The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Star Wars Reveals Leia Organa Wasn't Always Meant to be a General


Credit: Lucasfilm


When Leia Organa appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she has already become the general within the Resistance. She was a well-known politician and a leader in the original trilogy so her becoming a general isn't a shock. That said, it could have gone a totally different direction.

The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker book (via Yahoo) revealed that Leia's transition could have been difficult. The early drafts for the sequel trilogy show that Leia Organa wasn't beloved in all quarters. Lucasfilm's senior vice president of production Kiri Hart was quoted in the book, revealing that Michael Arndt's original treatment shows Leia would have been ostracized because she was Darth Vader's daughter.

"Cast out of the thing that she cared about the most — re-establishing the Republic — Leia is then at a loss as to what her role should be," the book quotes Hart. "All of that is really interesting."

"It's still conceivably stuff that we can use," he added. "I remember Michael saying at one point that Carrie [Fisher] is a survivor. And Leia is, as well, and that's what we are saying about her. Tapping into what that actor can do, what feels real to her."

Though the idea didn't make the cut, Leia's struggle of wanting to reestablish the public because of her familial connection isn't something new for the character. The general has had many difficult experiences in her life so it would have been interesting to see that play out in the sequel trilogy. Obviously, Abrams had other plans for the movie, but it would still have been a pretty cool idea.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available on Digital HD. The movie is set to release on Blu-Ray, DVD, and 4K UHD on March 31.

Also Read: Ashley Eckstein Reveals the Star Wars Character She'd Want Ahsoka to Meet

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Wars page.