Bail Prestor Organa

Bail Prestor Organa (68 BBY – 0 BBY) was Princess Leia's adoptive father and a friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi. As ruler of Alderaan he was formally styled as His Serene Highness, Prince Bail Organa, First Chairman and Viceroy of Alderaan and was the head of the royal house of Alderaan.

Bail Organa served the Galactic Republic as a Senator during his final days, having succeeded Senator Bail Antilles (a relative of Organa's wife, Breha). Though a new senator, he quickly gained the ear of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, agreeing with his view on bureacratic stagnation. During the Separatist Crisis, Organa pushed to have Alderaan loosen it's immigration ristrictions to allow refugee resettlement, and was appointed to the Loyalist Committee. Though not a militarist, it was expected he would vote in favor of creating an army. As the Clone Wars dragged on, he became concerned about Palpatine's growing powers. During the Great Jedi Purge, Organa managed to locate and rescue Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. When he took them back to Coruscant, he sat with Padme Amidala as Palpatine declared himself Galactic Emperor. Despite his revulsion at the concept, Amidala told him to vote in favor of Palpatine.

After Amidala's death, Organa took her daughter Leia as his own. He also ordered C-3P0's memory wiped. Organa continued to serve in the Imperial Senate well into the days of the Galactic Empire, where he remained the Senator for Alderaan until his adopted daughter Leia took over one year before the Battle of Yavin.

Bail Organa was instrumental the creation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, together with Senators Mon Mothma of Chandrila and Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia. Despite these ties to the Rebellion, Organa was outwardly one of the most loyal of Imperial Senators, and greatly respected by many, which could be why Emperor Palpatine never tried to execute him, unlike his Alliance co-founders.

After discovering Imperial plans to construct the Death Star, Organa sent his daughter Leia on a mission to recruit Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for the Rebel cause.

Leia and Obi-Wan never made it to Alderaan, and Bail Organa perished in the planet's destruction.

Behind the Scenes
In the films, Bail Organa was played by Jimmy Smits.

The Bail Antilles Controversy
Many fans have noticed that in Episode I, Captain Panaka mentioned a Bail Antilles as the representative from Alderaan, thus raising confusion among fans as to whether or not this is supposed to be the same character as Bail Organa, athough "Bail" could be a common Alderaanian name.

The official site clarifies this issue somewhat, stating that Bail Antilles and Bail Organa were BOTH slated to appear in The Phantom Menace, but Organa's footage was excised. In the screenplay, Bail Organa seconds the motion of no confidence in Valorum's leadership, and Bail Antilles is nominated to succeed him as Chancellor. Both were intended as two separate characters. Nevertheless, because his scene was cut, Bail Organa was recast for Star Wars Episode II, portrayed by Jimmy Smits in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

The Expanded Universe used the appearance of the actor who played Organa in the cut-scene, Adrian Dunbar, to represent Bail Antilles, thus perpetuating the confusion between the characters in the eyes of many fans.

However, it is believed that Bail Antilles resigned his post as Senator after losing the election to Palpatine. Bail Organa replaced Antilles in the Senate.

Appearances

 * Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Episode III: Revenge of the Sith