Breha Organa

"I was one of the lucky Alderanians mentored directly by your mother. She taught me much about the heritage of Alderaan. What she never taught me&mdash;what she, rather, earned&mdash;was my lifelong respect for the throne."

- Evaan Verlaine, to Leia Organa

Breha Organa was a human female who served as Queen of the planet Alderaan during the Clone Wars and the early days of the Galactic Civil War. At the end of the Clone Wars, she and her husband, Senator Bail Organa, adopted the newborn Leia. The girl, the daughter of the late Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo and fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, was raised as Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.

Throughout her years as monarch, the queen personally mentored a select number of young Alderaanians to teach them the culture and heritage of their planet. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Organa's Alderaan was considered by the Empire to be a source of rebellious activity. The planet became an early supporter of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Organa and her husband were both killed shortly before the Battle of Yavin, when the Empire destroyed Alderaan with its deep space mobile battle station, the Death Star.

Queen of Alderaan
"My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

- Bail Organa

By the time of the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Breha Organa ruled as the Queen of the planet Alderaan. She was married to Senator and Viceroy Bail Organa, who represented the Queen's planet in the Galactic Senate. During her reign, and through her husband's efforts in the Senate, Alderaan advocated ending the war, due to the planet's pacifist beliefs, and hosted a conference to assist refugees displaced by the galactic conflict.

When the Clone Wars came to an end, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine&mdash;secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, who manipulated the conflict to his own tyranical ends&mdash;abolished the Republic and transformed it into the Galactic Empire, with himself as absolute ruler. He also issued Order 66, a command to all clone troopers to kill their Jedi leaders, thus destroying the Jedi Order. During that time, Senator Padmé Amidala gave birth to twins, Luke and Leia, before dying. The children's father, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, had also turned to the dark side of the Force and become Darth Vader. Knowing that the children would be in danger if the Sith discovered their existence&mdash;both the Emperor and Vader believed that Amidala died before giving birth&mdash;it was decided that Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would take Luke to live with Vader's family on Tatooine. With the consent of both Kenobi and Master Yoda, Bail decided that he and his wife would adopt Leia and raise her as their daughter; the two had always wanted to adopt a girl. The Queen, however, was unaware of Leia's true parentage, as that secret was only shared by Bail and his two Jedi friends.

In the years that followed the Emperor's rise to power, the Queen personally mentored a select number of young Alderaanians, teaching them about the heritage of their homeworld. One of her pupils in particular, a girl named Evaan Verlaine, was so thankful for that privilege that she developed a staunch, lifelong loyalty to the House of Organa and became a committed royalist. Queen Breha's husband, while still part of the ceremonial Imperial Senate, became involved in an underground rebel network, which ultimately evolved into a formal Alliance to Restore the Republic. Alderaan was among the earliest supporters of the Alliance, although its officials cautiously avoided to support it openly. The Queen and her husband became close friends with Dodonna, a General in the Alliance. In time, Princess Leia Organa replaced her father in the Senate and joined the Alliance. At some point, the Queen passed down her necklace, the chalcedony waves, to the princess.

Death and legacy
"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 Organa

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Vader&mdash;who did not know Leia was his daughter&mdash;captured the princess, who had been part of the theft of the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's planet-killing deep space mobile battle station. Leia was captured and brought aboard the Death Star, where she was interrogated for information about the location of the Rebel base&mdash;the Great Temple of Massassi on Yavin 4. Because she refused to provide the location, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the station's commander and Governor of the Outer Rim Territories, threatened to destroy Alderaan if she did not comply. The princess provided a false location and, though Tarkin trusted her, the Grand Moff nonetheless chose to target Alderaan; the Empire considered it to be a haven for rebellious activity, and Tarkin believed destroying it would be an effective demonstration of the station's power. The planet was destroyed upon being hit by the Death Star's superlaser, killing all who resided upon it&mdash;including Queen Breha and her husband.

After the planet's destruction, which Alderaanians who were off-world took to calling "the Disaster," the Rebel Alliance managed to destroy the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin. Statues of the Queen and the Viceroy were raised in the Rebel base on Yavin 4 as a tribute to the royal couple. During a ceremony commemorating the Rebellion's victory, Princess Leia asked that the Rebels in attendance honor those who died on Alderaan, including her adoptive parents. Evaan, likewise, paid her respects to the royals in front of the statues. As Leia coped with her loss in a way that made her seem indifferent, Evaan resented the princess for not mourning her parents properly. Evaan nonetheless pledged her loyalty to the princess, and the two left Yavin 4 on a mission to save living Alderaanians from the wrath of the Empire. Eventually, Queen Breha's chalcedony waves were bestowed upon the Sullustan Nien Nunb, as a reward for his help evacuating Alderaanian from Sullust.

Personality and traits
Breha Organa was a human female with fair-skin, black-hair, and brown eyes. Shortly after the end of the Clone Wars, she wore a blue metallic gown with slit sleeves and a collar adorned with a gold buckle-like brooch. When she wore that gown, the Queen braided a golden fabric into her hair, wrapped it around her head, and put on a semi-transparent blue shawl. She attached a great importance to education, taking time to teach several pupils in-person, in addition to her royal duties.

Character origins
"I thought that Queen Organa might look almost exacly like Padmé, because Leia remembers seeing her mother smile."

- Iain McCaig

"Queen Breha" first appeared in George Lucas's 1974 rough draft of what would become Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where she was the wife of King Kayos of Aquilae, and the mother of a spoiled, fourteen-year-old Princess Leia. In this 132-page early story treatment, Breha was described as "a warm, silver-haired matron." Leia's mother was absent from the final version of the story, which was released on the silver screen on May 25, 1977. However, in 2013, George Lucas's rough draft was adapted into a non-canon comic book series called The Star Wars. That series featured the character Breha of Aquilae, drawn by Mike Mayhew in a style that resembles a concept drawing of Princess Leia in Cloud City, originally made by Ralph McQuarrie for Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.

George Lucas resurrected the character early in the production of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the third installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In December 2002, he informed his production staff that Princess Leia's surrogate mother would appear in the movie. Lucas described her as a trustworthy, peaceful woman in her mid-thirties, and illustrator Iain McCaig drew several conceptual artworks based on that description. In one of his drawings, McGaig gave Breha the traits of Padmé Amidala, in an attempt to explain how Leia could remember seeing the smile of her mother. In another piece of concept art, McCaig sought to recreate the likeness of his wife Leonor.

Portrayal
"As a girl growing up and seeing Star Wars, of course you want to be Princess Leia. And to know that I'm actually playing her mother&hellip; I just kept thinking about those buns! I was the mother of those buns! Maybe I taught her how to do those buns!"

- Rebecca Jackson Mendoza, on playing Breha Organa

In May 2005, Breha Organa made her on-screen debut in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, in which she was portrayed by Australian actress and singer Rebecca Jackson Mendoza. Despite being a fan of the original trilogy, Jackson Mendoza did not immediately realize the significance of her role in the Star Wars franchise. When her brothers helped her understand that the Queen was none other than the adopted mother of Princess Leia, her excitement over the role increased. Rebecca Jackson Mendoza remembered having watched the original trilogy as a child, wishing she could be Princess Leia. In light of all that, Jackson Mendoza came to regard that role as something of an accomplishment.

A single robe, referred to as the "Alderaan Palace Dress" in Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, was created for Jackson Mendoza by Trisha Biggar, who worked as costume designer for all three prequel films. That robe, which Jackson Mendoza compared to a "green wedding gown," was originally going to be made of velvet, until the fabric was changed for fear it would come off too dark on screen.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part I
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part II
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part IV
 * Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure
 * Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part II