Star Wars: The Last Jedi may help out Episode IX when it comes to Leia

Star Wars: Episode IX might just feature not just The Force Awakens’ Leia, but also The Last Jedi’s, with the film reportedly mixing footage from the two.

For bringing back the woman whose original costume is so iconic that people still wear it to cons today, Star Wars: The Force Awakens really didn’t do Leia Organa any favors in the costuming department by putting her in a jumpsuit for most of the film and only briefly showing her in a lovely blue gown. Fortunately, we might not have to say goodbye to her fantastic dark gray look from The Last Jedi just yet.

That’s because, per Star Wars News Net and ultimately Todd Fisher, The Last Jedi footage is also reportedly being considered to help create Leia’s appearance in Episode IX. While SWNN focuses on how much there might actually be, citing comments from Rian Johnson, there’s something to be considered for the visual story being told.

Star Wars as a franchise already has precedent for clothes changing at the drop of a hat. Just look at how many costumes Padmé Amidala has in the prequel trilogy. But it’s not always so common to switch back and forth between costumes we’ve already seen before — with the notable exception of Leia Organa herself in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi both.

But more than that, there’s a question of how Abrams will use the different outfits — or if there will be some movie magic to change Leia’s clothes — to help tell the story of a woman who’s now facing one of the darkest hours in a life full of them, without her brother and her husband at her side to support her in their own ways.

Ultimately, the sequels aren’t Leia’s story all on their own. They’re mostly Rey’s.

But as SWNN itself notes, there’s a lot riding on how Episode IX treats Leia all the same, and that goes all the way down to what she wears and when.