One of the biggest (and ickiest) moments of "Return of the Jedi" is the revelation that Luke and Leia are twins, yet when we meet her again in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," she isn't a Jedi but rather a general in the Resistance. If you're wondering why Leia didn't follow the path of the Force, director J.J. Abrams has a pretty good answer for you.

"It was a great question, and one that we talked about quite a bit, even with Carrie [Fisher]: If there was another, why did she not take advantage of this natural Force strength that this character had?" the filmmaker tells IGN. "And one of the answers was that it was simply a choice that she made, that her decision to run the Rebellion -- ultimately, this Resistance -- and consider herself a general, as opposed to a Jedi, it was simply a choice she took. Not that there was any regret that she could have and didn't, but clearly we've seen, and we do again, she's still Force-strong, and it's something that is an intrinsic piece of her character."

It certainly makes sense: Leia, time and again, has proved herself to be nothing if not pragmatic. And even if she had wanted to train to become a Jedi (under Luke's tutelage?), the needs of the Rebellion/Resistance would've certainly outweighed her own wishes.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens Dec. 18 across North America.