Star Wars never got the chance to explore Leia as a Force-sensitive warrior, but a newly leaked piece of concept art shows us how she could’ve looked as a Jedi Knight – sort of.
Ever since the Original Trilogy, George Lucas had plans to eventually turn Leia into a Jedi. We first see the Alderaan princess establish a connection with the Force in The Empire Strikes Back, where she senses Luke’s peril after his duel with Darth Vader. The last movie in the Skywalker Saga, meanwhile, revealed that Leia trained under Luke to become a Jedi, but sensing the dark path of her family, she decided to put away the lightsaber and sever her connection with the Force. This served as more than just a nostalgic callback, as it meant that General Organa could train Rey to become a Jedi.
Now, some leaked concept art from the forsaken Star Wars: Battlefront 4Â has been making the rounds on the internet, giving fans a look at how Princess Leia would’ve looked in Jedi robes. Or more specifically, a Samurai Jedi’s attire.
I know what you’re wondering. Samurai movies have always been an inspiration to George Lucas when developing the world of that galaxy far, far away. But the Jedi never explicitly donned anything that resembled them. Well, Battlefront 4, a canceled Star Wars video game project, would’ve offered fans alternate versions of their beloved Star Wars character, and apparently, Samurai Leia is one of them. Other concepts that have found their way online over the years have included the likes of a Dark Luke Skywalker, Jedi Maul and Emperor Vader.
While we’d have loved to see Leia as a Jedi warrior in the world of Star Wars, at the end of the day, Carrie Fisher’s character served a better and more fulfilling purpose as a leader. And we couldn’t have asked for a more fitting ending to her story in The Rise of Skywalker, especially given the circumstances.
