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There are, frankly, far too many characters in the ever-expanding Star Wars canon to ever come close to giving all of them a full and fair display. Often, there is so much going on that sometimes even the most important characters have huge parts of their lives go unaddressed or barely explored.

Princess Leia is the first main character introduced in the entirety of the massive Star Wars film franchise. Her actions are the inciting incident of the original trilogy's plot, and she's a key character throughout both it and the sequel trilogy. Fans remember her big moments, but the story of her rise to power is interesting.

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Leia Amidala Skywalker Organa Solo was born to Padme Amidala, an important political figure who died tragically as a consequence of the birth. Leia was born alongside her twin brother Luke, from whom she was almost immediately separated. Her father was presumed dead after turning to the dark side and participating in the genocide of the Jedi Order. While her father's former mentor took personal care of Luke, Leia was adopted by a very different family. Reflecting the disparate interests of their parents, Luke was watched over by a respected Jedi Master, and Leia was taken in by a fascinating politician.

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Leia was adopted by Senator Bail Organa and his wife Queen Breha of Alderaan. Leia was taken to Alderaan in secret. No one on the planet, including her, knew of the circumstances of her birth. Organa was a senator who served in the Galactic Republic before Palpatine's grim scheme took effect and transformed the governing body into the Empire. Organa didn't give up his position when things took that authoritarian turn, instead choosing to remain in the system and fight it from within. During the early days of the empire, Organa set to work forging an underground resistance movement to oppose its tyrannical regime. That resistance is the bedrock of what would become the Rebellion in later years. Organa, with the help of a variety of other forces, built the beginnings of the Rebellion in secret, leaving his adoptive daughter to inherit his position after his tragic death. Despite that, however, Leia didn't simply fall into the role amongst the resistance — she earned it.

Leia spent most of her early life being carefully raised and educated in the ways of royalty, so that she could follow the path of her mother and become queen. The job was challenging and stifling, requiring Leia to set aside most of her own desires and goals to serve her people. For a time, she acquiesced and was trained in diplomacy and combat along the way. At sixteen, she undertook and succeeded in a series of challenges to claim her throne. Shortly thereafter, she discovered rebel activities while she was performing her humanitarian duties across the galaxy. Once she realized what her parents were up to, she took on Organa's senate seat and began helping the Rebellion behind the scenes.

The early days of the Rebellion were fairly small-scale. The organization focused primarily on helping individual planets deal with the influx of Imperial forces and gathering a base of power across the galaxy. Leia's efforts culminated with the acquisition of the Death Star plans from the group known as Rogue One. Unfortunately, it cost her everything. Fans undoubtedly recall this part. In a show of force, the Empire uses their newly created superweapon to destroy Leia's home planet, the initial starting grounds of the Rebellion.

Leia's place in the Rebellion, however, was already solidified by this point, and she served as one of its chief strategists and generals from that moment forward. Leia fought in Rebel battles on and off-screen to take down the Empire, serving as a general, spy, soldier, and much more. Her plans were instrumental in winning the battles that eventually led to the overthrow of Darth Sidious and the establishment of the New Republic. In the meantime, she was trained as a Jedi by her twin brother, married her fellow rebel Han Solo, and retook the senate role in the New Republic. When the First Order began its dark ascent, Leia was the de-facto leader of the newly reforming Resistance, with all that role entailed.

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In the Star Wars saga, Leia is a hero on every level. A crusading politician, a capable warrior, a cunning strategist, and a powerful ally of the Force, Leia is one of the most important figures in the galaxy. She was destined to be a powerful force in the Rebellion, as her adoptive parents built it from the ground up, but she also earned the position through undying work to defeat the Empire. From her earliest days training to be a queen to her dying breath reaching out to her son, Leia gave everything she had to the cause. Few heroes stand higher in the Star Wars universe than Leia Skywalker Organa Solo.

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