Heir to the Empire

The weight of responsibility for the New Republic they are building and fighting to defend forms the primary internal conflict for both Luke and Leia as protagonists in Heir to the Empire. They are both part of the efforts to rebuild after defeating the Empire, contributing to the development of New Republic. The task is a difficult one, as they must simultaneously fight the remnants of the Imperial army, develop alliances with other planets, and build political, social, and economic security in the New Republic. Luke, worried about how long their efforts are taking, thinks of all the planets with billions of people on them:

Many of them still waiting for the freedom and light the New Republic had promised them. He close[s] his eyes against the bright lights and the equally bright hopes. There [is], he [thinks] wearily, no magic wand that could make everything better. Not even for a Jedi (25).

Having been told by Yoda that he is the only remaining Jedi and having lead their defeat of the Emperor and Darth Vader, Luke feels responsible for providing the Jedi power that the New Republic needs to succeed and thrive. The weight of that responsibility makes him feel overwhelmed by the problems facing the New Republic, but he also remembers that “’a Jedi can’t get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people’” (22).