Leia solo

Leia Organa Solo Biographical information Homeworld

Alderaan[1] Born

19 BBY (16:5:26) [source?], Polis Massa[2] Physical description Species

Human[1] Gender

Female[1] Height

1.5 meters[3] Mass

49 kilograms[4] Hair color

Dark brown;[5] graying slightly[6] Eye color

Brown[5] Skin color

Light[5] Chronological and political information Era(s)

Rise of the Empire era[2] Rebellion era[5] New Republic era[7] New Jedi Order era[8] Legacy era[9]

Affiliation

Galactic Empire[5] Alderaanian Resistance[10] Alliance to Restore the Republic[5] Alliance of Free Planets[11] New Republic[7] New Jedi Order[12] Galactic Federation of Free Alliances[13] Five Worlds[9] Jedi Coalition[14] Bright Tree Village [15]

Known masters

Luke Skywalker[7] Vima-Da-Boda[16] Saba Sebatyne[12]

Known apprentices

Allana Solo (informal)    "Yoda spoke of another." "The other he spoke of is your twin sister." ―Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]

Leia Organa Solo (born Leia Amidala Skywalker) was at various stages of her life a politician, revolutionary and Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order. The daughter of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, Leia was the younger twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and shortly after her birth she became the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and Queen Breha of Alderaan, making her a Princess of Alderaan. An accomplished Senator, Leia was most famous for her strong leadership during the Galactic Civil War and other subsequent galactic conflicts, making her one of the galaxy's greatest heroes. Later she married Han Solo and became the mother of their three children: Jaina, Jacen and Anakin Solo. Around the start of the Swarm War, Leia unknowingly became a grandmother through Jacen's daughter Allana.

She had a forceful personality and bright intellect, having accomplished much in her youth: she was a strong proponent for the Rebel Alliance, the youngest Senator ever of the Galactic Empire at eighteen standard years of age, and a member of the Royal Family of Alderaan. Years later, she was instrumental in the creation of the New Republic, and was elected to the position of Chief of State, serving twice in that office.

Due to her powerful Force heritage, Leia, following her family's legacy, became a Jedi Knight in the New Jedi Order. She was partially trained by her brother Luke and later by Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne, who declared her a fully trained Knight at the end of the Swarm War. This training would serve her well as the galaxy teetered on the edge of collapse into civil war once more during the Second Galactic Civil War, although it complicated her allegiance. During this conflict, Leia's son Jacen turned to the dark side of the Force, becoming the Sith Lord Darth Caedus. Leia and Han became determined to destroy Caedus, feeling that their son was already dead. However, it was their daughter Jaina who ended his life in a lightsaber duel that also concluded the war.

In the aftermath of Caedus' death, the Solos became the guardians of their granddaughter Allana, at the behest of her mother, Tenel Ka of Hapes, and remained two of the galaxy's most important figures, standing with the Jedi Order amidst the tensions that arose between it and the government of Chief of State Natasi Daala. BiographyEdit Early life (19–1 BBY)Edit Birth and adoption into the House of OrganaEdit

"It's a girl." "Leia." ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala[src]

Leia shortly after birth. Leia was born on the asteroid colony of Polis Massa in 19 BBY, shortly after the start of the Great Jedi Purge and the foundation of the Galactic Empire. Mere seconds after her birth, her mother Padmé Amidala died, effectively orphaning Leia and her older twin brother Luke.[2]

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda knew that the children, both strong in the Force, had to be protected from Emperor Palpatine. Deciding it would be best if they were separated, the two Jedi Masters agreed to send the infant boy to live with his father's stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru on Tatooine. Leia was adopted and raised by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and his wife, Queen Breha Organa.[2] Through adoption, Leia Amidala Skywalker became Princess Leia Organa.[17] Nineteen years would pass before the twins saw each other again.[5]

Baby Leia with her adoptive parents, Breha and Bail Organa. The orphaned daughter of the Naboo Senator and a fallen Jedi Knight was given a loving home within the House of Organa, one of the galaxy's so-called Ancient Houses.[18] Her adoptive parents could not have children of their own,[19] so Leia became the heir of the Royal House of Alderaan. Although the Organas were not trying to hide the fact that Leia was adopted,[1] they never informed the Princess of her true parentage, nor did they reveal the existence of her twin brother.[15] However, during the short time between her birth and her mother's death,[2] Leia gained a faint memory of her mother as a beautiful and kind, yet sad woman.[15]

Leia had a large extended family to take part in her upbringing. It included Silya Shessaun, a mentor and a friend of Amidala,[20] Queen Breha's sister Deara,[21] and Bail Organa's three sisters Tia, Rouge, and Celly, whom Leia described as "three redoubtable dowagers" that "made her girlhood an intermittent burden."[18]

Even though Leia was rather advanced for her age, having learned to speak and walk before the age of one, she did not show any signs of Force potential—much to the relief of her father, who knew that being a Force-sensitive in Palpatine's Empire would be a heavy burden. However, she had inherited her real father's gift, which surfaced for the first time in 18 BBY when her caregiver Memily was about to lean on a weakened fence. Leia threw a laserball at it, alerting Memily and saving her life.[21]

Because of the incident, Leia became a target of the Galactic Empire for the first, but certainly not the last time. Word of a child with extraordinary reflexes had reached Coruscant, and Inquisitors Ferus Olin and Hydra were sent to investigate. Olin, a former Jedi apprentice, was in fact a double agent trying to save as many Force-sensitives as possible, and had come to Alderaan on Obi-Wan Kenobi's behest. Even though the Inquisitorius was not aware of the child's gender, Kenobi feared the toddler might be Leia and wanted to turn the Empire's eye away from Alderaan. Olin covered up the incident, stating it was nothing more than a rumor, and Leia's heritage remained a secret. The Imperial informer turned out to be Deara Antilles; Queen Breha had mercy on her sister, but exiled her from the royal family forever.[21] Following the incident, Olin settled on Alderaan to watch over Leia and protect her from the dark side and the Empire, even though she remained unaware of her protector.[22] The tomboy PrincessEdit

"The line between the life I want to live and the life I'm expected to live is about as thin as a Hutt after a buffet." ―Leia Organa in her diary in c. 9 BBY[src]

The Princess, nicknamed Lelila,[23] grew up with the two years older Winter, an orphaned daughter of one of Bail Organa's aides. Ever since being adopted by the Organa family, Winter was Leia's best friend and companion. With a natural grace and poise, she was often mistaken for the Princess of Alderaan by court visitors, while the tomboy Leia was regarded as a domestic girl.[7]

A photo of the young princess with a letter from one of her caretakers, describing the girl's dreams about being surrounded by oceans of sand.

Leia exhibited little of the upper-class gentility, which was a constant source of despair to her aunts Tia, Rouge, and Celly. Nevertheless, they were determined to turn her into what they called "a Proper Princess," and hired deportment teachers to drill into her a behavior fitting for the heir of an Ancient House.[18]

One part of making her a lady was to learn how a princess dresses up and does her hair. According to Alderaanian customs, Leia's hair was allowed to grow long[23] and arranged into elaborate hairstyles. Ironically, one of Leia's trademark symbols—her signature "bun" coiffure—was inherited from her mother's homeworld of Naboo,[17] although a long time passed before she came to know it. To avoid the tiresome hairstyling, she even cut her hair once—only to be forced to wear a wig, even though she argued that she did not need earmuffs in the summer.[24]

The Princess with her aunts and father.

While Leia disliked being "everyone's dress-up doll,"[24] her bright and outspoken nature blossomed out when she had a chance to learn diplomacy, government and languages.[25] Like her birth mother before her, Leia had the benefit of palace education: the best equipment and the finest tutors,[26] among them Arn Horada, who instructed her in galactic politics and history,[27] and Sabé, the former handmaiden of her birth mother, who tutored her in matters of court etiquette and diplomacy.[28]

Wanting to expose her to as many experiences as possible, Bail often took his daughter along to trips to other worlds,[26] such as Ithor, where he attended the Time of the Meeting as the representative of the Imperial Senate. About six years old at the time, the Meeting was an unforgettable experience for Leia.[18]

Besides receiving palace education, Leia attended the Alderaan Select Academy for Young Ladies under the tutelage of the strict Madame Vesta. Together with other daughters of Alderaanian nobles, the Princess learned etiquette, table manners and many other useful (and to her mind, rather boring) things that a lady needed to know.[24] During this time, Leia saw the downside of the upper class as well: one of her school friends used drugs,[29] many of the girls had a condescending attitude towards ordinary people, and expensive parties were thrown in the court even though many in the galaxy were hungry and suffering.[24]

Despite knowing that she was loved, Leia sometimes felt an outsider to her family. Winter was like a sister to her, but the young Princess still wished she had a brother or a sister of her own, someone she could truly feel close to.[24] In her growing years, she often felt that she was just slightly different, without exactly knowing how,[18] and that a part of her was missing. It can only be assumed that this was an indication of her latent Force-sensitivity and of the lingering twin bond with Luke Skywalker.[24]

Leia and Winter as young girls on Alderaan. Winter remained a comfort to Leia, despite the differences in their personality. Though the pair's physical resemblance was tempered by Winter's stunning white hair, the two friends soon learned to employ similar looks for tactical advantage, a practice they would continue throughout their lives. Winter sometimes disguised herself as Leia so that the Princess could escape the Aldera Royal Palace to create mischief and visit inappropriate boys.[24] Leia also befriended Neena, a musically talented girl about her age who lived in the Organa household.[30]

Once she reached her adolescent years, Leia became friends with Heeth and Raal Panteer. She and Raal fell in love soon after, but the relationship failed to last. Organa and the Panteer brothers would meet again during the Galactic Civil War.[31] A senator in the makingEdit

"I'm grooming her to take my place in the Imperial Senate." "Perhaps you should wean her first." ―Bail Organa and Wilhuff Tarkin, discussing 13-year-old Leia[src]

Leia showed promise in politics and from early on, Bail Organa began grooming her to one day succeed him in the Imperial Senate, encouraging her to attend Alderaanian debates and palace receptions for offworld personnel.[26] In this Leia unknowingly followed the footsteps of not only her adoptive father, but her late birth mother, who had entered politics at an early age and became a Senator. Indeed, Leia resembled Padmé Amidala in many ways: she was confident, poised, and a had a quick political wit.[25]

Leia runs away from Madame Vesta while Bail Organa and Wilhuff Tarkin watch. When Leia was thirteen, she met Wilhuff Tarkin for the first time when he came to visit Bail Organa on Alderaan. She had heard a lot about the Moff from her father, none of it good. She instantly disliked him, maintaining that he represented everything that was wrong with the Empire. Leia was particularly disgusted with the idea of Tarkin having a slave, as she did not understand how it was possible that the Emperor allowed slavery. She even dropped a water balloon on his head while "watering her plants." The visit made Leia seriously contemplate what kind of galaxy she lived in, and what she could do to change it.[24]

Leia Organa brushes her hair after taking a shower. At the age of 16, Leia attended the University of Alderaan together with Winter, whose holographic and audiographic memory, as Leia would joke, was very useful with homework. They studied history and art, two subjects the Empire seemed eager to suppress, which in Bail Organa's opinion was all the more reason to study them.[24] Leia also began training with Giles Durane, a mercenary her father had hired to teach her self-defense and marksmanship.[32] True to her tomboyish nature, she enjoyed these lessons far more than those of Madame Vesta, and showed considerable talent in both areas.[24]

Around this time, Leia began to realize that her father was preparing her for something more than just becoming the next Senator of her home planet. A month before turning 17, she accidentally overheard a secret HoloNet meeting Bail Organa was having with fellow Senators Mon Mothma of Chandrila and Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia, where the name Alliance to Restore the Republic came up. Leia's hatred for the Empire had been growing over the years—she certainly found their treatment of non-Humans and women atrocious and their desire to control everything appalling—but this was the first time she heard anyone discuss an open rebellion. She decided not the tell her father what she had heard, but promised herself to make him proud and do whatever it took to restore the freedoms the Empire was systematically taking away.[24]

Leia, about to meet Emperor Palpatine for the first time. Among the old Houses, it was customary to bring the daughters to Coruscant when they finished school at seventeen—or even sixteen, if the parents were ambitious—to start the long and complex search of a suitable groom candidate at the Imperial Court. The Princess's aunts would have been glad to see their niece marry someone from one of the other Ancient Houses; Leia, however, regarded their heirs as "brainless twerps" and refused to be presented to the Emperor until she could do so as a Senator in her own right, not simply as a young girl in the Court marriage market. Her aunts were horrified, doubly so when Leia's decision was backed by Bail Organa.[18]

The time for Leia's introduction at the Imperial Palace came soon enough, though. At the age of 18, she became the youngest Imperial Senator ever elected,[18] and Bail Organa formally presented her to Palpatine shortly before she assumed her Senatorial post. Having witnessed earlier a Caamasi being arrested by two stormtroopers for simply trying to buy a meal at a restaurant, Leia firmly decided that she would bring up the issue to Palpatine at the same time.[33]

When she met the Emperor, however, she became frightened by the dark side radiating from him and was unable to do anything more than mutter thanks to his compliments as Darth Vader watched. Following the reception, Bail assured her that there was nothing to be ashamed of, as it was a common reaction to seeing Palpatine, especially for the first time. To make her feel better, Organa told Leia how proud he was of her, and related a piece of good news—he had arranged for the Caamasi she saw arrested to be released. Happy, Leia went to meet the Caamasi, who introduced himself as Eg'ros Akala.[33] Imperial Senate and involvement in the Rebellion (2–0 BBY)Edit The Rebel SenatorEdit

"You have your father's fire. I look forward to seeing your pretty young face in the Senate." ―Palpatine to Leia on their first meeting[src]

The birth of the Rebellion Sometime after turning 17, Leia had shared with her father her disgust of the Empire and how it treated its citizens, as well as her desire to make a difference with him. Her fire and abilities were noted by some Imperial officials because, as of 2 BBY, Leia was being held captive on the planet Kashyyyk to keep her out of the way. She was not harmed, but rather treated as a dignified "guest" as the Imperials in charge did not wish to provoke a galactic incident by harming the daughter of a powerful and wealthy Senator. Still, she was not allowed to leave, nor was she permitted to communicate with the outside world. Also, Captain Ozzik Sturn threatened to have her be an "unfortunate victim in a Wookiee uprising." While on the planet, Leia collected data on the Skyhook that was being used to take Wookiee slaves from the planet in mass numbers. She stored this data in her droid, R2-D2. When Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek, arrived to save her in order to enlist the trust and cooperation of her father, Leia refused to leave until the skyhook was destroyed. Marek promised to destroy it if she would go leave the planet and fly to safety, which she did.

A few weeks later, Leia participated in the meeting on Corellia to establish the Rebel Alliance with her father, Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis, Jedi Rahm Kota, and Galen Marek. However, while the other attendees of the meeting were present in person, Leia participated via holo. Her physical absence turned out to be beneficial as that her holo transmission was able to be terminated before her involvement could be discovered when the meeting was raided by stormtroopers led by Darth Vader. Thus her direct involvement with the new Rebellion was unknown to Vader and the Emperor.

Leia was also present on Kashyyyk for the meeting that did officially establish the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Because Marek had sacrificed his own life to save her father, Kota, Mothma, and Bel Iblis from the Emperor so that they might live to establish the Rebellion, she suggested the adoption of his family crest as the symbol of the fight against the Empire.

In 1 BBY, Bail Organa—now a known enemy of the Empire—stepped down as Senator of Alderaan, a position he had held for thirty-one years, and Leia took his place. A keen political thinker, Leia knew that her diplomatic immunity and consular ship would be perfect for running covert missions for the Alliance. Bail agreed, and thus began Leia's double life as a Senator and a Rebel.[24]

Princess Leia, c. 0 BBY Young Senator Organa inherited her father's diplomatic cruiser, the Corellian corvette Tantive IV. Her uncle Raymus Antilles, who had served under Bail Organa as well, continued as the captain of the ship, and Leia's cousin Corla Metonae was also part of the vessel's crew.[34] Winter accompanied Leia to Coruscant as an aide; she was aware of the Princess's involvement in the Rebellion, and participated in many of the Alliance's operations herself in the following years.[35]

During her time in the Senate, Leia worked with Senator Pooja Naberrie of Naboo, her maternal cousin. The two became good friends, completely unaware of their familial relationship.[36] Not everyone was pleased with the young Senator, however. Despite her first intimidating encounter with Palpatine, Leia became one of the leading voices of criticism towards the Emperor's policies.[26] Being somewhat of a political firebrand, her outraged sense of justice made some people feel threatened, while others viewed her as pathetically idealistic. Drost Elegin, head of the Ancient House Elegin and a notorious playboy at Palpatine's court, mockingly called her "Madame Senator" and "Little Miss Inalienable Rights."[18]

Shortly after becoming a Senator, Organa began working with fellow Senator Mon Mothma on the Rebel war effort against the Empire. During her years in the Alliance, Leia was taken by Mothma as her political protégé and groomed Organa for eventual leadership.