: redirects here. For another person with a similar name, see
Princess Leia Of Hungary .''
(born '''Leia Amidala Skywalker on
Polis Massa ''' in
19 BBY ) is a
Fictional Character in the ''
Star Wars ''
Galaxy .
Leia was born in the midst of chaos with her elder twin brother
Luke , to former Queen turned Senator
Padmé Amidala of Naboo and fallen
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker turned Sith Lord
Darth Vader . Although her birth parents were
Anakin and
Padmé , Leia was raised on
Alderaan by Senator, Prince
Bail Organa and his wife, Queen
Breha Organa . Growing up among politics, she went on to hold a seat in the
Imperial Senate , where she secretly played a large role in the
Rebel Alliance . Leia is also the only Skywalker twin to have any memory of their mother,
Padmé Amidala . Leia claimed to remember her "real" mother through "just images really... feelings." Although many fans argue that it may be
Breha Organa , which is unlikely because Luke specifically asked if she remembered her "real" mother who was also his. George Lucas stated that he wanted one of the Skywalker Twins to recall their mother. He claimed since Luke knew Vader was their father, he most likely felt that Leia was entitled to the brief memory of her real mother from infancy to equal out the parentage and children connection.
She was first portrayed by actress ''.
Ann Sachs provided the voice of Leia in the
1980s Radio Dramas of the
Original Trilogy .
"If it's a girl, name her Leia."
Leia's family consisted of many influential individuals, primarily government officials and politicians. Leia Organa is the daughter and slightly younger (by just a few seconds) of the fraternal twins of the
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his secret wife, Queen and Senator
Padmé Amidala , the adopted daughter of Queen (and later Minister of Education)
Breha Organa and her husband, Viceroy/Prince Consort
Bail Organa of Alderaan, and the twin sister of
Luke Skywalker (which is not revealed unambiguously until ''Return of the Jedi''). A politician-turned-rebel and
Spy , she has a forceful personality and keen intellect, having accomplished much in her youth. Leia was a member of the
Imperial Senate until
Emperor Palpatine dissolved it. She then became a leader of the
Rebel Alliance and, many years later, Chief of State of the
New Republic . While raised in privileged surroundings, this fiery diplomat received martial training in order to defend herself, learning
Hand To Hand Combat and how to use a
Blaster .
and the defection of her
Father and the separation between her and
Luke .]]
Leia Amidala Skywalker is born at the near end of ''Revenge of the Sith'', when her real mother, the Senator
Padmé Amidala of the
Naboo gives birth to Leia and her twin brother,
Luke , at
Polis Massa . Before Padmé dies while being comforted by
Obi-Wan Kenobi , Leia looks at her and gains a faint memory of her mother, due to her connection to
The Force . She tells Luke in later years that their mother was very beautiful, kind and gentle, yet sad. Leia is sent to
Alderaan with
R2-D2 and
C-3PO with her adoptive father,
Bail Organa , so she would not be found by the Empire. According to the ''Episode III Visual Dictionary'', Leia's full name at birth is .
According to the
Expanded Universe , Leia is raised with
Winter . Winter is often mistaken as the Alderaan Princess since Leia is more carefree. Winter becomes her handmaiden later on in life, as well as her children's nanny.
At the age of 18, Leia becomes the youngest member of the
Imperial Senate and become good friends with Senator
Pooja Naberrie of Naboo, her biological maternal cousin. She also becomes one of the driving forces behind the
Rebel Alliance , the
New Republic and even later, the
Galactic Alliance .
with her unknown twin
Luke Skywalker , and her future husband
Han Solo .]]
In '', the
Wookiee Chewbacca , and the two droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. When they finally escape, at the expense of Obi-wan's life, they take part in the
Battle Of Yavin . Luke, in his one-man
X-wing fighter, blows up the Empire's most dreaded weapon. In the Massassi Temple at the hidden Rebel base on
Yavin 4 , the radiant Princess Leia Organa presents the Alderaanian Medal of Freedom to her rescuers and the heroes of the battle.
Three years later, in '''', Princess Leia helps with the evacuation of the rebel base on
Hoth , an ice planet. Despite the ongoing battle, she remains vigilant and issues commands from the crumbling base. Luckily, she is able to escape any danger and flees with C-3PO, Han and Chewbacca on the ''
Millennium Falcon ''. Although they are pursued by Imperial fighters, they manage to dodge their fire by flying into an
Asteroid field when the hyperdrive broke down. Although the Princess is constantly at odds with Han, romance blossoms; while hiding in a cave (actually the mouth of a space slug), she shares her first kiss with the scruffy-looking
Corellia n
Smuggler . Later, when they stop at
Bespin for repairs, Han's friend,
Lando Calrissian , betrays them to Vader, who uses them as bait for Luke. Han is also used as a test subject for the carbon freezing chamber meant for Luke, and it is there that Leia finally confesses her love for Han. Vader then gives the frozen Han to
Bounty Hunter Boba Fett to give to
Jabba The Hutt , to whom Han owes a large
Debt . Later, Lando helps Leia, Chewbacca, and the two droids escape. While escaping, she senses that Luke is in trouble and makes them go back for him. They manage to save Luke, who is badly hurt after a near-fatal duel against Vader, who had revealed that he was his father.
Six months after Han is kidnapped, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, Luke (now nearly a Jedi Knight), and the droids go to
Tatooine to try to rescue him from Jabba the Hutt. Her part of the plan consists of posing as the
Ubese Bounty Hunter , who is turning in
Chewbacca to Jabba. By using a thermal detonator in her negotiations for a bounty, she gains the trust and respect of both Jabba and the notorious bounty hunter
Boba Fett (who had, in fact, delivered Han Solo to Jabba in the first place). Unfortunately, Leia is discovered by Jabba and his cronies just as she has freed Han from his frozen imprisonment. As punishment, Jabba has a
Gammorean Guard bring her to himself and shove her closely against his body. Leia warns Jabba that he'll regret this, but Jabba laughs off her threat, tauntingly "kissing" her with his tongue. Over an unspecified period of time, often illogically assumed to be just one night, but more likely several weeks or months, Leia endures the shame, disgust and humiliation of being chained to Jabba as his newest slave girl, dressed in the now-famous gold
Bikini . Leia was treated with the same cruel lechery as his previous chained slave girls, such as the ill-fated dancer
Oola , until Luke arrived. After Luke slays Jabba's monstrous rancor, he and Han are sentenced to be fed to a
Sarlacc pit creature. Luke and Calrissian overpower Jabba's guards at the last minute, and Leia springs into action during the resulting confusion. She slips through Jabba's grip and grabs the chain that binds her, wraps it around Jabba's throat like a garrote and pulls, choking him to death. She escapes the sail barge and is reunited with Han, and returns to the Alliance.
While preparing for a last battle with
Imperial Stormtrooper s on
Endor , Leia regains a faint memory of her birth mother and she tells Luke. Afterwards, Luke reveals to her that she is actually his twin sister, and that the hated Darth Vader is her real father (Leia and Luke don't learn that Padmé Amidala was their mother until around
35 ABY, although they do know of her as "Senator Amidala.") Luke reveals to her that, if he fails, she the last Skywalker and heir to their Jedi legacy, and the only hope for the Rebels and the Jedi. She is stunned, but through her "relation" to the Force senses it's true and recovers sufficiently enough to lead the Rebels in battle on Endor as the Rebel Fleet battle the second Death Star.
On board the battle station, Emperor Palpatine goads Luke into fighting Vader, intent on making the young Jedi his new apprentice. Luke initially resists, but loses control when Vader
Telepathically probes his mind, learns of Leia's existence, and threatens to convert ''her'' to the
Dark Side Of The Force . Enraged, Luke nearly kills Vader — until he realizes, at the last second, that doing so would doom him to his father's
Fate . He rejects Palpatine, who attacks him with
Force Lightning . Vader then turns against and kills his master, and is mortally wounded in the process. In his dying breaths, the
Redeemed Anakin Skywalker pleads with Luke to tell Leia that there was still good in him after all.
Leia, meanwhile, leads the Rebels to victory on Endor as Lando and the Rebel fleet destroy the Death Star, and with it, the Empire.
As the heir to the Alderaanian throne, Leia also serves in the legislative High Council of Alderaan and a term as Galactic/Imperial Senator of Alderaan. After the Rebellion's victory on Endor, she establishes
New Alderaan , a sanctuary for the destroyed planet's surviving inhabitants. The Royal House of Alderaan, in the person of Leia Organa Solo and her children, continues to hold
Sovereignty over both New Alderaan and the old Alderaan system. Her title is largely ceremonial, however, as the government on New Alderaan actually administers the Alderaan system and New Alderaan in her name.
Although her relation to Darth Vader became public knowledge after the Empire's destruction, she remained known as the heir of Queen Breha and Bail Organa, and thus a member of the Royal House of Alderaan.
Leia briefly appears in the
1978 TV Movie ''
The Star Wars Holiday Special '', where she is once again portrayed by
Carrie Fisher . In the show, Leia is a leader and administrator of the new Rebel Alliance base. She is accompanied by C-3PO when contacting Chewbacca's wife,
Mallatobuck , for assistance in finding Chewbacca and Han. She also appears in the
Cartoon Segment at a different Rebel Base, located in an
Asteroid Field , and at the
Life Day ceremony at the end of the film.
As depicted in the novel ''
The Truce At Bakura '', immediately after the
Battle Of Endor , the Rebel Alliance receives a long-range messenger droid from
Bakura , which is under invasion by the
Ssi-ruuk . As Bakura is a well-armed system, which despite its remoteness produced important war-material (such as repulsorlift cells) the battered Alliance decides to dispatch a task force to aid the Bakurans; Leia and Luke are both assigned, for their diplomatic and martial skills respectively. The remaining Imperial forces gather at Bakura gratefully receive the aid once the events of Endor were made known to them, and a truce between the Imperials and the Rebels is signed. It is during this time that the spirit of Anakin Skywalker appears to Leia to beg for her forgiveness, which she will not or can not grant at that time.
Princess Organa is a founding member of the
New Republic , which is formally promulgated in 5
ABY . She succeeds
Mon Mothma as its Chancellor, and later fills other offices, such as Chief of Defense and various diplomatic posts. Although most of her life is devoted to such matters of state, she engages in limited study of the Jedi arts, with Luke as her teacher. Notably, she wields a blue
Lightsaber that she built herself, and then Luke gives her a red one (not of
Sith construction) to complement the weapon she had constructed earlier.
After a near-disastrous courtship in which
Prince Isolder vies for Leia's affections, she marries Han in 8 ABY. As described in ''
The Courtship Of Princess Leia '', Han kidnaps Leia and takes her to a planet he had won in a game of
Sabacc named
Dathomir . There they encounter the
Nightsisters , whose attempt to escape eventually leads to the demise of the
Warlord Zsinj and his empire, equal rival at this time to both the
Imperial Remnant and the New Republic.
At first, Leia does not want to have children, fearing they would succumb to the dark side as her father had done. While on a mission to
Tatooine to retrieve ''
Killik Twilight '' and the Comcast key hidden within it, Leia discovers her grandmother
Shmi Skywalker 's diary and, with the help of her father's childhood friends
Kitster and
Wald , discovers her father wasn't the monster she thought he was, and eventually learns to forgive him.
A year later during the
Thrawn Crisis ,
Grand Admiral Thrawn , who had formed an alliance with
Joruus C'Baoth , orders
Noghri commandos to kidnap Leia, who was
Pregnant . C'Baoth intended to warp Leia and Luke to the dark side, and planned to corrupt also the two unborn twins, as he was aware of their great promise and minimal resistance to being molded to his whims. To avoid capture, she hides on the planet Kashyyyk, but her would-be kidnappers track her down. She later learns that Vader once landed on the Noghri home-planet
Honoghr and tricked the Noghri into serving the Empire by promising to help their planet recover from the ecological disaster that it suffered during the
Clone Wars . Because of this, they were fiercely loyal to Vader. Leia is able to leverage her biological relationship to Vader to persuade a Noghri
Assassin to travel with her to Honoghr and help convince the Noghri of the Empire's deception. Leia shows an assembly of Noghri
Matriarch s that the droids which the Empire demanded are actively poisoning the land and slowing down the reconstruction. They leave the service of the Empire after one of their assassins (and Thrawn's personal bodyguard),
Rukh , kills Thrawn during the
Battle Of Bilbringi and becomes allies of New Republic (although it is unknown whether the assassination actually occurred due to Noghri outrage at the deception and exploitation, or, like many other prominent Imperials who died or disappeared mysteriously at this time, it was at the instigation of the Emperor Reborn). Althought she was pregnant, the princess made more that she could if she hadn't. The Thrawn Crisis was held when the Noghri had turned against the Grand Admiral and all this due to her. Leia is known as the "Lady Vader" among the Noghri and she and her family become revered figures in their society.
During the Thrawn Crisis, Leia gives birth to the twins
Jaina and
Jacen on
Coruscant during Thrawn's siege.
During the events of ''
Dark Empire '', the New Republic suffers severe setbacks, losing most of its worlds, as well as Luke Skywalker to the dark side. After his capture on Coruscant, transport to
Byss , and corruption by the Emperor, Leia boards the Emperor's ''Eclipse''-class
Super Star Destroyer during its assault on the Pinnacle Moon of Da Soocha. She appeals to the goodness inside Luke, redeeming him, and assaults Palpatine with the light side of the Force, cutting him off from the dark side and control of the titanic
Force-storm he had exerted himself to the utmost to conjure, intending to utterly obliterate the Rebel Alliance fleet. The ''Eclipse I'' and Palpatine are both destroyed due to her intervention and her disruption defeating the clone-Emperor.
During
Operation Shadow Hand , the Rebel Alliance continues to flee. Leia's second son, born in 10 ABY on a space station-turned-into-Alliance-base in orbit around
Nespis VIII , is given the name
Anakin in honor of her father's
Redemption (See
Solo Family .)
Along with Jen, one of the Jedi Knight, she was able to defeat Palpatine's second-in-command, a Dark Jedi assassin.
Even this respite proves to be short, however, as Palpatine is reborn in his last remaining clone body, which is quickly deteriorating, thanks to sabotage by
Carnor Jax and one of the
Emperor's Hand s. Leia is forced to flee to
Onderon to hide Anakin from Palpatine, who intends to inject his spirit into the young infant. The Emperor did eventually find her, but Han accidentally shoots him in the back just as he is about to possess the baby. A sacrifice by a dying
Empatojayos Brand saves them both from Palpatine's spirit.
As Chief of State, Leia guides the New Republic through a number of dangerous external crises from post-Imperial warlords. As the threat of Imperial warlords diminishes and the New Republic's growth accelerates rapidly, she also faces a number of internal political conflicts in the
Third Electoral . These two forces come to a head during the
Black Fleet Crisis in 16 ABY, in which she invoked Article Five of the
Common Charter to forestall a recall vote against her office and declare war against the
Yevetha . Cracks in her widespread popularity begin to show during this period, cracks that would accelerate with the political ascendance of the canny Bothan politician,
Borsk Fey'lya .
After serving a second term, Leia resignes as Chief of State, and is replaced by
Borsk Fey'lya . After the death of
Chewbacca on
Sernpidal in 25 ABY, Leia goes before the Senate to bring attention to the threat posed by the approaching
Yuuzhan Vong . Her pleas go unheeded, and the invasion continues full force. Leia contributes to the war effort by joining
SELCORE , a movement that aided refugees.
Chewbacca's death sends Han into a deep
Depression , causing a large rift between him and Leia, culminating in his walking out of the marriage after an argument. They patch things up after Leia is gravely wounded by
Tsavong Lah at the
Battle Of Duro . Together, they would face further hard times, including the loss of their youngest son Anakin during the
Myrkr Mission and the
Fall Of Coruscant in
27 ABY .
After Coruscant's fall, Han and Leia go to
Hapes for Anakin's funeral, then on several missions to restore
HoloNet communications to the
Unknown Regions , including foiling a second attempt of the
Ssi-ruuk to invade
Bakura in the process.
When
Zonama Sekot makes its existence known near Coruscant in 30 ABY, Han and Leia travel there to be reunited with the rest of their family. While there, they meet
Harrar , a Yuuzhan Vong priest. Leia and Han work with Harrar to get inside the
Well Of The World Brain on Coruscant.
After the destruction of
Shimrra and
Onimi , Leia is among those gathered on Zonama. She gives up politics and becomes Han's copilot, a position she held for the next 5 years.
In 35 ABY, Han and Leia follow various Jedi who had disappeared into the Unknown Regions, and discover
Raynar Thul was alive and had been taken in by a nest of
Killiks . To avoid a war with the
Chiss , Leia suggests to "UnuThul" (as Raynar was now known) that the Killik nest be moved to a new planet, but makes him think it was his idea. At this time, Leia comes to terms with her heritage and asks
Saba Sebatyne to train her, as per a promise Luke had made to her during the
Thrawn Crisis .
Around this time,
R2-D2 suffers some severe malfunctions and shows Luke a holoclip of his father and a pregnant woman, whom Luke learns is his and Leia's real mother. In the holoclips, Anakin and Padmé are discussing a dream of Anakin's in which Padmé dies in
Childbirth . Before Luke can get more out info out of R2, the droid has a meltdown, claiming he is protecting information. Frustrated, Luke contacts master slicer
Ghent , who manages to recover one other holoclip from R2, this time featuring a scene in which Padmé is talking to Obi-Wan Kenobi about Anakin, which is displayed to both Luke and Leia. In the Swarm War, Luke and Leia finally see their mother's death. Also, Sebatyne tells Leia to constuct a new lightsaber to show she is a true Jedi Knight.
Leia and Han become grandparents to
Allana , Jacen's daughter, in 36 ABY.
- It is very likely that the notion of Leia being Luke's sister (and Darth Vader's daughter) originated during the preproduction of Return Of The Jedi . Some have decried this revelation as a case of sloppy Retroactive Continuity that destroyed the romantic tension between Luke, Han, and Leia that was established in the first two ''Star Wars'' films.
- In June 2005 Norway 's Princess Märtha Louise Of Norway admitted in an interview that the first name of her youngest daughter Leah Isadora Behn — 5th in succession to the Norwegian throne — was inspired by Princess Leia.
- In the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, Princess Leia is the most accurate shot with a blaster, hitting a higher percentage of her intended targets than any other character.
- The Slave Leia Bikini scenes were voted among the most memorable in movie history, according to ''Empire'' Magazine .
- ''Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Novelisation'', 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
- ''The Annotated Screenplays'', softcover, 1997. George Lucas , Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
- '' The Truce At Bakura '', 1st paperback printing, 1994. Kathy Tyers, ISBN 0-553-56872-8
- '' The Courtship Of Princess Leia '', 1995. Dave Wolverton, ISBN 0-553-56937-6
- '' Heir To The Empire '', 1st paperback edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-40471-7
- '' Dark Force Rising '', 1st edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-08574-3
- '' The Last Command '', 1st paperback edition, 1994. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-56492-7
- '' The New Rebellion '', 1st printing paperback, 1996. Kristine Kathryn Rusch, ISBN 0-553-57414-0
- '' Dark Empire '', trade paperback, 1993. Tom Veitch, ISBN 1-569-71073-2
- ''Dark Empire II'', trade paperback, 1st edition, 1995. Tom Veitch, ISBN 1-56971-119-4
- ''Empire's End'', trade paperback, 1997. Tom Vietch, ISBN 1-569-71306-5
- '' Heirs Of The Force '', Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta . Berkley , 1995. (ISBN 0425169499)
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