Rumor: More Details About Leia's Role in 'The Force Awakens'

By: Dominic Jones

In honor of the release of Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 by Marvel Comics today, our friends over at MakingStarWars.net have posted a bevy of new information relating to the role Princess Leia will play in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.  Up until now, little had been known about Leia's role in the new film, especially when compared to what we know (or think we know) about Luke and Han.  As usual there is a chance this may turn out not to be true but it you are trying to avoid all The Force Awakens spoilers then stop reading now.  This is your official SPOILER ALERT!

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According to Jason Ward from Making Star Wars here is what Leia will be up to in The Force Awakens,

• Leia sends an emissary to Rose’s planet who is killed by the “Catapult” weapon of the Empire.
• The sequence in which Han Solo and Princess meet for the first time in the film is described as “awkward.”
• She is described as a Queen on the main cast list.
• At one point she tells Rebel pilot Poe Dameron his squadron is all that survived. He reluctantly obeys her orders.
• She appears to still be a prominent leader of the Rebel Alliance.
• Leia wants to know what Finn knows (presumably about the Empire).
• Towards the middle of the film, in the Map Room of the Rebel Base, Leia has a secret “up her sleeve,” involving her own weapon called “The Sledgehammer” by the production.
• Without storyboards, “The Sledgehammer” is difficult to understand but appears to be a kamikaze-like craft capable of taking down Star Destroyer sized spacecrafts.
• Leia is proud of this weapon.
• Rose tells Leia she thinks the sword found inside BB-8 should be with Finn so Leia hands the lightsaber over to him.
• Leia and Han still argue.
• The last thing Han says to Leia before he leaves for the final mission is “I’ll hurry back.”
• When Kylo and Han meet again, it cuts to Leia who feels “a disturbance in the Force” so to speak.
• There is no indication she is a Jedi or started upon that path with her brother.
• Leia is elated when it appears Luke has been found.
• At the end of the film, Leia and Rey have a special goodbye in which she bids Rey “a fond farewell.”

The suggestion that Han and Leia's first meeting is awkward seems to be more evidence that Han and Leia are not together in the film.  But then there's Han's "Ill hurry back" which suggests that at the very least they still care deeply about one another.   Also, the idea that Leia is very proud of a weapon is also a surprising one as I can't see Leia really acting that way, having been one of the few people to witness the full might of the Death Star.  But then lots can change over 30 years.  Her actions/behavior around this weapon may have been what led to her and Han splitting up.  

As for her final scene with Rey, this to me serves as more evidence that they are mother and daughter.  This could also provide an explanation for why the sequence when she and Han's first meeting in the film is awkward, without having the two of them split up.  If Rey is truly their daughter and truly off living on her own, is there a chance that she has become estranged from her parents?  This would make a reunion for the three of them quite awkward if they haven't spoken in a few years.

Also, I love the idea of Leia sensing Han's death through the Force (even if she isn't a Jedi in the film) the same way Obi-Wan sensed the destruction of Alderaan in Episode IV or the way Yoda sensed Order 66 in Episode III.

As always, this is just a rumor until confirmed or denied by Lucasfilm or Disney.

Source: MakingStarWars.net

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