A Complicated Romance
The original trilogy of Star Wars films – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi – saw the attempted construction of a vague love triangle. There was never any real competition, though, as it was always clear that the real romantic connection lay between Leia and Han Solo. Of course, the reveal that Leia and Luke were siblings brought some finality to that fact – but even in the beginning, the attraction was glaringly obvious.
It’s almost a mutually male and female fantasy – which is one of the reasons why it’s become so legendary. Oftentimes in movies, romance is presented as either appealing to the male or female fantasy – but rarely both at once. With Han and Leia, we have an independent, capable woman with her own agenda and an independent, roguish pilot who is initially uninterested in anyone’s agenda. They cross paths, have adventure, and fall in love.
But – and this is crucial – neither is reduced by that romance. As individuals, they add to the life of the other, rather than becoming a reason to hold back from life. Neither one ever asks the other not to follow a particular path, but instead, offer help and support in the name of friendship and loyalty. They save each other – literally and metaphorically – and this means that they both allow themselves to be vulnerable, instead of one being vulnerable while the other is not given that opportunity.
Those vulnerabilities are embraced by the other person, and this adds to the intimate bond between them, before they ever positively acknowledge their connection. This is never more clear than when Han is about to be encased in carbonite. Leia finally tells him she loves him, and he replies, “I know.”