I liked the Leia scene and I read it as intended: Leia instinctually acted to save her life with the latent powers we know her to have. Maybe the moment was too contrived or the execution a little funny, but it worked for me.
It was a bit out of place, she probably would of died in the explosion and would of exploded in space but who cares it was a way they could keep her alive.
People don’t explode in a vacuum. That’s a movie cliché that has no basis in reality.