Here’s a (possibly?) controversial decision I’ve made. I’m keeping the Leia flying into the Raddus stuff. Poppa’s edit removes it, but I really think it works quite well in novel form for the following reasons:
- There are multiple pages beforehand devoted to what Leia learned from Luke about the Force in her training.
- No wonky CGI effects that make her look like Mary Poppins.
- Descriptions of what’s going on with her body while she’s out in space which imo makes things more believable.
Honestly, the only reason I don’t like Leia flying in the movie is because of the CGI. I don’t dislike the idea in general (especially since it’s built up in the novel), so I think this works fine.
I agree with your approach. Leia’s survival in space is good on paper, with a rather questionable execution (between the buildup, CGI and the cinematography). Its exclusion from movie fan-edits makes sense but it would work nicely if kept in the book.