The dynamic between Osha and Sol in Star Wars: The Acolyte gave Osha the closure that Leia Organa deserved. Thematically, The Acolyte is an incredibly rich story – loneliness, love, desire, fear, loss, guilt, and betrayal push the narrative toward what is, ultimately, a tragic yet foregone conclusion. Sol should never have hidden the truth from Osha; after what he did to her mother, and what the rest of the Jedi on Brendok did to cover up what happened, there was only ever going to be a violent, emotional altercation between these two characters. The Jedi’s lies just delayed the inevitable.
In the end, Osha’s loneliness, desire, and pain incited her anger towards Sol – she used it to kill him, though he did, of course, go somewhat willingly. What’s perhaps most interesting about their relationship, however, is that it includes a father-daughter dynamic like few other relationships in Star Wars. Father-son has been a cornerstone of the Star Wars universe; the entire franchise is built around it. Mother-son has also been instrumental in developing this galaxy, but it wasn’t until Osha’s plot in The Acolyte that it became clear what could have been with one of Star Wars’ most integral father-daughter duos.
Leia And Osha Were Both Betrayed By Their “Fathers”
Sol was a father figure for Osha. From the moment he saw her, he wanted to protect her, however misguided those intentions may have been. He took her in when she had nowhere else to go, taught, trained, and supported her, and tried to keep her safe in his twisted way, even though their entire relationship was built on lies. Osha was betrayed by the only father she had ever had – he’d destroyed her entire world in one night by killing her mother, covering up the destruction of her coven, and ripping her away from her twin sister, Mae.
Princess Leia, of course, was lucky enough to have been adopted by Bail and Breha Organa. Obi-Wan Kenobi made it clear that they were compassionate and loving parents. And yet, Leia’s biological father still played a major role in her life, even before she knew he was related to her. He blew up her homeworld and killed her parents along with it, wrecked the Rebellion she’d worked so hard to build, threatened her brother and her lover, and so, so much more. Like Osha, Leia was betrayed by her father – much of her life was spent living among violence because of him.
Osha Was Granted Closure, While Leia Was Haunted By Vader’s Legacy
These relationships ended very differently, however. Osha was granted closure. Though killing Sol turned her to the dark side, it was what Osha felt she needed at that moment. She needed to confront him head-on, she needed to hear the truth in his own words, and she needed him to know how much his lies and betrayal hurt her. She got all that and more. Killing him was retribution in her eyes; she got the closure and the revenge she craved, and it kick-started a new phase of her life.
Leia never got to confront Vader that way, however. She never got the chance to tell him how much he’d hurt her, how often he’d ruined her life. She never got the opportunity to scream and yell at him in anger and grief for obliterating her home planet and her family. Would he have listened? Would he have cared? It’s hard to say, though Luke was able to get through to him in the end. Luke got closure – he forgave his father and became the galaxy’s ultimate hero. Didn’t Leia deserve some kind of conclusion, too?
Leia never got the chance to tell Vader how much he’d hurt her, how often he’d ruined her life. She never got the opportunity to scream and yell at him in anger and grief for obliterating her home planet and her family.
Leia’s whole life was affected by her connection to Vader, even after he’d died. In the novels The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis and Bloodline by Claudia Gray, it is clear that Leia is haunted by her biological father’s legacy. She worries that she has the same capacity for darkness, and in Bloodline, it was revealed that the knowledge of her heritage even affected her career in the Senate, as many felt she was untrustworthy, despite all she’d done in the fight against the Empire. So where is Leia’s justice?
Would Leia Have Confronted Vader The Same Way Osha Confronted Sol?
Of course, there are more parallels between Osha and Leia than just their tormented relationships with their father figures. They are twins, they are sisters, they have a connection with the dark side, and they are powerful in the Force without even truly knowing it. If Osha was capable of killing Sol in a moment of passion and hatred, would Leia have been able to do the same if she’d ever been given the chance with Vader? If she had taken Luke’s place, would she have been able to forgive Vader for what he’d become?
It’s impossible to say, though it’s unlikely she’d have killed him. Osha was already being lured in by the dark side when she faced Sol, as Qimir encouraged her to follow her instincts and desires rather than the teachings of the Jedi. Leia, on the other hand, though strongly connected to the dark side through Vader, was always surrounded by people who loved and supported her. Osha hadn’t had that for years. Even if Leia was incapable of killing Vader, though, she still deserved to confront him about his dark deeds, just like Osha did in Star Wars: The Acolyte.