The Dark Side of the Force can be a tempting power for even the most resilient of heroes, with one version of the Star Wars saga even resulting in one of the Rebellions greatest heroes embracing her anger and rage.
What happened in Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope by Chris Warner, Drew Johnson, Ray Snyder, Al Rio, Neil Nelson, Steve Dutro and Dave McCaig -- and how did it introduce a version of Leia who actually joined the Empire and became a warrior of the Sith?
The climactic moment of the first Star Wars is Luke Skywalker successfully clearing a trench run on the Death Star and deploying two proton torpedoes into the core of the space-station -- wiping it out and giving the Rebellion a chance to bring peace to the galaxy. But in one timeline introduced in Star Wars Infinites, one of the torpedoes detonates short of the reactor. While this does damage the Death Star's core and prevents it from firing a full-power blast at the Rebel base on Yavin IV, it means the Empire is able to easily overwhelm the Rebels. Luke, R2, Han and Chewbacca are able to escape in their own ships, but the rest of the Rebels are captured and Yavin IV is destroyed. Luke initially lashes out in anger over his belief Leia is dead -- but Obi-Wan's spirit warns him of embracing the Dark Side.
Obi-Wan's spirit tells Luke to go to Dagobah early, allowing him to spend more time training with Yoda instead of helping the fledgling Rebellion. Han and Chewie return to their rough and tumble lives, staying ahead of the Empire when possible. But Vader also takes a captive Leia under his wing, training her to harness her rage and use it in battle -- even giving her Obi-Wan's old lightsaber as a weapon. Vader convinces her to become his apprentice, so the pair of them can one day replace the Emperor and take their place as the true rulers of the galaxy. Years pass, and both Luke and Leia grow to become powerful in their own rights -- Luke as a Jedi Master, and Leia as a high-ranking member of the Empire and Vader's secret student.
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Eventually informed of the true connection he shares with Vader and Leia, Luke decides to confront the pair of them -- recruiting Yoda, Han, and Chewie to his cause. Meanwhile, Leia is revealed to be a deadly apprentice for Vader. The same resolve that would make her a dependable leader in the core-Star Wars timeline is twisted here, giving her ambition and ruthless nature. She's even eventually given her own red lightsaber, signaling her true descent into the Sith. However, she and Vader remain unaware of their shared lineage, at least until Luke arrives on Coruscant and confronts them. Revealing the truth, Luke still initially has to fight Leia in a lightsaber duel. However, the truth eventually convinces her to side with Luke -- and convinces Vader to attack the Emperor so they can escape.
Ultimately, even in a world where Leia fell to the Dark Side, her friends and family proved strong enough to pull her back from the brink. While the Emperor is killed and the Empire is hindered by Yoda flying the Death Star into the planet -- sacrificing himself in the process -- this allows the Skywalker line to continue and help shape the galaxy into a better future, with Leia even becoming the Chancellor of the new Galactic Republic.
It's still startling to see a version of Princess Leia who didn't become the heroic general but took the darker lessons of her father's experiences to heart. Vader appealing to her desire to help the galaxy makes it all the more nefarious, giving Leia a fitting reason to turn her back on the Rebellion and believe that all it did was cause chaos and death. It's a good thing that even in this timeline Darth Vader realized the error of his ways, otherwise, it may have been a galaxy that Leia would have one day commanded with an iron fist.