Princess Leia: Should She Ever Have Been Liberated?

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Title:	Princess Leia: Should She Ever Have Been Liberated?
Creator:	Tracy Duncan
Date(s):	April 1979
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Star Wars
Topic:	the selfishness and terribleness of Princess Leia
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Princess Leia: Should She Ever Have Been Liberated? is a 1979 essay by Tracy Duncan.

first page of the essay in Against the Sith #4

Duncan was notorious for disliking the character of Leia Organa and this was one of many similar essays she and her sister wrote in the zine they edited, Against the Sith.

This essay was published in Against the Sith #4.

The main thrust of the essay is the characterization of Leia Organa in both the first movie and in the movie novelization. The author postulates that Leia is mouthy, bratty, selfish, emasculating, bossy, unappreciative, is not feminine enough, and has bad manners.

Excerpts

STAR WARS gives us a set of heroic figures that are, or become, admirable in our eyes by the end of the film. Luke begins with dreams of going to the stars, then he is faced with reality and he succeeds — he overcomes adversity. Han Solo is cynical about life and the vague dreams of the others, but he learns a lesson of friendship and loyalty. The third member of the triad is Princess Leia. Bat she is not what she first appears to be. She learns no lessons; her character does not develop. She is a one-dimensional character and not necessarily a heroic one. We are bombarded with her domineering ways throughout the film. Other aspects of her character come to us only fleetingly, to the point where we wonder if they truly exist at all.

When we first see Leia aboard the Death Star giving R2 the plans, she truly is a vision of feminine beauty. She is brave as she tried to avoid capture and shoots at the troopers. We admire her. Later, she faces Vader, and here too she is shown to be brave and self-possessed, as she is with Tarkin. We cheer her on.

When Luke ultimately answers her call, however, his rescue is treated vith near contempt and disgust. Here she is, awaiting execution alone in the middle of the most terrifying Imperial stronghold in the galaxy, when out of nowhere appear three strangers — Luke, Han and Chewbacca — who are risking their lives to save her. And how does she answer them? "Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route. When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?" For one thing, Han did not cut off the escape route; the stormtroopers did have something to do with it. For another, her "when you came in here" makes it look as if she expected them to rescue her and do it all flawlessly. We are with Han all the way when he says, "Maybe you'd like to get back in your cell, your highness!" We feel embarrassment for Luke, who brought Han here to face this. "Wonderful girl," Han responds sarcastically. Perhaps Leia is angry at not finding Obi-Wan Kenobi waiting for her. But we can't see this from her words or her attitude. Leia is reacting to her rescuers, the ones on her side, her friends, in the same way she reacts to her enemies. She was admirable when she faced Vader, but Han and Luke? She comes across as snitty and bad tempered, not Princessly or understanding as a heroine should.

But let's take a step back. The movie Princess's negative attitude begins even before Luke introduces himself, "Aren't you a little short for a storm trooper?" But for all she knows, this man could be her executioner! Perhaps then this is really a facade, to cover up her fear. But we are given no hint of this. From our viewpoint, we see Luke's feeling for her. We put ours on the line as well, and they are spurned. He pulls off his helmet and proclaims in true heroic fashion, "I'm Luke Skywalker; I'm here to rescue you," Her reaction? Zero. She doesn't brighten at the prospect of a future for her after all; she cares nothing for his looks. Instead she is almost disbelieving — she distrusts his capability to be her rescuer. She did not take at face value that he could be her rescuer. It was instead, "You're who?", almost insulting his name.

[snipped]

Perhaps she was simply stunned by Luke's sudden entrance and announcement. In the book she has a more positive line. After he introduces himself it reads, "'I beg your pardon?' she said politely." (pg. 144) This gives her a touch of the manners to be expected in a Princess, but not apparent in the film.

Leia has recently been through a horrifying experience. Darth Vader entered her cell and presumably inflicted some method of torture on her. But it doesn't show. Every hair is in place, she is perfectly composed. If torture is the reason for her short temper, we cannot see it. If her hair had been down, or her countenance bedraggled, our sympathies would have been with her.

Some people see her action of snatching Luke's blaster to mow down troopers as heroic and brave and somewhat "liberating." Her independence is a valued trait, but when she accompanies the action with a nasty disposition," Somebody has to save our skins!", it nullifies any virtue she may have shown.

She is lacking in any true ability to command. Surely she must have realized that her "subordinates" don't perform well when insulted. The reaction she won from Han was not loyalty, but anger—that from Luke was a subdued acceptance, and anything but friendship. In the novel Han appears more obnoxious and cynical, the one who's looking to create an argument with this "Princess". This is alright for his character, for he becomes a hero — he is redeemed. We better understand Leia's reaction to him, too. In the movie it is the other way around, and Leia is the obnoxious one, never bypassing an opportunity to argue. While Han is proved a hero at the end of the movie, Leia needs an opportunity to prove her virtue. But she never does.

Once they leave the garbage chamber, Leia resumes the argument with Han. Luke has also gotten after Han for "blasting everything in sight," but he didn't waste his breath on a ceaseless tirade as Leia did, which only angered Han further. She demanded full obedience from Han, and said, "From now on you're going to do as I say." Even though she admits, "I don't know who you are, or where you came from." Why should she assume that she's automatically superior to a man ten years her senior, who, again, is part of a rescue mission on her behalf? For all she knows Han could be a Colonel, and in a military operation such as this, she would logically be under his orders. Though a Princess and a Senator, she was not responsible for the attack on the Death Star, General Dodonna was. Surely it wouldn't damage her position as a Princess to be told what to do for once. Remember, she is as yet unaware of Han's mercenary status; she is not arguing because of differing ideologies. She is angry because Han won't submit his will to hers and can we blame him? What true leadership ability has she as yet demonstrated? None; a biting tongue is not responsibility. A leader needs respect from his followers, and Leia refuses to deserve respect. There is no logic to her attitude. Her loud mouth may well have alerted the entire base as much as Han's blaster. She prefers a verbal battle to a sensible discussion of the way out of the Death Star. Han states, "No reward is worth this!" and we have to agree. Why should Leia sacrifice femininity for illogic? This is not liberation.

During the battle, again, she is not very emotional. It's not that she ashould be pulling her hair out in anxiety, but at least in the book she did bite her nails. Here again she has a stone face. See Threepio shows more concern over Artoo Detoo than she shows for Luke. It appears Leia has no problem with anger, but when it comes to love, or caring for a friend, she has a little trouble. After the battle, certainly she is joyous. Her life was on the line too, after all, and her rebellion is saved.

Luke has a very hard time striking up any sort of relationship with Leia — their characters can't relate, because of the type of girl she is overpowering, unfeminine, with a noticeable lack of true feelings. We wonder if she cares about anything, or anybody. Han can relate to her, in fact in many ways they are much alike - both putting on fronts, facing the world in less than the optimistic fashion that Luke epitomizes. So it is with Han that Leia is characterized to the audience.

To sum up, Leia is a non-character in relation to Luke. Her interest is to Han, as someone to interact with. Luke is almost peripheral and Han is a target for her opinionated self. She does not change those opinions; she expects these men to perform for her. As a so-called "liberated" woman, does this mean she can feel no fear, no gratitude, no friendship? Where is her nobility?

Luke and Leia lack a starting point for a future relationship, be it friendship or love. We know Luke thinks she is beautiful. He doesn't lose respect for her when he runs into her sharp tongue. This, unfortunately, makes us respect Luke less, for when an established Princess rejects the hero, what kind of hero can he be? For Luke, he proves himself to the audience; he doesn't need Leia's sanction. But what about the fact that he cares for her, possibly loves her? She is a stone wall where he is concerned. Should he even try to win her love? If Leia is to build up the friendships of either man, she must learn what friendship is.

The differences between the book and the film, and the characterizations of Leia confuse the question of who Princess Leia is eventually intended for as a romantic interest. The book seems to say she could be for either man, for she doesn't ignore Luke to yell at Han, and she is genuinely sad about Han's mercenary attitude, not arguing for the sake of argument.

The movie, however, shows a personal preference on her part toward Han, regardless of the hints of "destiny" earlier in the fin. It was Luke that answered her call from the holographic tape, it was Luke that said, "she's beautiful," it was Luke that wanted to go rescue her, but it is Luke that she shows no interest in. It is hard to see where Leia's affections lie, for she spends so much of her time in an angry tiff or under a stoney exterior.

Leia tarns out to be the most one-dimensional of the three main STAR WARS characters. Where will she go from here in sequels to STAR WARS? She could go along almost any path. Hopefully she will develop as a character, and hopefully it will be for the better. For the Leia of the STAR WARS movie to become a truly noble woman, self-sacrificing and understanding of those different from herself, she needs to grow up.

Fan Comments

The article on Princess Leia is very thought out and well done, I have always wondered why the Princess is so childish. Consider the fact that she is so young; she must have been trained for the position of Senator since Day One. Also she just witnessed the destruction of her world. And yet she shows no emotion at all. It could be argued that it was because of the destruction of Alderaan that she wasn't in control of her actions on the Death Star. But even that thought is flakey. Somehow I have always thought of Leia as being a very multi-level person. Trained from birih to be a Senator, she is used to commanding. Since Alderaan is now destroyed, she is the major political figure in the Bebellion, And a leader! That is important, she just doesn't have time for courting Luke or Han, She is already married—to the Rebellion, Perhaps after the war is finished, then she will have time for love, but for right now now she is just too busy.

I liked that article of Leia. The first time I saw the movie I thought she needed a good spanking! I still think she should get one! Maybe the sequel will develop her character a little more.

I did not agree with a lot of it (Princess Leia—Should She Ever Have Been Liberated?), You use the book for a lot for comparisons and examples of how Leia could and should have reacted better. In the book, Leia is 16 years old, not long in the Senate and really not too long in diplomatic service. She had not had time to leam the abilities of hiding her emotions behind a royal, unmovable mask. At 19, three years later in her life, she has learned these oh so important facets. If she were to break down and blatantly show her true feelings, she would lose whatever power she had gained over her adversary. We do not know what type of peoples Leia has come in contact with. Obviously, in her career as Senator and Princess, it was a great variety. By Han's reaction to what she says, by his stance, being in the company of an armed Wookiee, all these can add up fast to an observant person, which is what a good diplomat must be. As far as creating enemies, I'm not sure about that. If they were working for Tarkin, wouldn't they have led her safely out? Leia is in a fight for her life and will do what she must to preserve it. If these two are indeed there to help her, they must prove it by doing as she says. For all she knows it is only her life at stake, not theirs. She still isn't sure on whose side they stand. She is not out for conquests, she just wants out, any way she can. As for Luke being the hero, she doesn't know that! No one has set her down and told her there would be a kid named Luke Skywalker coming to rescue her. Who is Luke Skywalker to her anyway? Nobility be hanged!!!! Leia wants off that Death Star, as far away from Tarkin and Darth Vader as possible, and will do that she must to acquire that small thing. Chewie feels her tongue only because she obviously connects him with Han, therefore assuming he will be as obstinate. I thought out all this. Han is the one talking, not Luke. Why should she concern herself with someone who is willing to do her bidding? Yes, she she is the Princess, has demanded obedience and gotten it from at least one of them. Now she must work on the other if she is to get out. Ignore Luke? Perhaps but only until he is needed. Then she sees what he really is and doesn't leave him out quite as often. He had to prove himself. After all, he is unknown to her. If he had been a well known Jedi Knight, it would have been different. As it is, Leia didn't even know he was a budding Jedi. During war, one does not make friends or hand out trust easily. A friend must convince another of his worth. Trust is given only to those deserve it. Leia knows this. She has probably seen many of her friends sent off to die -- she has just seen her entire planet, friends, family, all destroyed. She trusted Tarkin to leave Alderaan alone if she gave him the location of the base. Why should she trust anyone after that? It is only after the Death Star is destroyed that she sees Han is indeed trustworthy and shows it hugging and laughing with him.

The traditional heroic fantasy is a long way from what Star Wars is. The only thing they have in common was good versus evil.

I liked Leia. She didn't have to change.

You come down on her a little hard in 'Should She Bver Have Been Liberated?' May I bring to light that Princesses are a somewhat an arrogant bunch, though you're right, the movie did seem to overuse those unfortunate tendencies. Next time George, let's give the little princess a heart, okay?

Tracy's article on Princess Leia is pro, I knew there was something that bugged me about the Princess, but I wasn't quite sure that, until now. As for characteri zations, however, "Old Ben" was the pits. If Ben Kenobi was ever an old fool, he got over it before he ever rescued Luke from the Sandpeople, I saw no trace of mental incapacity in him in the book or the movie. And to regain his "former" powers in strength in an hour or two after the purported years of disuse is straining credulity.

It's struck me from time to time that her Highness has a lot of mouth for a diplomat. Seems to me she needs a severe spanking. (Do Corellians spank people? Han seems more the type to do it than Luke.)

About your article on Princess Leia, it was right on target! When I first saw the movie, I didn't dwell on Leia's personality, however when I read the article, I found that it described her right down to her hairdo.

I disagree with "Princess Leia... ". I thought Leia's bitchy behavior might be accounted for considering the stress she was under; being captured and tortured by Darth Vader and then watching her planet get blown up doesn't happen every day. Her temperament seems to have cooled a bit after she is out of immediate peril (remember her words of encouragemnet to Luke just before the battle over the Death Star?) But Perhaps it's simply too early to judge her, or any of the other characters for that matter. In what direction will all the fan fiction go when the sequel comes out? It will surely revoke all those theories about the characters' pasts and futures. We'll all have to readjust our personal view of the STAR WARS universe and it will be quite interesting indeed to see where George Lucas wants to take his fantasy.

Your article on Leia was good; it occurred to me during reading it that maybe she was trying to hide her true feelings under all that sarcasm?

I feel that you are allowing your conceptions of Leia (that you expressed in Princess Leia-Should She Ever Have Been Liberated?) to color her personality in all your stories. Please allow one to become council for the Defense, and hopefully put her in a better light for you. The first scene of interaction between the main characters, is of course the rescue. OK, consider what has happened. Leia has been interrogated by Vader—possibly not torture as in the book, but definitely with drugs. She has seen her home world destroyed before her eyes. She must think that the plans in Artoo are lost by now, and that all hope for herself and the rebellion are gone. So in comes Luke, dressed head to toe in Stormtrooper garb. She must think, "Well folks, this is it!" But she gets in one final shot, "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" And when Luke says he's here to rescue her, she has to do a double take. That's totally unexpected and confusing. When she hears of Artoo and Kenobi, hope comes flooding back. But she finds no Kenobi—only Han racing toward them saying that they can't get out. Her hopes are dashed again. She's bitter. And when neither seems to know what to do next, she takes over. If she had come to rescue someone, she would've had a plan for getting out. She's very efficient and thorough. In those first few minutes the guys, especially Han, act without thinking time after time, and ignore her ideas or "female advice" simply be cause she's a woman. Of course, she's angry. Agreed, she should have thanked them (perhaps that line was on the cutting room floor for some reason), but she hasn't been rescued yet. And at this rate she may not be. Han cuts her down, she responds in like kind. But she shows an almost immediate concern for them—over Luke when the Dia Noga grabs him, she hugs Han when the walls stop moving in. Leia does not ignore Luke. Of course she spars with Han. They are both argumentative, and it's a challenge for each to see who can top the other's last insult. She ad mires Han's courage, when he charges the Stormtrooper, but stays with Luke, which seems to say that she trusts his abilities to protect her just as much. Just before the final battle, she again shows her con cern for Luke—"What's wrong?" And her "empty philosophy" about Han was not empty at all, rather she recognized his and everyone's individual rights to do that they have to do. And again she kissed Luke, not the other rebels, just Luke. He special to her. I admire her greatly, and hope that you can begin to admire her, too. The Defense rests.

Leia always reminded me of one of Burroughs' heroines from his Mars series-—Liana of Gathol. Seeing as Lucas traced the genre back to Burroughs' John Carter books, might Liana not be one of his inspirations? Liana, as I remember her was just about as temperamental as Leia, and as sarcastic and flippant as Leia was with Han. She also had a male character who doted upon her, and she tended to ignore him until almost the last minute, much as Leia seemed to ignore Luke. ERB wrote about Liana a good thirty years ago, does Leia's character really have much connection with the current libbers?

The article on Princess Leia was most illuminating—I admit I hadn't considered the significance of her changed attitude between the book and the movie. My first reaction to her treatment of Luke and Han was that she was acting like a spoiled brat. Yet perhaps, with as many sequels as are planned, she will grow up later. If all character development is done in one film, that doesn't leave too much for the others. Also, at this point, her prime concern is the Alliance; even if these people have just rescued her, she doesn't know them.

You have pointed out some important facts. ("Princess Leia . . . ") In fact, I think this is one of the most important statements ever to be made about STAR WARS. But while I think your questions are important, I refuse to accept your conclusions. Your conclusion is that Leia is "less than admirable and not very noble". Me, I see a woman who is complicated, misunderstood, and quite probably insecure. In a Fantastic Films interview Buster Crabbe said "Princess Leia is a smart-ass dame and I'll tell you something else about her—she's certainly not Dale Arden. There's something hard about this girl." When he said this, I was infuriated, and now you go ahead and say practically the same thing. Well I'll say this! At least she isn't fainting or going bananas like Dale Arden always was! One thing I totally agree with is that if they hadn't rearranged and clipped Leia's dialogue to hell and back she would have come off just as sharp and less abrasive.

I prefer Leia as she is to a helpless, dependent female, but I don't like her very much. Lucas, like most men, doesn't know how to write a liberated woman wittout making her domineering. In this case, femininity is sacrificed to humor and, I think, the creation of a deliberately against tradition heroine.