Was Leia about to harness the Force? To longtime Star Wars fans, this might seem like a question an amateur would ask. Was our favourite rebel princess, Leia Skywalker Organa Solo, Force-sensitive? However, it is what came up in our Google Search Console queries, so we’d answer it.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to know more about your favourite characters. That is why we’re here. So, was Leia Force-sensitive? Yes, she was. However, she used her abilities differently from her twin brother, Luke and biological father, Anakin. We answered this same question in our last article about Leia and Luke’s paternal grandmother, Shmi Skywalker Lars. We also referenced a Legends sourcebook mentioning Leia and Luke possessed approximately 14.5k, midi-chlorian count each. What this would be in canon material is unknown.
Not Always Heredity
Due to her Force-sensitive biological lineage, there was every chance Leia would have a high midi-chlorian count. There was also a fifty-fifty chance she could wield Force, given her father was one of the galaxy’s most powerful Force users.
What’s more, Leia started training as a Jedi with her brother, but she opted out before giving birth to her son, Ben Solo. She also chose to use her abilities in a passive manner rather than in a physical form.
Leia And Her Childhood
Upon being adopted by Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Breha Organa, as a newborn, they were made aware that their daughter could someday show signs of Force sensitivity. Though, it is unclear whether they did notice anything. When Luke reveals that they’re twins, Leia learns about her Force sensitivity as an adult.
Bail was friends with Leia’s biological mother, Padmé Amidala and had an acquaintance with Anakin. Given he was present at Luke and Leia’s births, Organa put the pieces together. He knew who their father was and would’ve told Breha in confidence. We spoke about this in an article a couple of weeks ago.
There were times when Leia could easily read people, like her cousin, Niano, who discovered he was afraid of his father. Whether this comes down to her Force sensitivity is unclear. However, she could also correctly guess that Obi-Wan knew her birth mother, leading her to question whether he was her father.
We know that Obi-Wan could read Anakin’s emotions when he was a padawan regarding his worries over his mother’s safety. So, this might be a clue to her using the Force and not realising what she was doing. Years later, she can sense her husband Han’s death at the hands of their son. She would also feel her brother’s passing sometime after this.
Leia Force-Sensitive After Meeting Luke
Leia’s time after the destruction of Alderaan led her to meet the brother she never knew she had. While she and Luke are not aware they’re even related, she kisses him to get back at Han for being an annoyance to her. Later, she goes to his aid after his fight with Vader on Cloud City, where he loses his hand and Anakin’s lightsaber.
She sent Lando to Luke’s location because she could sense his presence through the Force. Despite being in agony from his injuries, Luke can reach out to Leia through the Force, not knowing she could feel him.
Luke’s recovery and the later discovery that Vader is her biological father sent Leia on a journey of self-discovery. When she and Han decided to have children, they both were worried that Leia’s Force-sensitive, passed to her by her birth father, would cause issues for any child they had.
They ignored their fears and conceived a son, Ben, named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, who used the name Ben when he was hiding on Tatooine. It was also a nickname given to him by Duchess Satine Kryze, his late love.
Ben would inherit his mother’s Force sensitivity; his power would eclipse hers, his Uncle Luke’s, and his grandfather’s. From conception, both sides of the Force fought for control, with Leia able to sense it within.
Who Could Sense Leia’s Force Sensitivity Before She Discovered Her True Paternity?
To end this post, we wanted to examine who could sense Leia before she learned Anakin/Vader was her father. Of course, we’re not going to include Luke, as we’ve just mentioned him. So, who knew about her being able to use the Force?
Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the Organas knew about Leia’s Force sensitivity. Bail, Kenobi, and Yoda were present when Leia and Luke were born. By extension, Breha knew as her husband had informed her of the possibility, and she was aware of their daughter’s birth parents.
R2-D2 would’ve also known as he was close to both Anakin and Padmé and did not have his memory erased as he could be trusted. C-3PO had to have his memory wiped because of what he could tell the Empire if he was ever captured.
In conclusion, Leia’s Force sensitivity was a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, it damaged her reputation because of her genetic ties, which were not her fault or that of Anakin. The manipulations that Palpatine used to turn Anakin were wicked and cruel. He also used similar tactics on Ben, knowing he was constantly conflicted.
Leia used her abilities in a meaningful way; to help oppressed and frightened people speak out. It doesn’t make her a wrong person. Her father’s fall was bought about by a man who hated the idea of ruling the galaxy forever.
