Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Here’s What Happened To Princess Leia After Return of the Jedi

Did she and Han Solo live happily ever after?

Sure, we have a ton of questions about what happened after our heroes won the Battle of Endor. What happened at the Battle of Jakku? What’s the deal with the Resistance?

And, by Rex’s beard, how did C-3P0 get that new arm?

But above all of that we want to know what happened to our big three heroes: Luke, Han, and Leia. Well, thanks to new information from the comics and novels released on “Force Friday,” we have a much better idea on what went on in the galaxy far, far away post-Return of the Jedi.

What happened to Princess Leia?

After the Rebel Alliance’s victory at Endor, they reorganized into the New Republic and began an offensive campaign against an Empire that was leaderless and in disarray. As their victories mounted, so did their influence. Leia sent out the following transmission to help gather support and bolster morale:

“Be patient. be strong. Fight back where you can. The Imperial War Machine falls apart one gear, one gun, one stormtrooper at a time. The New Republic is coming. And we want your help to finish the fight.”

As far as we know, Luke and Leia continued to work with the New Republic as they beat back the last of the Imperial Forces. After the Empire was broken at Jakku and a peace treaty was signed, Leia joined Admiral Ackbar as a General for the remaining New Republic forces. That role continued for the Resistance.

What about Han and Leia?

If you’ll recall in the expanded universe, Han and Leia got married about four years after Return of the Jedi. Soon after, their twins Jacen and Jaina were born. They also had a third child, Anakin, a few years after that.

Well… doesn’t seem like that’s the case here. In fact, we’re getting the impression Han Solo and Leia didn’t stay together very long after Endor. It’s both surprising and not surprising. Leia was always committed to the cause for life, which she sealed when she became a standing General for the New Republic. The role continued into the Resistance around the time of the Force Awakens.

It’s worth noting that this turn of events, while straying from the Expanded Universe, is actually much closer to the original ideas regarding Return of the Jedi‘s ending. It originally wasn’t so happy, and part of that involved Leia choosing her duties as the leader of a revolution over her personal relationships. Sure, they had won the Battle of Endor… but that meant she was going to devote the rest of her life to a cause. Her life wasn’t hers anymore: it belonged to the ideals and institutions she had fought so hard to establish.

While noble, it’s also a little sad.