, found herself unable to break free from the fear of loss, nor could she bring herself to serenely embrace the destiny of separation and death; ultimately, she resolutely chose to discontinue her Jedi training.
The Rise of Skywalker laid the groundwork for this decision, implying that her choice was driven primarily by a desire to protect her son; however, the novel Princess & the Scoundrel further illuminates that, lying beneath this choice, was a deeply personal inner conflict—one she shared as a direct legacy from her father.
Leia harbored a vague premonition that, were she to continue her Jedi training, Ben Solo would inevitably be doomed to destruction. At the very core of this premonition lay her own long-standing obsession: a yearning for the power to transcend the boundaries of life and death—the power to hold onto those she held most dear. This craving for power and this terror of loss—two deeply intertwined psychological burdens—are inextricably linked to the Dark Side, compelling one to ponder: had Leia persisted on the Jedi path to its very end, what ultimate fate would she have met?
Unlike Palpatine, she harbored no lust for power or position; yet, the profound regret and frustration born of her inability to protect those she loved dearest drove her to crave—with an intensity bordering on desperation—that very power over life and death traditionally held to be the exclusive domain of the Dark Side. Had she stubbornly pressed onward all those years ago, Leia might well have become the next Darth Vader, thereby perpetuating—in its entirety—the tragic cycle of destiny shared by father and daughter.
In the end, however, the trajectory of Leia’s life led her in a direction diametrically opposed to that of her father.
As Obi-Wan once observed, Leia inherited Anakin’s passion, fearlessness, and candor; yet, she also harbored the very same fears and obsessions that plagued him. But between father and daughter lay one crucial, fundamental distinction: Anakin chose to yield to his selfish obsessions, whereas Leia remained steadfast in her unwavering commitment to selflessness and sacrifice. In stark contrast to Anakin, Leia spent her entire life prioritizing those she loved; she willingly sacrificed herself solely to awaken the dormant light within Kylo Ren's heart.
While the tragic passing of actress Carrie Fisher undoubtedly influenced the trajectory of the character's storyline to some extent, the conclusion of Leia's life story ultimately resolved—in a deeply satisfying manner—the fateful bond she shared with her father regarding their shared character flaws. Leia achieved what Anakin had failed to do throughout his entire life: she let go of her obsessions, ceasing to cling to the need to control destiny or to forcibly hold onto those around her.
In the moment her life force gradually faded, she returned to the Force, shedding all fear and attachment—precisely the choice Anakin should have made from the very beginning. Through an act of heroic self-sacrifice, Leia ultimately drew Ben Solo back to the light side of the Force; yet, in a bittersweet twist, the ominous premonition she had once harbored regarding the Jedi path was ultimately—and inevitably—fulfilled.
Ben fell in the final chapter of the sequel trilogy, and his passing raised a profound and intriguing question: the obsession with defying the destiny of life and death—and with protecting one's beloved—had haunted two generations of Skywalkers: Leia and Anakin. Ben's choice served as a direct reflection of this deep-seated, intergenerational struggle. He expended his entire life force to resurrect Rey, single-handedly reversing the cycle of life and death; in doing so, he both protected the one he loved and tapped into the very power to control life and death that humanity has long dreamed of possessing.
The ending of The Rise of Skywalker showcases the Force's unique capacity for healing and rebirth, confirming the tangible existence of a power that transcends life and death—precisely the power that both Anakin and Leia had yearned for throughout their lives. This may well represent yet another manifestation of the fateful bond shared by the "Force Twins"; however, what is even more noteworthy is that the core motivation driving Ben's decision differed fundamentally from that of his mother and his grandfather. He harbored no desire for additional power; his sole intention was simply to save Rey—a selfless act he undertook with the full, deep-seated knowledge that it would ultimately cost him his own life. In his final moments, Ben revealed the selfless nature that Leia Organa had upheld throughout her life—proving that he was never merely the grandson of Darth Vader, but truly Leia's son.
