10 Most Rewatchable Princess Leia Scenes, Ranked

Since the original Star Wars trilogy was released in 1977, the series has become a massive beloved franchise, with countless movies, TV shows, novels and more, and it only keeps expanding with each passing day. While the franchise has grown to include other characters and stories, most recently under the ownership of Disney, the original trilogy followed Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he sought to take down the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader (James Earl Jones). It was created by George Lucas.

The Star Wars universe features many great characters, but few were as memorable and beloved as Princess Leia, played in the original trilogy by Carrie Fisher. She’s the biological daughter of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) and twin sister of Luke Skywalker, though she was adopted by Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) and Queen Breha (Simone Kessell) of Alderaan, which gave her the title of princess. Leia proved to be a great character from her first moments on screen, and she only got better with each additional appearance, proven by her most rewatchable moments.

10 Leia Meets the Ewoks

‘Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

In Return of the Jedi, after Leia crashes her speeder bike on Endor while on a mission to destroy the energy shield of the second Death Star, she is found by Wicket (Warwick Davis), an Ewok, and quickly wins his trust with food. After spending a brief moment getting acquainted with each other, the two are shot at by a Stormtrooper, and just as Leia is about to be captured, she and Wicket take him down.

Despite their cute, fuzzy, harmless appearance, the Ewoks were actually kind of ruthless. There’s a lot to love about Leia’s dynamic with them— she was fearless as they poked at her and was clearly not intimidated and not impressed. She was still kind and respectful, however, and it was nice to see more of that side of her. The best part of their high regard for her was the fact that none of the other Rebels received the same treatment.

9 General Leia Organa

‘Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens’ (2015)

In The Force Awakens, set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, as the Resistance takes shape, Leia comes out as its leader. When the Resistance arrive at Maz Kanata’s (Lupita Nyong’o) castle, Leia emerges from her ship and is addressed as “general,” revealing her status. Meanwhile, her son, Ben, also known as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), becomes obsessed with carrying on the lineage of Darth Vader, his grandfather, and Leia hopes to find Luke and enlist his help in stopping Kylo Ren.

Leia’s return to Star Wars in The Force Awakens was exciting. Although it’s a brief scene, so much was revealed about her character and what she had been up to in just a few moments, making it not only memorable but pivotal to her character. Leia had always been a great, strong character, but it was satisfying to see her in such an important role—hearing her addressed as “general” never gets old.

8 Leia Acts as a Double Agent

‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2014)

In the animated series Star Wars Rebels, a teenage Princess Leia (Julie Dolan) appears in Season 2, Episode 12 “A Princess on Lothal,” set three years before the events of A New Hope, in which she is tasked with delivering a fleet of ships to Lyste. She hatches a plan to give the ships to the Rebels, positioning her as a sort of double agent, as she is part of the Empire but is loyal to the Rebels.

Leia’s appearance in Rebels was just one of many examples of how cunning and smart she could be— it was a great way to make her character shine, especially outside the events of the films. She refused to take no for an answer, and Leia’s perfect combination of intelligence and determination was exactly the kind of hope the crew needed to do what they needed. It’s an episode that can be enjoyed again and again.

7 Leia Uses The Force in Space

‘Star Wars – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’ (2017)

As the Resistance flees from the First Order in The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren senses his mother was on the ship and chooses not to shoot— but another ship took the shot. After being thrown from the damaged ship, Leia appeared to be dead as she floated through space, but she did survive the blast and uses the Force to pull herself to another ship, where she receives immediate medical attention.

Leia has shown to be Force-sensitive throughout the series— given her lineage, it only made sense. By the time she reappeared in The Force Awakens, it was only a matter of time before she truly got to use her power. The moment finally came in The Last Jedi. A moment which seemed to be Leia’s last instead turned into one of her most powerful, and for Leia fans, it’s immensely satisfying to watch.

6 Leia Rescues Luke

‘Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke, weakened from his battle with Vader—which included the loss of his hand— is desperate for help and uses the Force to call out to Leia, who was aboard the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Lando (Billy Dee Williams). Leia hears Luke and demands they turn around, and despite Lando’s protests, Chewy listens to Leia. As they approach, Lando opens the ship’s top hatch, allowing Luke to drop in just in time.

This moment in The Empire Strikes Back was a huge one— it was the first sign of Leia’s Force sensitivity. She hadn’t had any training but was able to hear Luke easily, implying she was just as strong. The Force was something she’d tap into more times throughout the series, making it crucial for her character. The scene also showed some of Leia’s greatest strengths as a character, from her confidence to her loyalty.

5 Leia Sacrifices Herself for Kylo Ren

‘Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)

In The Rise of Skywalker, Leia uses the Force to try and reach her son, Kylo Ren, referring to him by his given name of Ben. It took so much power and strength that it killed her. But it also worked. In the middle of a battle with Rey, Ben hears Leia’s call, pauses and drops his lightsaber, allowing Rey to catch it and defeat him. Rey is able to sense what happened.

It was a devastating scene to watch, especially following Fisher’s death in real life, but it was so impactful that it demands to be seen more than once. It was a moving scene which spoke to the bond between a mother and her child, as well as a mother’s willingness to do anything to protect her child. The Rise of Skywalker also featured a great but woefully brief scene of Luke giving Leia training as a Jedi.

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4 Leia Rescues Han from Jabba

‘Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

In Return of the Jedi, after Jabba (Larry Ward) has Han (Harrison Ford) frozen in carbonite, Leia sneaks into Jabba’s lair in disguise as a bounty hunter and successfully rescues and unfreezes Han. As Han comes to, he is clearly suffering from hibernation sickness, which leaves him weak and unable to see temporarily. Just as they were about to make their escape, they are caught by Jabba and his cronies, which ultimately leads to Leia being chained to Jabba as his slave.

Leia’s rescue of Han was a great scene from beginning to end— it’s easy to imagine what a thrill it would have been to watch it play out for the first time, unaware that Leia was Han’s rescuer until the moment she revealed herself. It was a wonderful moment between the two of them, from her sneaking towards him to his palpable relief at hearing her voice. It wasn’t the last time Leia saved someone’s life, including Han’s.

3 Leia Rescues Han from the Stormtroopers

‘Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

In The Empire Strikes Back, as Han was about to be frozen in carbonite, Leia told him she loved him, to which he replied simply, “I know.”Return of the Jedi features a callback to that moment. As Han and Leia are cornered by Stoomtroopers, she reveals she’s carrying a blaster, prompting him to smirk and say, “I love you,” to which she replies, “I know”, before promptly shooting the Stormtroopers.

The relief on Han’s face when he saw the blaster was wonderful, but the smile on Leia’s face was even better.

Han’s “I know” is one of the most famous moments in Star Wars history, and Han and Leia’s moment in Return of the Jedi was a wonderful callback to it—and a memorable moment for Leia especially. The relief on Han’s face when he saw the blaster was wonderful, but the smile on Leia’s face was even better. But it wasn’t just a sweet moment between them. It was yet another example of Leia saving the day.

2 Leia Kills Jabba the Hutt

‘Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

As Return of the Jedi begins, the group of Rebels is trying to break into Jabba’s lair and save Han—for Leia’s part, she is ultimately captured, forced to wear a bikini and chained to Jabba. After unsuccessfully appealing to Jabba for Han’s release, Luke, along with Han and Chewbacca, are to be fed to a Sarlacc, but the trio manages to overpower their guards. In the ensuing chaos, Leia kills Jabba by using her chains to choke him.

Leia not only got revenge for how she had been treated but for Han, as well.

Watching Leia kill Jabba was immensely satisfying, especially considering he was one of the galaxy’s biggest villains, and she did it by using the very chains he had been using to keep her by his side as lethal weapons. Leia not only got revenge for how she had been treated but for Han, as well. It was one of her best moments, proving how tough and resourceful she really was.

1 Luke Rescues Leia From the Death Star

‘Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope’ (1977)

In order to save Leia in A New Hope, Luke and Han make their way onboard the Death Star, where they disguise themselves as Stormtroopers and claim Chewbacca is their prisoner before getting into a shootout and making their way to where Leia is being held. As they tried to make their way out, they were trapped by Stormtroopers, leading Leia to take charge and start shooting as she declared, “Somebody has to save our skins.”

The rescue scene was quintessential Leia— she wasn’t about to leave her life in someone else’s hands and quickly took charge, proving she was no typical damsel-in-distress princess. It was an exciting moment that challenged pop culture’s presentation of princesses, which was huge for those who were watching as little girls and quickly came to view Leia as a role model. The scene also included some of Leia’s most memorable lines.

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