Warning: spoilers follow for Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View.
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View hits shelves today. The anthology book features 40 short stories that take place during the events of A New Hope; they show what’s happening from the perspectives of support characters and elsewhere in the galaxy while Luke Skywalker is taking the first steps on his heroic journey. One of these tales, “There Is Another†by Gary D. Schmidt, focuses on Yoda.
The Jedi Master is lonely in his exile. He’s moving between his two homes, which he has not because Dagobah has multiple luxurious options but because he needs a place to live during the wet season and a place to live during the dry season. While he’s packing up his meager belongings (one of which is Qui-Gon Jinn‘s cloak that he uses as a blanket—aww, Yoda!), Obi-Wan appears to him in Force ghost form to discuss the Skywalkers.
And guess what? To Yoda, Luke was the first “there is another.†He wanted to train Leia to use the Force and become a Jedi. He daydreamed (inasmuch as anyone like Yoda daydreams) about still having his lightsaber, handing it to Leia, and watching her discover the Force and “bringing to the galaxy a new age that she could not even hope to imagine.†He even hoped she would help bring her father, Darth Vader, back from the dark side. But Yoda felt like he missed his chance with her.
Yoda thought of Luke as “that other Skywalker.†He named Luke’s impatience and anger as terrible weaknesses. He called him reckless and as angry as Anakin. He only decided to train Luke at the insistence of Force ghost Obi-Wan–kind of like Qui-Gon insisting that Obi-Wan train Anakin.
It’s probably for the best given the crucial role Leia played in the Rebel Alliance, but man. It’s fun to think about what would have happened if she wielded the lightsaber instead of Luke.
What kind of Jedi do you think Leia would have been? Are you glad things worked out the way they did? Sound off in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm, Disney, Giphy
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.
More Star Wars books goodness!
- New Star Wars Little Golden Books.
- Jon Hamm cast as Boba Fett for From a Certain Point of View audio book.
- The Last Jedi connections in Leia: Princess of Alderaan.
