Is Eric Actually Leia’s Dad?

After 18 years, the set of the profitable 90s-early 2000s sitcom, That ’70s Present, has gotten some use. In Crimson (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty Forman’s (Debra Jo Rupp) world, it has been 15 years since their home has been filled with dumbass youngsters. Crimson has been happy, however Kitty decidedly has not. On January 19, the extremely anticipated That ’90s Present premiered on Netflix with Smith and Rupp reprising their roles as Crimson and Kitty and cameos from a number of different authentic solid members (Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Wilmer Valderrama).

Within the first episode of That ’90s Present, viewers are launched to Eric and Donna Forman’s daughter, fittingly named Leia (portrayed by Callie Haverda), as a tribute to Eric’s love of Star Wars. She is 15-years-old, having been born in 1980, someday very shortly after the top of the That ’70s Present. Eric and Donna, now residing in Chicago, go to Level Place for the 4th of July weekend with a plan for Eric and Leia to go to Father-Daughter Area Camp shortly after. As a substitute, Leia makes mates with the neighborhood youngsters and decides to stick with Crimson and Kitty all summer season.

Leia is lovely and awkward, like Eric, however finds herself falling for Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), who, unbeknownst to her, is the son of her mom and father’s childhood mates Michael Kelso (Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Kunis). Leia navigates Level Place, decided to have a quintessential teenage summer season, very similar to her dad and mom did when rising up there, besides within the 90s. The present makes a number of 90s references for these sufficiently old to recollect, like the recognition of Raisin Bran, the maintain mini cereal packing containers had on youngsters, and the maintain Zima had on our dad and mom.

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That ’90s Present conjures nostalgia for individuals who keep in mind That ’70s Present, and though it aired almost 20 years in the past, many nonetheless keep in mind the present’s particulars, each good and dangerous. On the finish of Season 7, Eric leaves for Africa to show and, thereby, pay for his faculty tuition. In actuality, Grace left to pursue different performing choices. Regardless, showrunners solid Josh Meyers because the character Randy Pearson instead of his absence. Then, as hardcore followers could keep in mind, Kutcher additionally left the present halfway via Season 8 whereas his character acquired a job at a membership in Chicago. Meyers’ character then functioned as a placeholder for each characters. Throughout Season 8, Randy turns into Donna’s major love curiosity.

This is the place issues get iffy: Within the place the place all theories attainable start, Reddit, followers began to debate in regards to the risk that Leia’s father is Randy and never Eric. However in fact, this idea is simply Web rubbish, proper? Proper? There merely is not any means that Leia could possibly be something however a product of the Pinciottis and the Formans, for positive.

Effectively…truthfully, it isn’t a completely unattainable thought. This is why.

The Timeline Provides Up

Randy was not significantly widespread with followers, partially due to his character’s try and fill two areas by being each witty like Eric is, but in addition a girls’ man, like Kelso is. Randy is a kind of antithesis to Eric as a result of he is extra clean and helpful. Even Crimson likes him, and admittedly, the chemistry simply didn’t mesh nicely with the remainder of the group. Nevertheless, the very fact nonetheless stands that earlier than Eric makes a shock return from Africa on the 2 hundredth episode, set on December 31, 1979, and will get again along with Donna, she has a romance with Randy. Like all romance, a shock child is rarely out of the query.

Your entire premise of this idea rests on the truth that the timeline of those relationships runs intently collectively. It is plain that they do almost overlap, and, because of this, each Randy or Eric might have feasibly fathered Leia, regardless of what number of followers could hate to confess it.

The Star Wars Connection Between ‘That ’90s Present’ and ‘That ’70s Present’

It is a operating gag within the present that Eric loves Star Wars. As said, his daughter’s identify is a tribute to probably the most important and distinguished characters within the legendary franchise, Princess Leia Organa (the dearly departed, and sorely missed, Carrie Fisher). After all, that is all her identify features as — a homage. Or is it? It is not too far out of the query that her identify is a double entendre that references the Princess’ storyline.

All through the primary three movies within the Skywalker Saga (or, Episodes 4-6 if the story is advised so as), Princess Leia doesn’t know that Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) is her father. In reality, Leia doesn’t discover out till Return of the Jedi, when her brother, Luke, divulges the identification of their organic father to her mid-battle. Luke himself discovered within the prior episode, The Empire Strikes Again, which premiered in Could 1980. May the That ’90s Present creators be attempting to arrange a reveal later within the sequence, and in the event that they did, would it not not be one of many coolest call-backs to an iconic second that occurred throughout Leia Forman’s canonical delivery yr?

Verdict: Doable, However We Hope Not

All theories apart, the concept of Randy being Leia’s organic father, whereas stunning and believable, will not be attractive for the sequence’ legacy. Given the dearth of Randy Pearson’s reputation, a twist like this could be a surprising episode, however not essentially a likable growth. Regardless of his efforts, Meyers’ character is broadly generally known as one of many worst characters within the sequence, and thus far, the persevering with storyline appears well-received. Additionally, poor Eric Forman can be heartbroken, much more than when Leia canceled their Area Camp plans.

That ’70s Present was important to late-90s and early 2000s popular culture. The present ran for eight years and lives within the recollections of 90s youngsters fondly as a technique to join with their actual 70s youngsters dad and mom. Who is aware of? Perhaps That 90s Present will likely be simply as integral to the popular culture of the 20s, however one factor is for positive: If this idea about Leia’s parentage involves fruition, that will not even be an choice.

That ’90s Present is streaming on Netflix.