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

I disagree. If she's leader of the Republic or even a Senator for the past 30 years and it's been a time of chaos and rebuilding, I don't think it necessarily is a natural progression.There are only 24 hrs in a day.

I don't like the Palpatine analogy very much. We know the darkside is quicker and easier. So that creates an opening there. To be a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master, one needs a lot more time and training imo.

One simple answer is that the past 30 years have been relatively peaceful.

 

If they haven't been peaceful she could've been trained even faster. She could've been Luke's apprentice right after RotJ, fighting & training alongside him. Would've provided quite a steep learning curve.

I'd argue that the setup in RotJ was that she'd far more likely pursue the Force than go back to politics. Think back to her final few scenes.
Politicians are a dime a dozen. Becoming a powerful Jedi Knight serving the side you believe in....that may be a more significant calling.

 

Maybe she decimates her foes with the power of words?

 

What, accusing people of having a foul stench? I think as a Jedi Master she'd be more effective.

I know what you mean though, makes a difference through politics & leadership etc etc. That's what Mon Mothma is for.

 

& RotJ sets it up for her to do exactly that. I'd argue that at the end of Jedi she's already begun her apprenticeship. Luke has that conversation with her, reveals her heritage, gets her to use her feelings & tells her in time she'll have powers like him. Then at the end of the film she's clearly using the Force.

 

What color will her robes be?

 

She can have any color robes she wants, as long as they're brown.

 

My problem is less about acceptance and more about drama. I find it much more interesting if Leia is a political figure. The Republic first fell apart in the Senate. Leia's role there is important. She has abilities Mon Mothma does not.

I don't believe Leia would have the time after ROTJ to travel around with Luke and train (or interest). She would have more important things to do.

Ultimately, I find it more dramatically interesting that Leia is not a Knight or Master, but maybe something like an apprentice, but a Master of politics. I find the desire for her to be a kick-butt Jedi to be symptomatic of what bored me in the PT and many superhero movies -- the Jedi were too powerful and everyone kicked butt. Even Sidious used a saber, which I found unnecessary.

Characters can be important in Star Wars without "extreme" super powers. Tension and drama are created by lacks not level 10 Force powers.

 

Each to their own but there would be a great many people who think that politics should be kept to a minimum or be absent altogether from the ST. Particularly those who disliked that element of the PT. If Leia is indeed a main character again, her being a politician may naturally steer the story towards the political. Not necessarily though, it depends on the plot which we know nothing about.

In the end I can't help thinking that RotJ was clearly & blatantly setting her up to pursue the Force & probably become a Jedi.

 

"Bring me my brown pants!"

 

"So many shades of brown to choose from"
She would still take forever to find what to wear like any other woman...

 

Hurr durr maybe them woman different in gffa? they make me sandwich.

 

I prefer the term "chief of state"

Any job with "Supreme" in the title seems kind of ego-inflating.

 

Does one have to be a Jedi or Sith to be strong with the Force?​

 

No, if the Force is universal then beings can be strong with it without having even heard of either.

 

I'm looking at it as more from a "movie production sales pitch". Keeping the original 3 essentially the same (just older and wiser) would make the best sense to sell this to non fans. If they are trying to recapture the regular folks that "lost interest of Star Wars in the PT age", keeping the original 3 somewhat unchanged would be best.

People miss:
"Han the Smuggler" The thought is he would be the same, just a little more grumpy, and still very arrogant.
"Luke the Jedi Master" Luke was the last of the Jedi and over they years he honed his skills and is now a great master.
"Leia the Leader" Sure Leia can be a leader and a Jedi, but I think it adds "too much" to her character. She can actually even be the chancellor of Coruscant.

Keeping three separate types of characters, plus keeping them "similarly" styled to there original type of character will sell the most tickets.

For me I just don't get the feeling that Leia was really into being a Jedi. Sure it was sort notice when Luke told her and over 30 years she could have been a great Jedi. I'm voting for keeping her the same...

 

Remember though keeping her the same means the Force is already with her. She was using it at the end of RotJ. So presumably she continued to use it some degree for the following 30 years. Question is did she get better at it & if so how much better?

 

Voted moderate.

 

I also voted moderate. I don't want her to be at or near an equal level with Luke, given that I think it's Luke who should be training her. But I would like to see some development. I don't know who would have the Force and not want to learn how to use it. Also, I think it helps the plot and makes sense. I would also like to see her with a lightsaber.

 

I concede there are some convincing arguments that Leia could be a Knight or Master by the time of the ST. I just find it more interesting if she's spurned serious training for personal reasons. It depends on what interests you most about the character: a conflicted interior or Force powers. I'm hoping for both, but I believe the conflicted interior will lead to moderate abilities and sporadic training. She could still use her powers as many imagine, in the realm of politics. And politics don't have to be boring -- it doesn't need to be represented as long monologue speeches, but cloak and dagger stuff. For example, Leia senses something wrong with a representative and searches their office, discovering a criminal transaction. If she doesn't use a saber, maybe she blasts a spy or criminal who are trying to buy someone off. It could be cool, and more OT style than Mega Force Powers 3000. Anyway, this is just my personal taste.

I do really like the scenario Darth Chiznuk lays out above.

I should also bring up the rumor of there being no Jedi Order at the beginning of the ST. If it wasn't rebuilt, that seems to suggest a possibility that Leia wasn't trained at all.

 

Type 'em on, post 'em up,
Post 'em up, type 'em out,
Type 'em on, post 'em out banhide!

 

Exactly, this was a point that I made earlier in the thread- yeah, Leia would be a great politician, but there would HAVE to be other great politicians just based on probabilities alone. On the other hand, when the manure hit the fan, there are no other Leia's in terms of force power (except Luke); IMO it just wouldn't make sense for them to not say, "Leia, come on and train, we need your powers in this desperate fight." The only plausible explanation (or IMO perhaps the only GOOD explanation) would be that Leia herself rejects this path for a long time, until it is an urgent necessity.

One point that I haven't seen made is that some force training actually could help her as a politician, so the 2 ideas aren't necessarily mutually exclusive; she could combine them in some way to be more effective in both.