In ‘Return of the Jedi’, Leia (Carrie Fisher) briefly demonstrates an affinity for The Force, but come ‘The Force Awakens’, it appears this was an aptitude that the character chose not to pursue, leaving her twin brother Luke as the sole Jedi in the family.  Why is that?  Why didn’t the newly christened General Solo (Organa?) follow this same path?

Short answer?  She was busy.

Director J.J. Abrams was posed this question and responded in the video below:

“It’s funny because, in talking about this, even with George Lucas, the question of…what age can someone learn the Force, and become a Jedi. And I would like to think that there really isn’t much of a ticking clock, and it’s never too late.

“It was a great question, and one that we talked about quite a bit, even with Carrie…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.”

So much for having it all, ladies.  Leia chose a career in politics rather than spirituality.  Will there be repercussions from this decision?  Possibly.

But that doesn’t mean that Leia is somehow purged of her natural Force affinity.  Just because she hasn’t honed her abilities doesn’t mean that the raw material isn’t there.

As Abrams says:

“But clearly we’ve seen, and we do again, that she still is Force strong. And it’s something that I think is an intrinsic piece of her character.”

She may not be a master like Luke, but she still has some untapped potential which may factor into the story at some point.

Leia puts in a brief appearance in this new promo which discusses the power of The Force in the new movie:

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker hits theaters on December 18, 2015.

Sources: IGN, Screenrant, Comic Book Movie