Star Wars Comic Possibly Reveals Why Leia Never Pursued Jedi Training

In Return of the Jedi, audiences learned that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker had a twin in Leia Organa, immediately making audiences wonder if she had the same abilities he had. In The Last Jedi, we finally got to see Leia use her Force abilities, which didn’t appear to be as strong as Luke’s. In Star Wars #40, we may have an answer as to why Leia never pursued Jedi training, as her father’s final words to her emphasized the importance of committing herself to the Rebellion.

In the issue, which takes place after the original film and The Empire Strikes Back, Leia, Luke and Han visit Jedha in hopes of preventing the Empire from mining what remains of the former Jedi Temple and its Kyber crystals. While there, Leia relays to Luke one of the last interactions she shared with her father Bail Organa, who devoted much of his life to the Rebel Alliance.

The exchange takes place shortly before the Battle of Scarif, with Bail entrusting his daughter with getting the Darth Star plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi, no matter what it cost.

“This is the most important thing I’ve ever asked of you,” Bail explained. “It’s the most important thing I’ve ever asked of anyone.”

This moment left such an impact on Leia, she took his words to heart, not just for this mission but for the rest of her life.

“We didn’t realize then, but it was a mission briefing for my whole life. Any time I stumble, I go back to that,” Leia explained. “He trusted me to finish this. I will finish this.”

On its own, this outlook doesn’t reveal Leia’s priorities, but Luke retorts that he feels he has no other choice than to pursue a life as a Jedi.

Leia, however, replied, “You know what I feel most? Duty. And knowing that I have to live up to it. We don’t all get to be dreamers.”

These words, and the actions we’ve seen demonstrated in the live-action films, Star Wars Rebels and comic books, portray Leia as a political and military leader above all else, seemingly not having the luxury of abandoning her responsibilities to seek out training from a Jedi Master.

Despite Leia’s display of Force abilities, Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson recently confirmed for an audience, and for Daisy Ridley, that Leia was not a Jedi.

“Because I wasn’t so knowledgeable of the Star Wars thing, I still have questions about what it all means,” Ridley recently questioned to an audience a screening. “Like when people talk about Jedi and stuff like that I remember having a conversation with one of our executive producers on VII, Michelle, and I said, ‘But surely Leia’s a Jedi, because she’s Force sensitive and she’s challenged.’ She’s not challenged in the same ways as Luke, but like she’s doing stuff for the good and everything like that. I still don’t quite have my answer, like is she a Jedi? I dunno.”

Not wanting Ridley’s comments to be taken out of context, Johnson confirmed, “No, she’s not a Jedi.”

You can see Leia, who is definitely not a Jedi, in The Last Jedi, in theaters now.