The Princess and the Scoundrel, the missing piece of the great Star Wars puzzle: Leia and Darth Vader’s connection put in the “spotlight”

Star Wars has finally revealed what Princess Leia’s reaction was when she learned that Darth Vader is her father.

Return of the Jedi was one of the defining moments in Leia Organa’s life. The Princess knew she had been adopted by Bail and Breha Organa after the Clone Wars, but had no idea who her parents were. That is, until Luke Skywalker told her the truth, that he was Darth Vader’s son and she was his sister. “It’s not going to be easy for you to hear this, but you have to,” Luke told Leia.

Return of the Jedi never explored the emotional impact of the new information she received. Leia had always preferred to bury her feelings, and it helped her cope with the destruction of Alderaan in the first Star Wars film, and now the story is repeated.

Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel comes to shed light on Leia’s story

Lucasfilm’s upcoming novel, The Princess and the Scoundrel, written by Beth Revis, will finally explore Leia’s emotional reaction. A new excerpt, published by Lucasfilm, explores the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, as well as the discussion between Luke and Leia after Luke burns Vader’s body at the stake.

It seems the news clearly shook Leia, leaving her with a host of mixed feelings. On the one hand, she finds it easy to accept Luke as her brother, but is horrified by the idea that Darth Vader is her father.

In reality, of course, Luke had simply had more time to process the news that Darth Vader was his father. His initial reaction, in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, was much stronger than Leia’s.

Luke somehow felt that there was a bit of good in Darth Vader, and this thought seems to have helped him to move on more easily from the hard-to-digest news.