J.J. Abrams Explains Why "Spoiler" Doesn't Use The Force

In Return of the Jedi, it was revealed that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are brother and sister. We know that The Force is strong in their family, but if you were expecting to see Leia use The Force in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it's not going to happen. You might be disappointed to hear that, but there's a reason behind it.

When trying to figure out how to handle that aspect of Leia's character, director J.J. Abrams had conversations with the writers and even actress Carrie Fisher on how they would deal with it. In the end, Leia basically made the decision not to train in the ways of The Force because there were more important things for her to focus on. Abrams tell IGN:

It was a great question, and one that we talked about quite a bit, even with Carrie [Fisher]…Why did she not take advantage of this natural Force strength that this character had. And one of the answers was that it was simply a choice that she made, that her decision to run the Rebellion, and ultimately this Resistance, and consider herself a General, as opposed to a Jedi. It was simply a choice that she took.

That makes complete sense. When you train for The Force, you have to make a serious long-term commitment. Leia just had way too much shit to take care of, especially after the rebellion destroyed Death Star II. By the time we get to the events in The Force Awakens, she's a General.

Abrams goes on to tease that she will show some aspects of her Force ability, he describes her as being "Force strong," and he calls her ability an "intrinsic piece of her character." We'll see exactly what he's talking about when the movie is released. I'm sure she'll have that connection with Luke, but I don't think we'll see her fighting with a lightsaber.