Luke and Leia are probably the most famous pair of twins in the world. Well, they're the most famous pair of fictional twins in the world. The children of Darth Vader captured our hearts as soon as we saw them. They're the ones who led us on the amazing adventure that is Star Wars. Leia was the princess who did/didn't need rescuing, and Luke was the farm-boy who wanted to leave home. You can't get a more classic adventure than that.
As the movies in the Star Wars series progressed, Luke and Leia grew into more unique characters, maturing into the roles they had first built for themselves. Leia proved herself to be a capable leader of the Rebellion, and Luke turned into a Jedi Knight. What's better than character growth? But is it just me, or is Leia a so much more qualified person than Luke? If you move onto the new Star Wars sequels that have come out, Leia has only grown stronger and more capable in the role she chose and Luke has seemed to regress. Even though Luke has all this Jedi training, Leia can simply do more than he can with her life.
Granted, Luke can do all those flashy Force tricks that audiences love to see, but Leia definitely has more diversity in what she can do that he can't. As you will soon see, Leia is way more powerful than her twin brother. Don't believe me? Read on if you want to learn about all the things that our favorite princess can do that her lightsaber-wielding sibling can't.
25 The Huttslayer
Luke lived on Tatooine all his life, but he never did anything about the gangster problem on his world. Tatooine had an underworld issue, with the Hutts functioning as crime bosses on the desert planet.
Leia was there for just a few days, and she choked the life out of Jabba the Hutt, the biggest, baddest Hutt in the world. Let's see Luke put on her famous outfit and try to choke Jabba with his own chain. Leia even earned herself the name "the Huttslayer."
24 Earn Yoda's Praise She Did
Yoda was extremely reluctant to train Luke to be a Jedi. He said as much to Obi-Wan Kenobi's blue ghost. Luke was too impatient for the training. Against his better judgment, Yoda ended up training Luke in the ways of the Force.
It was revealed later on that Yoda wanted to train Leia to be a Jedi more than Luke. Without ever even meeting the ancient Jedi Master, Leia made a favorable impression on him. That's more than Luke can say. Yoda insulted Luke more times than I can count in The Empire Strikes Back.
23 Have The Urge To Do Away With Dad
Leia suffered more at the hands of their father than Luke did. She was Darth Vader's prisoner in both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. She spent most of her early adult life fighting the establishment that he represented.
Leia, more than Luke, desired to bring about Darth Vader's demise.
At one point, she even risked her and her friends' lives in an effort to rid the universe of the Dark Lord of the Sith. Huh. Maybe it's a good thing that Leia never became a Jedi.
22 Bear Kiddos
This boils down to biology, but another thing that Leia can and did do that Luke couldn't was bear children. Leia was the one who could ensure that the Skywalker line lived on.
Sure, her son ended up becoming an all-around jerk who turned to the Dark Side and stabbed his own father with his lightsaber, but at least he moved the plot along. Quite frankly, I find it amazing that Leia found the time to have a kid what with all the government-building she was trying to do at the time.
21 Retain Infant Memories
Both Leia and Luke were wee babies when their mother passed away on the birthing table. For some reason, Leia was the only one of the two who kept any memories of what their mother was like.
Luke had no clue what their mother was like. He asked Leia in Return of the Jedi what she remembered of their real mother, and Leia described Padmé's personality pretty well. So you see, as a mere infant, Leia could sense her mother's qualities and see past her mother's cries of pain to what she really used to be like. (Yeah, I have no idea how that works.)
20 A Disney Princess
Luke grew from a farm-boy to a Jedi Master. Leia was a princess who became a general. Luke himself was a commander in the Rebellion. The one title he can never share with Leia is that of "princess." Leia will always have that for herself.
Granted, that's not much of an accomplishment of effort. She was adopted into that rank. Still, half of the time we talk about Leia, we refer to her as "Princess Leia." Even though in the new sequels she's called "General Organa," I still find myself talking about her as a princess.
19 Age Gracefully
We first meet an aged Leia in The Force Awakens. She is the head of the Resistance and deploys her forces with a calm mind and strategic planning. In The Last Jedi, she maintains that demeanor even when she falls into a coma.
Now, let's take a look at Luke in the sequels. He's an old hermit hiding on the island of Ahch-To who drinks milk straight from the teat of a thala-siren. (That was the green-milk creature's name, in case you were wondering.) Leia definitely had more dignity in her old age than Luke.
18 Keeping Students On A Short Leash
Leia is also a better teacher than her brother. Luke's student, Ben Solo, ended up falling to the Dark Side after Luke stood threateningly in his hut with his lightsaber activated. (I almost can't blame Ben for reacting the way he did when he woke up and saw Luke looming over him.)
Leia's protégé, Poe Dameron, on the other hand, became a Resistance hero. And when Poe stepped out of line, Leia showed no hesitation in stunning him with a blaster in order to rein him in. Now that's how you discipline an unruly student.
17 A Forever Rebel
Luke spent his adolescence stuck on his uncle's moisture farm on the planet Tatooine. Leia spent her youth becoming the youngest senator in the Imperial Senate while simultaneous joining the Rebellion. Talk about a major overachiever.
And when Luke decided to sulk on Ahch-To, Leia formed the Resistance to combat the rising First Order. Leia was definitely a better Rebel than Luke at all times of her life, young and old. Luke was just a whiner in his teenage and elderly years.
16 Passive-Aggressive Negotiations
The world of politics in the Star Wars universe seems like a tough place. Even when the Old Republic was in place, the Senate seemed like a breeding ground for stress and arduous processes. I can only imagine how frustrating politics got once the Empire was in place.
I don't think Leia gets enough credit for immersing herself in those politics more than Luke did. It takes a steel spine to deal with sniveling Imperial politicians. Leia must have titanium spine.
15 The Iconic Hairdo
This might seem petty, but another one of the things Leia can do that Luke can't is sport that awesome twin-bun hair style. Those twin buns on each side of her head was totally her look.
She may have only worn that hair style in A New Hope, but it became Leia's signature style. Anybody who wants to dress up as her needs to include those buns. (That is, unless they're trying to dress up as Leia in that slave outfit.) No way could Luke attain that look, even if he grew his hair out.
14 Total Composure
Leia handles stress remarkably well, far better than her brother does. When Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed her home planet of Alderaan and made her watch it happen, Leia kept her cool.
Compare that to Luke when Darth Vader brought down Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi was just an old man who Luke had met that day, but he reacted as if his whole world had ended. Leia ended up comforting Luke about Obi-Wan's passing later on. If anything, someone should have been comforting Leia for losing her entire planet and family.
13 Focusing On More Important Things Than The Force
Luke was extremely excited to learn to become a Jedi. We all remember eager Luke from A New Hope. That was a quality Luke had that we all shared. Who wouldn't be excited to become a space wizard?
Leia could have had the opportunity to become a powerful space wizard in her own right after the events of Return of the Jedi. I'm certain Luke would have been willing to teach her. However, Leia chose to stick with the current life she was leading because she knew she could help more people that way. Leia has a better sense of self-sacrifice than Luke.
12 Withstanding Intense Conditions
I think we all forget that Leia was a prisoner of Darth Vader for a couple of days. Aside from the weirdness that this is her own father who is roughly interrogating her, it's astounding to note that Leia was able to resist him and the IT-O Interrogator droid.
Luke got his hand cleanly chopped off and made a huge fuss about it. Leia, on the other hand, was able to withstand the pain the droid must have inflicted on her and was able to make snarky comments to Luke and Han when they showed up to rescue her afterwards. She clearly has a higher pain threshold.
11 I Know
Star Wars fanboys cannot deny the allure of Han Solo. He's the ultimate charmer. Leia was able to have a romantic relationship with Han. Having Han Solo to herself is definitely a notch in her belt that Luke can never have.
Sure, Han and Luke can be best buddies. Luke has that consolation prize. But he's definitely missing out on the whole scoundrel charisma that Leia gets to experience. Did I take this to a weird place? Maybe. Do I care? Not one bit.
10 Using Her Brain Instead Of Her Brawn
More than Luke or Han, Leia knows how to use her intelligence to her advantage. She knows when a few simple words can get the job done more quickly than a blaster. Even though Jedi are supposed to be these vaunted diplomats, Leia does a better job of mediating matters than Luke.
She had a bunch of practice growing up in the world of politics, but it's a skill she always kept sharpened. In both the canon and non-canon Star Wars universes, Leia is an expert diplomat.
9 More Mature At A Younger Age
In A New Hope, Luke is portrayed as this eager farm-boy who can't wait to get off the desert planet he's stuck on. Leia is portrayed as a dignified princess. Bear in mind that both Leia and Luke are twins. They're the same age.
Is it just me, or was Leia way more mature than Luke was?
This could have to do with her royal upbringing, and the war that has raged around her since her conception. Still, it's clear that while Luke had his head in the clouds, Leia had her feet planted firmly on the ground.
8 A Head For Strategy
There is an instinctual kind of intelligence that a person uses when they're piloting their X-Wing in a dogfight. There is a different kind of intelligence needed to view the skirmish from above as a whole and figure out what should be done to win an entire battle.
Leia has the smarts necessary to command during a war. She can see the bigger picture in a way that Luke never could. Luke's a great pilot, but Leia is the better strategist. And what's even cooler is that she maintains that skill into the new sequels.
7 Moving On
You want to know something that Leia does especially well when compared to her brother? It's quite simple. Leia knows how to understand she made a mistake and move past it. Luke just can't do that.
After he failed to train Ben Solo, Luke shut himself away from the world and refused to participate with the Resistance. It's like he broke himself with his own regret. Leia felt partially responsible for how Ben turned out as well, but she didn't turn herself into a hermit because of it.
6 A Natural Leader
Since we first met her, Leia has proven herself to be a capable leader. When Han and Luke went to go rescue her in the Death Star, she immediately took charge of the situation when things went south.
She was a partial leader of the Rebellion in the old trilogy, and she was a definite leader of the Resistance in the new trilogy. She does not only have the courage to lead, she has the integrity and the intellect. I would rather follow Leia into battle than Luke.