Star Wars' Leia Organa learned that Darth Vader was her father towards the end of Return of the Jedi, but the film never really allowed itself the time to explore her reaction. Now, a new Lucasfilm book is set to change all that.
Titled The Princess and the Scoundrel, the novel was penned by Beth Revis, and will finally clue fans in on the princess's state of mind after Luke Skywalker told her the truth about himself and their dad. An except published by the studio picks up in the wake of the Battle of Endor, as a clearly conflicted Leia talks with Luke after he burned Vader's body in a funeral pyre.
Welcoming of Luke being her sibling, Leia can't understand why he so easily accepts that Vader is their close relation. Leia reflects on the interrogation she endured at Vader's hands in A New Hope, and ultimately puts their different attitudes down to the fact that "Luke had never been tortured by their biological father the way she had."
Return of the Jedi essentially forcing Leia to swallow admittedly bad news, and jump right back into the action, follows on from her having to do the same when she discovered that Alderaan had been destroyed in the first Star Wars movie. But this new piece of canon also checks out when you consider the character's level-headedness in the fight against the Empire.
Her realization that Vader was indeed a human underneath that menacing helmet caused her to never lose sight of the fact that the Imperials were people as well as soldiers, even the most elite stormtroopers. Her empathy is showcased perhaps most obviously when her son Ben gives in to the power of the dark side.
All of the Star Wars movies are currently streaming on Disney Plus. If you've already made your way through the series several times, and are keen to see what franchise titles are on the horizon, check out our list of upcoming Star Wars movies.
