Star Wars: Here's Why Luke and Leia's Flashback Scene in The Rise of Skywalker was Cut Short

One of the most epic scenes in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the flashback sequence showing Luke training her sister, Leia. That part was just briefly seen in the movie, with the late Carrie Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, as the stand-in for the young version of the character. And as it turns out, the flashback scene was originally way longer.

In a recent interview with Screen Rant, stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart reveals the scene actually had a complicated choreography, but it had to be cut shorter. "I think it's just that the story changed slightly," she said. "I think it didn't fit the time length of the movie, because that scene was about a minute and 20 seconds. It was brought down to something like 20 seconds, so I did hear back that it was just for the time."

Huthart pointed out that if an action scene doesn't make it in the final cut, it's usually because it's not related to the story and it won't be used so it won't occupy time in the film for more relevant scenes. "And to be honest, the fighting wasn't story related," she said. "It was just the beat at the end, to let Luke know she was pregnant. So, the only bit that they held on to was the very end of it."

The scene briefly explained why Leia abandoned her Jedi training, but it would have been a cool addition in the film to show more of the Young Leia wielding the lightsaber. That said, the flashback sequence was an effective way to explain Leia's decision, show a little bit of the past, and tie the ninth and final installment to the original trilogy movie.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now available on Digital HD and hits 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 31.

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