The heart of the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, and later the leader of the New Republic, a devoted mother and Jedi Knight. Leia’s efforts to topple the Empire began soon after she became the youngest senator in galactic history. Throughout her term, she secretly aided the Rebellion, eventually supplying the Alliance with the Death Star plans. Despite enduring Imperial torture, the loss of her homeworld, a devastating defeat on Hoth, and the near-murder of Han Solo, Leia has continued to protect the freedom of the galaxy.

The biological daughter of the villainous Darth Vader, Leia was separated from her mother and twin brother at birth and secreted away to protect her from her father. She was adopted by Bail Organa, the powerful Viceroy ad First Chairman of Alderaan. She spent her childhood surrounded by three doting aunts and her best friend, Winter, and immersed herself in education, art, and politics. At the age of 18, she earned a sea on the Imperial Senate, where her compassion and intelligence became clear to the galaxy. Despite the Emperor’s growing list of atrocities, Leia continued to strive for a more humane government. Her father, meanwhile, secretly became one of the driving forces behind the Rebel Alliance.

Eventually, Leia covertly joined the Rebellion as well. Using her consular ship, the Tantive IV, she conducted numerous espionage missions for the Rebels, and even intercepted the secret plans to the Imperial Death Star. Unfortunately, while attempting to recruit General Obi-Wan Kenobi into the Rebellion, she and her ship were captured by the Star Destroyer Devastator. Leia stored the plans to the Death Star in an R2 astromech droid which then fled the ship with a droid companion. Princess Leia Organa was captured by the menacing Darth Vader, although it would be years before either would know of the relationship that bound the two.

Taken aboard the Death Star, Leia resisted interrogation probes and refused to reveal the location of the secret Rebel Base. Furious, Grand Moff Tarkin threatened to destroy Alderaan, along with Leia’s father and billions of other residents, if the princess did not cooperate. She confessed that the Rebels were hidden on Dantooine, a lie that Tarkin believed. Nevertheless, the ruthless Moff ordered the destruction of Alderaan, then scheduled Leia’s execution.

Fortunately, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived to rescue Leia. During the daring escape, Kenobi sacrificed his mortal existence in a lightsaber duel with his one-time student, Vader. The others, however, safely arrived at the Rebel base on Yavin 4.

Using the stolen Death Star plans stored in Artoo, the Rebels discovered the battle station’s weakness. Skywalker, with Solo’s help, succeeded in firing a pair of proton torpedoes into an exhaust port, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the Death Star.

After the battle of Yavin, Leia became a full member of the Rebel Alliance and conducted numerous diplomatic missions designed to attract more worlds to the Rebellion. During one adventure, she encountered Vader on the planet Mimban, where he badly wounded her with his lightsaber. Luke managed to rescue Leia and healed her with the powers of the Kaiburr crystal.

In the years between the Battle of Yavin and the Bate of Hoth, Leia realized her romantic feelings for Han Solo. As imperials attached Echo Base on Hoth, she joined Han aboard the Millennium Falcon, accompanying him to Cloud City. There, Han’s former friend, Lando Calrissian, betrayed the heroes to Darth Vader, who was setting a trap for Skywalker. Vader plotted to have Han encased in carbonite, and shortly before the smuggler suffered his fate, Leia confessed her love.

With Lando’s help, Leia rescued Luke from Vader and escaped Cloud City, although Han remained in the clutches of the bounty hunter, Boba Fett. throughout the following year, Leia plotted to rescue Solo. She also sought to uncover a plot to assassinate Luke by infiltrating the criminal organization known as Black Sun. Within Black Sun, she almost fell victim to the powerful Prince Xizor, but her allies saved her from the crime lord’s evil intentions.

Months after the Black Sun affair, Leia enter the palace of Jabba the Hutt disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh with Chewbacca in tow. She managed to free Han from his carbonite block, but the pair was soon captured and Jabba made Leia his slave. During Luke Skywalker’s dramatic attack on Jabba’s court, Leia repaid the Hutt’s cruelty by strangling the obese crime lord with a chain. Together, she and Luke destroyed Jabba’s sail barge killing most of the henchmen.

After Jabba’s death, Leia traveled with Han Solo’s strike team to the forest moon of Endor, where she learned that she was Luke’s sister, befriended the Ewoks, and helped destroy an Imperial shield generator protecting the second Death Star. Meanwhile, the Rebel fleet attacked and ultimately destroyed the battle station, topping the Empire.

After the Battle of Endor, Leia became the New Republic’s foremost ambassador, a member of the Provisional Council, and an integral component of the government’s Inner Circle. She began her new career by rushing to the aid of Bakura and Imperial planet under attack by the Ssi-ruuk Imperium. While on Bakura, Anakin Skywalker’s spirit visited Leia and begged for her forgiveness.

Leia’s future with Han Solo remained uncertain until the handsome Prince Isolder of Hapes proposed marriage. In response, Han kidnapped Leia and took her to Dathomir. Despite inevitable complications, Leia agreed to marry Han, and they were wed six weeks later. In the years that followed Leia gave birth to twins Jacen, and Jaina, and their son Anakin. All three children proved extremely strong in the Force, and eventually joined Luke Skywalker’s Jedi academy. Leia also began training with her brother and gained rudimentary control over her newfound abilities.

Although preoccupied with her family, Leia never ceases during the New Republic. She proved instrumental in convincing the vicious Noghri to renounce the Empire and in the New Republic, saved Luke from the reborn Emperor, and eventually agreed to become Minister of the State for the New Republic. Her duties proved extremely trying, and she found herself coping with the kidnap of her children, several threats to Han’s life, and numerous attacks from newly revived Imperial forces. Despite these trials, Leia willingly assumed the role of Chief of State when Mon Mothma relinquished the tile. In this capacity she faced the Yevetha, the Dark Jedi Kueller, whom she personally killed in battle, and an endless array of other danger. Throughout these trials, Leia has remained a resolute defender of peace and freedom, an intelligent warrior, a loving wife and mother, and an increasingly powerful Jedi.

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