Character Spotlight: Leia Organa

Character Spotlight: Leia Organa

Born to rebel. Raised as royalty but never knowing her true royal line. A leader through and through, Leia Amidala Skywalker Organa Solo, has been reading to stand on the front lines as much as work behind the scenes for a better tomorrow. How did she get to be fearless leader she’s known for? Let’s find out!

Leia was always going to be raised with some secrecy, her parentage was forbidden, a Jedi Knight and a senator. Things took a further dive into secrecy as the Republic her mother fought so hard to protect was crumbling as her father was being corrupted from his own inner demons. She’d be separated from her twin brother, Luke, and raised instead as the adoptive daughter of her mother’s friends, Bail and Breha Organa, fellow senators. She would be raised as a princess of the planet Alderaan, which was a beloved and respected planet in the days of the Republic but was losing favor under the Empire.

Taking her father’s spot in the Senate at a young age, she’d learn just how little power they had left with the Emperor using them more for looks than anything useful. She’d also learn that her parents were part of the secretive Rebel Alliance and soon begin helping them in whatever way she could. As time went on, she’d get captured by Darth Vader of the Empire and have to give away the plans to a new planet destroying weapon to her trusty droid, R2-D2 to finish her mission. She’d endure torture and interrogation but not give up where the Rebel base was until the Empire threatened to destroy her home of Alderaan with their Death Star. Sadly, they’d destroy it anyways, killing just about everyone Leia had grown up with, including her parents.

She’d find herself mixed up in an attempted rescue by her, unknown at the time, brother with some scruffy looking smugglers. She was able to alert the Rebellion to flee Dantooine for Yavin IV but the Death Star was still following after them. Leia would lead from the base the assault against the Death Star, using the plans to have a strike team wipe out the space station. Not truly being able to grieve the loss of Alderaan, Leia would go on a mission to try and unite the remaining Alderaanian people who were off world when the destruction happened. She’d prove successful and give the handful of people a new home to try and rebuild their culture. Leia would continue to help lead the Rebellion even as the Empire made them priority number one for vengeance. She’d also have to deal with smuggler, Han Solo, and the feelings that were developing between the two of them. She’d eventually learn of her true parentage, Darth Vader being her father and Luke being her brother. She was strong in the Force and just never trained it like they had.

 

The Empire would fall soon after her learning of her family and she’d begin the ordeal of cleaning up after the remnants of an Empire that refused to accept losing. She’d team up with pilot, Shara Bey to help stop the destruction of the planet of Naboo after the Emperor’s kill switch protocol had been activated due to his death. Their friendship would lead to her becoming a second motherly figure to Shara’s son, Poe Dameron. Helping to rebuild the Republic she had always dreamed of actually serving, turned out to be tenuous at best. There were still many who would view the Empire as “the good old days” and Leia could rarely stand people such as that.

Han Solo and Leia would have a tempestuous relationship, they loved one another but it certainly wasn’t a quiet time with those two. They’d have a son, Ben, who would prove to also be strong with the Force and Leia would ask Luke to take him to be trained in the ways of the Force as the boy seemed troubled with the Dark Side. As time went on, more and more of the Republic were seeming to side with the idea of a return to the Empire, the sides were nearly at 50/50 in the Senate. Leia was doing well in the votes for becoming First Senator so she could help steer the New Republic back towards a more free galaxy but then was thrown into upheaval as her true parentage, as the daughter of Darth Vader, had been revealed by a political rival. Her political career in ruins, she’d take a leave of absence and soon begin working as a General in the new Resistance who were dealing with the raise of the First Order, the government agency that wished to have the Empire back once more.

 

To make matters worse, Ben would turn to the Dark Side and kill his fellow students at the Jedi Temple, leaving only Luke alive, before running off with the First Order. Devastated and blaming themselves, Leia and Han would separate, diving head long into their work. Luke would flee, seeking out the first Jedi Temple, leaving Leia with the Resistance as her new family. Poe Dameron, the best of the Resistance pilots, would become her right hand and like a son to her. Princess Leia worked hard to get back what once was lost before, General Leia was ready to do it again.

 

There you have it! Leia Organa is considered one of the “Big Three” of Star Wars and rightfully so. She’s been a scrapper as much as she’s been a diplomat. Just as likely to blast her way out of a bad situation as lead the fight, she’s been an important character in pop culture. She was played to perfection by Carrie Fisher, who sadly passed away before getting to work on Episode IX, the final part of the newest Star Wars trilogy. Both on and off screen she was someone to look to for guidance, the world is a darker place without her but she’d want us to keep going on. She will always be missed but never forgotten. See you next time.

Suggested Reading
Star Wars
Princess Leia
Shattered Empire

Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net

Leave a Reply