Princess Leia Shared A Common Weakness With Darth Vader

Star Wars character Princess Leia Organa refused to become a Jedi because of the weaknesses she shared with her father, Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader. She was one of the series’ foremost heroes and is known for using words as a weapon.

Although she was raised by foster parents who brought her up with strong morals and ethics, Leia grew to be more like her lightsaber-wielding father to a fault. She pursued the Force for her political career, however, due to some similarities with Darth Vader, Leia abandoned becoming a Jedi after the battle of Endor.

Princess Leia shared Darth Vader’s greatest weakness

Like her father, Leia fiercely protected what she loved and developed passionate attachments to them, hence her reason for pursuing the Force and training as a Jedi. One could see Leia’s motivation at play in Beth Revis’s The Princess & the Scoundrel, where she questioned the reason for power. “What is the point of power if it cannot save the people I love,” she wondered.

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Her father had the same beliefs, leading him to transition from Anakin to Vader. When he had the chance to become a Jedi and leave Tatooine with Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, Anakin considered his mother. He saw the Force and the Jedi as an opportunity to be better equipped when he returns for his mother.

Leia feared for her loved ones

Leia felt inadequate when she could not save who she loved, and this brewed some jealousy against Luke Skywalker in her. “If I had even a fraction of Luke’s power, I could do something with it, but I don’t,” she said. Her fear of loss came to the surface after she watched her home planet, Alderaan, explode, killing her parents.

Unable to let go of her fears and get comfortable with the possibility of loss, Leia ended her Jedi journey. Eventually, she made peace with the hard truth of death and sacrificed herself for Kylo Ren— although the late Carrie Fisher’s passing contributed to the plot. She selflessly pulled her son into the light; however, this did not ensure his preservation in the long run.