Why This Luke & Leia Scene Was Cut From The Empire Strikes Back

When The Empire Strikes Back first hit cinemas in 1980, audiences didn't yet know that Luke and Leia were twins, or that Darth Vader was their father. So when Leia kissed Luke early in the movie in an effort to make Han Solo jealous, it was played as a joke that introduced some mild romantic tension between the three main characters, and upped the will-they-won't-they stakes of Leia and Han's relationship.

It was only three years later, in Return of the Jedi, that Luke and Leia learned that they were actually siblings, making that kiss appear a little incestuous in hindsight.

But if you still cringe thinking about that kiss, just know that it could have been so much worse. Thanks to a deleted scene that was released on Disney+ in November 2019, we now know that the relationship between Luke and Leia almost got even more inappropriate.

In the version of the scene we all know, Han and Chewbacca come to the medical bay to say goodbye to Luke, who's recovering from his near-death experience with the wampa. Luke looks uncomfortable when Han insists that Leia has feelings for him, and Leia comes back with an iconic insult.

Finally, Leia brusquely kisses Luke in front of Han, then exits triumphantly.

But in the deleted scene, it's made clear that Luke wasn't just uncomfortable because he felt like a third wheel. In that version, we learn that he was actually jealous of Leia and Han's obvious romantic tension, after his near-death experience awakened Luke to his romantic feelings for Leia.

Luke tries to explain how he feels, but when he goes in for a kiss, the ever-reliable C-3PO interrupts. The moment gone, Luke tells Leia that he plans to leave. She accuses him of deserting her and the Resistance, just like Han, who then arrives with Chewbacca, and the original scene plays out.

Yes, the kiss is already bad once you know that Luke and Leia are siblings. But this longer version introduces a love triangle subplot that would have created a totally different dynamic in the movies. Luke secretly being infatuated with Leia would have thrown a major wedge between the three main characters and potentially stalled his Jedi training, since Jedi frown on trivial matters like love. Keep watching the video to see that this is why this Luke & Leia scene was cut from The Empire Strikes Back.

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