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Post #1330935

Author
smpearce1981
Parent topic
The Last Jedi: Rekindled (Released)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1330935/action/topic#1330935
Date created
24-Mar-2020, 3:07 PM

I’ve been thinking about how much force sensitivity Leia demonstrates across the Sequel trilogy all day, to try and get a hold on whether the removal of Leia Poppins does present a thematic character inconsistency as we head into TROS.

I don’t think it does. At all.

As others have mentioned, Leia’s force sensitivity/skill has ONLY ever been implied since the reveal in ROTJ. And all that we’ve ever SEEN is that Leia is adept at being tuned in to the fates and feelings of her loved ones.

In ROTJ she recalls her mothers sadness, intuitively understands her family connection to Luke and senses/feels that Luke is safe and survived the explosion of the Death Star at the end.

In TFA she feels the death of Han.

In TLJ she senses Ben’s presence and turmoil in his fighter as he debates pulling the trigger on her. She also senses the death of Luke.

In TROS she senses the danger that both Ben and Rey are placing themselves in as they fight…and she chooses to intervene by reaching out to Ben.

This is the one instance where we see her pro-actively use her power to be more than just a passive observer, and under the circumstances, considering the stakes for both of her ‘children’ in that moment, it’s appropriate and relatable.

Leia’s force powers primarily seem to revolve around her intuition(?) and to that end it’s completely consistent in how it’s demonstrated across all 4 movies where force sensitivity has been an attributed to her character.

Infact, if you really think about it, you could argue that ‘Leia Poppins’ is the one instance where her use of the force completely deviates from all that came before and all that comes after, so maybe it’s removal is even more justified in order to maintain consistency.

It also means that her ONE defining force moment is now saved until TROS - the finale and it’s the moment that she reaches out to Ben in order to save Rey, and in so doing she gives her life.

Whether or not the importance/meaning of that moment stuck the landing when it came to it’s execution is another question entirely, but thematically the idea is quite powerful, so now that I’ve given it some actual thought, I’m even more convinced now that the removal of Leia Poppins is the right call. Not only within the context of TLJ, but TROS too.