The Original Empire Strikes Back Trailer Teased A Creepy Star Wars Romance
When "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back" debuted in 1980, audiences didn't know that Luke (Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) were siblings. While franchise creator George Lucas had a rough idea of where he was going to take his "Star Wars" saga, Luke and Leia's siblinghood wouldn't be revealed to audiences until 1983's "Episode VI – Return of the Jedi." Because Lucas didn't know the duo's relationship, the first trailer for "The Empire Strikes Back" teases a romance between the two that's creepy in hindsight. The first official trailer for the sequel, which happens to be voiced by Han Solo actor Harrison Ford, deliberately places emphasis on Luke and Leia kissing, teasing a love triangle among the trio. The moment is at 0:52.
The first trailer for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Voiced by a very excited Harrison Ford. pic.twitter.com/VRzXJ6ZOn9
— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) April 24, 2024
In the final cut of "The Empire Strikes Back," Leia briefly kisses Luke in a bid to make Han jealous. Leia doesn't actually have any feelings towards the man who would eventually be revealed to be her brother, and the moment is largely played for laughs. By the end of the film, Luke and Leia have a platonic relationship, with the princess eager to reunite with Han, who is frozen in carbonite.
Even though the kiss doesn't have any major consequences for their relationship, it's still pretty creepy how the duo kisses (Leia previously gave Luke a kiss for good luck in "Episode IV – A New Hope"). However, a cut scene from "The Empire Strikes Back" featuring Luke and Leia would have explicitly set up a love triangle among the trio, drastically changing the trajectory of the "Star Wars" franchise.
Were Luke and Leia always intended to be siblings?
In the deleted "Empire Strikes Back" scene, Luke hopes to tell Leia how he feels about her, only to have his emotional moment thwarted by R2-D2 and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Unlike the kissing scene that made it into the final cut, the deleted moment was played off as genuine. It would have also set up a "will they, won't they" among the trio, probably making it one of the strangest things about Princess Leia and Han Solo's relationship. Luckily, plans for a love triangle were scrapped.
The deleted moment and the kiss in the final cut are sort of harmless considering Luke and Leia weren't always envisioned as siblings by George Lucas. While appearing at the Sci-Fi Expo in Plano, Texas, in 1999, former franchise producer Gary Kurtz revealed (via The Force.net) that the original plan was to have Luke's sister be a new character (distinct from Leia) who was across the galaxy. By the time work started on "Return of the Jedi," Lucas likely realized that it would be convenient to have Luke and Leia be siblings, as he could wrap up the trilogy and also create higher emotional stakes for the finale.
While their kisses are definitely creepy, Luke and Leia never lock lips again after they find out they are siblings. So there is that. After the events of the original trilogy, Leia makes things official with Han Solo. Still, Luke and Leia's smooch is definitely the worst kiss in "Star Wars" history, and for good reason.