George Lucas has always viewed Leia Organa as the true hero of Star Wars, and with good reason. When the first Star Wars movie released (later retitled A New Hope), Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker was introduced as the protagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy. It was, after all, his journey that was being chronicled, going from a boy living on a moisture farm to becoming one of the greatest Jedi the galaxy had ever seen. Along the way, he met Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa, and together these three would make up one of the most iconic fictional trios of all time. Despite Luke Skywalker’s status as Star Wars’ protagonist, however, George Lucas maintained Leia was A New Hope’s true hero.
Though on the surface, Star Wars' Princess Leia could be seen as simply the embodiment of the “ally” archetype, but she is much more than that. An ally is someone who acts as a confidante and companion for the hero – technically, she’s a part of Luke’s journey to becoming a galactic hero and aids him in that quest. Leia could also easily be reduced to being the “love interest” – for Luke before he discovered she was his sister, but especially Han. “Damsel in distress” can be applied to Leia to a certain extent as well, given she was introduced as the prisoner in need of rescue. And yet, none of these archetypes accurately convey the importance of Leia in the story, especially in A New Hope, and George Lucas recognized that.
George Lucas Explains Why Princess Leia Is More Important Than Luke Or Han
Speaking to James Cameron in James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, George Lucas discussed Leia and made clear how impressive he considered her: “She is a senator. She graduated from college. She's a very smart person, very much in control. And she's a good shot. And the two guys were - one was naive and didn't know anything, had no knowledge. The other one thought he knew everything, but he didn't know anything, either. She is the one that knew everything. She was the one that was driving the whole story.” Lucas fought for action figures of Leia to be produced as well, claiming: “When you've lined them up, she's the main character, for God's sake.”
Taking a step back, looking at A New Hope through Leia's lens, it becomes clear that there is a discrepancy between the protagonist and the character who actually drives the plot forward. Luke, to a certain extent, becomes a hero by happenstance – the will of the Force is something he has no control over, after all. Leia, on the other hand, is a player in the story who makes things happen. Leia has been the one actively fighting against the Empire, her message brought Luke to Obi-Wan, and she is the one who introduced Luke to the Rebellion. Without Leia, A New Hope’s story cannot transpire. She has an agency Luke does not.
Leia Is The True "New Hope" Of The First Star Wars Film
Leia saved the Death Star plans that led the Rebel Alliance to one of their greatest victories. She kept fighting even after her homeworld was obliterated. And Leia, above all, is the one who inspires others to become the heroes they can be. Without Leia, Luke never learns anything about the Jedi, and Han doesn’t discover he can be more than just a smuggler. Leia’s actions literally changed the fate of the galaxy. If anything, Luke and Han are Leia’s “allies” in A New Hope – they help her achieve her goal of destroying the Death Star. Luke might be the one who landed the impossible shot, but without Leia, he wouldn’t have been there at all.
Leia’s role in the story as a leader of the Rebellion is the catalyst that pushes the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy forward. She is an intrinsic part of A New Hope’s inciting incident – her smuggling of the Death Star plans is the moment on which the entire story is predicated. The original Star Wars trilogy isn’t just Luke’s story; he and Leia are joint protagonists. Neither of their narrative arcs can exist without the other, and their being twins makes that all the more poignant. All in all, Leia Organa is indeed Star Wars’ most vital character, and her story in A New Hope proves it – just as George Lucas explained.