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One of the best surprises from #TheRiseOfSkywalker for me was the reveal that Leia took on the role as Rey's Jedi teacher after the Battle of Crait. That was so unexpected and brought such a huge smile to my face.
A thread I've been working on for a while now is finally here:
A thread I've been working on for a while now is finally here:
First off, let me say: what we got in TROS was great and more than enough to get me on board but I'd love to get like a one-shot comic or something to explore this and see what Leia was like as a Jedi teacher. We have seen her as a mentor to Poe and, to some degree, Finn but...
... I feel being a Jedi mentor is a league of its own. Very different to the lessons she offered anyone else at any other point in her life.
I think her time training Rey between the movies, specifically from Leia's POV, would be very interesting and definitely worth exploring.
I think her time training Rey between the movies, specifically from Leia's POV, would be very interesting and definitely worth exploring.
Like Kanan, Leia's Jedi training was incomplete and she was out of touch with it for many years as far as we know. I wonder if that affected her decision.
Did she feel she was up to the task? Did she volunteer to do it or did she need to be persuaded by Luke or Rey herself, etc.
Did she feel she was up to the task? Did she volunteer to do it or did she need to be persuaded by Luke or Rey herself, etc.
Now I have to admit, watching the film for the first time, it didn't immeditately register to me. When Leia tells Rey to "be patient" in this first scene, I thought it was just some general wisdom. It didn't occur to me that might have been a lesson by a master to an apprentice.
Maybe that was due to my autism.
I thought Leia was being a general guide for Rey, like the way Yoda was to Ezra. She would have a lot to offer as she has 30+ years of experience coming to grips with the Force and her powers. She was bound to have advice for Rey here and there.
I thought Leia was being a general guide for Rey, like the way Yoda was to Ezra. She would have a lot to offer as she has 30+ years of experience coming to grips with the Force and her powers. She was bound to have advice for Rey here and there.
Then came this scene and I won't lie, when I heard Rey call Leia "Master," I actually gasped as it finally hit me. It was the first point in TROS that made me emotional.
It changed assumptions I had made but I didn't even care. I was on board for Jedi Master Leia immediately.
It changed assumptions I had made but I didn't even care. I was on board for Jedi Master Leia immediately.
After TLJ, I, like I think many others, assumed that Rey would use the Jedi texts from Ahch-To to complete her training (which was still kinda true) and I was more than fine with that. That made sense to me.
But like in real life, there's only so much you can learn from books.
But like in real life, there's only so much you can learn from books.
That's a lesson Anakin relays to Ahsoka, either in the TCW movie or early on in the show.
He says that Ahsoka's learning would be extremely limited just reading about stuff in the Archives.
Think of any subject, ever. Did you ever learn EVERYTHING by just reading it in a book?
He says that Ahsoka's learning would be extremely limited just reading about stuff in the Archives.
Think of any subject, ever. Did you ever learn EVERYTHING by just reading it in a book?
The truth is the greatest lessons, the ones that REALLY drive home, are not the ones written on paper. They're the ones taught through experiencing things first hand or passed down from those with that experience.
It's true for Ahsoka, it's true for Rey, it's true in real life.
It's true for Ahsoka, it's true for Rey, it's true in real life.
Rey would no doubt learn a lot from the books but to make full use of them, she'd need someone with the experience of controlling their connection to the Force to guide her.
And once I realised what was happening, it instantly made more sense to me than Rey just using the books.
And once I realised what was happening, it instantly made more sense to me than Rey just using the books.
So who better to guide Rey into the final stages of her story than the daughter of the Chosen One?
Leia Skywalker Organa Solo.
Leia Skywalker Organa Solo.
Leia was already one of my favourites in Star Wars so, besides the story potential, why did this hit me so hard and make me love her character even more? Very simple.
It gave Leia a role in the story I never would have thought possible going in.
It gave Leia a role in the story I never would have thought possible going in.
And this goes hand-in-hand with the reveal that Leia actually DID do full on Jedi training with Luke. Again, I LOVED this sequence.
It truly connected to her Skywalker heritage, which before TROS, I felt had been kind of lacking in canon.
Picking up where her brother left off.
It truly connected to her Skywalker heritage, which before TROS, I felt had been kind of lacking in canon.
Picking up where her brother left off.
Following the path of both him and their father before them.
I thought her using the Force in TLJ would be the closest thing we'd get to that but now being able to really hold her in the same regard as other Jedi like Luke, Yoda, etc., is something I wouldn't trade for anything.
I thought her using the Force in TLJ would be the closest thing we'd get to that but now being able to really hold her in the same regard as other Jedi like Luke, Yoda, etc., is something I wouldn't trade for anything.
But more relevant to the story:
Leia was why Sidious' plans fell apart.
She trained Rey, preparing her for confronting her own dark lineage.
Her last act robbed Sidious of Kylo Ren, a potential vessel for his spirit.
She truly felt like a pivotal part of the saga's finale.
Leia was why Sidious' plans fell apart.
She trained Rey, preparing her for confronting her own dark lineage.
Her last act robbed Sidious of Kylo Ren, a potential vessel for his spirit.
She truly felt like a pivotal part of the saga's finale.
Lastly, I want to bring up a fan edit of the Jedi Voices scene I saw a while back.
It's a very simple edit yet it's one of the best ones IMO. When Luke tells Rey "The Force will be with you", his "always" is removed and replaced with Leia's, as heard in the trailers for TROS.
It's a very simple edit yet it's one of the best ones IMO. When Luke tells Rey "The Force will be with you", his "always" is removed and replaced with Leia's, as heard in the trailers for TROS.
Someone pointed out in the comments that in it, Rey hears Leia's voice moments before Rey summons her lightsaber to fight Darth Sidious. Like the Jedi giving Rey strength, Leia is literally giving Rey the tool she needs for the last stand against him. That's incredibly powerful.
Now I love Jedi Voices for what it is. It's my favourite scene in the movie. The scene that brought the prequel, original and sequel trilogies together. I'll never forget the awe of hearing all those voices of the Jedi of old from both the films and TV shows. It was amazing.
I just feel like not having it as we heard in the trailers: both Skywalker twins giving Rey, their apprentice, those final words of encouragement is a bit of a shame. I know other content includes her with the other Jedi and it does not at all ruin the scene we got for me at all.
And if you do enjoy this scene yourselves, I urge you to not let what I've said change what you think of it either. It's just one of those small nitpicks you think of long after the fact. Nothing more.
Link to the edit if anyone wants to check it out:
Link to the edit if anyone wants to check it out:
And that's it. My first big thread.
I did not expect it to go for this long when I started but I had a blast writing this so if you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.
Hope to have more threads like this soon.
Thanks again and MTFBWY!
I did not expect it to go for this long when I started but I had a blast writing this so if you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.
Hope to have more threads like this soon.
Thanks again and MTFBWY!
