ST POLL: Leia's FORCE STRENGTH in Ep VII ?

I would be totally fine with that in Episode VII. It makes sense. Hopefully, it might mean we get lightsaber-wielding Leia in the new EU? Maybe with a blaster and saber setup like ESB Luke?

 

I think her having avoided exploring her force powers due to their connection to her father for some time is a good, deepening trait, but she came to terms with it and asked her brother to train her, as in the EU.
Unlike the EU, I think it's important that she maintain her own path as a stateswoman and diplomat. Especially once the Empire has been reduced to a minor threat and the New Republic restored, she'd use the force for wisdom and guidance more than acrobatics and power.
If she's Head of State in Ep. 7, and Carrie Fisher would like to retire to a less prominent role in future spin-offs, she could retire in-universe to become the Jedi Council's Senate Liason, as others have suggested.

As for tie-in materiel set when they were fighting the Imperial Remnant, I'd LOVE to see Leia with a lightsaber once she's started exploring her force potential. It may be true that she's more valuable as a leader than a frontline fighter, but the newborn Republic would still be desperate, not to mention her protectiveness towards Han or her brother and her headstrong nature. Remember, she was still a Senator and Princess when she went and attempted to rescue Han from Jabba.

A potential storyline I realized - if they do what the recent EU did and turn the public against the Jedi - could be allegations and rumours that Leia uses her force powers to spy on or manipulate her colleagues in the Senate (presumably spread by the villain), as Palpatine did for many years. Could be a good source of drama, but I hope they'll avoid that general idea for at least this trilogy.

 

I agree – I feel that if Leia is not shown to have considerable force ability, and/or use it in any way, it would definitely be a wasted opportunity! Especially when considering all of the foreshadowing and excitement building that was done in return of the Jedi; talking about how one day she will become a Jedi just like Luke…

In fact, seeing Leia as a Jedi is one of the things I'm excited for most about episode VII, so I hope they don't cave on that or just skip over all of it – saying that she was a Jedi during the 30 years between episodes, but now she doesn't do that anymore… That would be such a copout...

 

Leia should be a Jedi Master the same as Luke, as i see it the way they rebuilt the Jedi Order was for Luke to train Leia and then they both took an apprentice each and so on. Over time Leia's natural stronger will has combined with her inherited connection to the force making her the stronger of the two Skywalker siblings. If Leia was to be only a politician then it would be a waste of both the character potential and that of Carrie Fisher's strengths as an actress. There's plenty of characters who can take on the political mantle such as Lando and Adm. Ackbar, i mean who better to lead the various races than someone like Lando who's shown he can mix with any class of society from Jabba's minions to the elite of both the Empire and Rebellion.

If Leia is going to lead anything it has to be the High Council of the Jedi Order.

 

I hope Leia is pretty strong in the force. I expect her to have undergone some kind of Jedi training with Luke, but stayed true to her royal roots and remaining in the politics. Taken that there hasn't been so much of a threat going on the past 35 years.... But when a new threat emerges, I could see her swinging a lightsaber (but not too much).

 

I can't change my vote from No development to Moderate but I find it hard to believe after 35 years, she's had no training. I don't think we'll be seeing her wield a light saber unless fans clamor for it after Episode VII is released.

 

Can't see her being Head of State/Chancellor or whatever they'd call it because too much time might have passed. I imagine that if she was to hold that position at all it would have happened in the in-between years with the high popularity she would have had for her role in defeating the Empire. Perhaps after that she tapped into her force potential but I can't see her with a lightsaber for some reason. Maybe she just uses her powers of foresight for political/strategic reasons and falls short of wanting to be trained as a full Jedi.

 

Yeah, I'd like to see her be some kind of major political figure in the new government as well. That being said, I'd like there to be at least some progression of her Force abilities if 30 years are meant to have passed. I don't need to see Carrie Fisher jumping around swinging a lightsaber (that actually sounds like it'd look really awkward/silly onscreen), but progression is necessary nonetheless.

 

If they can make it look like 90 year old Christopher Lee is a master swordsman then it shouldn't be too much of a struggle with Carrie.

 

True, although Lee was already a fairly accomplished swordsman in his own right.

I'm all for seeing Leia with a lightsaber though. I'd love for her to fight side by side with Luke and/or her daughter.

 

Make her float around and do CGI somersaults in the air!

 

How successful they made Lee is debatable. I've heard plenty of people that found those scenes (particularly the Yoda fight) to be really awkward and unconvincing. And Lee has a gravitas and persona that can sell that sort of thing better than Carrie (as much as I like her).

 

I don't see why she couldn't pull off a small fight scene like the one with Thor's mother in Thor: The Dark World.

 

I agree with the idea that after 30 years, it would be very difficult to believe that Leia would have had no training. I also find it hard to believe that being a Skywalker, that she would start training early on, but then find that she's just not as good at it as she would like to be so she gives up. I wouldn't believe that. She should be just as strong as Luke, IMO. (or even stronger – wouldn't that be awesome? Or maybe they both have their strengths: Luke could be the strongest with light saber dueling or something, and Leia could be the wisest, or the strongest with things like healing or foreseeing the future or something...) That's also why I voted for the highest level of power in the vote, because 30 years is more time then a Padawan would have taken in order to learn the ways of the force. Even if she doesn't start right away, with that amount of time – even just 20 years – she should be able to be quite proficient in the force by the time of episode VII.

As far as her skill/love for politics, I thought she could probably serve well as a Jedi ambassador to the Senate. Having that kind of position on the high Council, and also serving as a direct liaison to the Chancellor or the Senate as a whole, and actually participating in Senate sessions and whatnot could be an effective way to make the most of her proficiency for politics while at the same time showing her as a Jedi – giving her the best of both worlds.

 

I always thought an interesting arc for Leia would be a refusal of hers to use or develop the powers she clearly has.

I imagine her blaming force powers or similar on the reason why her father became the monster he was and how he and the Emperor were able to commit such atrocities, and doggedly refusing to train as a jedi or develop her powers.

Instead she is insistent on resolving issues and improving the galaxy through politics as she has always done, and could be closer to perhaps a Valorum or a (benign) Palpatine than a Windu or Yoda.

Gradually as the conflict and crisis of the ST develops, perhaps she is forced to re-assess her attitude and maybe even use her powers to save her family and loved ones.

I think that'd be an interesting arc to take the character on over the course of the trilogy, especially as a more mature woman.

 

Lord-Dooku -- While I'm heavily in favor of seeing a very Force-strong Leia, I have to admit that I find your idea really interesting. And plausible.

 

Lord-Dooku, some interesting ideas

I've long believed that Leia would have a lot issues regarding becoming a Jedi. I can't see her embracing it at all, at least not in the beginning. Think she would need A LOT of convincing, particularly if Luke decided to adopt the Old Jedi Order rule of no attachment. If she had to choose between the Jedi and Han then she'd happily tell Luke where he could shove it!

 

Leia should quit all of it and open a bakery. She's in no condition (ahem Carrie Fisher) to do anything but sitting in a chair and being imperious (not Imperial).

 

...something tells me Leia will die a Jedi's death--Obi Wan-style--at the end of Episode VII... somthing tells me they won't let Luke become a glowing guy just yet... besides, it's be too predictable... just a hunch...

 

Note: This thread's poll has been reopened for voting.

 

Awesome! Plenty of people who missed out have mentioned they'd like to vote. Off to the polls with you

 

We all know women cant be jedi


Jokes

Im hoping for moderate strength, freak Han out a bit with things.

 

I think she will have received training from Luke to an "advanced level" but judging from the OT I don't think there will be a definitive grading system (Padawan, Knight, Master, Council Master) but rather any students Luke has since ROTJ will be taught in a kind of organic, homespun sort of style.
Add to this the possibility that she doesn't participate in action scenes much (outside of the Falcons cockpit) and we may be debating her training and power for a while yet.
I expect we will get more info from canon book releases than the film(s) but who knows...

 

I would like for Leia to be fully trained after 30 years, but pretty low key about her skills until she has to use them.

 

I think they should stick more to Force powers with Luke and Leia. Because of their age, I think it would be silly to see them flipping around and jumping all over the place. I think they could get away with it with Palpatine and Dooku because they're evil. We've long associated being old and ugly with being evil, and Christopher has always had that sinister quality about him. That's why he's regularly cast as a villain, and Ian McDiarmid really makes Palpatine seem evil. I think that's why they could get away with having those old guys flip around and stuff, and even with them they never tried to make Sidious or Dooku be as acrobatic as Darth Maul. For some reason, I get the feeling it would seem silly to see older good guys doing that type of stuff. I really can't explain why I think it would seem silly, but I just have a really strong sense that it would come across that way.