A mystery indeed! Princess Leia is the first woman in the original Star Wars movie to have a starring role in the main narrative. Beru Lars was a secondary female character in a film full of male characters. When the prequel films came out, we discovered the order in which the heir to the throne of Alderaan and her twin brother, Luke Skywalker, was born.
However, one question remained; how did Leia have memories and feelings of their mother, Padmé Amidala, but not Luke? We did a post on this a couple of years ago regarding the oldest of the twins. This time, we’re focusing on the youngest of the two. Some of the answers here will be the same as in the previous post.
Leia Had More Time In The Womb
As the younger twin, Leia spent more time in the womb than Luke. So it’s possible she felt her mother’s emotions before her birth. Now, there are two ways this could play out. The first is through the bond between mother and child, while the second is through the Force.
We learned in the Sequel Trilogy that Leia gave up being a Jedi after experiencing a Force vision of her having to kill her son. We also discover that, unlike her biological father and brother, she uses her abilities passively rather than physically.
Leia’s ability to recall memories of Padmé when Luke could not be part of this ability.
Bail Used To Talk About Padmé
Leia followed in Padmé’s footsteps and became a politician. Her adoptive father, Bail Organa, was friends with Padmé during their time in the Galactic Senate.
It makes sense that Bail might’ve told his daughter about her biological mother and said that they were friends. Another thought is that he might’ve shown her holo-footage. Also, it brings up the question of whether Breha and Bail will be mentioned in Andor. Will Padmé be referenced as a founding member of the Delegation of 2000?
Research
Given her Force Sensitivity, Leia might have worked out that she was adopted on her own and researched her biological mother by using the faint memories she had of her as a guide.
Or, she could’ve been told by her adoptive parents of her adoption, and she searched for answers independently. Though, that’s like asking whether Leia and Vader could sense each other.
