8 Mind-Blowing Revelations Hidden In Rise Of Skywalker

In The Rise of Skywalker, General Leia lays down her life to pull back her son from the Dark Side, but it isn’t as simple as the fatal cosmic phone call that many viewers take it to be. What she did was actually quite a bit more cool and deeply tied to Star Wars lore.

A number of smart observers have already drawn a connection between Leia’s death and Han Solo’s brief return. This is the correct line to draw, because everything she did was carefully planned, including holding Han’s medal. She was not doing so for any sentimental reasons but rather using it as a focus so that she could find Han on the other side and briefly pull him back at the cost of her own life.

What she was doing was a variation of something that even stumped Palpatine, the ability which Darth Plagueis the Wise used to resurrect his dead loved ones.

The reason it takes everything she has and results in her death is because Leia is a Jedi and not a Sith and is unwilling to take unnatural steps to accomplish her goal. She is pouring her own power into this one-shot Force resurrection so that her son can be forgiven and make peace with his mistake. Kylo Ren believes he’s gone too far and can never turn back to being Ben Solo after what he’s done and the only person who can bring him fully back from the darkness is Han, who in being allowed to return is able to complete the task he set out on in The Force Awakens and fulfil his promise to bring back their son.

Being forgiven by his father is the last step to letting go of Kylo Ren and returning to the light. Leia knew this and was willing to sacrifice her life to make it happen.