Literally my favourite thing about Rogue One is that it makes the opening of New Hope so funny. Like, Vader has followed Leia from a planet he just blew up seconds ago and pursued her across the galaxy and then she’s just like: ‘I’m on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan’
Vader: You’re a rebel. I just had a fight with your entire rebel fleet and followed you here. Straight from the rebels. Of which you are a part
Leia: *dramatic gasp* rebel? Me??? I was just passing through. Diplomatically. Thought it was a five-space-ship pile-up or something going on there…
death star plans? on my alderaanian diplomatic mission? it’s more likely than you think
ok but this is like legitimate Canon Improvement because I’d always wondered why Vader was so wildly furious at the start of the movie like “rahhhhh bring me the passengers I WANT THEM ALIVE!!!!” and now I’m like
ohh yeah okay they literally JUST blew up Vader’s base, stole his sh!t, and took off while giving him the finger from the window
while giving him the finger from the window
IT GOT BETTER
The other thing is, Leia has been strong with the Force her whole life without really knowing it. Luke is an insanely good shot, an ace pilot, quick with machines. These are the skill he learned growing up. Imagine Darth Vader’s and Padme Amidala’s ACTUAL DAUGHTER being raised as a diplomat and princess. Imagine Bail Organa introducing her to the Rebellion. Imagine the MASSIVE FUCKING LIES she’s told, and how they probably went something like an accidental Jedi Mind Trick for most of her life. And now here’s (secret) Dad, and he ain’t buying it honey.
That^^ addition. I like it.
Ooooh, that’s a great addition to my “stormtroopers can’t hit Luke, Leia, or their companions because they’re unconsciously using the Force to protect themselves” headcanon. (Nothing fancy, just enough to make shots go an inch or two wide. But you gotta figure the Empire has all kinds of numbers on their troopers’ accuracy, with specific tech to track performance. I bet the after-action reports on engagements with these two are really interesting.)
For my money Leia’s best moment is when she lies about the location of the rebel base and Tarkin believes her. Doesn’t stop him blowing up Alderaan, but he is so mad when he finds out there’s nothing on Dantooine. You gotta figure Tarkin’s good at seeing through deceptions, or he wouldn’t be where he is… but it’s already pretty much canon that Leia’s Force sensitivity helped her resist torture and mind probing, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that she gave Tarkin just the slightest nudge toward “she’s telling me the truth.”
edit: I can hear @mackensen quoting Obi-Wan’s line on “the Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded” at me and I am not saying Tarkin has a weak mind, but a) I didn’t say it was a strong influence either, just a nudge, and b) Tarkin does not expect a teenage girl to lie to his face with the fate of her home planet on the line. He expects her to just tell him where the fucking base is already. That’s not even an unreasonable expectation, but in this case it’s a weak point for her to exploit.
Want a more subtle way to accomplish this same kind of power move? DON’T ASK WHERE IN BOSTON. Story:
I go to a fancy grad school, where a lot of folks did their undergraduate degrees at fancy places. The two schools whose alumni here are the most full of themselves about it are Harvard and MIT. They’ll drop the name of their alma mater at any and every chance they get. However, upon introductions, they all name-drop it in the exact same way, that YOU can take advantage of. They want it to go like this:
“Where did you do your undergrad?” “Oh, I went to school in Boston.” “Neat. Which school?” “MIT.” or “Harvard.”
This way, they can act like they’re trying to be humble and not mention it, but then because you asked, they can brag. Now, I am from a midwestern public football university, so I get a little sick of people pulling this kind of stunt, especially because the same people give me a down-their-nose look after I say my school. So, I have learned that it is WILDLY hilarious to make the conversation go like this instead:
“Where did you do your undergrad?” “Oh, I went to school in Boston.” “Neat; that’s a cool city. Hey, have you all seen the latest Star Wars movie? [Or whatever subject change]” *stunned and frustrated silence because they have no excuse to name drop*
They can’t bring it up the topic change because it would be rude, and because the obvious response is that everyone knows that “where did you do your undergrad” implies what school, not what city, so they were being unhelpful in the first place. Anyway, for the small percentage of people that regularly meet braggy Boston alums, go get ‘em.
There are two types of British TV shows: the kind that run thirty episodes across twenty years; and the kind that have produced an episode a day, without interruption, since 1960. There is no middle-ground.
