Dork Side of the Force
Fansided

Why couldn’t Darth Vader sense Leia was his daughter?

By C.J. Hawkings

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - OCTOBER 15: Darth Vader speaks onstage during Spike TV's "SCREAM 2011" awards held at Universal Studios on October 15, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - OCTOBER 15: Darth Vader speaks onstage during Spike TV's "SCREAM 2011" awards held at Universal Studios on October 15, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) /
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Star Wars
BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 08: Wax figures of the actors Harrisson Ford as the Star Wars character Han Solo (L) and Carrie Fisher in her role of Leia Organa are displayed on the occasion of Madame Tussauds Berlin Presents New Star Wars Wax Figures at Madame Tussauds on May 8, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Clemens Bilan/Getty Images) /

Princess Leia’s history as the daughter of the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker surprised many fans in 1983. However, Star Wars fan still ask: why couldn’t Darth Vader sense who she was?

As the daughter of one of the strongest Force users in galactic history, Leia Organa had the rough end of the lightsaber. When her true paternity got leaked by her senate rivals, she became an outcast to her peers. As they say, you cannot pick who your parents are — especially in Star Wars.

The reveal that Darth Vader was the biological father of the Alderaanian heiress came as a surprise to the audience, though one thought remained. Why didn’t Vader sense Leia and her true paternity via the Force in A New Hope? That’s what we’re going to investigate now.

Star Wars
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 17: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was processed using digital filters) George Lucas (L) and Stephen Colbert attend Tribeca Talks: Director Series: George Lucas With Stephen Colbert during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images for the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival) /

Going Behind The Camera

Before we get into the in-universe theories, we need to go over the behind-the-scenes reason.

When George Lucas wrote the original trilogy, he didn’t plan the story out in advance. Instead, he wrote the plot after the success of each film Also, we need to consider that the whole Luke and Leia kiss came before the revelation was even considered.

The Last Force Users

During A New Hope, Vader and Palpatine were believed to be the only Force sensitives left in the galaxy. It had long been thought that the child Padmé carried died with her. Little did the Sith realize, she’d given birth to twins and the daughter served the Imperial Senate with her adoptive father.

It’s possible that they simply forgot what other people’s Force signatures felt like. They considered themselves the only ones able to use the Force before they learned of Luke’s existence.

The Emperor thought Yoda had perished during their fight  in the senate chamber and Vader thought Obi-Wan had died after their duel on Mustafar. Little did either of them consider the possibility of either’s survival.

Vader believed that his and Padmé’s child died when she did, so there was no reason for him to consider anything else. Palpatine lied to him about Luke in fear of what might happen. The last thing he needed was his student turning on him.

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