Using real science, Luke Skywalker is technically almost two years younger than Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise. In Return of the Jedi, it was revealed that Luke and Leia were secret twin siblings. However, the Theory of Relativity suggests that their respective travels in The Empire Strikes Back should have made Leia older than her brother.

A 2019 episode of the BBC series QI (Quite Interesting) discusses Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and the fascinating effects of time dilation. During the episode, a 2014 study at the University of Leicester is mentioned, where physics students explored Luke and Leia’s respective Episode V journeys to Dagobah and Cloud City. A clip from the episode can be seen below, posted on Instagram by @theqielves:

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In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke and Leia’s ages should have drifted, having traveled to different locations at different speeds and distances, while also being subjected to different gravitational fields. Despite being twins, it was deduced that Luke should have been a year and three-quarters younger than his sister by the end of Empire Strikes Back.

Based On The Theory Of Relativity, Luke Is Almost Two Years Younger Than Leia

Due To Time Dilation

Breaking down the 2014 study, Leia’s hyperspace journey on The Millennium Falcon to the Anoat sector and Cloud City was compared to Luke’s roughly week-long journey from Dagobah in his X-Wing, posited to be the slower of the two. After all, Luke’s X-Wing had seen better days, and The Millennium Falcon is one of the fastest-known ships in the galaxy.

According to the physics students at the University of Leicester, Luke’s much longer journey meant he experienced 700.8 days of time dilation, equating to (1.92 years).

Compared to Leia’s 62.6 days, this means that Luke would have become around 1.75 years younger than his twin sister. Gravitational time dilation was also explored, and it was determined that Luke would have had to orbit Bespin for nearly 9.77 million years to cancel out the age gap.

Thankfully, time dilation isn’t a problem in the Star Wars galaxy like in other sci-fi projects. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a notably tragic example. This is largely due to the Star Wars franchise often skirting around the laws of physics in favor of storytelling. Hyperspace travel in Star Wars is far more ficтιтious than it is based on actual science.

Regardless, applying the Theory of Relativity to Star Wars space travel is an intriguing thought experiment all the same.

Source: Instagram/University of Leicester

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  Luke Skywalker

  Created By

  George Lucas

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  Died

  Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

  Race

  Human

  Movies

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker

  TV Shows

  The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi

  The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful sH๏τ that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.

  
  

  
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  Leia Organa

  Alias

  Boushh

  Created By

  George Lucas

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  Died

  Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker

  Race

  Human

  Movies

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

  The daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Leia inherited her mother’s political skills and her father’s Force power. She was raised on Alderaan as a member of the royal family, and followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a senator who secretly worked alongside the Rebel Alliance. Alderaan’s destruction changed everything, and Leia became a leader in both the Rebel Alliance and its successor government, the New Republic. She served there for decades, eventually leaving to found the First Order when she sensed its darkness growing. Leia gave much for her ideals, but eventually gave her life to redeem her son Ben.

  
  

  
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