And yet, The Last Jedi still feels like a tribute to a remarkable female character who often felt short-changed in previous installments of the franchise. When we first met Leia in A New Hope, she was a princess taken captive on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan. Clad in the white robes of purity, she was an ingenue, albeit a spunky one, designed as an incentive for Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to join the fight against the evil Empire. The Empire Strikes Back tried to box her in as Han Solo's tolerant love interest. Though Return of the Jedi suggested that she too had the power to control and wield the Force, her abilities always took a backseat to Luke's, who — no matter what Yoda whispers to Obi Wan in the night —has always been framed as the last hope of the Jedi order.