LEIA'S CRUCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN 'OBI-WAN KENOBI'
KENOBI IS A TEACHER FOR ALL SKYWALKERS.
Carrie Fisher received her Hollywood Star last week on May 4th (Star Wars Day). It is a truly fitting day for the woman who portrays the most inspiring rebel leader of our time and beyond. It really begs the question. Wtf, Hollywood? What took you so long? Sadly, neither lady would ever see their concrete achievements in person. Leia would never be queen of Alderaan, and Carrie would never see her name on a coveted space on Hollywood Blvd. It’s all incredibly tragic.
Where exactly does her journey begin down the road of determined, unfaltering rebellion? To forsake her marriage and the Jedi Order in the name of the greater good, she always seems to know her purpose. In the book, “Leia: Princess of Alderaan”, we see her grow as a leader and politician, and she officially joins the rebellion. However, even as a sixteen-year-old junior senator, she harbors contempt for the Empire, desperately seeking ways to thumb her nose at its officials. She sees the devastation of each planet the sith-run leadership leaves behind. Homelessness. Slavery, Slaughter. It’s all so horrendous. Leia never lets her royal station affect her empathy for those less fortunate. She is a true leader. The rebellion survives because of her.
But that’s the book. The origin of her passion sparks within her at a much younger age, and the last man in the galaxy willing to help becomes her only guide. Obi Wan Kenobi is broken and defeated at the time we see him in this series, ten years following his near fatal duel with his former apprentice. The grief of losing his best friend and brother leaves him with faith and even less hope. He won the duel, but he lost the war. Now, the Empire reigns. The so-called “Chosen One” turns on everyone who believes in him. That level of betrayal is enough to leave any Jedi as broken as Kenobi.
He is certainly not the well-adjusted teacher eager to help Luke in A New Hope. First, his faith in the Force and devotion to the Light must be restored. It will take a very special person to it. That person isn’t Luke. It’s not Uncle Owen, his fellow survivors, or Vader’s return. No. It’s Princess Leia Organa. Very special, indeed.
The Skywalker twins, not just Luke, are the galaxy's last hope, both gifted in their own way. With the Empire hunting all Force sensitive people in the galaxy, they are in tremendous danger. Palpatine is looking for all the experiments he can get, no matter the station of the Force wielders. Poor farmer Luke and Princess Leia would wind up two more bodies in a lab. Vader would never know his children survived, and he would never know redemption. The twins' anonymity is vital for their survival.
This is Kenobi’s new purpose: keep the twins safe. Not just to protect, but also to teach them. The lessons begin with Leia. She’s not the only teacher in this relationship. He teaches her as well. This proves to be a difficult task for Kenobi with the spoiled child who is both sheltered and stubborn. That’s a dangerous mix when the Empire’s forces are scouring every planet for both of them. Leia doesn’t understand that danger lurks around every corner. So, the lessons come hard and fast. Simply put, trust no one. Especially Imperials. The Empire is evil. Period. Who better than a bitter, untrusting Jedi to teach her that lesson? He’s the one who looks that evil in the eyes.
However, the Clone Wars have left him too jaded. If he is to be an effective teacher again, he must first learn to trust again. In the ten years of his exile on Tatooine, he keeps such a close eye on Luke that he never leaves the desolate planet. He works a crappy day job for scraps and keeps a close eye on Luke. Nothing more. All he knows is the brutality of Tattooine’s Imperial occupation. He never leaves until the Organas call to save Leia. He doesn’t know of the Rebellion brewing in parts of the galaxy. His mission forces him out of his routine, and he meets the Rebellion. It is the first time in ten years that he learns he can trust someone.
Leia’s blind optimism isn’t completely misguided. Her gift of insight, though unique, is not yet honed. She can look into a person’s very soul. She can hear their darkest thoughts and feel their deepest feelings. Even with Kenobi, she recognizes his barrier as a vulnerability. It’s an incredible gift, but she doesn’t catch everything. It makes her too trusting. She needs time to perfect her abilities. Kenobi returns her home to give her that time.
He realizes that Leia is just as important to the future of the galaxy as Luke. They should be treated with equal regard. This character development ties brilliantly into “A New Hope” when she calls him for help one last time, and he doesn’t hesitate to answer. In fact, it’s no coincidence that he brings Luke along for the ride. He’s one of the few people left in the galaxy who knows of these teenagers’ connection. So, he sets them up to meet for the first time and join the rebellion together. Luke and Leia can lean on each other after Vader takes him down. As one final act of defiance against his former pupil, he takes their secret with him.
Kenobi is clearly an intelligent man. He uses knowledge as an ally from beginning to end, meticulously choosing each moment to reveal it to his students. It is knowledge that serves Leia in her fate as a rebel leader. . Her sheltered upbringing, though rich with bookish education and diplomatic experience, is simply not enough. She needs experience. She needs to travel. She needs to see the state of the galaxy under Imperial rule. Without it, she runs the risk of growing into the same entitled, spoiled brat as her infuriating cousin. Her kidnapping sets her on a path to see and experience it all.
