Warning: This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
After Star Wars fans have spent years waiting for Ewan McGregor to reprise his iconic Jedi role, he’s finally back as the title character in Disney+’s new Obi-Wan Kenobi series. But, as great as McGregor is in the show, he has a young co-star who threatens to steal the spotlight.
One of the biggest surprises in the Obi-Wan spin-off was the appearance of a 10-year-old Leia Organa, played spectacularly by Vivien Lyra Blair. Between the spot-on writing and Blair’s phenomenal work, Obi-Wan Kenobi gets a lot of the Alderaanian princess’ familiar character traits just right.
Her Sense Of Humor
Thanks to the hilarious Carrie Fisher, one of Leia’s defining characteristics is her sense of humor. Obi-Wan Kenobi re-established this personality trait from her very first scene. When Leia is introduced, she pulls a practical joke on her adoptive parents – and the audience.
When fans are taken to Alderaan in the first episode of the show and a little girl with an extravagant hairstyle is introduced, they’re expecting to see Leia – and so are her parents, the Organas. But, as it turns out, Leia switched herself out with another kid to trick her mom and dad.
Her Fearlessness
Whether she’s being confronted by a gun-toting bounty hunter or jumping off of a rooftop, 10-year-old Leia remains just as fearless as her adult self.
When Obi-Wan tells Leia that she reminds him of somebody, fans expect him to make a comparison with Anakin. But then he says, “She was fearless, too, and stubborn,” confirming that he’s actually thinking of her courageous mother, Padmé.
Her Kindness
Leia’s kindness is one of her most likable character traits. She comforted Luke as he mourned the death of Ben Kenobi, even though she also knew Kenobi and therefore suffered the same loss.
At the age of 10, she’s just as kind as her adult self in the original trilogy. She’s even polite to her droids, which are programmed to do whatever she says whether she includes the magic words “please” and “thank you” or not.
Her Leadership Skills
When she grows up, Leia is destined to lead the Rebel Alliance to victory against the Empire. A couple of decades later, she led the Resistance to victory against the First Order. Leia’s leadership skills are unparalleled in the Star Wars universe.
According to Obi-Wan Kenobi, she was even a leader when she was 10 years old. After Obi-Wan saves her from the bounty hunters’ lair, she insists on leading the way.
Her Honor
From the moment she rewarded her saviors with medals (minus Chewie, whose culture places no meaning on medals), Leia has been known as truly honorable. That honor is on full display in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
After a bounty hunter smashes her droid LOLA, she refuses to give up on her – even though she’s just a piece of machinery. After Obi-Wan saves her life with the Force, Leia decides she can trust him and stops causing problems.
Her Biting Wit
Leia has always been defined by her biting wit, which lines up nicely with the biting wit of Fisher herself. She told Luke Skywalker, “Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?” She told Grand Moff Tarkin, “I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.” She called Han Solo a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder.”
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, she’s just as biting at the age of 10 as she will be when she grows up. When her pompous cousin tells her, “You don’t need manners when you’re talking to lower lifeforms,” she quips back, “So I guess I don’t need manners when I’m talking to you.”
Her Compassion
While her insults can be quite cutting, Leia is ultimately a deeply compassionate person. What she initially hated about Han was his selfishness, because she’s the total opposite – she only ever thinks about other people.
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, 10-year-old Leia even has compassion for her droids. She has an adorable friendship with her floating robotic companion, LOLA.
Her Pluck
Most 10-year-olds would freeze with fear if they were confronted by a gang of bounty hunters in the woods, but not Leia; she takes them on a wild goose chase. Even after she’s captured, she keeps her composure.
Leia has always been a plucky character, from the moment she stood up to Vader in the original Star Wars movie, and her younger self in Obi-Wan Kenobi exemplifies that pluck beautifully.
Holding Up Under Interrogation
In the original 1977 Star Wars movie, Leia is taken to the Death Star and interrogated behind closed doors by Darth Vader, his top Imperial brass, and a sinister torture droid. Almost anybody would’ve cracked under that interrogation, but Leia refused to give anything away.
As depicted in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia even held up under interrogation when she was 10 years old. The bounty hunter who abducted Leia tries to intimidate her and she simply reiterates that he won’t hold her for long, because her father will send an army (which is kind of true – he sends a one-man army).
Her Rebelliousness
After Obi-Wan rescues Leia from captivity, she doesn’t accept her Jedi savior very readily. She’s skeptical that he’s really there to save her and worries that he could be the real kidnapper. Even though he’s trying to save her, she rebels against him and runs away.
This rebellious streak will eventually serve Leia well when she grows up and becomes one of the leaders of the Rebellion against the Empire.