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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters back in December, and essentially ended the franchise as we know it. J.J. Abrams crafted a massive blockbuster, which wrapped up the sequel trilogy as well as the overarching Skywalker Saga. The filmmaker took special care with handling Leia's story, using unused footage of Carrie Fisher from The Force Awakens to give the beloved character an appropriate ending. Episode IX expanded Leia's connection to The Force, and it turns out that her training scene with Luke was originally a bit longer.
In the third act of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey travels to Ach-To and speaks with Luke's Force Ghost. Mark Hamill's iconic hero reveals that Leia was also trained in the ways of The Jedi, and even had a lightsaber of her own. We get to see the twins battling on an unknown planet, with the late Carrie Fisher and Hamill's younger faces added the bodies of doubles. But that sequence could have been even longer, and featured more epic lightsaber action from Leia and Luke.
This news came to us from the special features of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's DVD and Blu-ray release. There are some more photos of Leia and Luke's lightsaber duel, which shows that there was more action than ultimately made it into the theatrical cut. The images show Leia doing a flip with her blue lightsaber, before eventually getting the best of her mentor/brother.
Star Wars fans can re-watch the Skywalker Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
News of the addition Rise of Skywalker footage for Leia and Luke has the potential to inspire some serious FOMO. The generations of Star Wars fans waited decades for Leia to finally become a Jedi, so it was exciting to see her wield a lightsaber and even best Luke during her training. Her backstory also brought more context to Leia's infamous space float in The Last Jedi, and explained why she wasn't taking a lightsaber up and fighting the First Order herself.
As a reminder, you can check out the scene in question below.
Say what you want about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but you can't be mad at that scene. Seeing a young Carrie Fisher kicking ass and taking names is basically wish fulfillment for many fans, and it also helps to explain Leia's actions throughout the last two movies. She wasn't a Jedi because she was trying to save her son, not because she didn't have the same powers as her brother.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently available on demand, DVD, and Blu-ray. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
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