However, these insights and innovations also meant some significant updates and even changes to what has come before in Star Wars. One perhaps surprising example was the wedding of Mon Mothma's teenage daughter, Leida, in the first three-episode arc of Andor season 2. Although it may seem as though this wedding was inconsequential in the grander scheme, the decision to make Leida a 14-year-old child bride in Andor season 2 actually directly undermined George Lucas' earlier vision for Star Wars, and this decision was ultimately for the better.
Leida Is The Same Age As Pé In The Phantom Menace
Both Characters Are 14 During These Critical Periods In Their Stories
Leida's wedding in the first three-episode arc of Andor season 2 was one of the most unsettling plot points in the entire show. Although the wedding itself was clearly tied to Chandrilan culture and tradition, it was still incredibly uncomfortable to see a 14-year-old child bride in Star Wars. Adding to this discomfort was the fact that Leida had seemed anxious and nervous (and even distressed, in one scene) leading up to the wedding and Mon Mothma's dismay at this decision for her daughter.
Yes, the marriage was a choice Leida was making, but it was also a choice that was heavily driven by archaic traditions, and this traditionalist marriage was ultimately something that stripped Leida of her power. That is in part why Mon Mothma was so concerned about this path forward for Leida; she recognized that this would push Leida into a traditional role and ultimately limit her. This is the polar opposite of the story we see for Pé Amidala when she is 14 years old in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
This is the polar opposite of the story we see for Pé Amidala when she is 14 years old in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Unlike Leida's story, in The Phantom Menace, Pé is depicted as immensely empowered. This is obviously in part because she was Queen of Naboo at that time, but even outside that role, Pé's personality was fierce, brave, headstrong, and selfless. She consistently made her own decisions, even when influential, powerful people like Palpatine were attempting to sway her in one direction or another, and she went toe-to-toe with Qui-Gon Jinn, one of Star Wars' most powerful Jedi. Throughout the movie, she proved that she wasn't going to let anyone determine her fate or back down.
I'm Haunted By Andor Season 2's Decision To Leave One Character's Fate Unaddressed—And It's Not Cassian's Sister
Andor season 2 left one significant character's fate entirely unknown, and that makes her story even more disturbing than it already was.
There's A Reason For These Two Different Portrayals
These Differences Weren't Decided Upon At Random
While this difference between Pé and Leida's stories may feel like a step backward for Star Wars, there's actually something much more profound happening here. Both The Phantom Menace and Andor season 2 had entirely unique aims in their intentions for these 14-year-old characters, and both are valid and understandable. The Phantom Menace was a Star Wars movie geared towards children, as George Lucas has long said, and as was clear with characters like Jar Jar Binks.
Because of that target audience, Pé was a teenage queen because she was meant to invite kids to imagine themselves in such incredible roles, in the same way they could see themselves in Anakin Skywalker. In a sense, Pé was wish fulfillment for the young audience. Andor was worlds away from that intention, though; Andor was instead meant to show the brutal realities of oppression under the Empire and the sacrifices it took to gain freedom.
Pé was a teenage queen because she was meant to invite kids to imagine themselves in such incredible roles.
Leida, in contrast, therefore showed how fascist oppression impacts the younger generation and revealed how traditionalist values are a tool weaponized by such regimes that specifically target women. Whereas Pé had the ability to make her own decisions, defend her people, and win the day, Leida was relegated to the role of a child bride. This isn't to say that a domestic life is an inherently worse or harmful one, but, in this context, it's clear that Leida's story is meant to be a disturbing one—and it was.
Star Wars Has Always Been About The Next Generation
Ultimately, Both Stories Drive That Home
While Andor might not be for children, Star Wars is always going to be about the next generation, and, for better or worse, that is true of both Leida and Pé's stories. Each era has its own implications for the generation to come, and, for Pé's story, that began by revealing her power and strength in The Phantom Menace and ended with her tragic death, but also the influence she had on what would eventually become the Rebel Alliance (which was especially clear in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith's deleted scenes).
Leida was sadly an example of the much darker side of this. She represented the damage regimes like the Empire do to younger generations to maintain control. Even more heartbreaking was the revelation that, in fighting for future generations, Mon Mothma actually had to abandon her daughter. She recognized that her daughter had (at least temporarily, although it may be permanent) been lost to traditionalism, and Mon needed to focus on the future of the galaxy. Andor season 2's subtle connection between these two 14-year-olds thus sheds a fascinating light upon just how important younger characters are in Star Wars.
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