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star wars - Did Yoda Intend On Training Leia As a Jedi?


In Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke is leaving Dagobah, Obi-Wan, as a Force Ghost, says, "He is our last hope." Yoda replies, "No, there is one other."


Was Yoda planning on training Leia as a Jedi, either in case Luke was killed or converted, or in addition to Luke?



Answer



I think that the answer lies right there in the question - "yes". Otherwise, she would NOT have been a hope. Remember, Yoda's "hope" was for Luke to defeat Vader, not to redeem him - the former requires one to be trained as a Jedi.





A really interesting angle on this comes if you consider the newly revealed Leigh Brackett's first draft of ESB script. Quoting an article on Craveonline:



This script also provides a glimpse at a route the saga might have taken regarding Luke's twin sister. This sister is mentioned—in Luke's presence-but she's someone other than Leia. She is identified as Nellith (although this name is crossed out in the script, apparently because the writer realized that her name cannot be revealed to Luke--Vader can read Luke's mind) and was hidden by Skywalker, Sr. in a different part of the galaxy than Luke.


Laurent Bouzereau reveals more about this lost sister in his book Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays. Bouzereau mentions that Luke's twin was discussed in story meetings between Lucas and Brackett (which occurred from November 28 to December 2, 1977): “It was suggested that Luke's twin sister would be going through training at the same time that he was and become a Jedi Master as well. Eventually, in another episode, the story could deal with both Luke and his sister as Jedi Knights.” (Bouzereau, page 182)





UPDATE:


An additional (though later) canonical confirmation comes from ROTS novelization by Matthew Stover. As Yoda, Organa and Kenobi are deciding what to do at the end, Yoda says about training both twins in the future:



"... Hidden, safe, the children must be kept. Foundation of the new Jedi Order, they will be."

"We should split them up," Obi-Wan said. "Even if the Sith find one, the other may survive. I can take the boy, Master Yoda, and you take the girl. We can hide them away, keep them safe— train them as Anakin should have been trained—"
"No." The ancient Master lowered his head again, closing his eyes, resting his chin on his hands that were folded over the head of his stick.
Obi-Wan looked uncertain. "But how are they to learn the selfdiscipline a Jedi needs? How are they to master skills of the Force?"
"Jedi training, the sole source of self-discipline is not. When right is the time for skills to be taught, to us the living Force will bring them. Until then, wait we will, and watch, and learn."



Notice that he intends BOTH to be trained as Jedi.


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