Princess Leia Organa had a very eventful year in the Star Wars galaxy between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The period of the Star Wars timeline between the Battle of Hoth and the mission to Jabba’s Palace has always been packed full of content. From the original Marvel Star Wars comics in 1980, to the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project from the 1990s, Leia has always had a lot to do between the films.
But with Disney’s new Star Wars canon, those older depictions of this period aren’t part of the main timeline anymore. What is now covering this time period is the Charles Soule Star Wars (2020) comic series. This series fills in the gaps between Empire and Return, featuring characters like Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, Nien Numb, and of course, Princess Leia Organa, who is leading the Rebel Alliance during a time of struggle.
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Leia Returns To Cloud City And Is Frozen In Carbonite
Charles Soule & Jesus Saiz’s Star Wars (2020) #3-4
During the days immediately following The Empire Strikes Back, Leia accompanies Luke, Lando, and Chewie back to Cloud City. They have various motives for this, like Lando wanting to rescue his people, Luke looking for his lost lightsaber, and Leia wanting to learn more about carbon freezing. Unfortunately, Leia is caught and frozen in Carbonite herself. But just before being taken to the Empire, Luke uses the Force to free her and others to return to the Rebellion.
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Leia Faces Off Against Tarkin’s Apprentice
Star Wars (2020) #8, #24 by Charles Soule, Ramon Rosanos, & Andres Genolet
During this time, Leia also had individual rivals, such as Commander Ellian Zahra of the Imperial Navy. Protégé of Grand Moff Tarkin, Zahra was present at the destruction of the Death Star, where Tarkin died, and her Star Destroyer was damaged by shrapnel. She swears revenge on Leia and the Rebels, and faces off against the Princess a few times throughout the series. Leia does eventually deal with Zahra, though, leaving her for dead in a cave with a deadly monster.
Leia Attends The Auction For A Frozen Han Solo – With Vader And Boba Fett
War of the Bounty Hunters Comics, helmed by Charles Soule
After the surprise return of Han Solo’s old girlfriend Qi’ra as the head of Crimson Dawn during this time period, Leia attends the auction for Han Solo’s frozen body. This was Qi’ra’s effort to put Crimson Dawn back on the map after it went under after Solo: A Star Wars Story. At the auction, Leia and the Rebel heroes cross paths with the Hutt council, Darth Vader, and even Boba Fett, who was trying to get Solo back for himself. Vader eventually won the auction, but Fett stole the prize from right under his nose.
Leia Takes A Vacation With Holdo
Star Wars (2020) #29 by Charles Soule & Ramon Rosanas
During a brief period of rest, Leia, Luke, Lando, Chewie, and Amilyn Holdo from The Last Jedi take a quick vacation to the planet Spira. This trip leads them to finding a piece of technology from the High Republic Era called a Path Engine. Thinking it could be useful in finding a lost convoy of fuel transports, Leia and her team steal the Path Engine but wind up lost in a mysterious point in space.
Leia Gets Lost In An Ancient Unknown Area Of The Galaxy
Star Wars (2020) #30-33 by Charles Soule & Andres Genolet
After using the Path Engine to escape the Empire, Leia, Luke and the crew wind up stuck in No-Space, a hidden area of the galaxy once used as the headquarters for The High Republic‘s villainous Nihil marauders. There, they meet the descendants of the lost fuel convoy, and fight old Nihil droids in order to bring the fuel back to the Rebel fleet, desperately in need of it for the war. It’s an unexpected but essential victory for the Rebel Alliance.
Leia Planned A Rebel Attack On Imperial Coruscant
Star Wars (2020) #36 by Charles Soule & Andrea DiVito
After escaping No-Space, Leia planned an attack on the Imperial capital of Coruscant. She sent the Millennium Falcon and a squadron of starfighters to send a message to the Empire. And they certainly did, with the Falcon blowing up the face of a gigantic statue of Emperor Palpatine. This mission is notably the first time Lando and Nien Numb fly the Falcon together; the two would ultimately work together again in Return of the Jedi.
Leia Becomes Part Of An Ancient Sith Droid Hive Mind
Star Wars: Dark Droids Comics, helmed by Charles Soule
An evil entity emerged from a failed plan of Qi’ra, and became known as the Scourge as it took over the minds of droids across the galaxy. The Scourge wanted to bridge the gap into organic life, and did for a brief moment, where Leia and other humans become part of this Sith/Droid hive mind. It was quickly defeated afterward.
Leia Sues Lando Calrissian For Betraying The Rebellion
Star Wars (2020) #44-45
During this time period, Lando is revealed to have sent an essential Rebel droid to Jabba’s Palace to pay off a debt, which led to Rebel secrets possibly being passed to the Hutt and the Empire. For this betrayal, Leia sentences Lando to death in accordance with Corellian military codes. Lando, of course, survives this and continues as an essential part of the Rebel Alliance. This story is yet to be told, with issues due out this year.
Leia Distracted The Empire So The Rebel Fleet Could Attack The Second Death Star
Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castellucci & Jason Fry
In the lead-up to Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance needed a distraction so they could group their forces above Sullust in order to attack the second Death Star. Leia led the distraction mission with a small strike team, and only succeeded thanks to the sacrifice of two of its members. This was a major strategic victory for the Rebellion and led to the stealing of the shuttle Tydirium and the subsequent destruction of the second Death Star.
Leia Faced Off Against Bounty Hunters To Obtain Her Disguise
Age Of Rebellion – Princess Leia (written by Greg Pak, with various artists) & Forces Of Destiny “Bounty Hunted”
Leia’s disguise from Jabba’s Palace also gets a backstory during this time period. In the Forces of Destiny animated series, Maz Kanata helps lure the bounty hunter Boushh into a fight so Leia can take his armor. She later uses the disguise to rescue Lando from a host of bounty hunters on Arkanis, including the legendary Bossk. This comic, Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia, is a one-shot that caps off this time period for Princess Leia and leads directly into the events of Return of the Jedi, ending this incredibly packed year in the history of Star Wars.
