Seven years after Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, a new Force power finally explains how Princess Leia survived in space. It was one of the most memorable – and, frankly, the most bizarre – scenes in The Last Jedi. The Resistance flagship was struck by a First Order attack, and Princess Leia was blasted out in space. But Leia didn’t die; in one of the most surprising scenes in canon, she used the Force to propel her body back to safety.
The experience came at a cost, of course; Leia was left in a healing coma for much of the rest of the movie. But how was it even possible? Surprisingly, a recent Star Wars novel – Justina Ireland’s Wayseeker – finally provides an important answer to that question. It seems Leia tapped into an unusual Force power, a feat no doubt possible because of her Chosen One bloodline.
Star Wars’ New Force Power Explained
Wayseeker is set during the tail-end of the High Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic. It stars Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, and is essentially a story showing how she transitions from the character previously seen in books and comics to the one seen in The Acolyte (where she was played by Rebecca Henderson). In one key scene, she teached another Jedi – The Acolyte’s Indara (played by Carrie-Anne Moss).
Vern teaches Indara how to use the Force to regulate her body temperature. This may seem like an inoccuous Force power, useful mainly when exploring extreme environments, but it’s actually surprisingly powerful:
“‘Okay, here is what we’re going to do,’ the elder Jedi said. ‘First, sit on the floor. If we stop quickly, you’ll fall off that empty crate and right onto your face. Good. Now think of the place where your body touches the metal. It will be hot, but that is to to be expected. What you are going to do is imagine your connection to the Force drawing out the extra heat and bleeding it away. Push it away with each breath until you start to feel some relief. Oh, and drink water. Using the Force will make you feel more comfortable, but it will not really change your body temperature. Well, at least not until you are accomplished in the technique. It has been said that some Jedi have used it to survive the extreme temperatures of space without a suit, but I think that may just be a myth.”
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How Leia Unlocked This New Force Power
Leia was the daughter of the Chosen One, and – like Luke – she inherited all Anakin Skywalker’s potential. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed Leia went through more Jedi training than we’d previously thought, meaning she was conscious of the will of the Force. That, fundamentally, is the reason Leia was able to survive.
According to The Last Jedi’s comic book adaptation (by Gary Whitta, Michael Walsh, and Mike Spicer), Leia sensed her future using the Force. There are moments when the future is in motion, it is also true that there are moments of clarity. The comic gives us insight into Leia’s thoughts at the time:
“Is this the end? Of a lifetime spent fighting, resisting, surviving? Luke once told me, the future is always in motion, difficult to see… But as I look within the Force for a glimpse of mine, it has never seemed clearer. The end? Like Hell.”
Let’s face it, the dialogue is wonderfully in-character for Princess Leia. It also gives the simplest possible explanation for how Leia survived space; she sensed the will of the Force, and she acted in accordance with it. In doing so, we now know that she unlocked a Force power that more advanced Jedi had labored to master, controlling her body temperature so she could (just about) survive.
It makes sense that the daughter of the Chosen One could do this; she had the potential to be a Force prodigy in her own right, even if Leia never quite unlocked it. That said, Star Wars: The Last Jedi makes it abundantly clear that this came at a terrible cost, as it came so close to killing Leia. In fact, though she didn’t die that day, the exposure weakened her body – meaning Leia only lived another year before she passed into the Force.
