Leia Organa

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. She is portrayed by Carrie Fisher as an adult and by Aidan Barton (who also played her brother in infancy) as an infant.

She is the tritagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy. In Return of the Jedi, it is revealed that she is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and thus the daughter of Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker. In the prequel films, her birth mother is identified as Padmé Amidala. Her adoptive father is Bail Organa, who is depicted as the head of Alderaan's royal family and a supporting character in the prequels.

Revenge of the Sith
By the film's chronology, Leia first appears as an infant in Revenge of the Sith, when Padmé Amidala gives birth to her and Luke naming them at Polis Massa.

After Padmé dies in childbirth, Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda decide that they must hide the Skywalker children from their father, former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who has recently turned to the dark side of the Force and become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Leia is sent to Alderaan with R2-D2 and C-3PO and her adoptive parents, Bail Organa and Breha Organa, where the Jedi believe she will be safe from the newly-declared Galactic Empire.

A New Hope
Leia is introduced as the Princess of Alderaan and a member of the Imperial Senate. Darth Vader captures her on board the ship Tantive IV, where she is acting as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. He accuses her of being a traitor and demands to know the location of the secret technical plans of the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's newest and most powerful weapon. Unknown to Vader, the young senator has hidden the plans inside the Astromech droid R2-D2 and has sent it to find Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on the nearby planet of Tatooine.

Later on, Vader has her tortured, but she resists telling him anything. Still believing she could be useful, the Death Star's commander, Grand Moff Tarkin, threatens to destroy Alderaan with the super weapon unless she reveals the location of the hidden Rebel base. She lies to them, and Tarkin orders Alderaan to be destroyed anyway. She is finally rescued by Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, the Wookiee Chewbacca, and the two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. They finally escape, at the expense of Obi-Wan's life, sacrificed in a duel with Vader. They take part in the Battle of Yavin, in which Luke destroys the Death Star in his X-wing fighter.

Later at 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.

The Empire Strikes Back
In The Empire Strikes Back, set three years later, Leia is at the Rebel base on Hoth. She later helps with the evacuation of Hoth during an Imperial attack, remaining at her station until Han forces her to leave with him. She flees with C-3PO, Han, and Chewbacca on Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Although they are pursued by Imperial TIE Fighters, they dodge their fire by flying into an asteroid field when the Falcon's hyperdrive breaks down. Romance blossoms between Leia and Han during their flight from the Empire; while hiding in the stomach of a Space Slug, she finally shares a kiss with the smuggler.

Later, when they stop at Bespin for repairs, Han's friend Lando Calrissian turns them over 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 the Hutt crime lord Jabba the Hutt, to whom Han owes a very large debt. Eventually Lando helps Leia, Chewbacca, and the two droids escape. Before they escape Chewbacca chokes Lando for giving Solo to Darth Vader and Boba Fett and Leia angrily tells him that they do not need of his help. While escaping, she senses that Luke is in trouble and makes them go back for him. They save Luke, who has fallen into the trap and is badly hurt after a near-fatal duel against Vader. While on a Rebel Medical Frigate, both Luke and Leia, along with R2-D2 and C-3PO watch on as Lando and Chewbacca set off in the Millennium Falcon to rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt which Lando promised Leia.

Return of the Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, set a year after its previous film, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, Luke (now nearly a Jedi Knight), and the droids go to Tatooine to try to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. Leia's part of the plan consists of posing as the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh, who will turn Chewbacca over to Jabba. Her ruthless bargaining, negotiating the price for Chewbacca while holding an armed thermal detonator, impresses Jabba enough to allow her quarters in the palace for the night. After freeing Han from his carbonite sleep, she eventually gets captured by the Huttese gangster after he discovers her real identity. He then makes Leia his new slave girl, and eventually forces her to wear her gold metal bikini, while suffering her bound torture from the Hutt.

After Luke kills Jabba's pet Rancor, the Hutt sentences Luke, Han, and Chewbacca to be fed to the Sarlacc, while Leia watches from Khetanna, Jabba's sail barge. Just as all seems lost, Lando, disguised as a guard, helps Luke, Han and Chewbacca overpower their captors. Leia seizes the moment to kill Jabba by strangling him with the very chain that bound her. R2-D2 cuts her loose, and after Luke boards the sailbarge, he rescues Leia. With Leia's help, Luke uses a deck cannon to blow up Jabba's barge as they swing to safety, and ride on one of his Skiffs.

While preparing for a last battle with the Empire on Endor, Luke reveals to a stunned Leia that she is, in fact, his twin sister, and that Vader is their father. Initially reluctant to believe him, Leia realizes that Luke speaks the truth and joins Han Solo in leading the Rebels in battle on Endor as the Rebel Fleet battle the second Death Star. Leia is slightly injured in the battle, but nevertheless helps the Rebels, allied with the Ewoks, to defeat the Empire and won.

Disney Parks
Leia can now be seen as a meetable character in Walt Disney World, dressed in her 'cell bay' outfit from a New Hope (specifically the scene where Luke and Han have to rescue her). Her hair is styled in the same way as the movie too. She can also be seen in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (voiced by Carrie Fisher) and Minnie Mouse will sometimes dress up as her. During the Hyperspace Hoopla show, she has also worn her slave outfit from Return of the Jedi, albeit only slightly modified.

Trivia

 * Leia is the only member of the Skywalker family that did not meet her step-uncle and step-aunt, Owen and Beru Lars. Her father and mother met them when returning to the farm on Tatooine in search of her grandmother, and her brother lived with them for most of his life.