When it comes to onscreen pairings that are permanent fixtures in pop culture, no movie duo is more recognizable than Luke and Leia, the brother and sister team from the Star Wars franchise. They first appeared in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope and both characters are now among the most beloved in movie history, thanks to a franchise that includes countless movies, books, video games and comic books.
The tale of the twins separated at birth, only to have fate bring them back together to save the galaxy, is widely known, even by those who wouldn't necessarily think of themselves as pop culture geeks.
There is also a lot of information out there about Luke and Leia, including background information that only appears in media other than the movies (or in deleted film scenes). Some of this comes from the expanded universe, which is no longer considered canon, but much of it is recent, meaning that Disney has already approved of those particular details for the new Star Wars canon.
They both also appear in the new trilogy of Star Wars movies, which will, ultimately, wrap up their family's saga. Although their stories are almost over, they will remain part of popular nerd culture forever.
Fans keep making discoveries about Luke and Leia every day. Some of these will blow the minds of other fans, while some of these will make complete sense with what fans already know of the characters.
Here are Star Wars: 21 Crazy Revelations About Luke And Leia.
21. Leia is two years older than Luke, even though they are twins
Star Wars isn't exactly known for its accurate science, but that doesn't mean that scientists don't spend time trying to explain specific details in the franchise.
Luke and Leia are twins, but it always seemed like Leia was a little older. She was more mature than Luke at the beginning of the franchise, but one might explain that as the fact that she was fighting the Empire for a lot longer than her brother.
Science explains that she is the older of the two, thanks to the theory of relativity.
It all has to do with their travels in space: how far they traveled and how fast.
It's a lengthy explanation, but students at the University of Leicester came up with the math that explains why Leia is older than her twin brother.
20. Their Lost adventure between Episode 3 and 4
Although the novels that came before Disney took over Star Wars are no longer considered canon, they still offer some interesting information about other adventures of Luke and Leia.
Splinter of the Mind's Eye was the first full-length Star Wars novel, published in 1978, that sought to fill in events between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. In that book, Luke and Leia go on an eventual that has them searching for a Kaiburr Crystal, an ancient artifact of the Force that would later get the name Kyber Crystal.
Initially, these crystals gave those who held them the power to heal others, as well as other powers of the Force. It is also in this book that Luke severs Darth Vader's mechanical hand.
19. Luke asked Leia to be his first Padawan
Although Luke started his journey as a padawan, he eventually earned the title of Jedi Master. That meant that he could take on students to train in the ways of the Force.
The first student Luke wanted to train was his sister Leia.
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi - The Visual Dictionary, Lucasfilm Story Group head Pablo Hidalgo wrote:
"She ultimately decided that the best path for her to serve the galaxy left no room for the extended isolation of Jedi training. As Leia on her new family and senatorial politics, Luke began his travels, largely disappearing from galactic view. During his lengthy journey, Skywalker gathered disciples who would go on to become his first true students."
18. There was an alternate kissing scene between them
One scene that makes most Star Wars fans cringe is the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Luke and Leia kiss. It's definitely creepy, considering we later find out they are brother and sister and many fans will fast-forward through that part of the DVD.
Here's another detail about that awkward kiss, though: there was an alternate version. Don't worry, though, that alternate version was equally as cringe-worthy.
Although no one knew that the two were brother and sister when it was filmed, it even seems like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher felt like something was off. Watch this scene at your own peril because it's still as weird as what made it into the final cut of the film.
17. Leia was trained in the Force by Luke
Many fans tend to forget that Leia being Luke's sister as well as Darth Vader's daughter means that she was strong with the Force, like her brother and father.
Although she turned Luke down when he asked her to his Jedi Academy, Leia still received some training from him on how to use the Force. In the novel Aftermath: Life Debt, author Chuck Wendig writes that Luke trained his sister in the ways of the Force and that she even used the Force to figure out that she was pregnant with Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren.
Fans surprised by Leia's power in the Force during The Last Jedi shouldn't have been so shocked.
This sensitivity to the Force is hinted at in previous movies and books, too.
16. In the original script, they weren't related
Let's get back to that kiss between Luke and Leia. It's likely that this was a scene that happened before George Lucas decided that Luke and Leia were brother and sister. That would make the most sense, right?
In the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back based on Lucas' story treatment for that film, there is a scene where Luke receives a visit from the spirit of his father, Anakin Skywalker.
In the script, Luke learns that he has a sister, but her name is Nellith, not Leia.
The Nellith name was later crossed out.
This first script also suggests that Lucas didn't originally intend for Darth Vader to be Luke and Leia's father.
15. Yoda wanted to train Leia instead of Luke
Leia receives a lot more credit for her Force abilities in the novels than she ever does in the films. In one such book, a collection of short stories called Star Wars: From A Certain Point of View, Star Wars fans learned that Yoda wanted to train Leia before Luke became his Padawan.
In the short story "There is Another", Yoda has a conversation with the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. In that discussion, Obi-Wan asks Yoda to train a "young Skywalker." Yoda accepts, believing that Obi-Wan is referring to Leia.
Yoda becomes disappointed when he learns that Obi-Wan means Luke. Obviously, Yoda still agrees, because he goes on to train Luke in the movies.
14. Why Leia never became a Jedi
Although Luke wanted Leia to become his first student at the Jedi Academy, Leia refused. That leaves fans wondering what might have happened had she agreed. They will never know because Leia had an excellent reason to turn that offer down. In
Star Wars #40, Leia explains the reasoning behind her decision to her brother. Leia speaks about her father tasking her with getting the Death Star plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi-- the most important thing she was ever asked to do. That moment defined her and made her realize that her duties were always with the Resistance first, and not with the Jedi.
In that comic, she tells Luke: "You know what I feel most? Duty. And knowing that I have to live up to it. We don't all get to be dreamers."
13. Leia felt when Luke perished in The Last Jedi
The novelization of The Last Jedi holds a lot of revealing information about Luke and Leia, as well as Luke's final moments. In that book, it is evident that Leia knows that Luke has ed away.
As she sits in the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca, the two characters have a very emotional moment. Leia finds herself overcome with emotion and the two embrace.
Her words to Chewbacca are: "It's just us now, but we'll find a way."
The two are obviously still reeling from the ing of Han, but this also indicates that Leia is aware that Luke is gone now, too. This suggests that Leia felt it when Luke's spirit moved on to become one with the Force.
12. Luke, Leia, and Han once hijacked a Star Destroyer
Luke, Leia, and Han were an essential part of the Rebellion fighting against the Empire. They had a lot of adventures in books and movies that never made it on film, but that doesn't mean that they didn't happen -- unless, of course, those adventures were part of the expanded universe, which Disney retconned.
In Star Wars #22, the three got together to do something big: they formulated a plan to steal a massive Imperial weapon, the Star Destroyer Harbinger.
That story was so exciting that it's a shame it's something that fans will never get to see on film. For those who haven't read the comic, though, find it now: it's an issue worth reading.
