Princess Leia’s top 20 bravest moments

Still from Return of the Jedi (1983). Image is a screengrab via 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm

5. Her protection of all things great and small

The Ewoks are cute and all, but neither Leia nor the rest of the Rebel forces really owe anything to them. But as The Empire descends on the rebels at Endor, it could have turned into an every-man-for-himself situation. But Leia went out of her way to befriend that single Ewok, and it paid off in spades. The boys had a little bit more difficulty — C-3P0’s faulty Ewokese translation almost got them roasted for dinner.

Leia’s hospitality towards one Ewok yielded an army greater than she could have imagined. Their sheer numbers helped in providing some defensive resistance to storm troopers, as did their ingenuity — and it was really fun to see all the troop helmets being used as instruments at the end of Return of the Jedi as the celebration kicked off.

I appreciate that she can maintain a tough-gal exterior but also never let go of her humanity. It makes her a brave fighter, and a brave leader. It’s times like this one on Endor when I really look to Princess Leia as a bastion of strong leading females in Hollywood and beyond. Her compassion is one of the things that sets her apart.