Speculation Should Leia be a Jedi or Politician in the ST?

She should be able to do both

 

I'm expecting Jedi being somewhat re-envisioned, so what people know from the books about Jedi methods and behavior might not apply at all. Not having read any of that since Dark Force Rising, I'm open to Leia being a different kind of Jedi if she is one. I think this all depends on Carrie Fisher...or ILM.

 

I'm leaning towards a politician or just an old lady that sits rocking in a chair babbling and drooling - either or..

 

I am hoping for neither. Maybe a retired politician who has to come back to help Luke get back to Tosche Station to get his power converters.

 

I'm thinking she should be the Jedi liaison to the Supreme Chancellor, that way neither her Force talents nor her political talents will be wasted.

 

Politician no doubt, takes over from her mother Padme.

 

I also hate the idea that every Force-sensitive is either a Jedi or a Sith.

 

I do, too, but I think Leia would probably go the Jedi route, given her brother's the first of the new Jedi and she's the obvious choice for the 2nd. Maybe she won't self-identify as "Jedi" after so many years, and not actively be part of Luke's new order (if it is, indeed, a new order he's creating), but I think she'll have become a full Jedi to start, even if she 'quit' being a Jedi later.

 

There is nothing definitive on this subject, despite the way some seem to be talking about it.

My personal vision is more that she would be a great leader, as that is more her place in SW. I would see her as behind the scenes having developed some powers of the force, but never being an official Jedi, and never using them in a situation such as a full-fledged light saber battle. Perhaps they would assist her in her position of leadership, or in some adventure scene, in a visionary sense.

I wouldn't hate on it either way if they did a good job of blending it into the story, but as I see it now, it would be best if she didn't actually become a Jedi as part of the story.

 

I don't see her as a full fledged Jedi. She never received training from the old order or the acknowledgement Luke did. Since I don't see Leia doing things half-way, I imagine her completely rejecting or in denial about her force abilities like she was in the EU.

 

...until they invented Mon Mothma for ROTJ. If I were to remake that movie, I'd dump Mothma's role, put Leia in her place, and have Luke arrive at the briefing just as it starts instead of after Madine was done talking and the briefing dissolves--so Luke would be the one to say "I wonder who they got to pull that off?" (yes, it robs Leia of the surprised reaction--the scoundrel now promoted, 'respectable', leading a Rebel group on a dangerous mission, but in return she's back in a leadership role instead of being completely out of the loop--then a small insert where she's sneaked aboard the shuttle without letting the rest of Rebel High Command know, not wanting to let Han outta her sight again).

Ahem...anyway. Her as a leader is fine, of course.... but definitely needs at least SOME training.

She doesn't need training from the old order, or the acknowledgement Luke had. They banked on Luke first; now, they're gone. Luke's the 'last' Jedi, first of the new--and Leia's the first available student for him. "The Force runs strong in your family, pass on what you have learned" is advice from Yoda to teach Leia as well as passing it on to any kids Luke or Leia might have (since their children would likely be strong with the Force as they are). Luke's training happened quickly... while he was learning on his own, pretty much, for a few years, his formal training only amounted to a couple weeks' intensive work and whatever he managed to do himself in the year between ESB and ROTJ while plotting Han's rescue. Surely Leia can spare the time to get trained on a schedule similar to Luke's, and then have that whole skillset under her belt for whatever she ultimately decides to do with her life after that.

The EU didn't know what to do with Leia... they kept advancing her Jedi skills, but by the next story she'd be back to barely being trained at all and more involved in political or motherly concerns. Don't use their example. Having Leia only FINALLY become a full Jedi Knight decades after the OT--long after her own kids became Knights--was pretty damn silly of the EU to do.

 

i see her as Queen or Supreme Chancellor type and maybe in 8 or 9 at a time of great peril discovers latent skills but would love to see her use an abandoned or dropped lightsaber sayiing 'well someones got to save our skins' after another botched rescue

 

Is it plausible in the Star Wars universe for a force sensitive person to not be a jedi? Maybe in the classic jedi order it is not allowed.

Old Carrie Fisher with a lightsaber would be odd.

I can see a more flexible use of the force in Episode VII. I could buy a jedi order with married jedis who have kids and a force sensitive Leia on an important politic role. She was a diplomatic princess after all.

 

The Cicero of the new Senate - a former chancellor who now is a orator / mediator.

 

I very much agree with this. By the time Episode VII begins, even if Leia has had to devote part of her time to politics and so hasn't been able to hone her Jedi abilities as much as Luke, she could certainly have reached the rank of Jedi Knight. Heck, if the Jedi Master rank is more a matter of wisdom and mental balance/fortitude than sheer Force power (as seems implied by Anakin never receiving the rank of Jedi Master despite his vast Force abilities), then Leia might even be a Jedi Master by Ep VII's beginning, a voice of reason and realism to act as a foil to her more idealistic counterparts on the Jedi Council.

 

A deranged politician who wants to pass laws putting tariffs on power converters and requiring all Wookiees to shave.

 

A vote for species reassignment surgery failure. She'll be some sort of mutant human/Gungan hybrid that can shoot Sith lightning from her duckbill.

 

To each his/her own. I personally was very happy to see Leia becoming a politician. That's the role she seemed groomed for in the movies. Moreover, being chief of state is a pretty powerful and interesting position. Now, I think the EU turned it into a boring role because really we saw Leia more often taking leave from her duties in the books (the sole exception being the Black Fleet Crisis). Unfortunately, Bantam era authors seemed unsure how to make Leia The Politician interesting for readers.

 

As much as I want to see the big three return to the big screen, I don't think they'll get as much screen time this time around, Carrie included. That said, I don't think I want to see her engaged in any full-on lightsaber duels, it would be cool to see her bust out a lightsaber or force tricks to defend herself at some point, in the spirit of the leia from ANH.

 

totally agree with this. Ive also just thought of a scene id like to see : Leia, in medative mood, in stately robes in a chapel esque type room or maybe evenjust her chamber and around her on the walls, pictures (images if you will), of her mother and father and Bail Organa...but they are not still, they are holocrons or maybe she is making moving the pictures move with her mind (maybe a small cameo role for Natalie, Mr Smits and Hayden here) - i guess a bit like Harry Potter sees his parents........ then maybe a noise, Anakin winks and She turns and slays and attacker hidden in the shadows.....

 

Where's the option for "Both"?

I don't see why she can't fill in both roles. There are even Jedi Masters that have served as Supreme Chancellors. A Jedi serving as a Senator wouldn't be amiss.

 

Hey, the Jedi need political representation, too. Where's the justice. I wonder if the Jedi pay taxes?

 

For Leia not to be trained would make no sense whatsoever. At the end of ROTJ there is ONE Jedi left, with a sibling with SUPER Force potential. And then Luke *doesn't* train her? Yoda and Obi Wan would spin around in their blue-ghost graves.

So, yeah, Leia should be a Jedi. Even if that's not her main role in life. But I"d love to see her brandishing a light saber at least once. No, she doesn't need to do elaborate back flips or anything (after all, did we see Obi Wan OR Vader do that in the OT??), but just seeing her hold one (with the implication that she can use it) would be good enough for me. I would be very pleased.

 

I would love to see Leia in some political meeting and have some bad guy come in starting to blast away, only to have her disarm him.
Reminiscent of what Vader did to Han.