This Star Wars Fan Theory Answers a Major Princess Leia Plot Hole

Fan theories are a thing of beauty – they can keep fandoms alive and help to explain away any problems or plotholes. This is true even for major franchises such as Star Wars. Even a cult classic like the Original Trilogy can have its plotholes, especially as the world continues to expand. One major plothole surrounding Princess Leia came up when the Prequel Trilogy hit theatres, as a passing conversation suddenly made no sense. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Leia describes her memories of their mother to Luke, whom she recently learned is her twin. However, events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith make the timeline clear – the twins never got any time with their mother. The good news is that one fan theory may help to explain this little problem.

Fans have long debated Padme’s ending in Revenge of the Sith. Their reactions included disappointment in the manner of Padme’s death and confusion regarding the medical sciences of the time. Then there’s the obvious problem of Padme dying within minutes of giving birth to her twins. To phrase it another way, Leia didn’t get to spend much time with her mother, so how does she have memories of her? Thankfully, two fan theories can potentially put this concern to rest. Credit to Reddit users for these theories; while they may not be entirely new, they still have our minds working hard to connect the dots.

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Forced Memories

Tucked in a thread about fan-favorite Star Wars theories, there’s a fun one to help explain the incongruities in Leia’s memories. According to a Reddit fan theory by Renzo, there’s a possible excuse for Leia’s words, and it has nothing to do with lying. As fans are well aware, the Force can sometimes work in mysterious ways. It’s entirely possible that Leia, with her Force sensitivity, received visions of her mother. If she got these visions when she was young enough, it would be entirely understandable that she mistook them for memories. It’s not like there was anybody around to explain it to her…

This theory is further evidenced by Leia’s description of her mother as beautiful, kind, and sad. If true, this implies that she likely had visions from the last few days of Padme’s life. In a way, it makes the most sense that Leia would get a vision of the time Padme was pregnant with the twins. The whole theory fits shockingly well, which explains why this isn’t the first time a fan has posited this theory.

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A Second Potential Explanation

While most fans are ready and willing to accept theories such as the one above, there’s another potential explanation for Leia’s memories. Once again, it involves her getting information at a young age and later mistaking it as a memory. As pointed out by user “ER_Support_Plant17,” this theory relies on details from the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, in which Obi-Wan rescues and meets the young Princess Leia. During the series, these two have plenty of time for a heart-to-heart, and the subject of Leia’s mother comes up. Unsurprisingly, a curious child such as Leia would jump at the opportunity to learn about her mother, which she eagerly does.

Admittedly, Obi-Wan’s description of Padme varies from Leia’s memories. Instead, he accurately describes the woman as a leader, stubborn and fearless. But he does mention that she’s also passionate and kind. These details could have contributed to little Leia’s view of her mother. Given her young age, it’s both believable and possible that she would later mistake these details for memories. It’s the sort of thing children are inclined to do. Adding a traumatic experience boosts this theory, as our memories can do funny things during times such as these.

The best part about the above theories is that they are not mutually exclusive. Both theories can be true simultaneously. Perhaps young Leia had Force visions of her mother, and Obi-Wan’s reminiscence helped to solidify those visions into faux memories. Alternatively, Obi-Wan’s descriptions of Padmé may have even triggered Leia’s Force visions – once again explaining the situation.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are all available to stream on Disney+.