How does Leia know about her mother?

I said it once, I will say it again. Leia, at the time she said her mother was beautiful but sad, had no idea that Vader was her father, Luke was her brother, and that anyone but the Organa's were her parents.

No continuity error at all.

 

So how come Leia didn't flinch when Luke asked her if she remembered her real mother? Come on, it is obvious that she knew she was adopted and she responded with memories of her birth mother.

KennyT, if what you argue was true, there would be no emotional resonance in that scene, because the whole point is that Luke and Leia are discussing their memories of their mother. Not Bail Organa's wife.

Face it, the scene as it was originally intended no longer works in the light of ROTS. Lucas will probably use this as an excuse to go back and alter ROTJ again.

 

Luke is asking Leia about her REAL mother.

Meaning there were 2 mothers, so if Leia didn't know already, she knew then, but there's no reaction.

 

I'm going to have to agree with the continuity error theory, mainly because I'm quite sure she knew she was adopted. It doesn't seem like something Bail would keep secret until she reached adulthood.

Aside from that, I have no other evidence to add that hasn't already been mentioned.

 

The key word here in what Luke said is "real". If he merely meant the queen of Alderaan, then he would have just said, "Leia, do you remember your mother?" In that case, why have Luke ask that question in the first place? It just doesn't have any bearing on the story.

 

Well, I am an adoptive father... and if someone asked me about the childs "real" father I would restrain myself from smacking them in the back of the head and respond that I am their "real" father. If what you say is true, why would'nt Luke have asked about her biological mother? Mrs Organa is the only real mother Leia would have ever known

 

Most definitely a plot hole.

==============================

Luke: Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?
Leia: Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.
Luke: What do you remember?
Leia: Just...images, really. Feelings.
Luke: Tell me.
Leia: She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad. Why are you asking me all this?
Luke: I have no memory of my mother. I never knew her.

==============================

Sorry, folks. Leia didn't see her real mother thru the Force. Otherwise, Luke would have also been able to see her.

And Leia's response about her mother being kind, beautiful and sad is a direct reference to Padme. You know it and I know it. That conversation is an important plot development and it wouldn't have been wasted on talking about Bail Organa's wife, someone insignfigant to the saga.

 

Time for another SE, Lucas.

 

Time for another SE, Lucas.

And unfortunately it will once again be the older films that "need" to be changed to "fit better" with the new. It's an old complaint by now, I know, but why on earth couldn't Lucas write his new movies without contradicting the old ones?

 

>> why on earth couldn't Lucas write his new movies without contradicting the old ones?

That's impossible. If you were painting a portrait and spent thirty years on it, you'd also tweak with it as you go along to make it better and to reflect modern times.

That's why, although I enjoy pointing out Star Wars flaws, I don't fault Lucas. When you produce something of this magnitude, there is bound to be a few glitches.

 

FurryFriend: For your 100% perfect quote of the lines in ROTJ, it's my greatest pleasure to proudly present you with.....



























....the Congressional Medal of Geekdom!

 

>>....the Congressional Medal of Geekdom!

hehehe...It's called Googling the ROTJ script

 

Why do you think that just because Luke can't remember his mother through the Force that Leia can't. Luke can do plenty of things through the Force that Leia can't do, so why is it so hard to believe that as part of Leia's innate connection to the Force, she can remember very vague feelings about her mother? Why does everything have to be so precise. It's a fairy tale, not a history text book. Have some imagination and quit being so cynical. It's a fictional, magical story. I think that the fact that a baby can remember her mother even though she died soon after giving birth is MUCH more believable than just about anything else in the whole story.

 

I like the future/past Force explanations.

I've heard plenty of people complain about this. This seems to be the biggest continuity complaint. Anyway, doesn't the conversation in ROTJ go:

Luke asks about Leia's real mother
Leia answers
Luke says he doesn't remember his
Luke reveals Vader is his father
Luke tells Leia she is his sister

So, if Leia is being asked about her "real" mother, she is either talking about Padme or the Queen of Alderaan. I think she knew all along that Bail wasn't her real father (I think this was the story all along, but I have the various books at home). So there are 2 possibilites:

1.) Bail told Leia that her real mother died when she was young and the Queen adopted her. Leia is thus referring to Padme.
2.) Bail never told her anything, and she thought the Queen was her real mother. The Queen dies shortly after ROTS and Bail remarries. Thus, Leia would have a memory of a "real" mother being the woman that was there before Bail's new wife. Leia is thus referring to the Queen.

I would tend to side with 1. because of the Vader reveal. Leia doesn't seem that surprised to find out that her real mother was getting it on with Darth Vader. I think Leia's reaction in ROTJ would have been different had she thought the Queen of Alderaan and Darth Vader were her parents. I think she knew that Bail and the Queen were her step-parents. Just a gut feeling.

So why does she remember Padme? I personally always thought Leia was full of it. How could a child that young remember anything? I think my earliest memories go back to when I was about 3 or so. I see pictures before that and I have no memory of those events. I'm sure there is a psychologist or someone like that who could better explain birth memory theory, since we are basically dealing with Leia being minutes old when Padme dies.

But the Force explanation (Leia feels Padme through the Force) covers the hole, and quite nicely.

 

I don't think Lucas watches his own movies when developing his treatments. To kill Padme so immediately and leave such a gap of continuity. We're talking about The Mother of Luke & Leia here. I mean she gives birth to two of the most important characters to the entire saga.

 

>> why on earth couldn't Lucas write his new movies without contradicting the old ones? <<

>> That's impossible. <<

Er, no it's not.

 

This matter is the only thing that really bothered me about Episode III.


"Perhaps George Lucas made a mistake."

I think this explanation is the best one. The whole memory through the force theory sucks.

 

hehehe...It's called Googling the ROTJ script

Ahh, I seee, you cheated then!

Luke can do plenty of things through the Force that Leia can't do,

Only 'cause he's been trained to do so, whilst Leia hasn't. At the time of ROTJ, Leia is at the very same point that Luke was at the very beginning of ANH.

So, if Leia is being asked about her "real" mother, she is either talking about Padme or the Queen of Alderaan.

If Leia didn't know about Padme, then why is it that she wasn't puzzled when Luke asked about her "real" mother. If the queen of Alderaan was the only mother that she ever knew, then she would've asked, "What do you mean, my real mother? I've only ever had one mother, the queen of Alderaan!"

 

Then I also ignore that on the next page Obi Wan starts talking about his "brother" Owen.

Yep, I always knew that originally Owen was Obi-Wan's brother. Oh well, yet another thing that was changed for the worse.

 

Hi guys this is my first post so be gentle!

As many have stated already, the simple answer is that it is a plothole. No way to get around it!! However,the alternative, which was to have Padme survive child birth doesn't really fit

Why would a mother who just gave birth agree to have her son sent to a backwater planet to be raised by strangers??? If she can go into hiding with Leia, why not keep Luke with her. Actually, the fact that that she would agree to such an agreement has always bothered me.Yes, from the point of view of the Jedi, separating them is a good strategy, but I doubt Padme would willing do this and I doubt Obi-wan and Yoda would have forced here to do it.

I guess maybe GL could have shown Padme go into hiding with the twins and then, after her death, some time later, have the children separated, but then the ROTS ehding would have been alot more complicated.

I'm not a GL apologist, but on this one, I think he made the right call IMO. Padme dying in childbirth simplified the ending and added poignancy to the story.

 

Only 'cause he's been trained to do so, whilst Leia hasn't. At the time of ROTJ, Leia is at the very same point that Luke was at the very beginning of ANH.

Or the very same point that Anakin is at in TPM. and he's able to see the future. it's funny to me that jedi seeing the future is fine but it's just ridiculous for Leia to have a vague memory of the past. you know, something that's already happened.

Anyway. Here's what Lucas said about this is in The Annotated Screenplays in 1997:

"The man Leia called Father was obviously not her father. He is part of the group that ends up having to fight Darth Vader in the film that will be out in 2003 (laughs). The part that I never really developed is the death of Luke and Leia's mother. I had a backstory for her in earlier drafts, but it basically didn't survive. When I got to Jedi, I wanted one of the kids to have some kind of memeory of her because she will be a key figure in the new episodes I'm writing. But I really debated on whether or not Leia should remember her."

 

"Through the force, things you will see...other places. The future, the past, OLD FRIENDS LONG GONE."

Sorry, folks. Leia didn't see her real mother thru the Force. Otherwise, Luke would have also been able to see her.
Just because Leia had visions of Padme doesn't mean that Luke would.

 

And the medal of rationality goes to:

Ogmios22188 & Sanjiro

I love these people who claim that Luke should have the same memories as well...total bunk. Do you remember everything your sister/brother does? Hell no. If you say otherwise, you're a liar.

 

Let's keep in mind that the novelizations, aside from that of ANH, are part of the EU, not the normal continuity, because they were written by someone other than Lucas. We fans have come to accept them as fact while speculating about the PT's mysteries. Now that the entire saga has been released, what is in the movies is the only thing we can accept as Star Wars fact.

At any rate, Leia remembering her mother is easily explained away with the notion that babies sometimes hapharzardly remember "images and feelings" of their mother while they are still in the womb.