Leia Organa

"The last royal of Alderaan must be too strong to cower. Too certain to despair. And more than that, General, she must be too stubborn to quit if her subjects―and her culture―are to survive."

- Leia Organa

Leia Organa, a Force sensitive Human female, was the daughter of fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Her mother died in labor and her father, the now-Sith Lord Darth Vader, thought Leia and her twin brother Luke Skywalker to be dead, and so Leia was adopted by Viceroy Bail Organa and Queen Breha of Alderaan, where she was raised as a princess of the House of Organa. Eventually, she became a senator of the Imperial Senate, but also a key member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

During the Galactic Civil War, Organa was entrusted with the recently-stolen plans of the Death Star when she was captured over Tatooine, but not before transmitting the plans to an astromech droid, R2-D2, and sending him to meet Jedi Master Ben Kenobi. On the Death Star, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin forced Organa to disclose the location of the rebel base and had Alderaan destroyed. Awaiting for her execution, she was rescued by Kenobi, Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, who brought her and the plans to the rebel base on Yavin 4, where the Death Star was destroyed at the hands of Skywalker. In the aftermath, Organa would enlist the help of Evaan Verlaine and R2-D2 and actively work to protect all surviving Alderaanians from the Empire's hunt.

During the following years, Organa would continue to assist the Rebellion in missions such as Cymoon 1, and overseeing operations on places such as the Redemption or Echo Base on Hoth, where the Rebellion was forced to evacuate the planet. Organa left aboard the Millennium Falcon, escaping the Imperial fleet to reach Cloud City on Bespin to repair the Falcon’s hyperdrive with the help of Lando Calrissian. However, Calrissian betrayed to Vader, leading to Solo's being frozen in carbonite and to Organa to proclaim her love for him. Soon after, Calrissian liberated Organa and her companions, with Organa rescuing Skywalker after his duel with Vader. Together, they narrowly escaped Imperial forces in orbit and joined with the Rebel fleet on the Falcon.

Organa aided in the successful rescue of Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, just in time to join the Battle of Endor, where Organa fought alongside Solo and Chewbacca on the forest moon to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star. During the campaign, Organa learned that Vader was her father, and Skywalker her brother. After the rebel ground forces successfully disabled the shield generator, the space forces managed to destroy the second Death Star.

Pre-birth
"There is another Skywalker."

- Serenity

During the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Yoda set out on a journey to discover the secrets of immortality. His journey took him to Moraband, the ancient Sith homeworld, where he faced visions of the future. At the end of his journey, the Force Priestess, Serenity, who guided his journey told him that there was another Skywalker, and Yoda heard his voice from the future say so as well. These events not only alluded to the birth and destiny of Leia's twin brother, Luke Skywalker, but to what Yoda would tell Skywalker about Leia as his last words, before his death.

Early life
"It's a girl.''" "''Leia."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala

Leia Organa was born on the asteroid of Polis Massa shortly after the end of the Clone Wars and the newly-established Galactic Empire's purge of the Jedi Order. She and her twin brother Luke, who was born shortly before her, were the children of Galactic Republic Senator Padmé Amidala, who died in labor, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who had recently fallen to the dark side of the Force. To protect the children from the Empire and the now-Sith Lord Darth Vader, Senator Bail Organa agreed to adopt the infant Leia together with his wife, Queen Breha of Alderaan, while Obi-Wan Kenobi personally watched over Luke, who would live with their father's stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru, on the planet Tatooine.

Raised in the Royal Family of Alderaan, Leia adopted the last name Organa. Although it was common knowledge that she was adopted, she remained unaware of her biological parents' fates. She was, however, left with a lasting impression of images and feelings of her that her brother did not: that their mother was "very beautiful, kind, but sad."

During her childhood, Organa was taught by her father to appreciate the effort of Alderaan's workers, but also the importance of her duties as the planet's eventual queen. In addition to her adopted parents, the young Leia was also reared by a number of aunts, who gave her etiquette lessons and tried to turn her into a proper patrician. Although Leia genuinely loved her aunts, she refused to let them mold her into a pampered, simpering princess whose only aim in life was to find a suitable husband.

Because of her royal status, the princess was a natural target for abduction, and her family deemed necessary for her to learn the basics of self-defense. Consequently, Leia was allowed to receive some martial training with a personal instructor once she turned sixteen. The princess thoroughly enjoyed that training, which not only made her feel physically strong, but also allowed her to be released from the tension of her etiquette lessons. Thanks to her instructor, the princess learned to keep her mind clear and focused on the moment.

On one occasion, the princess was sparring against one of her family's servants outside the city, instead of being in language study, when her father picked her up; during their trip, Leia expressed her lack of enthusiasm in the politics her mother had to deal with, when the Viceroy explained to her what Alderaan meant, and what she would have to do one day as the queen―to carry on the legacy of Alderaan's harmonic culture with pride, even at the expense of what she wanted.

The youngest senator ever elected
"It will be  nice to  have  such  a  pretty face in the Senate."

- Emperor Palpatine

In her late teens, Leia followed into her adoptive father's footsteps, and she was  the  youngest  senator  ever  elected  to the Imperial Senate. Her aunts protested, arguing that she'd be better off finding a princely husband, but to no avail. Immediately after her election, the Viceroy proceeded to present her to the Emperor on the capital world of Coruscant, with all the other newly elected officials. The princess spent the days leading up to this event listing out her grievances, intent on addressing the Emperor directly and bluntly. However, when she did meet the Imperial ruler, the Princess of Alderaan was so impressed by his disturbing aura of evil that she could not say a single word and dropped into a half-curtsy.

Although the princess had entered the political arena with the sincere desire to real change and reform, she soon discovered that no other senator seemed to share her ideals. Contrary to its predecessor, the Republic Senate, the Imperial Senate was merely a ceremonial institution that sycophantically validated Emperor Palpatine's every decree. In fact, no delegate ever dared to test the Emperor's patience. In her earlt days at the Senate, Organa soon discovered that betrayal always from those who acted the friendliest to her.

The Princess of Alderaan, unable to understand how the other senators could ignore the Empire's crimes in the Outer Rim Territories, devoted herself to aid the suffering all across the galaxy. On one occasion, she rescued an orphaned baby Wookiee from the ruins of a village the Imperial forces had burned to the ground. To her greatest annoyance, the media constantly reduced Leia Organa to her label of princess, paying no attention to her humanitarian work.

During her tenure as an Imperial senator, Leia Organa notably had to deal with Givin, a mathematically inclined species. At the time, she memorized a few equations that proved useful when she had to observed the Givin custom of greeting maths.

Eventually, she was told about the existence of an Alliance to Restore the Republic that fought the Empire in the Galactic Civil War. Seeing her chance to actually help the galaxy, the princess joined the Alliance.

Death Star prisoner
"I don't know what you're talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan―" "You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!"

- Leia Organa and Darth Vader

Following the transference of the Alliance's headquarters from Dantooine to Yavin 4, and a battle for the technical readout of the Death Star, Organa was entrusted with the recently-stolen plans. It was the princess herself who had volunteered for that mission, against the wishes of the Viceroy. While travelling back to her homeworld aboard one of her family's ships, the Tantive IV, the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator intercepted the corvette over Tatooine. As stormtroopers led by Darth Vader boarded the Tantive IV, Organa stored the plans in the astromech droid R2-D2, and recorded a message for Kenobi, pleading him to return from exile to deliver the plans to her father on Alderaan. While R2-D2 used an escape pod to land on the planet's surface, Organa was stunned, captured, and escorted to Vader.

The princess feigned ignorance of the Sith Lord's accusations, so he berated her for lying and had her imprisoned on the Death Star in Detention Block AA-23 in Cell 2187. There, following the Senate's dissolution, Organa was tortured by Vader so that she would reveal the Rebel base's location, but she proved resilient to the mind probe-equipped interrogator droid. Afterwards, once the Death Star entered the Alderaan system, she was taken to see Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who threatened to use the station to destroy her homeworld unless she disclosed the base's location. The princess claimed the base was on Dantooine, yet Tarkin had Alderaan destroyed anyway to demonstrate the Death Star's power. Awaiting for her execution, Organa was taken to her cell once again.

The arrival of Millennium Falcon, however, led to her rescue at the hands of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca, with the three bursting into her detention block, disguised as stormtroopers, while Kenobi deactivated the tractor beam preventing their escape. Unimpressed by their rescue once they were cornered by stoormtroopers squadron, she took Skywalker's rifle and blasted open a garbage chute to make their escape. Though momentarily trapped in a compactor, they escaped with the help of R2-D2 and C-3PO, and made their way to Solo's freighter, only for them to witness Kenobi's death at the hands of Vader as they escaped on the Millennium Falcon.

Leading the Rebellion
As the Millennium Falcon made its way to Yavin 4 on Organa's instruction, the princess discerned Vader had let them go to following their tail, in opposition to Solo, who had great faith in his ship as much as he was reluctant to keep assisting the Alliance beyond dropping their passengers on Yavin and getting his reward, who angered Organa for his lack of selflessness. Once in the Great Temple of Massassi, used as the Rebel base, Organa met with General Willard and had R2-D2's information analyzed to plan an attack on the approaching Death Star, with General Jan Dodonna debriefing everyone on the assault plans. At the command center, Organa subsequently witnessed the destruction of the Death Star at the hands of Skywalker.

A time to celebrate, a time to grieve
"We have much to be grateful for today. Thanks to your courage, we have delivered a telling blow to the Empire with the destruction of their Death Star. But our casualties were not small. Let us take a moment to honor the lost souls of Alderaan. To honor Viceroy Bail Organa and Queen Breha Organa. May they forever be remembered."

- Leia's speech to the Rebel heroes.

After the Rebel pilots returned from successfully turning the Empire's greatest weapon into nothing but a layer of dust orbiting around Yavin, the personnel of Yavin 4 honored the heroes by orchestrating a medal ceremony for them. Organa wore an Alderaanian gown for the event as she was to hand out the medals and present a speech. She took to the stage as Skywalker, Solo and Chewbacca walked the aisle to the stage. She smiled first at Solo then Skywalker as she bestowed the medals upon them for their bravery&mdash;for rescuing her from Tarkin, who was dead with the Death Star, and then their part in the Battle of Yavin. Solo winked at her before he and Skywalker bowed to the Princess. R2-D2, now repaired from the damage he sustained during the battle, let out joyous beeps and clicks that made them all laugh. Chewbacca let out a roar of triumph as Yavin's personnel clapped for them.

General Jan Dodonna looked to Organa, silently letting her know the celebration was over&mdash;it was time to reflect upon the lost. She started by thanking the Rebels for their courage and sacrifice during the Battle of Yavin. She knew though, that their casualties had not been small&mdash;Alderaan, an entire world had been destroyed; along with Bail and Breha Organa&mdash;Leia's parents. Bail had been a founding member of the Rebel Alliance and she asked the Rebels to take a moment of silence to honor him, and all those who had died when her homeworld was destroyed. She wished they, and all the other beings lost, to be remembered forever. General Dodanna took over for Organa and stated that this was not the proper time to mourn&mdash;the Empire knew their location so the Alliance's top priority was to evacuate Yavin 4. The Rebel fleets from throughout the galaxy were converging upon Yavin to assist in the evacuation. While others would help in the effort of scouting for a new base location. Organa wished to assist the Alliance in any way she could. The ceremony was over, the evacuation had begun. Organa jokingly referred to Solo and Chewbacca that they would need the help of "a hairy beast and his copilot." Solo retorted that Chewbacca was the copilot, not him. Organa left it at two words: "I know." She greeted Skywalker next, asking if he was staying with the Alliance. He insisted he would not be leaving any time soon, though he admitted to feeling strange toward the Princess. He felt that way because when Obi-Wan was killed Organa comforted him, even though she had lost her homeworld, parents and many other people she'd called friends. And she had no one to comfort her in her time of need&mdash;not that she wanted that anyway. As Skywalker departed with R2 and 3PO, Organa noticed a lone female in X-wing pilot fatigues paying respects to a statue of Bail and Breha that had been erected in their memory.

No time to grieve
"I am sorry my Queen." "Don't address me that w&mdash;" "It must be, my test will come soon. As we speak the Imperial are hunting down all surviving Alderaanians." "All? How do you know?" "Word travels through the Rebel forces too much to be simply rumor."

- Evaan and Leia arguing over their course of action.

After the ceremony, Organa changed into a less luxurious outfit and went to find Admiral Ackbar to ask an audience with Dodonna. The Mon Calamari pointed her in the right direction after scolding several Rebel troopers for their clumsiness. She approached the General, who was currently searching for a location for the new base on a 3D holographic map. He greeted her as Senator Organa, before remembering that with the Imperial Senate disbanded and Alderaan destroyed, Leia was no longer a senator. She informed Dodanna that she yearned to take action, to scout for a new base location. But the General disagreed, telling her the best thing for her to do for a time was to grieve her losses. The Empire had placed a 10,000,000 credits bounty on her just hours before. He stated the Princess would not leave Yavin "under anything less than a full military escort," and dismissed her.

Defeated but still fighting for action she left and again briefly ran into Ackbar. As she moved on she heard two Rebel pilots&mdash;including the female pilot she had noticed earlier&mdash;talking about her. Evaan Verlaine, she overheard was the pilot's name, referred to Organa as the "ice princess" before Organa barged in and dismissed the other pilot. Verlaine bowed to her princess, but she let her know that formality was no longer required. She asked Verlaine why she had stayed behind after the ceremony earlier. Verlaine muttered a reply that Organa couldn't hear, she became frustrated and after coaxing Verlaine into revealing her past as a Royalist mentored directly by Leia's mother, Queen Breha; she openly wondered why Verlaine respected the throne but not its keeper&mdash;Princess Leia. Verlaine let her know she planned on preserving as much of Alderaan's culture as possible, before pledging herself to Queen Leia Organa of Alderaan. Organa disagreed that she was the Queen, but Verlaine insisted, and told her that the Imperials were currently hunting down down all surviving Alderaanian's throughout the galaxy. THe Princess took the information and easily created a course of action as Verlaine would act as her bodyguard.

Shortly thereafter, Organa enlisted the help of Artoo and recorded a holographic message of herself apologizing to Dodonna for disobeying his orders and leaving. She then sent the message and a decoy hologram of Artoo to the General's quarters while he slept. The trio made their escape at the dead of night in an elegant T-1 shuttle; their goal was to save all the remaining sons and daughters of Alderaan from the Empire. Just after departing Yavin 4, the Princess insisted that she and her pilot be totally honest with each other. Verlaine agreed, telling her Queen that leaving the Alliance's protection was ill fated. Dodanna would put lives at risk to recover Leia. The Princess dismissed her worry and asked Artoo his opinion. Artoo typed his response on a screen: "I've got a bad feeling about this." The next moment Verlaine noticed that they were being pursued by two X-wing fighters&mdash;Skywalker and Antilles&mdash;the only two survivors of Red Squadron. The two pilots ordered them to turn back, but the Princess would not. The fighters tried to box the T-1 in with a herding maneuver while Verlaine tried to outmaneuver the veteran pilots. In the process, Verlaine recklessly collided with Antilles' X-wing, knocking off the shuttle's alluvial dampener. The Princess accused her pilot of deliberately sabotaging the mission because she disagreed with it. The two fighters realized the T-1 had been disabled, and began to back off; Verlaine hit the hyperdrive and escaped the X-wings. Organa was confused, and Verlaine explained that the whole maneuver had been a rouse that she and Artoo had cooked up. Organa's mind was changed and she thanked her pilot for her magnificent work as they made their way to Naboo.

First stop: Naboo
"Blame has no purpose. Alderaanians have got to stick together. The important thing is, we've lost our loved ones and our precious planet of beauty. The other important thing is your creativity is keeping Alderaan alive. For that I thank you... And I vow to take care of you. Travel the stars with me, and together we will reclaim every last orphan of Alderaan."

- Princess Leia addresses the Melodic Order and their families, and invites them to join her on her crusade.

While in hyperspace en route to Naboo, the two women ate a meal together. Verlaine continued to treat Organa not as her princess, but as her queen, to which Organa requested that Verlaine needed to be her accomplice&mdash;not her sycophant. Verlaine had prepared ruica, a dish that Organa disliked, but was persuaded to eat by her Father throughout her childhood. It brought back memories of her father's urge that she needed to keep Alderaan and its culture alive. The Princess realized she had&mdash;by all appearances&mdash;failed her father.

A short time later they arrived at Naboo, Organa insured Artoo was broadcasting themselves as Imperial Auditors&mdash;the equivalent of a stink bomb to the local population. Verlaine was wary of the plan, but refrained from arguing when Organa revealed that she had learned of a cloister of Alderaanian musicians known as the Melodic Order in the city of Keren. After landing in the capital city of Theed, the Princess ordered the Imperial officer who came to welcome them to refuel and re-stock the ship&mdash;on the orders of her alias&mdash;First Minister Solo. And ordered him to charge the fees to the Imperial Advisor's Office. The trio moved farther into the city where Organa admitted to feeling excited in being alone in the galaxy living only by their wits; and no credits. However, she was momentarily distracted when they came across a mural of the late Padmé Amidala, a former queen of Naboo who was tragically killed 19 years before. The Princess swore she saw the queen turn in her direction, but dismissed it as an illusion. As she contemplated what she had seen, they were approached by Lord Junn, an old friend&mdash;although he was secretly working for his own benefit, and had recognized Artoo's signal as illegitimate. He claimed to be surprised to run in to the Princess, and expressed his condolences for her losses. Organa let him know they were travelling on secretive business, and ignored Verlaine's urging to put her cloak back over her head. Junn took the opportunity to invite them to his villa. Ignoring Verlaine's mistrust in Junn, they went with him.

At Junn's palace, they ate and conversed until Junn left to make a com call. Verlaine voiced her concerns with their host's integrity, but Organa believed he could be trusted. Although, if things "went south" Organa believed Artoo would "beep" their way out of any trouble they could possibly get into. Junn returned and set them up with the Melodic Order's employer, Mul Sanaka, the owner of Club Deeja in the Marina District where the Melodic Order performed via hologram.

They took the T-1 to the Marina District, and the false beacon sent the citizens running from the "Imperial Auditors." They made their way to the club, where Madam Pareece, who was the leader of the Melodic Order, recognized the Princess and discretely followed. Sanaka&mdash;mistaking the "Auditors" for Imperial slavers who were there to collect the Alderaanians&mdash;said he would hand them over after Organa and Verlaine gave their blasters to Sanaka's four-armed Besalisk bodyguard. The Princess, taking on the persona of a stubborn Imperial, at first refused before consenting and was led inside by the large besalisk. In the alleyway behind the nightclub, Snes, the bodyguard, ordered the Princess into a dark room. Organa was surprised when Snes used her title as the Princess; and realized Verlaine's suspicions had been correct&mdash;Junn had betrayed them. She jumped up and kneed the large alien in the face, he fell. Two other besalisks emerged from the dark room brandishing a large axe and fibercord. Verlaine gunned down the first, and Artoo the second, while Organa finished off Snes. Sanaka appeared ready to kill the "visiting royalty," but was foiled when Pareece stunned him from behind. Pareece groveled at the Princess's feet, believing she deserved to die, because she had not yet told the Melodic Order of their homeworld's destruction, in order for Sanaka to make more money.

Madam Pareece, led the trio to the Order where the Princess told her subjects the horrible news of the Disaster. She invited them to follow her on her crusade to rescue every son and daughter of Alderaan throughout the galaxy. While they mourned, they agreed to follow their princess and made preparations; while Organa returned to Lord Junn's palace in the dead of night. She surprised him and demanded to know how he knew of her arrival. He relished how easy it was to guess based on the false Imperial code. Junn figured she was going to kill him for his betrayal, but instead she demanded a luxury yacht capable of carrying the Melodic Order. He agreed and gave them his luxury pleasure craft. Soon thereafter, the gathered Alderaanian's departed for the volcanic world of Sullust, in the Sullust Sector of the Outer Rim.

Aboard the Promise
Sometime later, Organa would return to the Alliance Fleet, hiding in the Sujimis sector over Orto Plutonia, where she would help coordinate the Rebel efforts with the rest of the Alliance's leaders, and in C-3PO's company. During her stay on the Redemption, Organa suggested to Ackbar and Mon Mothma they sent someone to open a secret supply of weapons for the Alliance with the Chekkoo clan of Rodia, a mission for which Skywalker volunteered.

Following his return from Rodia, Organa and Ackbar met with Skywalker as soon as he landed the Desert Jewel on the Promise to talk about his encounter over Llanic, during which he saved a Kupohan ship from Imperial attack. Though he apologized for it, Organa revealed he had done the right thing, as the ship carried vital intelligence about a Givin cryptologist from Denon, Drusil Bephorin, willing to help the Alliance, if the Rebels were able to safely transport her and her family to Omereth. Organa and Ackbar assigned Skywalker, Nakari Kelen and the Desert Jewel to the mission, though Organa warned Skywalker not to trust blindly on Kelen. After their return from a errand for Kelen's father and the Jewel’s modifications, Organa and Ackbar further debriefed Skywalker and Kelen, only for Organa to instruct the two to greet Bephorin with maths.

Assault on Cymoon 1
"Remind me never to attack another weapons factory."

- Leia Organa

Alongside Skywalker, Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, Organa took part in a mission on the Imperial factory world of Cymoon 1, where they would infiltrate and destroy Weapons Factory Alpha. After capturing a shuttle whose passenger was an emissary of Jabba the Hutt sent to negotiate with the Empire on shipping raw materials from Hutt-controlled space to Imperial facilities, Organa and Skywalker disguised themselves as bodyguards to escort Solo (who, they agreed, would pose as the envoy) with R2-D2 into the factory. Greeted by Overseer Aggadeen, they managed to enter the facility only for them to reveal themselves as rebels and knock the Aggadeen's stormtroopers out. When asked about the direction to the main power core, the Overseer revealed it only after the astromech droid threatened to electrocute him; and Organa "thanked" Aggadeen by punching him across the jaw, knocking him out as well.

Once the four made their way to the central power station, Organa, Solo and R2-D2 rigged the power core. As they awaited for Skywalker to return, Organa thanked the Corellian smuggler for taking such a risk for the Alliance, yet questioned Solo if he had an ulterior motive for doing so. Skywalker's arrival with Imperial slaves he had freed interrupted their conversation, however, with his determination to have the slaves escape with them. Though Organa was unsure of Skywalker's decision, Solo accepted it and prompted them to escape the facility as soon as possible.

Alerted by Chewbacca of Vader's arrival, Organa ordered the Wookiee to kill the Dark Lord even at the expense of them, clearly blaming him for Alderaan's destruction. However, Vader sensed danger and protected himself for Chewbacca's shot, putting the entire moon on alert of their presence. Completely surrounded nad having lost contact with Chewbacca, they came across a hangar and, though Organa noticed Skywalker's absence, she and Solo procured an All Terrain Armored Transport walker for themselves, just as Skywalker engaged Vader in combat.

Organa, Solo, R2-D2 and several slaves boarded the AT-AT, and Solo piloted it through the factory before stepping on a subterranean corridor, almost crushing Skywalker and Vader. Once Solo almost stepped on a Twi'lek slave, Organa called him out on it, but he claimed only wanting to get them out of there, while R2-D2 and a pair of Jawas worked to have its cannons operational. Though the Sith lord almost tore the walker apart with the Force, the astromech droid informed them that the cannons were ready and Organa hit the button to fire. Not only they temporarily incapacitated Vader, but they also blasted their way out of the facility.

Once outside, their walker only received more blaster fire; Organa, then, realized the Imperials had stopped the reactor's meltdown, only for Vader to catch up with them and destroy the walker's legs with his lightsaber, throwing it off. From the rubble, Organa carried Solo and led the slaves to safety, when Skywalker met with her and told her he would finish their mission. Disobeying Organa's orders, Skywalker used his stolen speeder bike to destroy the power core. Soon enough, they made their way to the Millennium Falcon and barely escaped with their lives. On the ship, she talked to Skywalker and thanked for completing the mission, and tried to encourage him, but his morale was at rock-bottom.

Escape from Hoth
"You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There are no scoundrels in your life."

- Han Solo

Three or so years later, Organa was stationed at the Rebellion's recently-established Echo Base on the ice planet of Hoth. Following a run-in with one of Jabba's bounty hunters in Ord Mantell, Solo bade farewell to General Carlist Rieekan and Organa, bur her lack of honesty about her feelings angered him. Soon enough, Solo set out to find a missing Skywalker during the night, worrying Organa, but was soon relieved when they returned to the base. However, as an Imperial probe droid had alerted Vader and the Imperial fleet of their location, arriving soon on Hoth, Organa helped coordinate the ensuing evacuation, giving instructions to pilots. Once the base was overrun by Imperial ground forces, Organa and C-3PO were forced to escape Hoth aboard the Millennium Falcon with Solo and Chewbacca.

With a damaged hyperdrive, the Falcon was unable to leave the system and escape the Imperial blockade, which prompted Solo to pilot the ship into a nearby asteroid field, hoping that the Imperials would be unwilling to follow them, to repair the ship in the cave of an asteroid of great size. Organa helped in repairing the ship, when Solo appeared; drawing himself closer to her before both ended up in a passionate kiss that lasted until C-3PO's arrival. Organa withdrew and walked away, conflicted. Afterwards, Organa would reflect upon what happened in the cockpit when the ship was attacked by mynocks.

Rushing to shoo them away, Organa, Solo and Chewbacca exited the ship, but Solo quickly realized that they were in fact inside of something else than a cave. Narrowly escaping the inside of a big creature residing inside the asteroid, the Millennium Falcon was once again pursued by Imperial forces. Unable to make the jump to hyperspace due to technical problems, Solo decided to land on the back of the command bridge of a Star Destroyer, shutting down all systems to avoid detection. The plan worked exactly as planned; as the Imperial fleet prepared to exit the Anoat system, Solo detached the ship from the hull. With a faulty hyperdrive, the group decided to head to Bespin, where an old acquintance of Solo, Lando Calrissian, owned a mining colony. However, they were unaware that they were being tracked by Boba Fett, one of the mercenaries hired by Vader to locate them.

Crisis in Cloud City
"You look absolutely beautiful. You truly belong here with us here in the clouds."

- Lando Calrissian

Arriving on Bespin, Organa and the others were greeted by Calrissian. He agreed to repair the hyperdrive of the Millennium Falcon, and in the meantime, Organa and the others stayed at Cloud City. However, unbeknowst to them, Calrissian had made a deal with Vader to hand over the rebels in exchange for non-interefence from the Empire. Captured by Vader, where the Dark Lord awaited for Skywalker's arrival, Leia and the others were taken to a carbon-freezing facility, where Solo was to be frozen in carbonite to test if the chambers were suitable for trapping Skywalker. As the smuggler was lowered into the freezing pit, Organa's parting words were "I love you," to which Solo responded "I know." .

On their way to Vader's ship, Organa caught sight a recenty-arrived Skywalker and tried to warn him, but she, Chewbacca and C-3PO were taken away by Imperial forces. Before long, Calrissian betrayed Vader by disarming the stormtroopers with the help of his men, and setting the Rebels free. Though Chewbacca almost strangled Calrissian, Organa let the gambler live when he told them of Solo's location. With R2-D2 eventually joining them, they attempted to save the now-frozen Solo from being taken by Boba Fett, they were too late—the Mandalorian had already left on the Slave I with Solo, all the while Skywalker dueled Vader until losing his right hand and lightsaber, and learning of his connection to the Dark Lord as father and son.

Jumping down a shaft, Skywalker eventually ended up hanging on an antenna below Cloud City and called Organa out of instinct. The princess, who had escaped aboard the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and Calrissian, sensed Skywalker's presence, and they turned around to retrieve Skywalker on Organa's insistence. Once they rescued Skywalker, the Falcon was chased by TIE/LN starfighters into orbit and confronted by the Executor. Thanks to the astromech droid, the hyperdrive worked and the Falcon managed to escape the IMperial threat. Soon, they rendezvoused with part of the Rebel fleet, where Organa accompanied a recovered Skywalker—who had received a prosthetic hand—and watched as Calrissian and Chewbacca left to find Solo.

Solo's rescue
"We have powerful friends. You're gonna regret this."

- Leia Organa, to Jabba the Hutt

Following Calrissian, R2-D2 and C-3PO's infiltration at Jabba's palace to rescue Solo a year later, Organa (posing as bounty hunter Boushh) arrived with Chewbacca as her "prisoner" to collect part of the bounty Jabba had put a price on Solo's head. After much bargaining (including Organa threatening Jabba with a thermal detonator), Jabba settled on a deal, and had Chewbacca imprisoned. Later that night, Organa released Solo from his carbonite coffin, only to be caught by the Hutt and his minions. Ignoring Solo's pleas, Jabba had him thrown in prison with Chewbacca, and forced Organa into becoming his slave; wearing a demeaning outfit, Organa was collared and chained to Jabba's throne to stay with him at all times.

A couple of days later, Organa watched as Skywalker tried to bargain with the crime lord for his friends' liberation and was thrown with the rancor. Surviving his ordeal, Jabba ordered for Skywalker, Solo and Chewbacca to be taken to the Dune Sea where they would executed in Great Pit of Carkoon and eaten alive by the sarlacc over the course of a thousand years. On the sail barge, Organa was allowed to leave the Hutt's side momentarily to see as his friend were executed, and she patiently waited until Skywalker started retaliating with his new lightsaber to destroy the barge's controls to throw the vessel into darkness and jump over Jabba's tail.

Grabbing the slack of the very chain with which Jabba had enslaved her, Organa threw its length around the crime lord's huge neck, braced her legs against his back, and leaned back hard while pulling the chain, slowly but forcefully strangling him to death. R2-D2 then broke her chain and headed for the top surface of the sil barge, where the astromech droid and C-3PO jumped off the vehicle's edge and Organa met with Skywalker. Pointing the guns toward the heart of the vehicle, the two began the barge's destruction together and swinged to the skiff where Calrissian, Chewbacca and Solo awaited for them. Picking the two droids, they drove the skiff off just as the sail barge exploded.

Endor's revelation
"Luke, don't talk that way. You have a power that I don't understand and can never have." "You're wrong, Leia. You have that power, too. In time, you will learn to use it as I have. The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. And... my sister has it. Yes. It's you, Leia."

- Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker

Organa later departed for Sullust with the rest of the crew (except for Skywalker and R2-D2) aboard the Millennium Falcon to reunite with the rest of the Rebel Alliance's fleet, assembling for its greatest operation yet—the assault on the second Death Star, located over Endor. As debriefed by Mothma, Ackbar and Madine, the Rebel fleet would distract the Imperial fleet while General Calrissian led a fighter attack against the space station, only after a small strike team deactivated the deflector shield generator on the moon. Though Organa was unaware of Solo's decision to lead the operation on the moon, she quickly volunteered after Chewbacca, only for Skywalker to join them as well, having returned from the Dagobah system, and the two faithful droids.

Aboard the Tydirium, the team managed to land on the moon, as willed by Vader, well aware of his son's presence on the shuttle. Making their way through the forest, they came across Imperial scout troopers with Solo giving their position away by accident. Organa then rushed to steal one speeder bike to chase two scouts, along with Skywalker. During the chase, however, they were separated and, though they took care of the troopers, Organa was thrown off her speeder and knocked unconscious. Shortly afterwards, an Ewok, Wicket, woke her up and Organa quickly befriended him. Though they were discovered by two scouts, Organa and Wicket managed to get rid of them, only for the Ewok to lead her to his home, the Bright Tree Village.

After a few hours, when she realized that her friends were to become the banquet in C-3PO's honor, whom the Ewoks thought to be their god, and tried to intervene, but they threatened her with spears. They were only freed after Skywalker used the Force to levitate the protocol droid to show his "great magic" to the tribe. During the night, Organa listened as C-3PO told the Ewoks their story, prompting Chief Chirpa to proclaim them a part of the tribe.

It was then that Skywalker decided the time had come for him to leave Endor and face Vader; Organa followed him out of te tribal gathering and asked him what was troubling him. Skywalker then revealed that not only was Vader his father but hers as well, revealing himself to be her brother, something she had somehow always known; he also told Organa he had to face the Sith lord in combat on his own, and left her to turn himself to the Imperials. Solo then appeared to ask Organa what was going on, and became jealous of Skywalker, but soon apologized and comforted her.

Nevertheless, the next day, Organa fought alongside the rest of the team in the battle that followed their initial infiltration at the shield generator and subsequent capture by Imperial reinforcements. While the Ewoks provided a distraction long enough for them to take ahold of their position at the doors, Organa was injured with a blaster wound to her upper arm during the fighting, yet she shot down two stormtroopers who threatened Solo. With Chewbacca's stolen All Terrain Scout Transport, they were able to trick the officers into letting them in. As they successfully destroyed the shield generator, Calrissian and Nien Nunb, along with Antilles, flew the Millennium Falcon into the Death Star's core and destroyed it from the inside.

Seeing as the station's explosion lit the skies above, Solo reassured Organa that Skywalker had surely survived, but she already knew it, as she felt her brother's presence though the Force. Solo, then, told her he would not interfere in their relationship, but Organa informed Solo that Skywalker was her brother, and the two shared a kiss. Later that night, the two arranged for the Alliance to join them at Bright Tree Village, where they rejoiced over their great victory against the Empire, with Skywalker finally reuniting with them. After Skywalker saw his father's spirit joining those of Kenobi and Yoda, Organa took her brother by the hand so that he would rejoin the celebrations with everyone.

After Endor
Organa was known to be alive some thirty years after the Battle of Endor.

Personality and traits
Leia Organa was a sharp-witted diplomat who was unafraid to speak her mind, even when confronted by powerful men like Vader and Tarkin. She found a kindred spirit in Han Solo, whom she enjoyed bickering with. She was also as competent with weaponry as she was with words, and kept her composure even in humiliating situations to perform daring feats like diving into a garbage chute or strangling the infamous Jabba the Hutt.

Powers and abilities
"I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew." "He wasn't. I can feel it."

- Han Solo and Leia Organa after seeing the Death Star II had been destroyed

Daughter of the Chosen One, Organa, like her older brother Luke Skywalker, was born Force-sensitive. After her birth Organa was left with a lasting impression of images and feelings of her mother, that she was "very beautiful, kind, but sad." When Skywalker failed to contact Kenobi while hanging underneath Bespin's Cloud City, weak and helpless, he called out to Organa with the Force, apparently out of instinct. Organa sensed him, and was able to direct the Millennium Falcon to his location.

After Skywalker revealed on Endor that they were siblings, she was shocked but deep down, she had always knew this to be true. Skywalker also revealed that she was strong in the Force like he was and could learn how to use it in time. After the second Death Star blew up, Organa assured Solo that Skywalker had not been on it at the time, actively demonstrating the ability to sense her brother's presence.

Behind the scenes
Princess Leia was portrayed by Carrie Fisher. In Revenge of the Sith, the infant Leia was played by Aidan Barton (the son of editor Roger Barton), who also played her brother Luke.

In George Lucas's rough draft of the original film, Leia was a 14-year-old princess (the same age as Queen Amidala in The Phantom Menace), the spoiled daughter of King Kayos and Queen Breha of Aquilae. In that draft, she had two brothers, Biggs and Windy, whose identities were substantially revised into their current form by the fourth draft (though they did not appear in intervening versions). The later story synopsis established her as Leia Antilles, the daughter of Bail Antilles from the peaceful world of Organa Major. In the fourth draft the names were turned around so that Leia Organa came instead from Alderaan. Interestingly, when George Lucas was writing background material for licensees in 1977, he wrote that she had several brothers, and that she was unaware whether her parents had escaped the destruction of her homeworld. No-one from the House of Organa, however, had reached the Rebels as yet.

Princess Leia's Theme is the name of the character's leitmotif introduced in the original film.

Name

 * The name "Leia" has a number of potential origins. It may have been derived from "Lay'a" which in Arabic means "weary". Alternatively it might mean "mistress'" or "ruler" in Assyrian. Additionally, a Talmudic source cites "Leila" as the "Angel of Night". A third origin could be the Greek word "basileia," meaning "reign". There was also a biblical character called "Leah" (which is pronounced as Leia) in the book of Genesis, she was Jacob's first wife. It could also have been adopted from the Hawaiian "Leia", which means "child of heaven".
 * In the Italian version of the films, "Leia Organa" was renamed to "Leila Organa".
 * In June 2005, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway admitted in an interview that the first name of her youngest daughter, Leah Isadora Behn, was inspired by Princess Leia.

Make-up and costumes
George Lucas commented on Leia's "cinnamon bun" hairstyle in Time magazine: "In the 1977 film, I was working very hard to create something different that wasn't fashion, so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look, which is what that is. The buns are basically from turn-of-the-century Mexico."

The costume designer for the films had a "no lingerie in space" policy, which prevented Fisher from wearing a brassiere. To maintain decorum, adhesive tape was used in place of the banned garment.

The iconic Slave Leia costume worn in Return of the Jedi is a popular cosplaying choice.

Her real mother
"The part that I never really developed is the death of Luke and Leia's mother. I had a backstory for her in earlier drafts, but it basically didn't survive. When I got to Jedi, I wanted one of the kids to have some kind of memory of her because she will be a key figure in the new episodes I'm writing. But I really debated on whether or not Leia should remember her."

- George Lucas

George Lucas stated that he wanted one of the Skywalker twins to recall their mother, hence Leia describing her as "very beautiful, kind but sad" in Return of the Jedi.

When Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith came out, many people did not understand how it was possible that Leia claims to remember her mother although she had known her for barely a minute. There has been some debate about whether Leia is discussing her real mother, Padmé Amidala, or her foster mother. The official Star Wars website stated in a "Q & A" section that Leia is remembering Padmé, but this may no longer be canonical.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
 * Escape from Darth Vader
 * Epic Yarns: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Story Before The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 2: Skywalker Strikes, Part II
 * Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * The Empire Strikes Back Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?
 * Use the Force!
 * Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Return of the Jedi Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
 * Rescue from Jabba's Palace
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens - Shattered Empire 1
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens