It would be a massive understatement to say thatPrincess Leia OrganaandAnakin Skywalker/Darth Vaderhave a complicated father-daughter relationship, but this Force talent proves how alike they really are. The shocking plot twist that Darth Vader was really Luke Skywalker’s father inThe Empire Strikes Backis one of the most critical moments inStar Warsmovies and TV shows, and it led to Luke wanting to redeem rather than kill Vader. This redemption for Anakin was far from simple for Leia, though.
Return of the Jedionly minimally explored how Leia felt about Vader being her biological father (it wasn’t positive), and the sequel trilogy didn’t explore this plot too much more, beyond how obsessive Ben Solo/Kylo Ren became about this biological connection to one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith. Yet, canon books likeStar Wars: Bloodlineby Claudia Gray showed how painful this relation to Vader was for Leia and how it impacted her position in the New Republic. Despite this complex history, though,Leia’s strongest Force talent reveals that she truly is her father’s daughter.
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We Already Knew She Predicted Ben Solo’s Death—And She Was Actually Correct
Leia began exhibiting several Force powers in the sequel trilogy, ranging from pulling herself through space and back to safety on her ship inStar Wars: The Last Jedito appearing as a Force Ghost at the end ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Leia had already shown signs of Force sensitivity in the original trilogy, such as finding Luke by sensing him in the Force inThe Empire Strikes Back. The sequels made this much more explicit though, including by shockingly revealing inThe Rise of Skywalkerthat she had been trained by Luke Skywalker himself.
In the same movie, Luke revealed that Leia abandoned her Jedi path because she foresaw her son’s death at the end of it. Sadly, even with this choice to walk away from the life of a Jedi, Leia ended up being correct. InThe Rise of Skywalker, Leia effectively completed her Jedi journey by training Rey, and in the end, this resulted in Ben’s death on Exegol. This was more than just mother’s intuition;Leia was able to predict this fate for her son because she was experiencing Force visions—a Force talent that she evidently shared with her father.
Leia had abandoned her Jedi path because she foresaw her son’s death at the end of it.
Leia Shares This Power With Her Father, Anakin Skywalker
This Was A Power Anakin Clearly Possessed, Although It Was Also His Downfall
In addition to Leia’s ability to see the future being a testament to her strength in the Force,this is also a connection to her father, as Anakin Skywalker also had a clear knack for Force visions. In bothStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesandStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Anakin experienced Force visions. Sadly, just like with Leia, Anakin’s Force visions came true. This was first the case inAttack of the Cloneswith his mother being in terrible danger and then true with Padmé dying in childbirth.
Unfortunately, in Anakin’s case, this was a critical part of his undoing. Some of the mostdefining moments in Anakin’s fall to the dark sidestemmed from his visions, particularly his desperation to save Padmé’s life, which completely backfired and made him willing to become Darth Sidious' Sith apprentice and participate in Order 66. With such a dark history, there’s little doubt Leia would had this link between her power and her biological father’s, but this really does go to show just how similar the two remained, even with very little (and, of that little, horrible) contact.
Leia Might Resent Anakin, But She Really Is His Daughter
They Have More In Common Than Leia Would Likely Care To Admit
It’s impossible to really blame Leia for wanting nothing to do with her father and struggling to ever forgive him. Yes, he was redeemed at the end ofReturn of the Jedi, but Leia wasn’t there for that. Even had she been, she had suffered terrible torture at the hands of Darth Vader inA New Hope. It’s likely those final moments that redeemed him wouldn’t have been enough to undo that in Leia’s eyes.
Despite that,Star Warshas consistently proven just how like her biological father Leia really is. InObi-Wan Kenobiin particular, Obi-Wan tells Leia that she shares many traits with Anakin, including being passionate, fearless, and forthright, all of which are absolutely true of both of them. It’s genuinely heartbreaking that Anakin and Leia never got to know one another, as Leia would almost certainly have loved, looked up to, and seen so much of herself in Anakin. Even so, this talent with Force visions reinforces thatPrincess Leiaactually shared quite a bit with her biological father, Anakin Skywalker.
