The amount of great characters throughout the history of the Star Wars franchise is unbelievable, with forty plus years of content, and both a canon and Legends timeline providing some of pop culture's most iconic and brilliant characters. One character who has stood the test of time as an immensely important part of it all is Leia Organa.
She is one of the great heroines in pop culture and a genuinely brilliant character who is invaluable to the franchise. Still, while she is undoubtedly a good-hearted hero, there are aspects of her personality, especially in her younger years, that are not perfect.
10 Worst - Secrecy
There are a few characters in the franchise that often keep their cards close to their chest and manipulate the truth, but Leia herself is guilty of this also.
The fact she never revealed Rey's parentage to her for, presumably, over a year, despite Rey so obviously being consumed by it at points, is a bit nonsensical, even if they did not spend that much time together. On top of that, her Force abilities, training, and her feelings in her early years all get kept under lock and key.
9 Best - Intelligent
Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are by no means unintelligent characters, but by far the smartest human of the group is Leia, who grew up both a royal and a revolutionary.
Leia's prowess for politics as well as for battle is perhaps underrated, and only increases in her later years with knowledge of the Force and the wider Galaxy, as well as a plethora of experience on her side.
8 Worst - Aggressive
Specifically, in her early years in the original trilogy, Leia had some less than desirable qualities in-universe, her aggression included.
Leia is very hotheaded, kind of like Luke and Han, but even more so, she will snap with ferocity when she sees fit, something that changes and eventually stops as she grows older and wiser.
7 Best - Leadership & Diplomacy
Leia, at her core, in her soul, is a leader. She leads rebels, resistors, diplomats, politicians, friends, and everyone in between with such ease, and not in any negative, bossy way, but in a purely inspirational manner.
From a young age, she got thrust into the life of rebellion and royalty, and from that point on, she flourished as a natural-born leader with an electric presence and a talent for diplomacy, which shone through right until her last days.
6 Worst - Impatience
The youthful nature of Luke and Leia in the original trilogy realistically presents them in that they have flaws; one such flaw they share is that of impatience.
Leia has no time for nonsense or for anything that does not concern her. Her impatience goes hand in hand with her aggression, as shown in the gang's venture into the trash compactor. This trait fades over time as Leia matures into the wise, calm figure she is in the sequels.
5 Best - Fortitude
There are a variety of characters in Star Wars that have led tragic lives and have suffered incredible pain and loss, like Anakin Skywalker, or Ben Solo, or even somebody like Maul, but nobody persevered like Leia.
Right off the bat in the original trilogy Leia lost her home planet, inhabited by her people and her adoptive parents, and she soldiered on, never complaining. Fast forward to the sequels, she lost her son, brother, and husband, all of whom died not long after. And she still led, she always inspired, even while suffering.
4 Worst - Stubbornness
Leia, Luke, and Han all have unique personalities that are very distinctive from one another. Still, one trait the three all share is a strong-headed stubbornness, particularly Han and Leia.
Luke is immature; with his stubbornness more stemming from that and a lack of patience. Leia is not immature, but her stubbornness does go hand in hand with her impatience and leads to many clashes with Han. If Leia thinks she is right, she fights for that, and, usually, is right anyway.
3 Best - Fearlessness
Since she is so ingrained in the very fiber of the rebellion, and later the Resistance, and had been so from such a young age, she was no stranger to adversity, and, overall, she was fearless.
Leia did not quiver in the face of darkness and terror in Darth Vader, nor the face of Tarkin, nor did she break when she got tortured. Even when used as a slave by a slimy criminal like Jabba, Leia was fearless, and on so many occasions she was a total badass.
2 Worst - Reserved & Singularly Focused
Touching back on the idea of Leia being a bit secretive, in the original trilogy she is more of a reserved person by nature, where she has learned to not let out her full spectrum of emotion given the importance of her role.
It takes a good while for Leia to reveal her feelings for Han properly, even if it shines through at moments without her realizing it. She is so focused on the rebellion that it perhaps gets in the way of her happiness; like so many characters, she puts duty over joy.
1 Best - Inspirational
Leia Organa, whether it be as the Princess of Alderaan or General, is one of the most inspirational heroines in the pop culture zeitgeist and in Star Wars, inspiring generation upon generation of fans to no end.
It is not just an out of universe trait of Leia's, but one that can so clearly be seen in-universe with her inspiring her soldiers, her fellow rebels and resistors, and even inspiring individuals such as Han to do better, to embrace his good heart.
https://ift.tt/34BMZ5i
August 26, 2020 at 05:30AM
