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- "Darker days are coming, whether we act or not. If we do act, however, we can hope for a better dawn."
- ―Bail Prestor Organa
Bail Prestor Organa, also known as “the Father of the Rebellion,” was a human male Alderaanian politician and revolutionary leader who championed democratic and progressively-minded causes during the waning years of the Galactic Republic and into the reign of the Republic’s successor state, the Galactic Empire. Born Bail Prestor of Alderaan, the adventurous Bail wed Breha Organa—his homeworld’s monarch—forsaking his familial legacy to be with her. The two fought to keep Alderaan strong, and while Breha ruled domestically, Bail was elected to represent Alderaan in the Galactic Senate following the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY. There, he built a reputation for himself through his commitment to honesty and justice, and he formed ties with numerous individuals and organizations, such as senators Mon Mothma of Chandrila, Onaconda Farr of Rodia, and Padmé Amidala of Naboo, and the Jedi Order, becoming the latter's best ally in the Senate. Organa and his faction worked tirelessly to keep the Republic's democratic values and loyalty to the government alive amid the burgeoning Separatist Crisis.
Despite Organa's efforts to alleviate the crisis, the Republic entered into the Clone Wars against its splinter state, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, in 22 BBY. In addition to his senatorial duties, Organa involved himself in humanitarian causes during the war, including leading relief efforts for the embattled peoples of Christophsis and Ryloth and organizing the Alderaan Refugee Conference to address the growing number of refugees displaced by the war. Organa and his allies were vehemently opposed to the war and often led efforts to de-escalate the conflict and bring about a diplomatic solution, though they faced opposition from militarist senators and corporate entities. Bail's faction's peace initiatives and anti-war legislation often saw failure and pushback, such as the murder of Senator Farr during controversy over a bid to overturn a military funding increase. As the war drew to a close in 19 BBY, Organa, Mothma, and Amidala petitioned the increasingly authoritarian Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine to rescind his executive wartime powers at the conclusion of the war. To their horror, however, Palpatine—secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—instead declared the Jedi Order guilty of treason and announced that he would transform the Republic into an Empire.
In the chaotic days following the war's end, Bail aided the fugitive Grand Master Yoda and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi escape the Empire and go into hiding, and witnessed Amidala, the secret wife of Anakin Skywalker, die in childbirth. In the aftermath of her death, Organa adopted one of the late Amidala's twin children, Leia, as their father had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Under the new regime, Organa continued to serve in the now-Imperial Senate. Though it no longer had the same power it had under the Republic, Bail and his allies did what they could in the Senate to oppose Palpatine's reign, but they also became involved in underground resistance. Using Alderaan's wealth and their positions of power to their advantage, Bail and his wife organized clandestine operations to help planets subjugated by the Empire and searched the galaxy for insurgent groups that could lay the groundwork for a revolution. After an encounter with the Jedi-hunting Inquisitorius, Organa recruited former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano to his cause and, with her help, started coordinating the growing number of rebel cells. Over the years, Organa and his allies began secretly crafting a unified rebellion from the vast network of people and resources at their disposal, all the while fulfilling his oath to keep Amidala's children safe from the Sith and Inquisitorius.
As the Empire made increasing attempts to crack down on the various rebel cells, Organa continued with his struggle but found his influence diminishing and chances for peaceful settlement gone. When Mothma publicly denounced the Empire and resigned from the Senate in 2 BBY, their resistance was formally unified as the Alliance to Restore the Republic. While the fugitive Mothma began working directly with the Alliance, Organa stayed a member of the Senate, but his disillusionment led him to become a part-time member and eventually give his seat to Leia, who discovered her father's rebellion and proudly joined in his fight. As the conflict between the Alliance and the Empire grew, large-scale warfare became inevitable. On the eve of the Battle of Scarif in 1 BBY, Organa dispatched Leia out to Tatooine to bring Kenobi out of exile while he returned to Alderaan to warn his people that there would be no peace. Though the Alliance won its first major victory of the Galactic Civil War at Scarif, Organa and his wife were killed when the Death Star, an Imperial planet-killing superweapon, destroyed Alderaan just days later. Though they did not live to see the Empire's defeat, Organa and his wife were remembered as heroes and martyrs of the Galactic Civil War.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "I wanted to live out way past Kathou when I was your age. Chase purgill, you know? I had a whole plan."
"What happened?"
"I got older. Had to find some other adventures. Started chasing your mother instead." - ―Bail Organa tells Leia Organa of his boyhood dreams
Bail Prestor forsook his family name in order to marry Breha Organa, Alderaan's crown princess.
Bail Prestor[16] of the planet Alderaan[17] was born into a royal dynasty[18] on Alderaan, located in the Core Worlds.[19] His noble bloodline, which was a part of the Elder Houses, extended across the galaxy, and he was a distant kinsman of Lord Mellowyn, the ceremonial monarch of Birren.[6] During his youth, Bail did not dream of becoming a nobleman, but instead dreamt of living far past Kathou, where he would spend his days chasing purrgil. As he grew older, however, he discovered that he needed to find other adventures and soon met Breha Organa,[15] a member of the ruling House of Organa and the planet's crown princess.[14] The adventurous[17] Bail fell in love with the girl, and, instead of fulfilling his dream of chasing purrgil, he began to chase after her attention.[15]
She reciprocated his love for her, and the two eventually married[7] when Bail was a young man.[17] In marrying her, Bail took his wife's name as his, forsaking his own familial legacy to be with her.[7] As she was Alderaan's crown princess, Breha ascended to the throne as queen,[14] and Bail assumed the various titles of the queen's spouse, such as Viceroy, as well as the positions of First Chairman[20] and Governor of Alderaan.[21] Together, the two fought to keep Alderaan strong[7] despite their personal struggles. Because of the near-deadly injuries Breha had sustained during her Day of Demand challenges, the Organas decided not to conceive a child, as it would strain the queen's body, and instead talked of adopting a child one day.[14]
Political rise[]
Ascent in the Senate[]
- "No one here, or anywhere else, truly knows what they're doing. So if you feel the same way, you're in good company."
- ―Organa's first advice given to Mon Mothma
Bail Organa represented his home planet of Alderaan in the Galactic Senate.
In addition to responsibilities on his homeworld,[20] Organa also acted as a statesman in the Galactic Republic,[18] a democratic union that governed much of the galaxy from its capital planet of Coruscant.[9] A progressive leader-in-the-making, Bail was inspired by the policies of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum,[20] even though his administration was hampered by the bureaucracy that seeped throughout the Republic.[22] When she arrived on Coruscant for her first legislative session in the Senate[18] around 32 BBY,[23] the newly-elected Senator of Chandrila, Mon Mothma, sought out Organa's counsel, believing that someone of his distinguished personage would possess sage wisdom. Bail surprised her with his egalitarian thinking, and he told her that not one member of the Senate truly knew what they were doing and that if she felt the same way, she would be in good company. His advice immediately put her at ease, and the two became good friends.[18]
Following the Invasion of Naboo[20] that same year,[2] Organa decided to join the Senate himself, and he won the seat for Alderaan, succeeding Bail Antilles, his relative through marriage[20] In the wake of his election, Organa resigned as Alderaan's governor.[21] As the head of the Alderaanian delegation, Organa continued his service to Alderaan abroad while Breha led their world at home.[7] His senatorial aides included Agrippa Aldrete—who once served as Alderaan's senator and had been an aide under Antilles—Sheltay Retrac,[24] and Sateen Vestswe.[25] As soon as he entered the intergalactic political arena, Organa established ties with like-minded senators, including Mothma, Onaconda Farr of Rodia[9] and the Savareen sector,[26] Yarua of Kashyyyk, and veteran representative Horox Ryyder of the Raioballo sector.[21] He also befriended his idol, Finis Valorum,[20] and supported the former Supreme Chancellor's successor, Sheev Palpatine, the former Senator of Naboo,[27] eventually becoming an advisor to the latter.[21]
By 28 BBY,[28] Organa, Mothma, Farr, and several others were part of a faction of progressives in the Senate that dedicated themselves to upholding the Republic's democratic norms at a time when those pillars were in danger of being eroded. They joined and led various prestigious committees, and Organa himself was the head of a committee for the transportation of construction materials.[9] Compared to some in his inner circle, Organa commanded much more respect from their senatorial peers than they did.[29] Where Farr was looked down upon for his views[30] and Mothma was seen by some as an extremist,[9] Bail earned the respect of their opponents through his honesty and commitment to justice.[3] His eloquent speeches and skills at debating also helped boost his reputation,[27] and even his critics were willing to listen to him when he spoke.[29] Organa also became known as one of the best allies of the Jedi Order,[7] an ancient religious group of Force-sensitives,[2] in the Senate. He often helped them when they required aid on diplomatic missions, and was trusted by the organization's leader, Grand Master Yoda.[7]
Democracy and loyalty[]
- "Loyalty to the Republic is paramount. Loyalty to democracy."
"And what if democracy does not return the favor?"
"Then you must work to restore the democratic process." - ―Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala
That same year,[28] Organa and his faction, including Mothma and Farr, grew increasingly concerned about a rise in secrecy among some legislators, believing that they were engaged in disloyal activities that could jeopardize the Republic's democratic ideals. The senator of Onderon, Mina Bonteri, was chief among them. She had been receiving heavily encrypted messages in private, and Organa and his allies believed she was becoming involved in some illicit activity. Though he had been an early supporter of Palpatine, Bail grew to be at odds with him and became known for publicly, albeit amicably, disagreeing with some of his actions.[9]
Organa and his allies believed that Mina Bonteri was involved in disloyal activities that put the Republic's democratic ideals in danger.
Around this time, Organa attended one of the welcome dinners for the eight incoming senators that year. Among them was the new senator of the Chommell sector and previous Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala, whom he briefly met during the event.[9] A few days prior to the first legislative session with the new senators, Bail was exiting the Senate building when he noticed a speeder containing Amidala, a handmaiden, and a NON droid unit go down past the safety limits set in place during the demolition of a lower portion of the building. Organa wondered whyher NON unit did not notify her and, after realizing that her speeder was not turning back, followed them down in his speeder. Because he did not know her private comm channel, he decided that direct intervention was the only option to stop her.[9]
Organa intercepted Amidala, following her droid down a dark corridor of the condemned section, and asked what she was doing there. Amidala told him that her droid had said she was expected there, but Bail informed her that the area was set for demolition and that it had been in the day's briefing. Amidala was momentarily flustered, and her NON unit interrupted the silence between her and Amidala with a reminder that she was scheduled for a tour of the lower levels. Organa told her that the droid was malfunctioning and offered to send a requisition for its repair. He pulled out a datapad and did so, and the droid immediately alerted Amidala that it was due for maintenance. Organa offered Amidala and her handmaiden transport back to her residence and brought them to his speeder. Despite his kind gesture, the ride to Amidala's apartment was silent.[9]
After the first senatorial session with the new senators, Chancellor Palpatine hosted a reception for them in his office. Organa met Amidala for the third time there when Senator Bonteri introduced her to him. Organa greeted her as if they had not met before and welcomed her to Coruscant. As time passed, Bonteri and Amidala grew closer, leading Organa, Mothma, and Farr to become concerned that the younger senator, who was also being disparaged in newsnets, would be more loyal to her homeworld than the Republic. To Organa's surprise, however, Amidala later approached him and asked to join his committee on the transportation of construction materials, looking to find her niche in the Senate. In response, Organa invited her on a walk with him through the Senate building's gardens. After their walk, he informed her that committee rooms had not been assigned yet, and he would send an aide to give her the meeting place the following day, then bid her farewell.[9]
Organa met Padmé Amidala shortly after she was appointed as senator.
Following the next day's general session, Organa's committee met in a small room for their meeting. After an hour of deliberations with little progress made, the meeting ended, and the senators began filing out for other engagements. Organa waved Amidala over to where he was standing and asked if she had learned anything from the meeting, to which she replied she had, then introduced her to Senator Mothma. The two had an awkward greeting, with Mothma gently prodding Amidala on her loyalty. When Amidala told Mon that she looked forward to her service to the Republic, Mothma exchanged a look with Organa. Bail told Amidala that he would send word to her when the next committee meeting was scheduled, then left the room with Mothma.[9]
As their faction's concerns regarding Bonteri and her relationship with Amidala grew, Organa, Mothma, Farr, and a couple of other allies decided that they needed a place where they could speak about them in private. To facilitate such talks, Mothma hosted a gala at one of Coruscant's public biome gardens and invited Amidala, knowing that the young senator would be a successful distraction for journalists and prying eyes. Late in the evening, Organa and his colleagues slipped away from the party to the rainforest section of the gardens, where the dense shrubbery and trees would keep holorecorders away from them. Free from public attention, they began discussing Bonteri, with Organa mentioning that she was attempting to recruit Amidala to her unknown activities, to which Mothma expressed her opinion that she could be successful in doing so.[9]
Bail disagreed with Mon and told her not to underestimate the new senator's intuition, but Mothma questioned if she and Naboo were loyal to the Republic. Farr, who had known Amidala long before she came to the Senate, replied that Amidala was and that Naboo would follow her lead. Organa told the group they should risk asking her personally before the gala ended as long as they could get her away from the entourage she brought with her. With that, the senators went their separate ways, and Bail left to find Amidala to speak with her. When he made it to the bottom of the gardens. Organa encountered Amidala and one of her guards, but as he moved to converse with her, he stopped and noticed that the guard shared Amidala's face. As Amidala and the guard entered the powder room, he realized that Amidala had swapped places with a look-alike, her handmaiden Sabé, and let out a quiet laugh.[9]
Organa was able to figure out that Amidala used her handmaiden, Sabé, as a decoy.
When Amidala exited the powder room, she met with Organa, and the two walked through the water gardens. Thanks to a signal jammer Bail had underneath his cape, he and Amidala were unbothered by holorecorders. When she learned that Organa had discovered her use of a body double, she revealed that he was one of two who had figured it out themselves, the other being the deceased Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Bail asked if she used such deception because her life was in danger or if she was paranoid, and she responded that it was a bit of both. She brought up the second time she and Bail had met as an example, when he had saved her from death in the condemned section of the Senate building. After revealing that Organa had spoken to a double then, her handmaiden Cordé, she informed him that she had been sent there by her NON unit in an attempt on her life.[9]
Organa was surprised by her calmness as she spoke of an assassination attempt, but Amidala told him that it was not the first she had faced. After some banter, she asked Bail why he had been at the demolition site that day, and he told her that he had followed her down out of concern. Having established trust with one other, Amidala let Organa ask what he had set out to speak with her about earlier. Bail plainly told her that loyalty in the Senate was always shifting, but loyalty to the Republic, and therefore democracy, was paramount. Amidala questioned what would happen if democracy did not return the favor, and Organa replied that they would then work to restore the democratic process. When Organa expressed concern about her lack of a faction, Amidala told him that she was strongly considering his but was not sure if he and his allies would accept her.[9]
At this, Bail told Amidala that he, Mothma, and Farr would provide her a place in the Senate. Amidala sternly informed Organa that she would not spy on Senator Bonteri for them, and Bail agreed on the condition that she never use a double when dealing with him and members of his faction. After setting their ground rules, Organa told Amidala that Mothma had contacts that could help dispel the negative press about her. Pleased with this, Amidala asked if Organa could lead her back to her guards, and they started back. The gala was nearing its end, and Amidala left soon after she and Bail returned to the bottom level of the gardens.[9]
An ally in Amidala[]
- "My choice in allies has kept me alive on more than one occasion, Senator Organa. I take committing to a faction very seriously. And to be entirely honest, I am strongly considering yours, only I didn't think you would accept me."
"We will accept you now. My word carries a great deal of weight, and Mon will be grateful for the distraction tonight once she learns you provided it deliberately. Between the two of us and Senator Farr, you will be given a place." - ―Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa
With help from Organa and his allies Onaconda Farr and Mon Mothma, Amidala was able to find a trustworthy faction in the Senate.
Over the following six months, Senator Amidala fell in with Organa and his faction, helping draft the motions they introduced to the Senate floor and joining various committees affiliated with them. Though Amidala got along well with Organa and Farr, she had a tenuous relationship with Mothma, whose anti-aggression positions clashed with hers, and the two often entered heated discussions. During one hearing of his construction material transportation committee on incorporating an offer of Malastare fuel reserves into a permacrete shipment to Coyerti, Organa had to step in when they two veered off topic and began arguing. Organa, Mothma, and Farr's contacts on Coruscant helped Amidala deflect libelous newsnets, and public opinion of the senator started to rise.[9]
On the eve of the Senate recess, Breha asked Bail to invite Amidala to visit Alderaan for a week before she returned to Naboo. Hoping to catch the young senator before she left, Organa contacted Amidala and informed her of his wife's invitation. Amidala agreed but asked that she discuss it with her people, and Bail told her that he would not be leaving until the following day. She later confirmed her acceptance of the invitation, and Bail relayed his pilot's travel plans and departure time to her. Organa left Coruscant for Alderaan soon after, where he awaited Amidala's arrival aboard her starship. When Amidala's ship prepared to land, Organa and a small complement of ceremonial guards stood on the landing pad to greet her and her entourage.[9]
After welcoming Amidala to his planet, Bail brought her, Cordé, and her guard, Mariek Panaka, into an airspeeder to travel to the royal palace while the rest of her group boarded a second vehicle. During the trip to the palace, Organa spoke with Amidala, Cordé, and Panaka as they admired the view of Alderaan's landscape. Upon landing on the palatial grounds, Bail led Padmé and her entourage through the main entrance and into the throne room. He formally introduced Senator Amidala and the assemblage to the queen , then affectionately addressed his wife and introduced her to Padmé. Breha welcomed Amidala to Alderaan and invited her party to breakfast on the outdoor terrace, which she accepted. Breha and Padmé began walking towards the doors in the back of the throne room, and Bail joined the senator's group as they followed, walking next to Sabé.[9]
During Senator Amidala's first Senate recess, Organa invited her to visit Alderaan for a week.
The terrace had a view of Appenza Peak, the place where Breha had sustained her Day of Demand injuries. Amidala told Breha that the mountain was beautiful, but Bail, as he pulled a seat out for his wife, interjected that it was treacherous as well. Breha and Padmé spoke about their respective tenures as queens during breakfast, but at one point, Bail interrupted to tell the story of the first time he was presented in a royal court, and Mariek told hers in kind. As the week progressed, Padmé spent much of her time with Breha, and Bail began seeking out Sabé for company. Together, Bail and Sabé spent their time viewing the art galleries in the palace, but Bail never spoke directly with her until the final day of Amidala's visit. As they looked at some artwork, Bail asked if most people who met her underestimated her, to which she replied that she encouraged it.[9]
Bail confided in Sabé that he distrusted the operations of the Trade Federation, a conglomerate of financial, manufacturing, and commercial enterprises that promoted mercantile interests in the Republic and had been at odds with Amidala since her first year as Queen of Naboo and was likely behind several assassination attempts. Bail told Sabé that he made sure not to criticize the company publicly on Coruscant, which would unnecessarily cost him political capital for no good reason but, being on Alderaan, he could be honest about his opinions. Sabé asked what he meant by telling her this, and he clarified that he was glad that Amidala had someone like her for protection. As the day drew to a close, Bail and Breha had one final dinner with Amidala and her entourage before watching the sunset, then escorted the visitors back to their starship so they could leave for Naboo.[9]
Shortly after the recess ended and Organa returned to Coruscant, the Senate was convened in an emergency session over the sudden collapse of the planet Bromlarch's aqueduct system, threatening the planet's agriculture and population. In the Senate, Organa listened as Senator Caelor Gaans of Bromlarch told the chamber of the disaster. After his testimony, Chancellor Palpatine recognized the Senator of Scipio, Rush Clovis, who proposed that an auditing team be sent to Bromlarch to assess the damage and provide the Senate a cost estimate for repairs. Senator Bonteri spoke up and seconded the motion, and Palpatine conferred with his advisors before announcing that he would send an official survey team. He told Clovis and Bonteri that they could bring whichever of their colleagues they wanted, and Organa quickly sent a message to Amidala urging her to go.[9]
During the Bromlarch crisis, Organa encouraged Amidala to step up and join the Senate's auditing team being sent to the planet.
Taking Organa's advice, Amidala joined Clovis and Bonteri to Bromlarch, and upon their return, they introduced a motion to send proper relief to the planet, which was championed by Organa's faction. The motion was immediately disapproved by Lott Dod, the senator for the Trade Federation, who protested the idea of a planetwide reconstruction effort funded by the Republic. Despite Senator Gaans' pleas, Dod's influence was enough to make the motion fail. After the session, Organa went to Amidala's office, where she was with Gaans, who had been presented with a treaty by Dod and the Federation. Bail apologized to Amidala and Gaans for the motion's failure, but Padmé insisted that they had to try again. Organa tried to assuage her, telling her that the Federation would only stall them again, but she was unpersuaded.[9]
Just then, Senator Clovis entered the room and asked Amidala if he could help her solve the issue. She agreed, and he proposed a new plan: expand the motion to court specific voting blocs. Organa protested that earmarks were not part of how his faction operated but resigned to hear what the group conceived. Amidala and Clovis began putting together an idea of creating an economic stimulus that would benefit multiple Mid Rim worlds, including Bromlarch. Though skeptical, Bail commented that the proposed bill would have both public support and the support of Chancellor Palpatine. As Padmé and Clovis moved to the sitting area in the corner of her office, Organa got to his feet and told them that he did not have time to help them write the motion but told them that he would have his comlink on and they could contact him for help, then left with Senator Gaans.[9]
Three days later, Amidala and Clovis brought the Mid Rim Cooperation Motion—named after Organa's remarks during the earlier meeting—to the Senate floor. Amidala gave her first address before the Senate while introducing it. Though Organa had opposed the idea, Clovis' choice to court voting blocs prove successful. The motion, which received the backing of several powerful Mid Rim senators, passed, giving Bromlarch the funding it needed to fix its aqueduct.[9]
The Separatist Crisis[]
- "The debate is over! Now we need that clone army."
"Unfortunately, the debate is not over. The senate will never approve the use of clones before the Separatists attack." - ―Ask Aak and Bail Organa, as they discuss the ratification of a Grand Army of the Republic
Senator Organa joined the Loyalist Committee in order to combat the Separatist Crisis.
Despite Organa and his faction's best efforts,[9] the growing disloyalty and disarray among members of the Republic led to a major rift[26] in 24 BBY[31] when Count Dooku of Serenno, a former Jedi Master, delivered the Raxus Address. In his speech, Dooku denounced the Republic as a futile enterprise rife with corruption and favoritism that harmed outlying star systems to the benefit of the Core Worlds.[26] As had been feared by Organa and his allies,[9] thousands of dissatisfied member systems embarked on a mass exodus from the Republic to join the nascent Confederacy of Independent Systems, a new galactic government headed by Dooku that promised to provide these worlds an alternative to the bureaucratic Republic.[4] Among those who absconded from the Senate was Mina Bonteri.[32] Amidst this crisis, Organa, Mothma, and Amidala joined[33] Chancellor Palpatine's Loyalist Committee, an advisory body of ten senators who helped Palpatine search for a solution to the crisis[26] and promoted loyalty as a means of maintaining cohesion.[33]
Though he supported Palpatine as a member of the Loyalist Committee,[3] Organa opposed the passage of the Emergency Powers Act,[7] an amendment to the Galactic Constitution that was introduced to the Senate floor at the start of the crisis. The amendment would allow Palpatine to remain in office even after his term limit expired in order to help him combat the growing Separatism.[34] As the Confederacy continued to expand, the threat of conflict between the Republic and its splinter state loomed, and the Senate began debating the necessity of raising a proper military as a precaution if the crisis did lead to open war.[4] That same year,[35] a bill was introduced to the Senate entitled the Military Creation Act that would give Supreme Chancellor Palpatine the ability to commission a Grand Army of the Republic. Organa's faction was opposed to the bill, and he and Amidala emerged as the leading faces of the opposition, with Amidala spending nearly a year trying to defeat it.[4]
Bail Organa met with the Loyalist Commitee and Jedi Council to hear Obi-Wan Kenobi's report on his investigation into the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala.
Amidala's opposition to the Military Creation Act made her a target for assassination, however, and when the Senate was scheduled a vote on the bill[4] in 22 BBY,[2] her ship was bombed as it landed on Coruscant, leading to numerous deaths, including that of Cordé, who was serving as her double. The vote was delayed in the wake of the bombing, and Amidala joined Organa and other Loyalists to meet with Palpatine shortly thereafter. The committee members were escorted into the Chancellor's office by Vice Chair Mas Amedda, where Palpatine was just ending a meeting with various members of the Jedi Council. As Amidala and Grand Master Yoda spoke about the assassination attempt, Palpatine suggested that she be put under the protection of the Jedi Council, but Organa expressed hesitancy over the idea. Regardless, Palpatine and the Jedi Council decided that, given the seriousness of the situation, their resolve would be best. It was also decided that Amidala would be placed under the protection of two Jedi she knew, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker,[4] whom she had met during the Naboo Crisis.[22]
Another attempt on the senator's life that ended with her almost-assassin dead only opened further questions of who was responsible, with the revelation that the dead assassin was working for another bounty hunter of dubious allegiance. While Skywalker removed Amidala from Coruscant for her safety, Kenobi tracked down Jango Fett, the bounty hunter whom he suspected of being behind the assassination attempts, to Kamino, where he inadvertently uncovered a clone army created by the native Kaminoans for use by the Republic. Following Fett to Geonosis, Kenobi also discovered that the Confederacy had forged a contract with several megacorporations to manufacture an army of battle droids to wage war against the Republic and that the multitude of attempted assassinations on Amidala were orchestrated by Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. From his remote location, Kenobi contacted Amidala and Skywalker on Tatooine, who forwarded his message to Palpatine's office in turn, where Organa, members of the Loyalist Committee, and Jedi Council were gathered to hear his findings. After hearing Kenobi's report, Organa despondently told the room that there was no doubt the Commerce Guild was preparing for war, and Palpatine surmised that Dooku must have already made a treaty with them.[4]
Organa, Chancellor Palpatine, and the members of the Loyalist Committee oversee the launch of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Senator Ask Aak of Malastare[36] asserted that the debate was over and that the Senate would have to pass the Military Creation Act, but Organa countered that the Senate would never approve the use of the clones prior to a Separatist attack. Vice Chair Amedda then spoke up and opined that the Senate had to grant Palpatine further emergency powers so that he could create a Grand Army and bypass a vote on the Military Creation Act. Ammeda lamented Senator Amidala was not present to do as such, convincing the gullible Junior Representative of Naboo, Jar Jar Binks, to do just that. In the next Senate session, Binks proposed a motion[4] to expand the scope of the powers granted to the Office of the Chancellor in the Emergency Powers Act.[34] The measure passed, and the clone forces created on Kamino were officially commissioned as the Grand Army of the Republic.[4]
The new Republic army saw its first use soon at the First Battle of Geonosis, where the Jedi led the army into battle in an attempt to destroy the droid armies and rescue Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala, who had all been taken captive by the Confederacy. Though the trio of captives were successfully rescued, the Confederacy forces managed to evacuate, and the Republic failed to quash what would become known as the Clone Wars before it could spread. In the aftermath of the battle, Organa joined Palpatine and several members of the Loyalist Committee as they watched tens of thousands of clones depart Coruscant to battle on a myriad of worlds across the galaxy.[4] Having hoped for a peaceful solution that avoided war, Organa watched the clone armies with visible frustration.[10]
Spark of the Clone Wars[]
Wartime changes[]
- "My faction is nearly run off their feet trying to keep the loyalists together. If one of them disappeared, it would definitely not go unnoticed."
"Yes, yes. Always in motion the Senate is, but especially when the Senate is at war." - ―Senator Organa and Jedi Grand Master Yoda
Following the battle on Geonosis, the Republic began rapidly transforming into a war machine. Early on, a problem arose for Organa as the loyalists began fracturing, and his faction struggled to keep them together as a voting bloc. Bail's faction faced its own internal problems as well, as Farr grew distant from him, Amidala, and Mothma. Though concerned with Ono, the three decided they did not have to worry about it yet, and instead treaded around him carefully. Padmé herself returned to Naboo immediately after the Battle of Geonosis and did not respond to the steady stream of updates on the war sent by Bail and Mothma. Despite his lack of communication with her, Bail covered for Amidala's absence by telling their colleagues that she was recovering from her wounds.[7]
Additionally, Organa's already tenuous relationship with Chancellor Palpatine became more fraught, especially after the Senate voted to increase his emergency powers. Though they were technically on the same side and maintained formal relations, Organa privately became increasingly critical of Palpatine and the actions of the Republic military but made sure not to make any comments on them in public. Though his Senate duties were tumultuous, Organa proved to be a reliable ally to the Jedi Order, which was hastily given command of the Grand Army of the Republic. Bail began working more closely with Grand Master Yoda and the Jedi High Council, having already been the Order's best ally in the Senate for years.[7]
Senator Organa was a key ally of the Jedi Order and a trusted friend of Grand Master Yoda.
Despite his reluctance to participate in the war, Organa did not hold back any of Alderaan's considerable resources from the Republic and positioned himself at the forefront of numerous relief, aid, and resupply efforts. In this role, he uncovered a shady resupply company when someone on Alderaan subcontracted it. Both Bail and Breha's people looked into the company as far as they could separately, but both ran dry of leads. Though his search did not yield concrete results, Organa had the company red-flagged as a precaution, knowing he did not have the time to mount an official investigation in the Senate. A new lead presented itself when Master Yoda informed Organa that the company had contacted the Jedi Council and requested contact with a senator in secret. Bail told Yoda that it would be difficult to arrange for a senator in his faction to disappear without notice. At this, Yoda replied that they had time to figure it out before ending the call.[7]
When Yoda had called Organa, he had been in his office, trying to read through the policies of what Chancellor Palpatine was now entitled to do under his increased emergency powers, as well as the numerous motions his faction wanted to pass. In the guest chair of his office was Representative Binks, who had brought him a cup of caf. Binks told Organa that he needed to sleep, but Bail downed the caf and remarked that it was unlikely. Jar Jar commented that what Bail needed was to be in two places at once, giving Organa an idea on how to follow up on Master Yoda's lead: having one of Amidala's handmaidens take her place briefly. He quickly sent a cryptic message to Amidala, asking her to return to Coruscant as soon as she was available. Satisfied with this development, Bail had the Senate commissary send dinner for everyone on his staff and Binks, then returned to reading through Palpatine's new powers.[7]
Shadow work[]
- "Hebekrr is going to petition for admission into the Republic. I don't know if they'll go through with it, but they need the protection of our army."
"We all know that is not how the Republic is supposed to expand. I don't like the idea of us running some sort of racket like a cartel, but I think it's something that's going to come up in the future. And it's better that they join us than join the Separatists." - ―Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa discuss her secret mission to Hebekrr Minor
In response to Organa's message, Amidala returned to Coruscant and met with him and Mothma in the former's office. After the two welcomed her back, Padmé asked for details about the mission. Mothma explained that a senator and a couple of guards had to meet with a contact from the company clandestinely. She told Padmé that they could not send anyone from their faction unnoticed, purposely adding that they could not be in two places at the same time. Bail gave Amidala a knowing glance, letting her know that it was her choice, and she realized what they were asking of her and agreed. She later contacted her former handmaiden Sabé, who had been working for a water depot on Tatooine. After three days of preparation, Sabé was ready to take her place.[7]
To maneuver around the Senate, Organa had Amidala and Sabé switch places while the former was on a clandestine mission.
The night the real Padmé was meant to leave Coruscant, Organa took her and Sabé to see the newest season of the Alderaanian opera, with Sabé in the role of senator and Padmé hooded in a handmaiden cloak. Though Sabé had difficulty assuming the role of Padmé again, Bail helped her cover for introductions she would have messed up. After the opera, Amidala discreetly departed Coruscant to meet with the company contact. Over the next few days, Organa helped Sabé pretend to be Padmé and invited her to a soiree he planned to host for the loyalists. In addition to her, Bail invited Mothma, Farr, and several Alderaanian dignitaries and artists. He also invited Chancellor Palpatine, who usually avoided such events when Organa hosted them but chose to attend that night. Sabé raised suspicions with Palpatine, however, who later approached Organa and asked why a double was in Padmé's place, leading Bail to tell him the truth.[7]
Around that time, many of the Jedi spread across the galaxy returned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for assessment and reassignment. Seeking to take advantage of the number of Jedi on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine arranged to have a group of senators meet with them at the Temple to discuss the conflict. Organa and Amidala were selected to join the pilgrimage and hear the Jedi's military debriefing. At the Jedi Temple, Organa spoke with Master Kenobi, who attempted in vain to get Anakin Skywalker to join their conversation. A day later, Padmé informed Bail that she had a report of her mission prepared for him. In the evening, she arrived at the Senate building and met with him, Mothma, and Palpatine.[7]
Chancellor Palpatine managed to uncouth that the Padmé on Coruscant was, in fact, a double.
Amidala was surprised that the Chancellor was present, and he explained that Organa had revealed the truth to him. She informed the trio that she had traveled to Hebekrr Minor and that the contact was a Neimoidian named Oje N'deeb, a member of the Trade Federation who wanted to take Lott Dod's seat in the Senate as part of a larger plan to reform the corporation. She also revealed that N'deeb's company, which was part of the Federation, was trying to repair damage in the Outer Rim by refusing to price gauge or sell arms and had begun a campaign to free enslaved people in the region. Pleased with what she had found, Organa remarked that the opportunity to destabilize the Trade Federation by helping N'deeb was too good to pass up. Mothma agreed, but Palpatine considered what she said before excusing himself.[7]
With Palpatine gone, Padmé sat down and relaxed, and Organa told her that Sabé had done good in her place and assured her that he had not revealed every detail of the mission to the Chancellor. Mothma asked if she had been able to see any of the fighting on the front, which Padmé confirmed she did on Hebekrr Minor. She told them that she had become involved in the fight while on the planet and helped the Republic soldiers form a plan to aid the local magistrate, whose family had been targeted by the Separatists. In return, Hebekrr Minor was going to petition for admission into the Republic. Discomforted by the information, Bail commented that he did not like that the Republic was now expanding through military means. All three senators were fatigued, and Mothma and Amidala bid Organa goodnight and went their separate ways.[7]
Despite their enthusiasm for N'deeb's work, nothing came of his proposals,[7] and Dod retained his seat in the Senate.[37] Sometime later, Organa attended a ceremony at the Jedi Temple for newly knighted Jedi Knights and met with Amidala when she arrived at the Temple herself. Following a bombing on Cato Neimoidia and a subsequent series of incidents on the planet, the Senate voted to pass the Jedi Military Integration Act, officially incorporating the Jedi Order into the Grand Army of the Republic, giving Jedi Masters and Knights the title of Jedi General. Bail and Padmé were present in the Senate building when Chancellor Palpatine delivered remarks in support of the motion. The bill's passage escalated the militarization of the Republic and, in turn, the Confederacy, which responded in kind.[38] During the Clone Wars, Organa also became Alderaan's military leader.[14]
Christophsis under siege[]
- "I knew the Republic would come, but we had to hold out against the Separatists until they did. General Loathsom moved against us as though he was desperate to wipe out a black mark on his ledger. The Confederacy's political narrative had become so twisted that killing the volunteers of a Senate mercy mission would probably have resulted in a medal instead of a prison sentence."
- ―Bail Organa, on the Battle of Christophsis
Senator Organa led a relief effort to the embattled planet Christophsis.
Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, the resource-rich planet Christophsis fell to the Separatists amid attempts to secure important hyperspace routes, such as the Corellian Run. Anticipating a Republic counterattack[39] a few months later,[40] Christophsis was placed under a brutal siege by an army under the command of General Whorm Loathsom. In addition, Admiral Trench commanded a thirty-ship orbital blockade of the planet. In response to the invasion, the Republic sent a peaceful relief effort led by Organa to aid the people of Christophsis, who were starved by the Confederate occupation. Because of Trench's blockade, Organa had to slip food and medicine down to the surface, but the Harch admiral quickly tightened the blockade, bringing the senator's work to a halt. Now trapped on the planet's surface, Bail's relief effort was targeted for extermination by Loathsom, who placed him on a list of "hostile enemies."[39]
While a local resistance force fought back against Loathsom's army, Organa and his relief party became trapped in the eastern exurbs by the general's army. Though he knew the Republic would intervene, Bail knew that he had to hold out until they did. As Loathsom moved to eliminate Organa, the senator and his party holed up in the cellar of the Minister of Sustenance's compound.[39] Answering calls from the Christophsian rebels for aid[41] and desperate to rescue Organa, a Republic naval task force led by General Skywalker and Admiral Wullf Yularen arrived to break Trench's impasse and deliver supplies for the Christophsians. With Republic forces in the system, Organa's group moved to a refugee camp they had set up to establish contact.[42]
As Loathsom's[39] droids spread and captured more ground, Organa's small detachment of clones became trapped in a refugee camp, where they struggled to maintain their position and quickly ran low on food, water, and munitions. Bail contacted Skywalker and Yularen to update them about his situation, but his contact with them was cut as Trench's blockade overpowered the fleet. Despite the arrival of General Kenobi and his naval task force, the Republic fleet withdrew from battle to recuperate. While the Jedi and Yularen devised a new strategy, to use a prototype IPV-2C Stealth Corvette to sneak past the Confederate blockade and deliver supplies to Organa's camp, the Christophsian resistance had begun to break, but Bail and the soldiers with him remained. Hoping to both put pressure on the senator and draw the Republic fleet back into battle, Trench dispatched his Hyena-class Droid Bombers to attack Organa's planetside camp.[42]
Bail instructs his clone detachment while under attack by Separatist forces.
Organa was alerted by one of his troopers that the bombers were incoming, and the droid ships began firing explosives at the surrounding area. Organa was knocked to the ground from one blast and ordered the clones to make contact with Kenobi. They were able to do so, and Organa warned Kenobi that his command center was on the verge of being taken over by the Separatists. Bail ended his transmission by asking Kenobi for help, after which their communication was cut once again. Kenobi then prepared to engage Trench's fleet with the ships he had available, and he ordered Skywalker and Yularen to stick to the plan of delivering relief to Organa's camp.[42]
Skywalker, however, disobeyed orders and uncloaked the stealth ship in front of Trench's eyes, but they managed to outmaneuver the admiral and destroy his flagship by using his tactics against him, seemingly killing him in the process. With Trench no longer in play, Anakin headed for the planet's surface while Kenobi continued to engage the now-disarrayed Separatist fleet. Skywalker and Yularen landed their ship at Organa's camp, where the senator's troops unloaded the supplies. As they did so, Bail approached the ship and commended Anakin for his efforts and told him that he saved many lives that day.[42] Having saved Organa and broken the Confederate blockade, Kenobi and Skywalker were stationed on Christophsis to fight back against Loathsom and his forces, who retreated. Eventually, the Republic prevailed and took the Separatist general into captivity.[39]
Relief to Ryloth[]
- "Your Majesty, the people of Ryloth did not ask to be invaded. Do not let them suffer because war came to them."
"I sympathize with the plight of the Twi'leks. But this is not about saving them when they are fighting the Separatists." - ―Bail Organa and Lott Dod present their arguments to King Katuunko
The Jedi inform Organa of the humanitarian crisis on Ryloth.
Sometime later, while returning to Coruscant after a trade mission, Organa was contacted by Jedi Masters Yoda, Kenobi, and Mace Windu. The Jedi had inquired as to how his trade mission had gone, and Bail informed them that it had gone successfully. However, he noted that the three looked somber, and Kenobi then informed Bail that the Republic fleet protecting Ryloth had been destroyed by a Confederate invasion, cutting supply lines to the planet and leaving the troops remaining without vital resources. Windu continued that the Republic's blockade runners would be able to make it past the Separatist lines to drop off relief supplies but would not have the range to reach Ryloth from the nearest Republic fleet. Bail asked as to what they wanted him to do, and the Jedi assigned him a new mission: they had sent a supply ship to the planet Toydaria, which was far closer to Ryloth but would require him to negotiate a treaty with the neutral Toydarian government that would allow the Republic ships to depart from there.[37]
Kenobi told him that the representative from Naboo had accompanied the shipment to Toydaria, which was why they had called on Organa, a far more experienced diplomat, to take part in negotiations. Organa, thinking they meant Senator Amidala, argued that she could do as well as he would, but the Jedi clarified that Representative Binks was on Toydaria, not Padmé. After agreeing to the Jedi's proposal, Bail's ship, the Tantive IV, rerouted for Toydaria. The ship landed on a landing pad near the palace of King Katuunko of Toydaria, but Senator Organa was stopped by one of the royal guards upon exiting. The guard told Bail that he would be provided with whatever he needed to continue on his way but would not be allowed to leave his ship. Organa tried to explain the situation, telling the guard that he was there to speak with Katuunko.[37]
Organa and Binks approach the throne room of King Katuunko.
At that moment, Representative Binks arrived at the landing pad and greeted Bail, and the two insisted that they were on a diplomatic mission and had to speak with the king, with Organa adding that it would not take long. Moving past the guards, Organa and Binks traveled to Katuunko's palace. While approaching Katuunko's throne, Binks called out to the king, but Bail gently asked the Gungan to let him do the speaking. They stepped onto a floating platform to speak with the king and the Toydarian council. Katuunko asked the offworlders to state their business, and they introduced themselves. Organa told Katuunko that they had come to ask for help, but the king was unreciprocating and reminded them that Toydaria was a neutral system. Organa informed the king that they had come as friends and were there on humanitarian grounds. Bail then asked if he would allow them to use Toydaria as a staging ground for relief aid.[37]
Before Bail could finish making his case, however, Senator Lott Dod of the Trade Federation arrived in the throne room and told Katuunko not to make his decision in haste. Katuunko replied that he believed Bail and Jar Jar knew who Dod was, and Bail confirmed that they did. When Binks asked why Dod was there, the king explained that he had a right to representation in the case given the Trade Federation's contract with his government. Bail remarked that the Federation was too close to the Separatists for his liking, earning a quick refutation from Dod. Bail responded that, while Dod might not be linked to the Separatists, he could understand the confusion. In turn, Did told the king that he was there only to ensure that nothing jeopardized the contract Toydaria had with the Federation. Organa argued back that there was no need for conflict because the cause was humanitarian.[37]
Katuunko agreed with Organa and commented that compassion was a sacred Toydarian value, but Dod countered that honesty was also a Toydarian value and asked if Organa and Binks had mentioned the Separatist blockade around Ryloth. Horrified, Katuunko requested to know if Dod was correct, which Bail affirmed. He tried to argue that it changed nothing, but the king and the Toydarian council were outraged that they would have been deceived into breaking their neutrality. Katuunko announced that he and his ministry would convene in private before allowing both Organa and Dod to make their separate arguments in a formal hearing later. To build his case for the Toydarians, Organa contacted Ryloth's senator, Orn Free Taa, and had him record a message pleading for the Toydarians to help end his people's suffering.[37]
Organa watches Lott Dod present his case against sending aid to Ryloth before the Toydarian council.
When the time came to present their formal arguments, Organa, Binks, and Dod returned to the throne room and resumed their positions on the two floating platforms. Katuunko allowed Organa to speak first, and he started his presentation by reiterating that the operation the Republic proposed was purely humanitarian. He told the Toydarians that they only wished to deliver necessary supplies to Ryloth, then played Taa's message for the royal court. Taa's plea for aid stirred an emotional response from the council, and Katuunko allowed Dod to speak. Dod accused Organa of deception, then displayed a series of holograms of the battle on Ryloth. Dod told the king and his ministers that Toydaria would become a military base, not a humanitarian one, opening it to Separatist attacks, which was a possibility that would force the Trade Federation to cease trade with the planet.[37]
Organa interjected and appealed to the Toydarian's compassion, asking them not to allow the Twi'leks to suffer just because the war had come to Ryloth. Dod, on the other hand, rebuked that, while he sympathized with the plight of the Twi'leks, the matter was not about saving them while they were fighting the Separatists. Katuunko ended the hearing and thanked the senators for their remarks, then told them that he would summon them again when he had made his decision. When Organa, Binks, and Dod were again brought back to the throne room after the Toydarians' debate, Katuunko announced that he had decided to deny the Republic access to Toydaria in favor of the safety of his people. Defeated, Organa and Binks left the throne room. As they strode side-by-side, Bail commented to Jar Jar that things had not gone well, and the Gungan questioned what to do. Just then, King Katuunko stopped them and informed them that Toydaria could not turn a blind eye against Ryloth, whose citizens were innocent victims. Glad that Katuunko sympathized with their cause, Organa asked what he was prepared to do, and the king responded that they could send the Republic supply ships already on Toydaria to Ryloth as long as the Trade Federation did not find out. Organa protested that the supplies they had initially brought could cover only a few rotations, but Katuunko explained that it was all he could do. Bail agreed and said, "I have an idea."[37]
Senator Organa and Representative Binks speak with King Katuunko about Toydaria's future with the Republic.
In order to send the supply ships to Ryloth without Dod noticing, Organa scheduled a dinner with Katuunko, the Toydarian ministry, and Dod. Before the others arrived, Bail gave Binks a comlink and told him that he would notify him when the ships were ready to depart. Just then, the rest of the attendees arrived, and Organa greeted Dod and Katuunko. He announced that he had to depart to make urgent contact with Alderaan, then left Binks to keep them distracted in his place. Bail went to oversee the loading of the supply ships on the docks below the palace. Via their comms, Organa informed Jar Jar that the ships were ready to launch, and while he ensured that Dod did not see them leaving the palace grounds from the dining room, the ships departed for Ryloth. The following morning, Organa and Binks returned to the Tantive IV, accompanied by King Katuunko. As the king said his goodbyes, an infuriated Dod approached them, with Bail commenting that he looked pale. Dod told them that he had learned of several Republic ships penetrating the blockade around Ryloth, and Organa replied that he could present any proof of treaty violation before the Senate. Dod, stonewalled, took his leave, but not before telling Bail that he would not get away with his games again.[37]
As Dod walked away, King Katuunko told Organa and Binks that the Republic had heart but that he was unsure if it had the strength to win the war. He added, however, that their actions that day had led him to reconsider Toydaria's neutrality. He asked Bail to tell the Jedi he was open to meeting with them, and Organa replied that Master Yoda would be glad to hear about it. Katuunko then declared that, for now, the people of Ryloth would endure.[37] Following this development, Yoda took part in deliberations with Katuunko about Toydaria's allegiance, which led to the king's decision to have Toydaria formally join the Republic.[43]
Senate duties and Refugee Conference[]
- "As the conflict that divides our galaxy escalates, we cannot lose perspective on the value of life and the price of freedom."
- ―Bail Organa, during the Alderaan Refugee Conference
Despite briefly turning from the Republic, Onaconda Farr was welcomed back by Organa and their allies.
By the end of 22 BBY,[2] the rift that had grown between Organa's faction and Onaconda Farr[7] was closed. At the beginning of the war, Farr settled a contract with the Confederacy in order gain much-needed supplies for his people, who were facing starvation due to piracy and a lack of help from the Republic Senate, which scheduled votes on the matter but failed to take concrete action.[45] Farr's desperate contract had paved the way for Confederate exploitation of the Savareen sector, including Christophsis.[26] Though Organa and his allies tread carefully around Farr at first,[7] the Rodian's distance led to deep concern about his loyalty to the Republic, but Amidala managed to help him see the error of his ways, and he turned from the Confederacy.[45] Despite Farr's mistakes, Organa, Amidala, and Mothma welcomed back their old friend, and he dutifully re-joined their causes.[46]
Following the Battle of Malastare in 21 BBY,[2] Chancellor Palpatine ordered a massive Zillo Beast, an ancient creature native to Malastare, transported to Coruscant for study. Despite heavy security, the beast broke free from its captivity in the Republic Science and Technical Center at the navy staging yards and began rampaging across the city towards the Federal District. Organa and Mothma were walking the halls of the Senate Office Building when the Zillo Beast attacked it, sending shockwaves throughout the structure and causing the lights to flicker. The two fled to the underground shelters with others staffed in the building, where they kept hidden until the creature was killed by the military.[47] A short time later, Organa and Representative Binks walked down the halls of the Senate and conversed following a general session.[48]
Organa, Amidala, and Mothma organized a conference to address the growing refugee crisis.
When Organa heard the news that Amidala was invited on a diplomatic visit to Mandalore to meet with the planet's ruler, Duchess Satine Kryze, he teased that Kryze would have a royal court waiting for her.[49] Later, he, Amidala, and Mothma organized a conference on Alderaan to address the growing number of refugees displaced by the war and, as they hoped, lead to policy change in the Republic. On the eve before she was set to leave for Alderaan, however, Amidala was warned by Jedi Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, that her life was in danger. Tano had a vision of Padmé being targeted by bounty hunter Aurra Sing during the conference, and Amidala decided to bring her along for added security. Organa and Mothma were already on Alderaan when she arrived, and they greeted her when her ship landed at the Royal Palace.[44]
Organa and Amidala warmly greeted each other and agreed that it was important that the conference be a success. Along with Mothma and the rest of Amidala's party, Organa walked Padmé to her room. Though preparations for the night's event were going well, Padawan Tano revealed that she believed that Sing's attempt on Amidala's life would be during her keynote speech. Despite her warning, Tano doubted if her visions were true, and the conference proceeded as planned that evening. Organa opened the meeting by declaring that those gathered could not lose perspective of the value of life and the price of freedom during the war. Following his brief remarks, he introduced Amidala so she could deliver her address.[44]
Organa and Padawan Tano ensure that Amidala is alright after the assassination attempt.
As Padmé spoke of the refugee crisis that emerged during the Trade Federation of Naboo years earlier, a shot was fired from a vent in the ceiling, but Tano's interference made Sing hit Amidala's shoulder. Bail immediately went to help Padmé, and the crowd gathered around him as he aided her. He called for a medical droid, and Amidala was brought back to her room. Organa stayed with her as she was treated for her injury, and to his relief, the droid found that it was only a flesh wound. After the droid left, Tano rushed inside and apologized to Padmé. Bail asked if she had found the assassin, but Ahsoka replied that she could not catch her and formally identified her as Aurra Sing. Tano urged Amidala to return to Coruscant for her safety, and Organa agreed that it was no longer safe for her to stay on Alderaan. Organa stated that he was unwilling to gamble with her life, but Tano interjected that she believed she knew a way to allow Amidala to deliver her speech when the conference reconvened.[44]
Using the Padawan's plan, Organa and Tano later returned to the conference alongside a BD-3000 droid wrapped in a cloak, which would give Padmé's speech as she read into a comlink from the safety in her room. A detachment of Senate Guards stood watch in the ducts above the conference room, and Bail looked to them for signs of Sing while Amidala spoke through the droid. Though they had taken such precautions, Tano left the room after concluding that Aurra was not in the room. She hurried back to Padmé's suite, where she found the bounty hunter hiding in the vent and captured her. With Sing in custody, the conference went on in peace. Organa joined Amidala and Tano on their return flight to Coruscant from Alderaan after the conference, where they stopped at the Jedi Temple to hand Sing over. They met with Grand Master Yoda and Skywalker, who helped Tano look deeper into the Force and identify Ziro the Hutt, who had been incarcerated in part by Amidala, as the one who hired Sing.[44]
Organa later attended a party hosted by Amidala at her residence for Senator Aang, who held the deciding vote on the Military Oversight Committee and was being courted by their faction into voting to lower the amount of funding the Republic spent on the military branches.[50]
The fight for peace[]
Hostage crisis[]
- "Oh, Senator Organa, how good to see you. What is it?"
"Senator Philo has called a meeting in the lobby before we vote on the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill."
"Right. Privacy Invasion Bill." - ―Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa, after interrupting the former's private moment with Anakin Skywalker
Bail Organa informs Padmé Amidala about Senator Philo's meeting.
In an attempt to give Chancellor Palpatine's office the unprecedented[25] and broad powers[26] to increase surveillance on Republic citizens suspected of having Separatist ties,[25] a bill was introduced in the Senate ironically titled the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill. The controversial bill was opposed heavily by numerous anti-war senators, including Organa, Amidala, and Farr. The three were invited to a meeting in an atrium in the Senate Office Building's east wing by Senator Philo[51] of Kinyen,[27] who wanted to discuss the bill with a group of opposition senators before the vote later that day. Bail went to Padmé's office to inform her of Philo's invitation, then left with her and her protocol droid, C-3PO, to meet with their colleagues.[51]
Also at Senator Philo's meeting, aside from Organa, Amidala, and Farr, were Senators Riyo Chuchi, Kin Robb, Jakker-Sun, Dantum Roohd, and Zinn Paulness. The group,[51] galvanized by the proposed law,[26] agreed that it was imperative that they shut down the bill before the Chancellor could move forward with it. As the meeting concluded, the doors to the hall suddenly opened, and a group of bounty hunters,[51] including the freed Aurra Sing,[52] entered and surrounded the senators. Their leader, Cad Bane, fired his blaster into the ceiling several times and announced that the politicians were his hostages. Though Bail and the others complied with Bane's orders, Philo dissented and attempted to leave, only to be shot in the back and killed by Bane. Bane ordered the senators to gather in the center of the atrium and told his hunters to begin searching them for communication devices.[51]
Organa and several other senators were taken hostage by bounty hunter Cad Bane's crew.
Amidala leaned over to Organa and told him that she counted five bounty hunters in the room. Bail asked what she planned to do, pointedly reminding her they did not carry weapons. Bane, meanwhile, contacted Chancellor Palpatine's office directly and demanded the release of Ziro the Hutt from his imprisonment at the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center in exchange for the lives of the hostage senators. His hunters also cut the power to the building, leaving the hostages only lit by the emergency lights and the sunlight coming through the atrium ceiling. As Bane began walking around the group of senators to collect comms, Padmé told Organa that she couldn't be searched, and when asked why by Bail, she revealed that she had something that the hunter must not find.[51]
Just then, Bane approached Amidala and asked to know who she was, and she gave him her name and demanded that he release them. Bane suddenly turned from her and began firing at the gallery above, where Anakin Skywalker was crouching. Bane sent Sing and two other hunters to chase Skywalker, who had escaped Bane's volley. While the bounty hunters were preoccupied, Amidala pulled a lightsaber from her sleeve and showed it to Organa, who questioned why she was in possession of a Jedi's weapon. She dismissed his query and asked instead if they try to get it to Skywalker or use it themselves. Bane fired another blast into the ceiling, ordering the senators to be quiet, then made another call to the Chancellor's office. He demanded that Palpatine write out a pardon for Ziro and send it and Senator Orn Free Taa, who was in Palpatine's office with him, to the prison.[51]
Bail and his colleagues are surrounded by laser trip-wires connected to explosives.
Sing and the bounty hunters returned to the atrium with an unconscious and bound Skywalker, then tossed him in with the senators. When he learned that Ziro had been released, Bane had his crew place bombs on the pillars around the room. The devices emitted a laser field surrounding the senators, and Bane informed them that disturbing the lasers would set off the bombs, killing them and destroying the hall. Bane then left with his hunters to rendezvous with the transport carrying Ziro, leaving Organa, the senators, and Skywalker alone. When Anakin regained consciousness, Farr informed him that Bane had ordered them to stay put and opined that they should do as he said. Amidala took out Skywalker's lightsaber and told him that she had found it, then cut his handcuffs and handed it to him.[51]
Skywalker dug his lightsaber into the floor and began cutting a circle around the senators. As he did so, the devices around the room began emitting a high-pitched noise, but the floor gave in before the bombs went off. Organa and the senators fell to the level below, narrowly surviving the destruction of the atrium from the explosions. Bane and his crew had been able to escape the Senate building because he could have killed the hostage senators, but, with their survival,[51] the Republic sent a military task force after them, which failed to bring the criminals to justice.[53] When the Senate reconvened after the crisis, the resistance group that formed against the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill spearheaded its defeat in the Senate.[26]
The peace initiative[]
- Padmé Amidala: "Given that the Separatists have put a call for negotiations on the table, the need for additional troopers seems ill-timed."
- Bail Organa: "Which means there is no need deregulate the banks."
- Onaconda Farr: "I say we vote that down now."
- ―Amidala, Organa, and Farr move to defeat Gume Saam's deregulation bill[32]
Organa speaks against the Senator Gume Saam's proposed deregulation of the Banking Clan
As the war raged on and the Republic military faced higher casualties and fewer victories on the battlefield, the Senate convened to debate the cost of the war. The debate was largely unproductive, with senators falling into partisan lines. While the militarist caucuses and corporate entities argued in favor of an increase in military funding, Organa, Amidala, Mothma, and Farr made their case that it was dangerous to continue with the war without taking the Republic's poor financial state into consideration. During the contested session, Senator Gume Saam of the Techno Union introduced a bill that would allow the Republic to open new lines of credit with the InterGalactic Banking Clan. This deregulation would give the Republic the necessary funds to purchase more clones, but Organa and his coalition knew that it would come at the cost of services unrelated to the war.[32]
Organa tried to appeal to the Senate that the Republic could not afford to be fiscally irresponsible and reminded his colleagues that they were on the verge of bankruptcy. At this comment, Lott Dod entered the fray and offered his support for Saam's motion, followed by Senator Halle Burtoni of Kamino. When Mothma pushed back that the bill would effectively deregulate the banks, various members of the Senate began shouting. Amidala floated her pod next to Organa's and proposed that, instead of funneling money into the war machine and escalating the conflict, the Senate open communication with the Confederacy to allow negotiations to begin. She was immediately called a traitor by several senators, and a chant demanding a vote on Saam's bill arose.[32]
To quell the restless senators, Bail suggested that the body table any emergency bill until they determined whether deregulation was the correct course of action. Vice Chair Amedda accepted his resolution, and Saam's motion was taken off the floor. Although Organa successfully stalled the increase in military funding, Amidala, eager to sue for peace despite the poor reception she received earlier, decided to undertake a covert mission to the capital of the Confederacy, Raxus Secundus, to meet with Mina Bonteri. The two conceived of a peace initiative, which Bonteri first introduced into the Separatist Parliament. The motion garnered enthusiastic support from the Confederacy, and Padmé returned to Coruscant to present their diplomatic initiative to the Senate.[32] In spite of their antipathy towards Bonteri long before the war,[9] Organa, Farr, and Mothma supported Amidala's proposal.[32]
Amidala and Organa urge the Senate to vote down Senator Saam's financial bill.
Using the motion to their advantage, Organa and Amidala explained to the Senate during the second debate over Saam's bill that since the Confederacy was willing to reach out in peace, deregulating the Banking Clan was unnecessary and ill-timed. When they finished making their case, Farr called for the Congress to immediately vote Saam's bill down. Amedda brought Saam's motion to a vote, but while the results were being tallied, the power in the Senate building shut down. As had been ordered by Saam, Dod, and Banking Clan representative Nix Card and arranged by Confederate General Grievous, Coruscant's central power distribution grid had been bombed, setting off an explosion that resulted in a planetwide blackout.[32]
While fires raged across Coruscant, it was confirmed that the attack had been arranged by the Separatists. Saam called for the Senate to make the Confederacy pay, and, despite Amidala's pleas, he now had the full support and endorsement of Chancellor Palpatine and Amedda. Senator Burtoni called for an immediate vote in favor of his bill, which resoundingly passed.[32] The following day, the Senate continued its debate over the peace talks, which were in shambles. Organa, Amidala, Farr, and Mothma found themselves fighting a losing battle as the bombing of the power grid led a majority of the Senate to dismiss negotiation as an option.[29]
Amid the contested session, Burtoni proposed that the Republic purchase an additional five million clone troopers. Organa demanded to know how the government would pay for them when it was still operating in deep debt, and she responded by announcing that the Kaminoan government had drafted an emergency appropriations bill that would raise funds from the Banking Clan. Amidala attempted to persuade the Senate that the attack on the power grid had been carried out to disrupt the peace initiative, but she was denounced as a traitor by numerous senators. Chancellor Palpatine began to speak on her behalf but stopped and announced that he had just received a message from Count Dooku. In a message played before the Senate, the count informed the body that Mina Bonteri had been killed in a Republic attack, and the Separatist Parliament was rescinding its vote for the peace initiative.[29]
Legislative battles[]
- "The interest alone could completely bankrupt the Republic. As it is, social services have suffered because of this war—education, infrastructure, health care. If we go deeper in debt, the basic needs of our people will evaporate."
"This is good."
"It is?"
"Clearly taking out a loan on such obscene terms would essentially destroy the Republic, regardless of the outcome of the war. We only need to sway another handful of senators, as long as they don't buckle to the threats." - ―Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa
Organa, Amidala, and Farr discuss how to defeat Halle Burtoni's appropriations bill.
After the Senate adjourned, Organa, Farr, and Amidala walked to the latter's office. Padmé expressed disbelief that the Republic had killed Bonteri, and Bail advised her not to believe it, as he had learned through his connections that Republic spies were reporting that Bonteri had not been killed in a Republic attack but had been murdered by Dooku's underlings. He went on to say that Dooku's message to the Senate was a ploy to cover up his true actions. While Farr consoled her, Organa declared to them both that they would not let Bonteri's peace effort be in vain by defeating Halle Burtoni's bill. He told them that he would begin lining up support to vote down the bill and would need ammunition to use against it. Farr attempted to lighten the mood by remarking that they could not afford ammunition, but his joke fell flat with Organa and Amidala. Bail asked Amidala to meet with the Banking Clan's liaison on Coruscant, Mak Plain, to see how much the banks would charge in interest on Burtoni's proposed loan. Thus, he reasoned, should they find out more about the exact cost of the bill, the easier it would be to defeat it. Padmé asked Ono to join her, reasoning that he knew the Banking Clan representatives, before snidely adding that he owed her for telling a bad joke.[29]
While gathering support against Burtoni's bill, Organa found that several members of the Senate had been receiving threatening messages ordering them not to vote down the motion. That night, Padmé brought Organa what she and Farr had learned from Plain: that the Banking Clan planned to charge twenty-five percent interest on the loan, justifying the outrageous price with the recent deregulation bill. Amidala told a shocked Bail that the interest rates alone would bankrupt the Republic and cause the government to cut spending on social services such as education, infrastructure, and healthcare. Organa was pleased with her findings, knowing that the obscene cost was enough to sway the remaining number of senators he needed, as long as they did not buckle under the threats. At Padmé's prompting, Organa informed her of the situation with the threatening messages. He added that, with the fate of Bonteri, the legislators were frightened.[29]
Organa and Amidala realize that they are a few votes short of a majority, but many potential allies are being threatened not to side with them.
The next day, Organa and Amidala met with several senators in the halls of the Senate building, including Mot-Not Rab, who had been a target of physical assault. Amidala tried to persuade the senators that the only winner in Burtoni's bill was the Banking Clan, but Rab and the others were unwavering in their belief that more clones would help the Republic win the war. As the group dispersed, Bail and Padmé were met by Farr, whose arm was in a sling. Farr told them that two thugs had attacked him the previous night, but he assured them that he would be unwavering in their cause. By the end of the day, Organa was six votes short of the majority needed to shut down Burtoni's bill, and Amidala was worried that they would not stand a chance so long as senators continued to face threats. Bail made an effort to allay her fears by noting that some senators, such as Farr, were unphased by the threats. Padmé reminded Organa that they still lacked a majority and that her efforts to persuade the senators were failing, but he noted that some minds would not be persuaded no matter what. At this, Amidala asked Bail to address the full Senate, as he was the best speaker she knew, but Organa remarked that it would be dangerous. Padmé pressed the matter further, and he relented. While Organa requested a chance to give a floor speech from Vice Chair Amedda, Amidala decided to join Farr and meet with still-undecided senators.[29]
After an unproductive meeting with Senator Christo, Amidala was attacked by the two thugs who had jumped Farr the night before, Chata Hyoki and Robonino. Though she was injured, she narrowly escaped after police intervention, but the thugs evaded capture and went to their next target, Senator Organa, who was in his apartment building the following morning. As Bail was walking to his speeder in a sublevel garage, he was cornered by Hyoki and Robonino, who rode into the garage on speeder bikes. Organa hit a button on his comlink, contacting his security and the police. His guards and a police vehicle arrived in time to stop the criminals from harming him, but a firefight ensued. Bail tried to flee in his speeder, but Hyoki fired a series of shots into its engines, and it crashed into the walls of the garage. Robonino and Hyoki were promptly arrested, but Organa was seriously injured.[29]
Bail's guards pulled him out of his speeder, then contacted Farr to inform him of the situation, and the Rodian quickly located Amidala and brought her to speak with Bail as well. Via hologram, Padmé asked Organa what had happened, and he attempted to speak with her, but his guards told him he needed to lay down. Bail continued that the Senate was expecting him to deliver his speech, but his guards informed Farr and Amidala that he was in no condition to move. Ono ordered Bail's guards to take him to a hospital immediately, but before his security cut the transmission, Organa told Amidala that she had to give his speech in his place. In the Senate, meanwhile, senators such as Halle Burtoni, Orn Free Taa, and Mee Deechi urged Vice Chair Amedda to move to a vote, though Amedda remained adamant that he would allow Organa to speak. With Organa hospitalized, Farr begged Amidala to overcome her insecurity and speak before the Senate in his place. Back in the Senate, the Vice Chair brought the Senate to a vote, though Senator Mothma asked that the opposition be allowed to speak beforehand. Inspired by her handmaiden, Teckla Minnau, Padmé gave a touching and passionate defense of the basic social amenities that had suffered under the war and would suffer even more if the Senate passed Burtoni's bill.[29]
Senator Organa and his allies are confronted by their opponent, Halle Burtoni of Kamino.
Although Amidala's speech was well-received,[29] Organa and his faction were unable to gain a majority, and the Senate passed Burtoni's appropriations bill. Still hoping to gain their faction a win and looking to keep the bill from coming into effect, Farr and Amidala drafted and introduced counter-legislation aimed at capping the amount of funding the Republic can put into the military. After his stint in the hospital, Organa returned to work and helped them as they rallied to secure enough votes to pass their bill. As part of their effort, Amidala was to give another floor speech. While Organa was in the Senate chamber to help prepare the body for Padmé's address, she, Farr, Mothma, and Farr's aide, Lolo Purs, awaited him in her office. Bail soon left the chamber to tell the four that the Senate was ready for them. While walking towards their respective Senate pods, Farr admitted that he was excited to hear the Amidala's speech. Padmé joked that she found it more terrifying than exciting, but Farr turned to Organa and told him to pay her no mind. Farr proudly told Bail that Amidala always downplayed her strengths, even as a child, to maintain the element of surprise. Upon arriving at Amidala's pod, Padmé bid her colleagues farewell, and Farr and Organa went to their respective pods to await her address.[46]
In her speech, Padmé calmly voiced her opinion that increasing the number of Republic soldiers was both financially irresponsible and a poor way to end the conflict. Her speech received another rousing reception, and Organa, like most members of the Senate, applauded. Afterward, he returned to Amidala's office to celebrate with her, Farr, Mothma, and Purs. While Purs poured each senator a drink, they began discussing their effort. Just then, they were interrupted by Burtoni, who entered Amidala's office uninvited. Amidala told the Kaminoan that she had barged in on a private conversation, but Burtoni suggested that her opponents were engaging in a Separatist conspiracy instead, leading Purs and Amidala to begin arguing with her. Mothma attempted to stop them, but Farr intervened, confronted Burtoni, and backed her out of Padmé's office. As she left, Burtoni ominously warned the gathered to enjoy their spotlight for now, as the war was far from over. With Burtoni gone, the senators returned to their conversation, and Amidala remarked that they had to have done something right to rattle Burtoni. Mothma complimented Farr's work to raise support for their legislation, though he sadly told his friends that he wished he had done more for their efforts at the beginning of the war.[46]
The death of Onaconda Farr[]
- "We have work to do. We should double our efforts on the vote. It will be even harder with Ono gone."
"No. No. We should delay the vote. […] No one will give the vote their full attention until they know what's happened to Ono."
"Well, maybe I can put a motion on the floor. I don't think anyone will object, given the circumstances."
"Good. Then we'll have time to conduct our own investigation." - ―Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala discuss their next actions after Onaconda Farr's murder
Senator Organa and his allies frantically try to help the dying Onaconda Farr.
Organa raised his glass of wine to toast their soon-to-be victory and an end to the Clone Wars. With the exception of Purs, the senators drank from their glasses, but after drinking, Farr suddenly complained that his heart was in pain. He told his concerned colleagues that he could not breathe, then collapsed on the floor. Bail and Padmé immediately got down to help him while Mothma ran out of the room to get help, but Farr was already dead. Shortly thereafter, a small funeral ceremony was held for him on a landing pad in Coruscant's atmosphere. After a short eulogy from his aide Silood, Farr's casket was loaded onto a shuttle as Senate Honor Guards performed an arms salute. Knowing that Farr and Amidala had been close for a long time, Organa told her that she could go to him if she needed anything, but Padmé only responded that they needed to get his resolution passed. Amidala then walked over to Purs and consoled her while Bail and Mothma were summoned to the Chancellor's office, where they met with Palpatine, Vice Chair Amedda, Senator Taa, and Coruscant Security Force Inspector Tan Divo.[46]
Once Amidala and Purs arrived in the Chancellor's office, Palpatine introduced Lieutenant Divo, who had several questions to ask them. Divo asked if the senators knew of anyone who despised Farr enough to kill him, and Purs asserted that Farr was loved by all. Divo, however, rejected the notion, saying that if that were the case, the late Rodian would still be alive. Organa chimed in and informed the Lieutenant that even Farr's political enemies respected him. He asked for more time to help him and his faction cope with the situation, but Divo asserted that they had none as he needed to find a murderer. Amidala asked why he thought Farr had been murdered, and Divo revealed that a CSF autopsy had shown poison in Farr's bloodstream, which he deemed the politician's preferred method of killing. He continued by saying that politicians always had something to hide. When he turned to the others in the Chancellor's office for an affirmation, however, he realized that he was in a room full of politicians. Divo theorized that Farr's killing was possibly in response to one of his secrets coming out, but Amidala countered that Farr had no secrets and suggested that the murderer may have been motivated by Onaconda's anti-war bill on the Senate floor instead. Annoyed at Padmé's interjection, Divo asked for her and her faction not to interfere in his investigation, then departed with his team of police droids.[46]
After their meeting in the Chancellor's office, Bail joined his allies as they walked to Amidala's office. Mothma and Purs questioned if they were all being targeted over their legislation, but Organa sternly told them that speculation would not help and that they had to work harder to pass Farr's bill. Amidala, however, suggested that they postpone the vote until they knew what happened to their friend. Though unsure of the idea, Organa agreed to put forward a motion to reschedule the vote, since no one would object given Farr's death. Padmé asserted that postponing the vote would give them more time to investigate Farr's death, and Mothma reminded her about Divo's request for them not to interfere. Amidala remained stagnant in learning what happened to Farr, but Organa was reluctant to agree with her. Relenting, Mothma asked Organa to accompany Padmé, and he calmed her initial refusal by assuring her that he would not get in her way.[46]
Organa and Amidala meet with Mee Deechi and Halle Burtoni, who they suspected of being involved in Farr's murder.
Knowing where to start, Amidala and Organa went to meet with Senator Mee Deechi[46] of Umbara[27] and Halle Burtoni in the former's office, as the two had been staunch opponents of Farr and repeatedly attacked him in their fundraising. Deechi and Burtoni laughed when they learned that Padmé believed they had a hand in killing Farr, but Bail made it clear that their intentions were serious. When Amidala accused them of trying to silence Farr, Deechi replied that he had great respect for their late colleague despite often being at odds, but Burtoni admitted that she had not. Deechi informed Organa and Amidala that Farr had a secret meeting at the docks under the derrick major the night before his death. Organa asked how he had known about it, and Deechi revealed that he had been having Farr followed for some time. With this new lead, Bail and Padmé decided to go to the dockyards themselves, though they warned Deechi and Burtoni that they would have more questions for them upon their return.[46]
When they arrived at the dockyard, Organa asked if he had mentioned they were out of their element, and Padmé joked that he had. Smiling, the two pulled out their blasters and carried onward. As they continued, Bail tried to quell Amidala's ambition by telling her that she should not bury her grief over Farr's death with her investigation. Angry over his comments, she began arguing with Bail, who asked why she could not leave the investigating to Lieutenant Divo. Before she could answer, however, she noticed that an overhead shipping container was about to drop onto them and shoved Organa out of the way. A cloaked figure began firing at Amidala from above, and she chased after them through the dockyard. Bail, meanwhile, got his bearings and ran into the maze of containers to find her. When he found her, they fired at the unknown assailant, then chased after them when they ran away. As they searched near the edge of the docks, the attacker used a crane to push another crate towards them. The container almost pushed Organa over the side, but he grabbed onto a ledge in time.[46]
Using a tip from Senator Mee Deechi, Bail and Padmé investigate the docks under the derrick major for clues.
Padmé helped Organa back onto the docks, and they reported the incident to the CSF. Lieutenant Divo arrived with a detachment of police droids. He chastised Amidala for interfering with his investigation, but she tried to justify their actions by telling Divo about the lead they had gotten from Deechi. He admonished them for not coming to him with the information first, going on about how they were making his investigation harder. Organa, however, brushed him aside. Divo then mentioned that Bail and Padmé could possibly have alerted the killer to the fact that his investigation was closing in on them, and the two began theorizing that they had been sent to the docks by Deechi to have them killed. Organa and Amidala then left the docks quickly in order to confront Deechi before he left the Senate building. When they reached Deechi's office, however, Bail and Padmé found the Umbaran in his chair with a knife through his chest.[46]
Due to the run-in at the docks and a second murder, Divo had the Senate Building put under lockdown and ordered Organa, Amidala, Mothma, and Purs to remain in Amidala's office under his protection for the duration of his investigation. Purs, however, protested and left the room. Divo asked Organa and Amidala who else knew that they were going to the docks, and Padmé informed him that Burtoni had been present at their meeting with Deechi. Divo went to locate the Kaminoan, but his police droids found her office empty and could not find her. Upon his return to Amidala's office, Divo questioned Mothma, while Organa told Padmé that she had been handling herself well for such a difficult time. While they reminisced about Farr, Purs came screaming back into the office and told Divo that Burtoni had attacked her. Divo sent his guards to have the Kaminoan arrested.[46]
Organa joins Amidala in the Senate halls after the failure of Senator Farr's bill.
Organa and his allies were brought to Chancellor Palpatine's office the following morning, where Divo was questioning Burtoni. Burtoni denied being involved in the deaths of Farr and Deechi or attacking Purs. Divo ran his theory that Burtoni had met with Farr at the docks the night before his murder and slipped poison into the wine when she had barged into Amidala's office the next day. She again denied his accusations, but Divo pointed out that the poison was Kaminoan in origin and designed to harm only Rodians. Divo ordered his droids to take Burtoni into custody, but Padmé realized that Purs would have been killed too if the poison was in all their drinks unless she had not drunk the wine during Organa's toast. When Amidala turned to Purs, the representative pulled a blaster on Padmé and took her hostage.[46]
Amidala begged Purs to explain why she killed Farr, and she told her that Farr had been too weak to lead Rodia after his mistakes earlier in the war. She inadvertently revealed that she had been the person who met with him at the docks the day before killing him and had later stabbed Deechi to death when she learned his agents discovered their meeting. Purs' attempt to leave was foiled by Divo's guards, who cornered her while Padmé knocked her unconscious with a punch to the head. While Purs was put in CSF custody, Amidala embraced Mothma and Organa. Later, the Senate returned to its normal business and held the postponed vote on the late Farr's reduced military spending bill. Despite their efforts, Organa and his faction could not gain enough support to have it passed. The bill died in the Senate, and the Republic continued with the planned military funding[46] outlined by Burtoni's motion.[29] After the vote, Bail and Padmé walked through the Senate halls, where they met with Chancellor Palpatine. Amidala bemoaned the fact that, despite everything, they had still lost, and Palpatine stated that, while he, too, was disappointed with the outcome, democracy had to be respected. He went on to ask how legislators could strengthen the Senate without also strengthening the front lines. Before leaving with Amidala and Organa watching, Palpatine added that with more troops, the war could be over sooner.[46]
Diplomatic talks on Mandalore[]
- "Say it aloud before this gathering, as representative for Chancellor Palpatine, that you declare, without reservation, the Separatist state legitimate."
- ―Confederate senator Voe Atell, to Organa, Amidala, and Mothma
Organa, Amidala, and Mothma attend the Confederate-Republic peace conference on Mandalore.
Despite the failure of earlier peace initiatives,[29] the Republic and Confederacy again entered negotiations[54] in 20 BBY.[55] A diplomatic conference was sanctioned by the two governments, with the neutral Mandalore hosting the precarious meetings. Organa, alongside Mothma and Amidala, was chosen to represent the Republic as part of the government's delegation to the conference, where the Confederacy was to be represented by Bec Lawise,[54] the Speaker of the Separatist Senate,[27] and senators Voe Atell and Amita Fonti. The meetings were moderated by Duchess Satine Kryze in her throne room in the capital city of Sundari.[54] Although Duchess Satine had strict rules regarding weaponry in Sundari,[56] the Republic and Confederate delegations were allowed a small contingent of security forces, with Organa and his fellow Republic diplomats protected by members of the Senate Guard, as well as Padawan Tano. The Confederate representatives, meanwhile, were escorted by several BX-series droid commandos.[54]
Tensions ran high during the conference, and Organa, Amidala, and Mothma encountered a major issue; though they supported the peace talks, they were wary of deeming the Separatist state as legitimate while representing the whole of the Republic. Because of this, the Confederate delegates demanded that they do so, believing that the Republic was not intent on following through on peace if they did not respect the Confederacy's sovereignty. In one meeting, Senator Atell called on them to explain the Republic's stance, but before she could answer, Lux Bonteri, son of the late Mina, entered Kryze's throne room.[54]
Bonteri approached Kryze's throne, and the duchess allowed the young man to speak. Once he had taken up the podium, however, he accused Count Dooku of murdering his mother, which Senator Lawise quickly refuted. As Organa and the Republic representatives sat bewildered, Lawise ordered his droids to take Bonteri away despite Kryze's protests. Amidala sent Ahsoka to free Bonteri, but while doing so a firefight broke out between the Republic and Separatist forces stationed outside Sundari, and the peace conference quickly broke down.[54]
Organa attends the mock funeral of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Jedi Temple.
Not long after, Obi-Wan Kenobi purportedly perished at the hands of bounty hunter Rako Hardeen. A funeral for the fallen Jedi Master was hosted in the Jedi Temple, and Organa was among the mourners. During the procession, he stood with Mothma, Chancellor Palpatine, and the Jedi Barriss Offee and Saesee Tiin. Unbeknownst to Bail and those outside the Jedi High Council, however, was that Kenobi was, in fact, still alive and masquerading as Hardeen in hopes of sabotaging a plot by Count Dooku and a number of bounty hunters to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine at the 847th Festival of Light on Naboo.[57] Bail was later in attendance at the Festival of Light, joining Amidala and Naboo's local leaders in celebrating the planet's longtime relationship with the Republic. He, Amidala, Queen Neeyutnee, and Governor Sio Bibble met Chancellor Palpatine and Vice Chair Amedda when they arrived in Naboo's capital, Theed, for the event.[58]
During the Festival of Light, which was placed under heavy security by the Jedi Master Windu, Skywalker, and Tano, Organa joined Amidala, Palpatine, and Naboo's leaders on a secure platform at the Theed Royal Palace, where the Chancellor delivered his keynote address. After his speech, however, Dooku's bounty hunters struck, breaking through the Jedi's security. Tano led Organa and the other politicians back into the palace, but Palpatine was knocked unconscious and taken away. Kenobi, having infiltrated the group of bounty hunters, helped Republic forces rescue the Chancellor and take the hunters into custody. The next day, Organa, Amidala, Neeyutnee, and Bibble thanked the Jedi for their efforts to keep Palpatine safe.[58]
Death of the Republic[]
Trial of Ahsoka Tano[]
Senator Organa attended the funeral services for the Jedi victims of a terrorist bombing.
In 19 BBY,[2] the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was the target of a terrorist attack. A hangar was bombed, resulting in the deaths of six Jedi,[59] eight clone troopers, and twelve Temple crew workers, leaving dozens more wounded.[60] After an internal investigation by the Order led to the arrest of activist Letta Turmond, a funeral was held for the six Jedi killed in the bombing. Organa and Mothma joined Chancellor Palpatine and Vice Chair Amedda in attending the funeral, and they stood among members of the Jedi Order and several military officers as Master Yoda gave a solemn eulogy. After the service, Bail and Mon walked down the halls of the Temple together.[59]
In a shocking turn of events, Ahsoka Tano, who had been part of the Jedi's investigation of the bombing, was accused of masterminding the attack after Letta Turmond died in prison during a meeting with the Padawan.[59] Tano went on the run but was soon captured and taken into military custody. At the request of Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, the Jedi Council reluctantly excommunicated her from the Order so that a military tribunal could take charge of judicial proceedings at the Republic Center for Military Operations. Organa was one of many senators presiding over her trial as jurors, including Mothma, Riyo Chuchi, Kin Robb, and Mot-Not Rab. While Tarkin led the prosecution of the former Jedi, Amidala stepped in to lead Tano's defense.[61]
After hearing arguments from both Tarkin and Amidala, as well as cross-examination of Tano from the admiral, Organa and the jury reached a decision. Before the verdict was read, however, Anakin Skywalker burst into the chamber to announce that he had found the true culprit, Padawan Barriss Offee, who confessed to orchestrating the attack on the Temple in protest to the Jedi's involvement in the war despite their peaceful beliefs. Before being taken away, Offee warned those present that the Republic was failing and it would only be a matter of time before its downfall. With Offee's confession, Tano was cleared of charges and was released from custody. Furthermore, she was pardoned and apologized to by the Jedi Council, which offered her a chance to rejoin their ranks, but she refused and left the Jedi Order.[61]
Banks on the brink[]
- "Excuse me if I find it hard to trust you, Clovis. You used to sit on this very Senate even as you funneled credits into the droid foundries of Count Dooku."
"I understand all of your trepidation, but there is corruption in the banks."
"And once we find this corruption?"
"I believed the ones responsible should be ousted from control before the entire banking infrastructure collapses." - ―Bail Organa confronts Rush Clovis
The Republic's financial situation became a topic of discussion once again as concern grew in both the Republic and Confederate governments over the state of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, which was reportedly growing unstable, and its assets came under scrutiny. Senator Amidala was sent to Scipio to resolve matters between the Republic and the Banking Clan, but instead led a covert investigation into the Banking Clan's reserves.[63] She conducted the investigation with former Senator Rush Clovis, who had been removed from the Senate early in the war when it was revealed that he had used his position to funnel credits into Separatist coffers.[62] Their investigation showed that the banks were on the verge of bankruptcy and had little capital in their vaults.[63]
Rush Clovis tells Organa, Chancellor Palpatine, and members of the Jedi Order that he wants to take over the Banking Clan.
Believing that their discovery showed deep corruption in the Banking Clan and could lead to important reform, Amidala and Clovis returned to Coruscant to plead their case to the Senate. They met with Chancellor Palpatine, Senator Organa, and members of the Jedi Order in the Chancellor's office, where Bail laid out his skepticism regarding the Clovis' intentions and reminded Palpatine and the Jedi of the man's treasonous actions. Clovis responded by telling Bail that he understood his trepidation but that his intentions at the moment were only to root out fraud in the banks. Organa asked what would happen once they found the corruption he spoke about, and Clovis explained that he wanted those responsible ousted from control of the Banking Clan before the entire banking infrastructure collapsed.[62]
General Skywalker asked if Clovis wanted to assume that power, but Clovis only responded that he simply wanted to help the banks become what they once were, a fair system of trade and commerce. Chancellor Palpatine asked what Clovis could prove, and he took out an imagecaster that displayed files showing huge funds diverted out of the banks into what he believed were private accounts. Organa asked what the veracity of his information was, and Amidala stepped forward and confided that she had personally downloaded the information from Banking Clan Main Vault's secure mainframe. She added that she supported Clovis' claims, leading Palpatine to ask her to spearhead the official investigation and expose the secret accounts, after which they would decide how to handle the situation. He ended the meeting, and Organa departed his office with him and the Jedi representatives.[62]
Organa votes against Rush Clovis' nomination to lead the Banking Clan.
A couple days later, the Senate convened to hear Clovis address the body on his and Amidala's findings. His appearance was met with loud disapproval, but Vice Chair Amedda granted him the floor to speak. He announced that he had found irrefutable evidence that the heads of the Banking Clan had been stealing funds and virtually bankrupted the system. He asked that the Senate nominate him to take over the Banking Clan, vowing to be impartial and show no favor to either the Republic or Confederacy in the banks' transactions. Though many senators still disapproved, including Organa, Amidala revealed that the Confederate parliament had already accepted his nomination, and Banking Clan liaison Mak Plain came forward to add that he had the full support of the Muun people.[62]
Lott Dod demanded to know the Chancellor's position, and Palpatine expressed his opinion that Clovis was the best contender to keep the banks safe and lead the Banking Clan due to his impartiality. Vice Chair Amedda declared that voting on Clovis' nomination would begin, and Organa, still unconvinced, immediately voted against the motion. A resounding majority of the Senate voted for Clovis to become the head of the banks, however, and he received the official endorsement of the Republic. Bail would shortly be proven right in his distrust,[62] as Clovis had made a secret deal with Count Dooku to win the nomination and was blackmailed into raising interest rates on the Republic. Using Clovis as a pawn, Dooku had a Confederate fleet invade Scipio, and the Republic responded in kind. The Republic won the battle, during which Clovis committed suicide, and the Banking Clan was ceded to the Republic and incorporated into the Office of the Supreme Chancellor.[64]
Not long after the nationalization of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Organa and Amidala were preparing to take a diplomatic mission to Bardotta in response to the planet's queen, Julia's, request for assistance following the disappearance of several Dagoyan Masters. However, the queen requested that an old friend of hers, Representative Binks, be sent in their place.[65]
Delegation of 2,000[]
- "Thank you all for attending. I know we can count on signatures, but I've invited this group to discuss the exact wording of the petition."
"In broad strokes, our demands are that Chancellor Palpatine relinquish the emergency war powers granted to him, abolish the Sector Governance Decree, and begin cease-fire talks with Count Dooku's Separatists." - ―Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, at the first of the Cantham House talks
The nationalization of the InterGalactic Banking Clan on Scipio[64] was only part of the growing power Chancellor Palpatine had accumulated during the Clone Wars. Against the wills of Organa and his allies, the Emergency Powers Act had been expanded several times, providing Palpatine control over the Holonet and increased intelligence collection on private citizens. Additionally, the Senate enabled four amendments to the Galactic Constitution, including the expansive Reflex Amendment, granting the Office of the Supreme Chancellor near-total control over military matters. With these laws, Palpatine could almost entirely bypass the Senate, making him the most powerful Supreme Chancellor since before the Ruusan Reformations.[34]
By the third year of the Clone Wars, Organa's faction had gained numerous new allies for their pro-democracy faction. Many of these senators took issue with Chancellor Palpatine's unprecedented consolidation of power and the erosion of their responsibilities in the Senate. The final straw for Organa and his allies was the passage of the Sector Governance Decree,[34] an amendment to the Constitution that gave Palpatine the power to install a system of sectorial governorship and gave those governors control over the sectors they were assigned. Importantly, the governors could redirect production facilities in their jurisdiction to focus on the war effort.[66] Using the controversial Sector Governance Decree as evidence of the Chancellor's grave abuse of power, Organa, Amidala, and Mothma quietly approached[34] a network of like-minded senators and organized the Delegation of 2,000.[67]
Organa and his close allies additionally reached out to members of the Loyalist Committee and invited them to the Cantham House talks,[18] named after Organa's private residence,[14] to discuss the Petition of 2,000, a proposed document calling on Chancellor Palpatine to relinquish his accumulated war powers, abolish the Sector Governance Decree, and open immediate cease-fire talks with Count Dooku and the Confederacy.[18] Among the senators who joined the Delegation of 2,000 were Fang Zar, Chi Eekway Papanoida, Meena Tills, Tanner Cadaman, Sweitt Concorkill, Ivor Drake, Giddean Danu, Tundra Dowmeia, Nee Alavar, Malé-Dee, Bana Breemu,[25] and Terr Taneel.[18]
At the Cantham House talks, Organa, Mothma, and Amidala formed the Delegation of 2,000 and discussed resistance to Chancellor Palpatine.
The first meeting of the Cantham House talks took place one month before the end of the Clone Wars. During it, Bail, Mon, and Padmé introduced the broad strokes of their petition to the Delegation of 2,000.[18] They planned to present the Petition of 2,000 once it had reached two thousand signatures,[34] but they were less concerned with gathering signatures than with the wording of the document. Senator Taneel resisted their demand that Palpatine initiate diplomatic talks with the Separatists, claiming that doing so would be a step too far and would be perceived as obstructing an unavoidable victory. Amidala countered that Palpatine would only have more opportunities to amend the Constitution the longer the war continued.[18]
At the same time, the Republic was engaged in the Outer Rim Sieges,[8] in which General Grievous launched several major offensives, prompting the Republic military to be spread across the outer systems.[68] Though a Republic victory seemed guaranteed, Grievous and Dooku used the military's under-prepared defenses in the Core-ward regions to their advantage and led a Confederate fleet to the Coruscant, where they engaged the Coruscant Home Defense Fleet in battle.[39] During the conflict, Grievous personally kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, hoping to use his capture as leverage against the Republic. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker arrived at Coruscant with reinforcements, and, in the ensuing rescue of Palpatine onboard the Invisible Hand, Dooku was killed by Anakin. Grievous' daring bid ended in defeat, and he pulled his fleet from Coruscant and escaped capture. In the aftermath of the battle, Organa and a group of senators, accompanied by Master Windu, gathered outside the Senate building to welcome the Chancellor back.[8]
After the Battle of Coruscant, Bail speaks with Anakin Skywalker about the future of the war.
As the assemblage walked into the building, Organa spoke with Skywalker, praising him for his efforts in the Chancellor's rescue. He expressed his hope that Dooku's death would bring about a quicker end to the war, but Skywalker pointed out that as long as Grievous remained alive, the fighting would continue. Bail assured Skywalker that he would do what he could in the Senate to help facilitate Grievous' capture. At that moment, Anakin asked if he could be excused, and Organa parted ways with the young man. In the days after the Battle of Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine appointed Skywalker to be his representative on the Jedi Council, directly interfering with the Order's internal affairs.[8]
As the Republic military focused on destroying Grievous, who was tracked down to the planet Utapau,[8] their forces mount several key victories against the Confederacy on besieged worlds.[69] Though the end of the war was near, members of the Delegation of 2,000, including Amidala, still presented their petition to Chancellor Palpatine, but ensured that they approached the conversation carefully to not raise concerns of treason. Despite the introduction of their formal proposal,[25] Organa, Mothma, Amidala, and select senators continued to meet at Cantham House, secretly planning resistance to Palpatine as they grew worried that he would refuse to surrender his wartime powers.[3] Together, they began discussing the future structure of a rebellion against the Chancellor's authoritarian rule.[67]
Rise of the Galactic Empire[]
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: "How many other Jedi managed to survive?"
- Yoda: "Heard from no one have we."
- Bail Organa: "I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi Temple. That's why I went looking for Yoda."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: "Have we had any contact from the temple?"
- Yoda: "Received a coded retreat message we have."
- Bail Organa: "It requests all Jedi to return to the temple. It says the war is over."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Bail Organa discuss the Jedi Purge[8]
While investigating the burning of the Jedi Temple, Bail became an inadvertent witness to Order 66.
Shortly after the death of General Grievous at the hands of General Kenobi during the Battle of Utapau, the Jedi Council, amid its own deliberations on how to remove Palpatine from power, confirmed its suspicions that the Chancellor was Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith, the ancient enemies of the Jedi. Master Windu attempted to arrest Sidious, but he and the three Jedi with him, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar, were killed by the Sith Lord with aid from Anakin Skywalker,[8] who had long been groomed by Palpatine to turn to the Dark Side of the Force.[70] Realizing that the time had come for him to make his moves against the Jedi and the Senate, Sidious initiated Order 66, declaring all Jedi traitors to the Republic and ordering the Grand Army to execute them at once. He then sent Skywalker, whom he christened Darth Vader, to massacre the Jedi stationed at the Jedi Temple.[8]
In the midst of Vader and the 501st Legion's siege of the Temple, Organa heard reports that the Jedi had tried to take over the Jedi Temple.[10] With this knowledge, he quickly traveled to the burning structure to investigate the matter. Bail landed his speeder outside the Temple and approached a group of clone soldiers. He demanded to know what was happening, and the clone Appo informed Organa that there had been a "rebellion." Though Appo told Bail that the situation was under control, the clone abruptly aimed his blaster at him and ordered him to leave the premises. Organa accepted his demand and began to walk away, but as he approached his speeder, Padawan Zett Jukassa ran onto the landing pad and began cutting down the clones. Bail ran and crouched behind his speeder and watched as the clones gunned Jukassa down. Horrified, he jumped into his vehicle and took off. Despite having become a witness to Order 66, Fox ordered the clones to let Organa go.[8]
Organa and Kenobi discuss the massacre of the Jedi with Yoda.
Bail returned to the Senate office building, where he, Retrac, and Vestswe, boarded the Tantive III. As the ship departed Coruscant, Bail told its captain, Raymus Antilles, that he planned to intercept what Jedi he could before they walked into the catastrophe at the Temple. He first set out to locate Master Yoda, who had been sent to Kashyyyk to aid the Wookiees in battle against the Separatists. The Grand Master had survived the massacre and fled Kashyyyk in an escape pod, and the Tantive III rendezvoused with him. Together, Bail and Yoda pieced together that the slaughter of the Jedi had happened across the galaxy, and the Tantive soon received an emergency contact from Kenobi, who also had survived Order 66 on Utapau. He told Bail that his troops had turned on him, and Organa told him what he and Yoda had unearthed. After their ended the transmission, Organa sent Kenobi the Tantive III's coordinates.[8]
While they awaited Obi-Wan's arrival, Bail and Yoda sought to contact any other survivors, but the only message they received was a coded retreat memorandum claiming that the war was over and urging all Jedi to return to the Temple. When Kenobi arrived aboard the deceased Grievous' starfighter, he joined Organa and Yoda, who updated him on what they had learned. Upon hearing about the coded retreat message, Obi-Wan asserted that they had to go to Coruscant to disable it, reasoning that doing so would ensure that any Jedi stragglers did not fall into the trap. Yoda agreed, and Organa ordered the Tantive III to return to Coruscant.[8]
Organa and Amidala witnessed the fall of the thousand-year Republic together as it was replaced by the first Galactic Empire.
As the Tantive approached Coruscant's atmosphere, Jeremoch Colton,[71] one of the ship's pilots, told Organa that they were receiving a message from the Chancellor's office. Organa had him send it through, and a screen displayed Vice Chair Amedda, who told Bail that Chancellor Palpatine was requesting his presence at a special session of Congress. Bail told Amedda that he would be there, and the Vice Chair asserted that Palpatine would expect him. After the Chagrian ended the transmission, Organa turned to Kenobi and Yoda and suggested that it could be a trap, but Kenobi disagreed, saying that Palpatine would not be able to control the thousands of star systems in the Republic if he dismantled the Senate. Yoda added that if there was a special session of Congress, he and Kenobi would have an easier time infiltrating the Jedi Temple. While the Jedi journeyed on their mission to the Temple, the Tantive III landed at the Senate building.[8]
When Organa arrived at the Senate chamber, the special session had already begun, and he sat down in Amidala's pod. Bail asked Padmé what had happened thus far, and she told him that Palpatine had been elaborating on a plot made by the Jedi to overthrow the Senate. They watched in horror as the Chancellor, disfigured from his duel with Windu, announced that the remaining Jedi would be hunted down and executed, to applause from around the chamber. Palpatine continued and announced that, in order to ensure the supposed security and stability of the galaxy, he would be reorganizing the Republic into the first Galactic Empire, with him as the Galactic Emperor. Shaken, Organa and Amidala looked at one another as the Senate erupted in acclamation. Padmé then sadly remarked that liberty had died to thunderous applause.[8]
The twins[]
- "We should take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence."
"Hmm. Split up they should be."
"My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Bail Organa deliberate the futures of Luke and Leia
Following the special session and the Jedi's mission, Yoda and Kenobi decided that they had to stop the Sith before it was too late. Kenobi reluctantly set out to the volcanic planet Mustafar to kill his former apprentice, while Yoda decided that he had to confront Sidious himself. Bail stood on alert aboard his speeder for the Grand Master, whose confrontation with Sidious had escalated to the point in which the Sith Lord dismantled the Senate chamber. Despite his efforts, Yoda failed to defeat Sidious in combat and fled into the building's electrical conduits. Yoda contacted Organa, who asked him to activate his homing signal. Bail drove his speeder to the vast underside of the Senate building and stopped underneath an open hatch, where Yoda was waiting for him. The Grand Master dropped into the seat beside Organa, and they sped away. As they did, Yoda despondently stated that he had failed and had to go into exile.[8]
Organa, Yoda, and Kenobi watch as Amidala is tended to by medical droids.
Organa and Yoda then left Coruscant aboard the Tantive III and headed to the Polis Massa asteroid field,[8] a safe haven[33] where they waited for Kenobi to make contact with them. When Kenobi did, Organa interrupted Yoda's meditation to tell him, then rushed to the starport to meet Obi-Wan. To Bail's surprise, Kenobi arrived in Amidala's starship and departed it carrying the unconscious senator, accompanied by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. Seeing her condition, Organa told Kenobi that they had to get Padmé to the medcenter immediately. When they brought her there, the medical droids tended to her, and one informed Organa and the Jedi that, although Amidala was healthy, she was dying nonetheless. The droid added that they had to operate quickly in order to save her babies, to Bail's confusion, and the droid stated that she was carrying twins.[8]
Bail and Yoda watched as Amidala gave birth, while Kenobi stood by her side and aided. Before long, her twins were born, and she named them Luke and Leia, respectively. Shortly after delivering her children, however, Padmé drew her last breaths and died as Organa looked on. Following her death, Organa and Yoda learned the truth behind Amidala's pregnancy: Padmé had been secretly married to Anakin Skywalker for some time. After learning from security recordings in the Jedi Temple that Skywalker had fallen to the dark side, Kenobi, who suspected they had a relationship, met with Padmé to inquire where Skywalker had gone. She refused to tell him, but he stowed away aboard her ship when she departed for Mustafar to confront her husband, who force choked her. Obi-Wan dueled Vader and left him for dead, then took the unconscious Amidala aboard her ship to meet with Organa and Yoda at Polis Massa.[8]
Organa attended the funeral of his friend and colleague, Padmé Amidala, on Naboo.
After Amidala's death, Organa and the Jedi left Polis Massa with her twins and the droids and traveled to Naboo, docking in Theed. Organa, Kenobi, and Yoda met in private onboard the Tantive to decide what to do with Luke and Leia. Yoda stated that the children had to be hidden, and Kenobi added that they had to take them somewhere their father and Emperor Palpatine could not sense their presence. When Yoda suggested that they had to be separated, Bail spoke up and offered to take Leia with him to Alderaan, knowing that he and Breha had always talked of adopting a girl, telling the Jedi that she would be loved with them. Kenobi asked what they would do with Luke, and Yoda told him to take the boy to the former Anakin's family on Tatooine. The three jointly agreed to disappear from each other's lives until the time was right, and Organa took his leave. Following the meeting, Organa approached Captain Antilles and informed him that he was leaving R2-D2 and C-3PO in his care and ordered him to have the protocol droid's mind wiped.[8]
On Naboo, Organa met with Mon Mothma, and together they attended Amidala's funeral in Theed[72] alongside thousands of other mourners.[9] As he emotionally watched his old friend's casket move past him in the procession, Organa briefly noticed a hooded figure in the crowd across the aisle. By the time Bail realized that he was looking at Ahsoka Tano, however, she had already disappeared. Not wanting to lose her, Organa left the funeral and found her walking the outer halls of the Theed palace. He called out to her and told her that she should not have come to Naboo, then added that there was nothing she could have done for either Padmé or Anakin. Bail asked why Ahsoka risked appearing at the funeral, but she only replied that Amidala had been her friend. While the two stood silently and thought of Padmé, Organa heard the comm chatter of a patrol nearby and told Ahsoka that they had to leave.[72]
Bail introduces Breha to the late Amidala's daughter, Leia.
Organa asked Tano where her ship was, and she responded that it was at the river. Bail led her through the palace to an overlook above the river. Once they arrived, Organa took out a comlink and handed it to her, telling her that she could contact him with it if she needed anything. She declined it, however, stating that she was tired of fighting. Just then, the clone patrol entered the overlook, and Ahsoka immediately hid on the rooftop while the two clones asked Organa for identification. They informed Bail that he was in a restricted area, and he apologized, citing the recent events for his confusion. He began covertly addressing Ahsoka while speaking to the clones, telling her that she had a duty and an obligation to uphold. When the clones told him they had to escort him back to the funeral procession, Bail replied that they could always contact him, again emphasizing to Ahsoka that he was willing to help her before returning to the funeral.[72]
After the funeral, Bail contacted Amidala's former handmaiden, Sabé, and spoke with her.[9] He later left Naboo on the Tantive III alongside Master Yoda, who he secretly dropped off in the Sluis sector, where the Grand Master would take exile on the remote planet of Dagobah.[71] After parting ways with Yoda, Organa planned his voyage to Alderaan.[8] Before returning home, Bail sent Breha a handwritten letter informing her of Amidala's passing and the imminent arrival of something that would "change [their] lives forever in a profound way," referring to Leia.[73] Upon his return to the royal palace on Alderaan, Bail introduced his wife to their new daughter.[8] Four days later, Leia's adoption was publicly announced to the citizens of Alderaan as part of the Name Day ceremony, in which she was welcomed as the new heir.[14]
Under Imperial rule[]
A rebellion in infancy[]
- "Everything I'm trying to build is too new and too fragile. We're not as secure as I'd like us to be, and things slip through the cracks as a result."
- ―Bail Organa on his resistance movement
One day after the proclamation of the Galactic Empire, Organa and Mothma were amongst sixty-three senators, many of whom were signatories of the Petition of 2,000, detained by Imperial Intelligence on charges of conspiracy and treason. While some senators refused to profess loyalty to the Empire and were promptly arrested and accused of being party to the "Jedi rebellion," Organa and Mothma professed their loyalty to the Imperial authorities and were released.[18] The two decided to retain their seats in the Senate and agreed that it was important to demonstrate principled dissension from the Empire and use their positions to mitigate Imperial domination wherever they could. Because of his faithful and visible service to the Republic, Organa easily established himself as a supporter of the Empire. While they maintained outward appearances of loyalty, however, Bail and Mon soon began preparing for resistance to Emperor Palpatine's rule.[12]
With loyal Alderaanians like Raymus Antilles at his side, Organa began preparing resistance to the Empire.
Within the first year of the Empire, Organa created one of the earliest rebel groups, a movement based on Alderaan and funded by the wealth[12] afforded to Breha as the planet's monarch.[75] Using the forces at his disposal, Organa and closest allies, including his wife and Captain Antilles, organized efforts to aid people suffering under the new Imperial government. Thanks to Alderaan's reputation for relief efforts, Organa's movement could deliver aid to planets where Imperial forces would otherwise turn help away. Though his early work focused on such relief,[12] Bail secretly kept watch for reports and rumors of insurgent activity across the galaxy. Because of the instability of his situation, Organa could only trust a select few, such as Antilles, to include in this monitoring. Together, they embarked on a process of steadily and quietly ensuring that the crews of their ships, such as the Tantive IV, were loyal to their cause, either by slowly having members replaced or by cautiously recruiting them.[74]
To help Organa keep track of both Imperial and rebellious activity, his organization created an intelligence apparatus that would intercept Imperial transmissions,[74] searching for telltale signs of independently successful resistance groups that could indicate a potential ally or surviving Jedi. After careful vetting,[12] Organa would reach out to competent rebel groups and speak with them about joining his cause.[74] In return, he would use his resources to outfit them with firepower and other hard-to-obtain assets to bear when necessary. Using this procedure, Bail slowly began expanding his network of contacts,[12] but the insecurity of his movement made it difficult to run proper channels of communication and the intelligence unit as a whole. His group inconveniently relied on verbal communication and memory rather than technology, as they had no way of storing their decrypted Imperial files and would routinely scrub drives clean instead.[74]
Debate over clone rights[]
- "The issue of clone rights is part of a much bigger picture. These insurgencies that have arisen. Their numbers are growing, and the Emperor is afraid. If systems begin to revolt as they did with the Republic, that will threaten his new Empire. It's rather convenient, wouldn't you say? How a catastrophic storm destroyed the cloning facilities on Kamino, making way for the Empire's new military."
- ―Bail Organa, to Riyo Chuchi
Concerned with the issue of clone rights after the end of the Clone Wars, Organa argues against the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill.
Early in the Empire's reign, the future of the clone armies created under the Emergency Powers Act came into question following the sudden destruction of the Kaminoan cities. Despite official reports blaming a "cataclysmic storm," Organa believed that something more sinister was at play. Furthering the debate over the foundations of the Imperial army was a string of insurgencies that were taking place across the Mid and Outer Rims. As advocated by Imperial Navy Admiral Edmon Rampart, the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill, which would officially phase out the clone armies and replace them with a new military of conscripted soldiers, was introduced to the Senate. As with military expansion projects from the Clone Wars,[32] the motion was supported by[76] Bail's former adversaries,[32] such as the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and opposed by Organa and his remaining allies. Because of continuing uncertainty surrounding the clone troopers, the bill was repeatedly introduced, debated, and tabled with no consensus.[76]
During one debate over the bill, Bail stated that a shift to a recruited body of troops contradicted what the Senate stood for, though this was met with opposition from the other side. With no new ground on negotiations, Organa called on Mas Amedda,[76] now the Empire's Grand Vizier,[77] to explain what stance Palpatine, who had been absent from most Senate proceedings, had on the bill. When Amedda deflected with a non-answer, Senator Riyo Chuchi came forward and demanded to know why the clone armies had no input in the legislation. She rhetorically asked how the Senate could defend a bill to commission a new army without a plan to care for their standing one. At this comment, Rampart joined the proceedings and defended the bill, saying that he would be willing to provide provisions that would be put in place for the soldiers as their service ended, prompting an exchange between the two over clone representation. Reaching an impasse once again, Organa and Pamlo requested that Amedda table the vote until the provisions were clearly defined, which the Grand Vizier reluctantly did.[76]
Organa covertly meets with Riyo Chuchi to discuss their suspicions that the Empire had played a role in the devastation on Kamino.
The following day, Organa sent a secure and anonymous communication to Senator Chuchi, and she traveled to the streets underneath the Senate Building, where Bail's droid, R2-C4, led her to him. Organa instructed his droid to stand guard while he spoke with Chuchi. Once he had left, Organa brought up the heated debate Chuchi had with Rampart, calling it a "stir." Chuchi, however, remarked on how it was now considered a "stir" when someone spoke up for what was right. Bail inquired about Chuchi's meeting with Rampart, to which she informed him that Rampart had conceded to many of her provisions. Organa warned her that Rampart was skilled at saying the right things to keep people from digging deeper. He told Chuchi that the issue of clone rights was part of a larger picture in which Palpatine, afraid of the recent insurgencies, had facilitated the destruction of Kamino's clone laboratories to create a scenario where a new army would be commissioned for the Empire. Chuchi informed Bail that she had made contact with a clone who claimed to have been aboard Rampart's Venator when the admiral ordered the destruction of Kamino's cities. Intrigued by Chuchi's intel, Organa asked about the clone's whereabouts, and the Pantoran replied that he was in hiding, with her guards on the search for him. Before Chuchi left, Bail warned her to be wary since Rampart would also be searching for the clone to silence him.[76]
Just as Organa predicted, Rampart had ordered an assassin to target the whistleblower, Slip, and had permitted him to target Chuchi as well. With help from the former Clone Captain Rex, Chuchi escaped the assassin[76] and found new associates to help her, the mercenary clones of the Bad Batch. The following day, Organa contacted Chuchi and asked to meet with her to discuss her progress. Accompanied by one of the members of the Bad Batch, a young female clone named Omega, Chuchi told Bail about the attempt made on her life and that the Bad Batch was going to covertly procure the flight log from Rampart's vessel as hard evidence of his participation in the destruction on Kamino. Bail asked if Chuchi was confident in her plans, and Omega chimed in and assured the senator that she was. Hoping to provide her with more aid, Organa advised that Chuchi speak with the disgraced former senator Halle Burtoni, who had been a member of the Defense Finance Committee, and would have knowledge of any financial appropriations Rampart had made before the disaster on Kamino, though he admitted that her cooperation might not be forthcoming. Regardless, Chuchi agreed to meet with Burtoni. As he left, Bail reminded the Pantoran to follow the money, as it always left a trail.[78]
While waiting to be delivered the command log from Rampart's ship, Senator Organa watches Chuchi accuse the admiral of misappropriating funds meant for Kamino.
After speaking with Burtoni, Chuchi learned that Rampart had redirected funding earmarked for the Kaminoan cloning facilities to outside projects months before their destruction. Though lacking the hard evidence from the Bad Batch, Chuchi brought Burtoni to the Senate floor during the next debate on the Defense Recruitment Bill. When the session began, Rampart urged the Senate not to postpone the vote on the bill further, but Chuchi, accompanied by Burtoni, floated her pod onto the floor and told Rampart that the Senate could not trust him and announced that Burtoni was willing to testify that he had mishandled Senate-approved funding. Hoping to derail Chuchi's efforts, Rampart dismissed Burtoni as a disgraced senator, but the Pantoran maintained her case and suggested that a formal investigation could verify her claims. As Rampart tried to defend himself, Chuchi publicly asserted that the Empire had intentionally destroyed the cloning facilities. Rampart denied the allegation, and calls rang out for Chuchi's censure. Before any action was taken, however, Omega arrived at Organa's pod and handed him the command log from Rampart's Venator. Organa shouted to the Senate that new evidence had come to light that needed consideration.[78]
Bail floated his pod to Chuchi's, where he handed the log over. Chuchi then displayed holographic footage of Rampart's participation in the destruction of Tipoca City. When the Senate broke into chaos with the revelation, an alarm sounded as the Emperor's podium rose from his office below the Senate floor, with Emperor Palpatine himself joining Amedda. As this occurred, Organa and Chuchi exchanged looks. The Grand Vizier told the Senate that Rampart's attack was "unprovoked" and ordered the Coruscant Guard to arrest him, then gaveled his staff and called for order. Just then, Palpatine rose from his seat and announced that Rampart would face full consequences but added that the fact that the clones under his command had followed orders to destroy Tipoca City proved that the standing armies needed replacement. As Organa looked on, Palpatine officially endorsed the Defense Recruitment Bill, which he said would herald a new era of the Imperial stormtrooper, signaling the end of Organa and Chuchi's crusade to defeat the legislation.[78]
Raada Uprising[]
- "I keep an eye out for acts of kindness in this new galaxy of ours. When there's a concentration of them, I try to find out who is behind them, and then we have a talk."
"What do you talk about?"
"The Rebellion, Padawan Tano. I look for people who will fight against the Emperor, the Empire, and everything it stands for." - ―Bail Organa and Ahsoka Tano
After returning to Alderaan for a senatorial recess[74] in 18 BBY,[79] Organa prepared to read some of his organization's intercepted Imperial reports in his office. Leia, now a toddler, was with him, but he had recently had an aquarium installed in his office to keep her distracted by the fish. After decrypting the files, Organa read that the Empire had taken action against a local uprising on the small moon Raada. He froze when he read in the report that Jedi activity had been confirmed, and he began to wonder who it could have been. Organa considered sending a message to the fugitive Kenobi, but he quickly decided against it and, remembering his need to keep things quiet for Leia's sake, deleted the report and scrubbed his drive clean. Bail then decided that he would retrieve R2-D2 from Captain Antilles and use the droid in his operations. After sending Antilles a request for the droid, Organa crossed the room to Leia to spend time with her outside.[74]
Organa learned of an uprising on Raada, which former Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano was a part of.
Despite the promise of the Raada report, Organa received no new updates on the situation by the time he had to return to Coruscant for the Senate to reconvene. Over time, numerous reports reached Bail that piqued his interest, including the collapse of an Imperial contract, a planet in need of supplies that received mysterious aid, and the thwarting of a Black Sun pirate ship. Though the incidents were separate, Organa believed they were all somehow tied to the Jedi from Raada. Bail employed several tracking methods, but none panned out, and he left R2-D2 to work at the Alderaanian historical database under Breha until he could find the droid a more practical job. Still hoping to learn more about the potential Jedi, Organa contacted an old friend, the pilot Chardri Tage, who agreed to trace the supply lines with his copilot, Tamsin.[74]
Fearing that his offices on Coruscant could be compromised and secretly wary of speaking about the topic, Organa declined to tell Tage and Tamsin that they were searching for a Jedi. He also knew that he could not meet with the two on Coruscant or Alderaan and told them to contact him when they found their target, after which they would rendezvous with him and Captain Antilles. After confirming their mission, Bail, who was late for a vote, dismissed the two and led them out of his office. Armed with Organa's orders, Tage and Tamsin, along with R2, set out to locate the source of the supply lines. When they found the Jedi, however, they were unprepared. When Organa, aboard the Tantive IV, received a report from Tage on his mission, he learned that the Jedi had knocked the two pilots unconscious, shorted out R2, disabled their ship's tractor beam, and scrubbed their security footage with little effort.[74]
While reading Tage's report, Organa saw that there was one clip of security images that the Jedi was unable to wipe clean. From the short video, Organa discerned a pair of montrals and immediately recognized their markings as those of Ahsoka Tano. He swallowed a shout of triumph, then realized that R2 would have recognized Tano, who would have in turn recognized the droid. Bail cursed R2, who he deduced had covered for Tano by lying about his status in Tage's report. He sent Chadri meeting coordinates, believing that Tano wanted to meet with him and was still in contact with R2. Tage replied only with a confirmation code, and Organa went to the Tantive's bridge to give Antilles new orders. Antilles complied, and the Tantive soon made the short hyperspace trip to rendezvous with Tage's ship. After several hours of waiting, Organa allowed Tage and Tamsin to return R2 and depart.[74]
After Organa saw R2 reunited with C-3PO, he went to his quarters in the center of the ship. Upon turning the lights on in his temporary office, Organa was met by the sight of Tano sitting at his desk, wearing a pressure suit. Tano greeted him, and Bail asked how she got into his quarters. She explained that R2 had opened the hatch for her as soon as he got on board. Organa joked that he should have the droid deactivated for his independence, and Ahsoka added that he had several bad role models. Bail reminded her that Anakin Skywalker had been her teacher too, but Ahsoka clarified that she was talking about Padmé, to whom R2 had belonged first. At the mention of Amidala, Organa changed the subject and asked where Tano's ship was. She told him that she had hidden it elsewhere in the system, and he informed her that he had not told Tage or Tamsin her identity in case she wanted to avoid contact.[74]
Alongside Raymus Antilles and his trusted droids, Organa was onboard the Tantive IV when Ahsoka Tano infiltrated the ship.
Tano asked Organa how he knew to find her, and he told her that he followed acts of kindness across the galaxy, and when he would find a concentration of them, he would reach out to the source and speak about the "Rebellion." Tano disapproved of his referring to him with the title "Padawan" then added that she did not deserve her trust. Organa did not respond, hoping for her to speak on her own. Ahsoka told him that she had tried helping the people of Raada stand up against the Empire, but the fight turned against her, and she was forced to run. Bail calmly told her that she could fight the Empire alongside him rather than on her own, and when she replied that she was not willing to lead people in battle anymore, he added that he had other positions for her to take in his organization.[74]
After a long pause, Tano told Organa that there were Force-sensitive children across the galaxy who were being hunted down by a mysterious figure and that if he could help her find it, she would join his rebellion. Bail handed her a datapad containing what information his contacts had gathered from Raada and decrypted, including descriptions of a new Imperial agent who carried a double-bladed red lightsaber. As Tano realized that the child hunter she was searching for was this agent on Raada, Organa revealed that they had set a trap on Raada that he thought was for anyone but now believed to be for her. Seeing an image of the agent with a captive civilian, Kaeden Larte, Tano got up to leave, but Bail stopped her and told her that she needed to rest and plan first. He assured her that the Imperial would not hurt the locals on Raada until she showed up.[74]
At that moment, Captain Antilles rushed into the room with several security officers, but Organa told him that everything was under control and that Ahsoka was a friend. He informed the captain that Tano would stay with them for a while and that they needed to retrieve her ship and prepare quarters for her. When Antilles took his leave, Tano asked Organa if he had refrained from revealing her name to the captain for security reasons, which he affirmed he would unless she wanted to. Organa showed Tano to her quarters afterward, then brought her to the cargo hold to see her ship. After Tano rested, she met with Organa and Antilles and told them her plan. Bail offered her from his manifest, but she declined and opted to take her freighter instead. As Tano was preparing to set out, Organa and the crew of the Tantive made their own preparations to return to Coruscant. Before parting ways, he offered to assign Tage and Tamsin to join her, but she again declined his offer.[74]
Fulcrum is born[]
- "I think that you and I are meant to focus on the present."
"What do you mean?"
"In this fight, there will be people like Barriss who are focused on the past. And there will be other people who focus strongly on the future. Neither of them is wrong, exactly, but even if we don't always walk the same path as one another, ours must be the middle road." - ―Bail Organa and Ahsoka Tano
On Raada, Tano crafted new lightsabers, which she showed Organa when she met with him following the evacuation of the moon.
On Raada, Tano started her plan, and she successfully killed the mysterious Imperial agent in combat and freed the locals, who fought back against the Empire's forces. She contacted Organa, who sent several transports, cargo ships, A-wing fighters, and the Tantive IV to destroy the Imperial-controlled crops on Raada and evacuate the populace. Sometime after the evacuation, which Antilles gave a glowing report of, Tano tracked Organa down to meet with him again. She found Organa and the Tantive III delivering crates on a moon nearby Coruscant and stowed away onboard. When Tano entered the antechamber to Bail's quarters, she overheard him speaking to Leia in a separate room via audio. Organa informed a disappointed Leia that they could not talk with visuals, then told her that he would see her and Breha soon before ending the call.[74]
Unsurprised by Tano's break-in, Organa called out to her and welcomed her into his office. She asked if he was showing his vulnerabilities to put her at ease by openly speaking with his daughter, but Organa remarked that it was important for him to keep up an image as a family man. When Tano asked if he worried about his daughter, Organa replied that he was already a lot like her mother, but the allusion to Amidala escaped Ahsoka. They began discussing the Raada evacuation, and Organa informed Tano that he could relocate the refugees to Alderaan, but Ahsoka revealed that the farmers wanted to enlist in his rebellion. Bail considered it for a moment, then told Tano that he could look into how to disperse them in his organization going forward. Remembering that Tano had made new lightsabers from the mysterious Imperial agents', Organa asked her to show them to him. She told him that she had restored the internal kyber crystals from the dark side, which made them bleed red.[74]
As they discussed the nascent rebellion, Tano remarked to Organa that Barriss Offee had been right about the Jedi and the Republic during her trial despite her atrocities and mused that they could have prevented the rise of the Empire had they listened to her. Organa commented that Palpatine had been a skilled manipulator and had successfully kept them chasing shadows, purposely referring to the Emperor as "the Chancellor." Ahsoka told Bail that she kept being drawn into war, and he responded that they had to focus on the present in their fight against the Empire. He told her that their path had to be the middle road, unlike those who focused too much on the past, like Offee, or those who focused too much on the future. Ahsoka agreed but added that she did not want to lead others into battle and instead wanted to focus on solving the issues Bail's movement had in communication.[74]
Ahsoka Tano shows Bail Organa a hologram of the Fulcrum symbol.
Organa admitted that his organization was far less secure than was ideal, and Tano informed him that she wanted to help fix those issues and work with his communications. Bail asked if she wanted to help recruit people, but she clarified that she wanted to operate his intelligence networks and communicate between the various rebel cells he had contact with. Ahsoka decided to start by organizing the network and asked Organa for a ship since she had lost hers on Raada. Organa smiled and told her that he knew just the droid to help her modify one of the ships in his collection, referring to R2-D2, then commented that he was going to be in far deeper debt to her than she was to him. As the Tantive III closed in on Alderaan, Bail asked what she would use as a code name to keep her identity anonymous to other operatives, and she replied that she would go by "Fulcrum" before being welcomed into the rebellion by Organa.[74]
At some point in the Empire's reign,[80] Ahsoka took refuge in a village on a pastoral world. After she rescued one villager using the Force, however, another tipped off the Empire that they had seen a Jedi. A member of the Inquisitorius, a group of Jedi hunters created by the Empire, was sent to investigate, and he destroyed the settlement in search of Tano. She managed to best him in combat and kill him, after which she contacted Organa via the comlink he had given her after Padmé's funeral. Bail arrived at the world in the Tantive IV and landed near the ruined village. He greeted Ahsoka and ushered the three surviving villagers to load their belongings onto the ship. Tano then handed him the comlink, and Organa remarked that he had begun to think she would lost it. He told her that things under the Empire had only gotten worse, then asked if she was ready to get back into the fight, which she affirmed.[72]
The growing conflict[]
A radical family man[]
- "The whole galaxy knows I'm a family man, Ahsoka Tano. The Empire is counting on it. They think it means I'll be more amenable to certain suggestions."
- ―Bail Organa
Although Organa had become involved in the underground resistance to the Empire,[74] he and his wife still used their positions of power on Alderaan and the Imperial Senate to combat the tyrannical government politically.[14] Alderaan became a thorn in the Empire's side, representing all that was good about the time of the Republic.[81] Organa and Mothma used the forum granted to them in the Senate to speak out when they could, but found that their influence was slowly diminishing.[82] Despite this, the upper echelons of the Empire considered Organa a threat,[81] including Emperor Palpatine. At one point[83] in 14 BBY,[84] Palpatine decided to dispatch Darth Vader to Alderaan to personally show Organa the folly of believing Alderaan was sacrosanct and free of the Empire's will, but the Sith Lord refused to do so.[83]
Leia grew assertive and outspoken, traits that Breha said she took on from Bail.
Although Leia always knew she was adopted,[14] and the information was common knowledge,[85] Bail and Breha kept her biological parentage secret from all but themselves. All they told her was that her father had died in the final battles of the Clone Wars and that her mother had been injured and only lived long enough to deliver her. On many occasions in Leia's youth, Bail and his wife recounted the story of how Bail had returned home from a secret mission to surprise Breha with a daughter.[14] In addition, Bail and Breha were protective of her and refused to let her leave Alderaan in fear of her true parentage putting her in danger. As a result, however, members of Breha's family believe she was secluded purely because she was adopted and didn't recognize her as a true member of their lineage.[15] When Leia had bad dreams during the night, her parents never left her to a droid or nurse and instead took care of her themselves.[14] The act was mutual, as when Bail had nightmares of the night the Jedi Temple burned, he would seek out Leia and hold her close.[74]
Though Bail ensured that Leia did not know the true nature of her birth and importance, he privately worried about her future and hoped that she would grow up to exhibit only traits from Padmé and not Anakin.[74] He and Breha made certain to foster their compassionate and egalitarian ideals in their daughter. On one occasion, while around the hearth in the family's private library, Bail explained to Leia how the royal family and the people of Alderaan shared reciprocal love and loyalty for one another. He emphasized that if the royal family ceased to appreciate those around them, they would not only lose that loyalty but deserve it. On another occasion, while Leia sat on his lap, Bail pointed out Appenza Peak and told her about how her mother had to climb the mountain all by herself to become crown princess, which shocked the young girl, who could not even climb into her own bed without the help of a nanny droid.[14]
Despite the protective measures she lived under, Leia was able to grow and find her enjoyment in her surroundings.[15] A week before her ninth Name Day[14] in 10 BBY,[86] Leia hid behind the screens of the palace's banquet hall when her parents were dining alone. Being young, Leia believed that Bail and Breha were discussing her Name Day presents but realized that the two were laughing and flirting, causing her to scurry away to avoid seeing her parents become intimate.[14] After Leia turned nine years old, she irrationally feared that Bail and Breha would put her into an arranged marriage and ran away from home for the first time. She hid in the woods near the royal palace, where she began honing her survival skills. Worried, Bail and Breha sent the palace guards out to find her, but it took them a week to track her down despite how close she was. Bail was upset with her flight from home, but in spite of his prodding, she did not regret her week in the woods.[87]
Inquisitorius intrigue[]
- "This isn't about the boy, and you know it! You've made mistakes. We all did. It's the past. Move on. Be done with it. You couldn't save Anakin, but you can save her."
"And what if I can't?"
"There is no one I trust more with my child than you. Please, old friend. For her. One last fight." - ―Organa pleads with Kenobi to rescue his daughter
Organa and his family wait for the arrival of his sister-in-law's family at the Aldera spaceport.
In 9 BBY,[88] the Organa family was inadvertently drawn into the Inquisitorius's search for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Having learned that Kenobi had fought alongside Organa during the Clone Wars, the ambitious yet reckless Inquisitor, the Third Sister, devised a plan to use that connection to lure the Jedi Master out of hiding by having Leia be kidnapped, hoping to force Bail into contacting Kenobi. At the time, Bail, Breha, and Leia were due to receive a visit from his sister-in-law, Celly, her husband, Kayo, and their son, Niano. While Bail was at the Aldera spaceport on time, Breha and Leia arrived just after Celly's transport landed. Leia had earlier run into the woods to watch the ships in Alderaan's atmosphere and avoid getting ready for the visit.[15]
As his wife and daughter joined him at the spaceport, Bail remarked that they were right on time as always, then asking Leia if she had seen any good ships that day. She responded that she had seen a trade ship and an Aguilan Ranger, and Bail playfully told Leia that the Ranger was probably scouring for pirates. Breha, however, interrupted and asked him not to encourage their daughter. Bail acceded to her request just as his sister-in-law and her family departed their ship. He asserted that his family "get [it] over with" before putting a smile on his face and greeting Kayo, while Breha embraced her sister and Leia spoke with Niano. After the initial greetings, the group boarded a pair of airspeeders and headed for the reception at the royal palace, waving to the citizens of Alderaan along the way.[15]
To his displeasure, Bail had to endure a visit from his Imperialist in-laws.
At the palace reception, Bail and Breha spoke with Celly and Kayo about the state of galactic politics, but, to Bail's displeasure, Kayo had only good words for the Empire. He disregarded the Republic as a "disaster" and complimented the Empire for lining the pockets of the elite. Bail contended there were issues that still needed to be addressed, such as slave labor and taxation of the Outer Rim, but Kayo interjected that he had no interest in talking about slavery and that he had only come to enjoy the royal family's pleasantries. Kayo told Bail to save his bleeding heart for the Senate, and Breha asked her husband if he wanted a drink in a bid to keep him from arguing. As Breha drove the conversation away from politics, Bail stood silently and glanced over at Leia, who was berating Niano for calling her not a "real Organa" due to being adopted.[15]
Bail explains to Leia that although was adopted she is a member of Organa family.
Seeing Leia's treatment of Niano, Bail and his wife brought Leia to her room and asked her to apologize. Breha's attempts to get through to their daughter were unsuccessful, and she left Bail to deal with their daughter while she returned to the reception. Taking a gentler approach, Organa told her how he had not wanted to enter public service when he was her age and spoke about her future as a senator. Leia admitted she did not want to be a senator, to which Bail pointed out that her lack of desire for power would make her one of the best. Unconvinced, Leia made an off-handed remark about not being a "real" Organa. Taken aback, Bail affirmed that she was an "Organa in every way." He told her that there were many ways to lead, she just had to find hers, adding that, once she became a leader, she would be able to boss her cousin around for real. However, in the meantime, she would have to apologize to him, which she reluctantly agreed to do. After pinky-swearing with Leia, Bail took his leave and returned to his wife at his in-laws' reception, which was nearing its end.[15]
Despite agreeing to apologize to Niano, Leia instead ran off into the woods again with her toy droid, LO-LA59. After learning that Leia had disappeared again, Bail pulled his wife aside and told her. Breha pointed out how Bail had reported he had gotten through to her, but he rebuked that she knew what Leia was like, leading Breha to joke that she knew who she was like. They then sent the royal guard out to find their daughter but discovered that Leia had been kidnapped in the woods. The mercenaries, led by Vect Nokru, killed one of the royal guards and fled Alderaan with the princess. Bail and Breha immediately ordered a private search for leads, but their efforts ran dry due to the lack of information on the kidnappers or a ransom note. Fearful of drawing attention to their daughter from the Empire due to her true parentage, Organa and his wife kept the abduction a secret from the public and decided to contact Kenobi out of desperation. They reached out to the Jedi-in-exile and asked for his help to rescue Leia, but the weary and aging Kenobi declined and asked that they find someone else, reasoning that his duty was to protect Luke.[15]
After Kenobi turned down his initial request, Organa confronted the Jedi on Tatooine.
After failing to gain Obi-Wan's aid, Bail's agents learned that Leia and her kidnappers had hidden their signature behind a freight transport and were headed for Daiyu. Unwilling to give up in spite of Kenobi's refusal, Bail discreetly traveled to Tatooine to ask for his help again in person. Bail knew that Kenobi was living in a cave in the Dune Sea and waited for him there. Though he had a new lead, Organa had to contend with Kenobi's doubts once more, as the Jedi again argued that he was not up to the task and could not leave Luke behind. Emphasizing that only Kenobi knew of Leia's importance, Organa asserted that, while Kenobi had made mistakes and had lacked the strength to save Anakin, he could still find the strength to save Leia. Kenobi was still doubtful of his ability to do so, but Bail pleaded with him to take up one last fight for Leia's sake.[15]
Bail Organa's hologram sent to Obi-Wan Kenobi was intercepted by Reva Sevander, the former Third Sister.
Organa's plea convinced Obi-Wan to go after Leia and her kidnappers on Daiyu.[15] He managed to locate her and informed the Organas of his success. However, the Third Sister was already one step ahead. In contacting Kenobi, Bail had played directly into her hands, but the intervention of the Grand Inquisitor, who had not sanctioned the affair and saw the kidnapping of an Imperial senator as a bridge too far, allowed Kenobi and Leia to escape her.[89] The two then headed for Mapuzo, where they would meet a contact of the Hidden Path, an anti-Imperial network that helped Force-sensitives evade the Inquisitors. After meeting the contact, Tala Durith, on Mapuzo, they were intercepted by Darth Vader, who had learned of Kenobi's survival from the Third Sister. Though Obi-Wan escaped with help from the Path, Leia was taken captive by the Third Sister and brought to the Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur.[90] After daringly rescuing Leia from the fortress, Kenobi brought her to the Hidden Path's safehouse on Jabiim.[91]
The lack of contact from Kenobi concerned Organa, who devised a contingency plan if Obi-Wan and Leia did not reach back. He left a hologram message for Kenobi, telling him that he would go to Tatooine to help watch over Luke with Owen and Beru Lars,[91] who had taken the boy around the same time Bail and Breha had adopted Leia.[8] Organa's message, however, endangered the young Luke when Reva Sevander, stripped of her Inquisitorius rank after attempting to kill Vader, found Obi-Wan's comlink on Jabiim after Kenobi, Leia, and the Path had fled an Imperial attack.[91] As the former Third Sister made her way to the Lars moisture farm, Kenobi left Leia with the leaders of the Path and returned to Tatooine, where he managed to convince her to move on with her life, saving Luke in the process.[92]
Bail and his family gathered once more at the Aldera spaceport to greet Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had come to visit Leia once more time.
The Hidden Path returned Leia to Alderaan, and Organa invited Kenobi to the royal palace to briefly say goodbye to her. When Breha and Leia arrived at the spaceport, Bail noticed that Leia was wearing a holster previously owned by Durith, and she reminded him that he had told her there were many ways to lead. When Leia added that she was going to change things if she was to become a leader, Bail bent down and gladly told her that they would create change together. At that moment, Kenobi arrived in a shuttle and, after departing it, walked up to Bail and hugged him. Organa and his wife thanked him for what he had done, and, as Bail looked at Leia, who was reuniting with LO-LA, he informed Obi-Wan that he feared for her future, given the Empire's growing strength and boldness. Kenobi assured Bail that he could contact him if he ever needed help, and the two shook hands while Bail commented that hopefully they would never have to. Obi-Wan went to say his goodbyes to Leia, who ran back to her parents after parting ways with the Jedi. The royal family then watched as Kenobi left Alderaan before walking to the palace together.[92]
With Kenobi in hiding on Tatooine to watch over Luke once more, he and Organa resumed their commitments to care for Padmé's children. Having broken their promise not to speak with each other,[92] Organa began infrequently sending Kenobi updates on Leia's well-being. In these reports, he most often described her proudly as "relentless."[93] Though he eventually let Mon Mothma into his confidence about Obi-Wan's survival of the Jedi Purge,[5] Bail ensured that only he, Breha, Leia,[92] and Mothma knew of his exiled friend.[5] He even went so far as to give false confirmation of Kenobi's death to his rebel organization,[94] which had been building a dossier of members of the Jedi Order.[18]
Expanding the movement[]
- "Rebel Intelligence is identifying more resistance cells every day. Our strategy is to observe them from a distance. If they demonstrate competency at disrupting Imperial operations and remaining hidden, we will reach out. If they don't, we must leave them to their fate. Cruel, but it serves our cause. When the Empire cracks down on amateurs, it convinces the moffs that they're getting the right results and hitting the right targets. Meanwhile, we gain time to grow."
- ―Bail Organa, to Mon Mothma
With Ahsoka Tano running his organization's intelligence unit,[74] Organa was able to spread his operation effectively.[12] His resistance established a base on the remote salt planet Crait.[14] On Crait, Organa formed Calima Squadron, a secret starfighter unit that was often sent on missions to sabotage Imperial outposts.[95] Organa and Tano recruited numerous individuals to serve as "Fulcrums," and through them, his movement established greater coordination of the loose network of rebel cells they were in contact with.[12] Among these cells were the Massassi Group, a large cell led by former Republic military officer Jan Dodonna,[13] and the Phoenix Cell, a smaller fleet led by Commander Jun Sato that consisted of a starfighter unit known as Phoenix Squadron.[18] Additionally, Mon Mothma ran her own resistance network,[39] which had ties to Luthen Rael's operation.[96] However, Organa, Mothma,[18] and Rael's[97] outfits had tenuous relationships with the Partisans, a much more militant group run by freedom fighter Saw Gerrera.[18]
Bail Organa's Rebellion had a tenuous relationship with Saw Gerrera's Partisans.
In 5 BBY, after years of leading double lives and slowly building up their resistance, Organa and Mothma decided that it was time to up the ante. Recognizing Emperor Palpatine's increased militarization as a grave threat, the two began work on combining the scattered rebel cells into one organized Rebellion. In doing so, the various factions could link communications, share resources, and hit the same targets. Bail and Mon knew that they would need a leadership system to keep the different groups aligned. Together, they devised the structure of Alliance High Command, which itself would incorporate both a political and paramilitary sub-unit. As Rebel Intelligence identified more and more resistance cells, Organa told Mothma that their strategy was to keep watch from a distance and only reach out if they proved competent at their operations. Though he believed it was cruel, Bail recommended to Mon that if the cells weren't capable on their own, they had to leave them to their fates.[18]
An early problem arose for Organa and Mothma in Saw Gerrera's Partisans, which conducted extreme campaigns against the Empire and its citizens.[18] Though Gerrera dismissed Bail and Mon for being politicians, some in the Partisans believed they could provide crucial support.[82] Organa was wary of pushing a potential ally away, even if they were troublesome, but Mothma argued that Saw was too far gone and his actions were not worth ignoring.[18] In one contentious meeting, Organa, accompanied by the young Leia, argued with Saw in front of her and Gerrera's child soldier Jyn Erso.[98] Though they had difficulty partnering with Gerrera, Bail and Mon continued to expand their allies, including the Atrivis Resistance Group, which reached out to the Rebellion after the Empire crushed the Liberators on Mantooine. They also forged ties with several Mon Calamari cells, including the Mon Cals led by Faa-Char and a faction led by Admiral Raddus. Among other leaders brought into the Rebellion were Davits Draven and Airen Cracken, who joined Tano in the Intelligence unit, and anti-Imperial senators such as Pamlo, Nower Jebel, Vasp Vaspar,[18] and Winmey Lenz.[14]
Organa has R2-D2 give him the information he gathered on the Spectres.
When Tano and Draven first reported of a six-member insurgent group based on Lothal called the Spectres,[18] Organa himself became directly involved in the Rebellion's watch over them.[99] Rebel Intelligence identified the members of the Spectres as ace pilot Hera Syndulla, Mandalorian saboteur Sabine Wren, Lasat genocide survivor Garazeb Orrelios, Ezra Bridger, and the droid C1-10P, otherwise known as "Chopper." The final member of the group, Kanan Jarrus, was identified by Intelligence as the former Jedi Caleb Dume, who had survived the Great Jedi Purge. Despite being small in number, they had already executed numerous large operations, including a rescue of Wookiee prisoners from Kashyyyk, disabling a Star Destroyer, and disrupting Imperial shipping lines between Lothal and Garel.[18] As part of a plan to disrupt an arms deal on Lothal of T-7 ion disruptor rifles, which the Senate had banned, and to gather more information on the Spectres,[99] Organa loaned R2-D2 and C-3PO to Lothal Governor Arihnda Pryce.[11]
C-3PO and R2-D2 intercepted the Spectres while serving Minister Maketh Tua, and the droids fled with the rebels after Tua recognized them and sent Imperial stormtroopers to arrest them. In the wake of the mission, the Spectres decided to return the droids to their owner. Their ship, the Ghost, rendezvoused with the Tantive IV, where Organa met with Jarrus in the ship's halls as the former Jedi brought him the droids. Organa paid Jarrus handsomely, surprising Kanan with his generosity. Bail explained that he was fond of the droids, and when Jarrus responded that the Spectres were glad they were able to return them, the senator recited a Jedi saying, "the simplest gesture of kindness can fill a galaxy with hope." Though Jarrus was confused by Organa's knowledge of the Jedi phrase, the two quickly bid each other farewell. As Jarrus departed, Organa asked if C-3PO had revealed his identity to the Spectres, which the droid denied. After allowing C-3PO to excuse himself, Organa turned to R2-D2, who assured him that he had recorded all of his time with the Spectres. Bail inserted a data card into the astromech so he could watch the footage, telling R2 that they would focus on the Imperials another time.[99]
Following the Action at Mustafar, Organa revealed his identity to the Spectres.
As time went on, Organa and Tano, operating under the codename Fulcrum, revealed their identities to Hera Syndulla and Chopper.[100] A short while later, the Spectres forced the Rebellion's hand when Jarrus was taken captive by Imperial forces under the command of Wilhuff Tarkin, who had ascended to the rank of Grand Moff under the Empire, and brought to Mustafar.[18] The Spectres launched a daring mission to rescue Jarrus, leading Organa and Tano to decide that intervention was necessary.[100] Tano led Phoenix Cell to Mustafar to cover the Spectres until all units escaped the system.[18] During the battle, Grand Moff Tarkin's Star Destroyer, the Sovereign, was demolished and the Grand Inquisitor was killed. When the Spectres boarded one of Phoenix Cell's blockade runners, Chopper played a message from Organa, who greeted Jarrus. Syndulla introduced Organa to her group, revealing that they were one of many cells operating with his aid. After speaking briefly with Organa, the Spectres met with Tano, who told them her real name and informed them that their initial protocol, not to interact with other cells, had changed.[100]
In the aftermath of the Action at Mustafar, the Spectres were integrated into Commander Sato's Phoenix Cell, and Syndulla was given an Alliance officer's commission.[18] Over the next year, the Spectres helped Phoenix Cell grow.[101] During the Imperial blockade of Ibaar, Organa ordered that two Wayfarer-class medium transports, the Cargo Sky and Cargo Comet, be loaded with supplies, equipment, and some military-grade sensors and sent to the rebel network on Ibaar.[12] Phoenix Cell was attempting to aid the people of Ibaar as well, and Captain Syndulla acquired a prototype B-wing starfighter from the Mon Calamari engineer Quarrie. After Phoenix Cell successfully broke the blockade with the prototype, Organa took an interest in the starfighter and found a shipyard[101] at Slayn & Korpil[33] willing to modify and produce more in secret under Quarrie's supervision.[101] Shortly after, Organa sent R2-D2 to meet with Sabine Wren when she delivered the information courier EG-86 to Havoc Outpost.[102]
Leia's Day of Demand[]
- "We acknowledge that you are of age. Why then do you come before us armed?"
- ―Bail's first line at Leia's Day of Demand
While Bail and his wife helped expand the growing rebellion against the Empire, Leia participated in the traditional Day of Demand ceremony in order to become Alderaan's crown princess.
In 3 BBY,[103] while wearing the traditional Alderaanian viceroy long coat, Bail took part in Leia's Day of Demand ceremony, an Alderaanian tradition that was undertaken by all heirs to the throne in which they would partake in the Challenge of the Body, the Challenge of the Mind, and the Challenge of the Heart, which she would need to complete in order to be officially invested as crown princess. For her Challenge of the Mind, Leia chose to represent Alderaan in the Apprentice Legislature, rather than only assisting as one of her father's aides. When the ceremony was over, Bail and his wife beamed proudly, but as the guests began to crowd them, they turned away to greet them instead of congratulating their daughter, with Bail engaging in conversation with Mothma and Winmey Lenz.[14]
During this time, Bail and his wife had become more involved in the growing rebellion, and they hosted several dinner parties at the palace that actually served as strategy meetings. Leia was unaware of this and believed that her parents were ignoring her. As part of her Challenge of the Heart, Leia visited the world of Wobani on a mercy mission and tricked the major in charge to allow her to bring a hundred refugees back to Alderaan, but in doing so she inadvertently ruined the work Bail, Mothma, and their allies were doing with negotiations to relocate the Wobani population.[14]
Bail missed the opening and welcoming party for members of the Apprentice Legislature with the recently promoted Grand Moff Tarkin attending as the guest speaker. Bail did not realise that Leia was on Coruscant until he saw her at Cantham House the next morning, where the two had a short breakfast and discussed Leia's fellow Apprentice Legislators, including Amilyn Holdo of Gatalenta whom Leia stated was "a little odd" but Bail reminded her to not be so quick to write people off as they could surprise you. Bail then left for Crait, telling Leia that he was going on a fact-finding mission for the Senate.[14]
Leia managed to find some old space traffic data which linked Crait and Calderos Station, which had recently been attacked, then was startled to find her father there. While Leia was desperate to know why her father was there, Bail demanded to know how Leia had discovered their location, as he needed to make sure that the Empire could not find them. Leia then explained the situation to Bail, who, relieved, ordered her to delete the data. Leia was ecstatic to discover her parents' rebellion and asked how she could help, but Bail, knowing that his daughter was the last person he wanted involved in the war, told her to go home where they would discuss the matter more with Breha before Leia had to forget about it completely.[14]
Rather than just serve as Bail's aide, for her Challenge of the Mind, Leia represented Alderaan in the Apprentice Legislature.
Bail then returned to the palace, where he found Leia and Breha already discussing the matter. Bail and Breha acknowledged their part in the rebellion but refused to give Leia any more information, as they believed Leia needed to be completely innocent so that if they were caught and tortured, the Empire might let Leia go and allow for a natural transfer of power. Leia then confessed her suspicions that her parents had stopped caring about her, so they comforted Leia by telling her that they were fighting the Empire for her and her future.[14]
A few days later, after Leia had returned from Coruscant, Bail and Breha met her in their private library, where Leia drank a frosty glass of mintea while they caught up. During the discussion, Leia mentioned her upcoming mercy mission to Onoam, a name that was familiar to Bail, and he felt as if he had heard of it years ago, but before he could recall, the family was interrupted by Captain Antilles, who needed to speak to Bail and his wife in the former's office. Onoam was, in fact, one of Naboo's moons, and during Leia's visit, she met Moff Quarsh Panaka, who had been a friend and ally of Amidala's. Upon seeing Leia wearing the jubilation dress, which Amidala wore to celebrate the defeat of the Trade Federation decades ago, and upon asking Leia a few questions about her age and adoption, he was able to, correctly, deduce that Leia was Amidala's daughter. Panaka planned on informing Palpatine about his discovery, but he was assassinated by Saw Gerrera's Partisans, who had planted a bomb in his chalet.[14]
Shortly after Leia returned to Alderaan, she overheard Bail and his wife discussing the matter in the library, with Bail wanting to take a stand as he believed that otherwise there would be no control over the Partisans and no telling how far they would go, while Breha, despite agreeing that Gerrera's judgment was faulty, argued that they needed to decide how far they were willing to go. After Leia entered the library, she demanded to know if her parents were involved in Panaka's death, which angered Bail. The two then argued, with Leia pointing out that they were planning on attacking the Empire, so sooner or later that would mean killing people, which Breha agreed with. Bail, stressed and angry, decided to leave the room, but not before telling Leia that they were glad she was safe and that he loved her.[14]
Following the assassination of Moff Panaka, Bail gave Leia a list of approved worlds for her subsequent missions.
The next day, as Bail lingered over his breakfast on the south terrace, Leia found him and approached him. The two bickered, and, hoping to avoid another incident like Onoam, Bail gave her a list of approved worlds for Leia to choose from for her future mercy missions. This crushed Leia, as her Challenge of the Heart was meant to be a step towards adulthood. Leia then suggested that she continue to choose her own missions, but that she run them by Bail and Breha first, but Bail told her the list was final and that they would not discuss it again. He then placed the datacube in front of Leia, set down his cup, and walked off the terrace, leaving Leia alone to begin her day.[14]
A few days later, at another dinner party hosted by the Organas at the palace, Bail and his allies discussed Panaka's death. Despite having a personal loyalty to the Emperor and being a part of his inner cycle, Panaka was the highest ranking Imperial that the rebels had had any hope of contacting and possibly working with, meaning many of the rebels were angered by Gerrera's actions. They also discussed whether to employ further violence in their cause, and despite the doubts that had been plaguing Bail, he presented a united front with his wife.[14]
A short while later, the rebels organized an attack on a medical frigate. There was no loss of life, and the frigate successfully fell into rebel hands, though the Empire claimed that it was still under their control. When Leia heard about the attack on the HoloNews, she attempted to confront Bail about it in his office, recognizing that this time he and Breha were involved. Bail, however, shut the conversation down by telling Leia that the less she knew, the safer she would be and the less was said in his office, the safer those who worked in it would be. It was the latter that made Leia drop the topic.[14]
Bail was present in the Imperial Senate Chamber when Grand Moff Tarkin announced several arrests on Christophsis.
Bail was present in the Galactic Senate Chamber when Grand Moff Tarkin announced several arrests on Christophsis, including the prime minister, their senators, and several other government officials. The Empire had pacified the city of Tophen, the prime minister executed, and had the senators and territorial supervisors sent to Imperial work camps. Bail clutched his hands into fits on his lap when he saw the empty Christophsis senatorial pod, but as the recorders passed over him, he applauded immediately, shortly followed by Leia.[14]
When Bail and Leia returned home, they discussed the arrests with Breha over dinner on the terrace, where Breha uttered a swear word that Leia had never heard her mother say before. During the discussion, Leia suggested that rather than spending time fighting against each other, they should try to persevere with what they had made on Alderaan, saying that it was the one place in the galaxy where people could live the way that they should live and not kneeling at Palpatine's feet. This greatly angered Bail, as it was similar to his own line of thinking not too long ago. Standing up, he told Leia that she was not a selfish girl or a cowardly one, so she should stop acting like one, before stalking off the terrace without looking back.[14]
Later that night, Bail went to the family's private library to read to see if there was any wisdom in the past. Though he seemingly found nothing, Bail did find that they did not have any more than he had already. He was found there by Leia, who had been up looking for information on the rebellion using the royal accounts, where he was wearing an almost shabby dark green robe and sitting in one of the large leather chairs by the far windows, and apologized for being short with her of late. Leia confessed that she felt like she couldn't do anything right where Bail was concerned, causing Bail to shake his head in disbelief and tell her that she had done almost everything right her entire life, that he and Breha had always been so proud of her, so fortunate in her, and that sometimes he still couldn't believe that of all the children in the galaxy, fate had brought Leia to them, which greatly moved Leia. The two then briefly discussed how Bail felt about his current place in secretly supporting the rebellion and risking everything, including Leia, in the process. Leia then pointed out that keeping her in the dark would not save her if the Empire discovered them, but Bail said that even if there was any chance at all, they needed to give Leia that. Leia then said that she still thought she could help, and Bail encouraged her to find allies in the Apprentice Legislature like he had in the Imperial Senate. Bail stated that, while the Senate was only a shadow of what it used to be, he hoped someday it would be remembered as the cradle of an alliance that brought freedom back to the galaxy. He then told Leia to learn to play the politics behind the politics. The two left on good terms before Leia left the library.[14]
After reconciling with his daughter, Bail met Amilyn Holdo, one of Leia's friends.
At another banquet hosted by the Organas, Bail, along with the rest of the party, were shocked when the Organa's majordomo, Tarrik, unexpectedly announced the arrival of Tarkin. Tarkin claimed that his personal vesicle, the Carrion Spike, had suffered a systems malfunction and needed to stop on Alderaan for repair as it was the closest world. Bail lied to Tarkin by telling him that he was very welcome. Knowing she had little choice if she wanted to appear innocent, Breha invited Tarkin to join them for dinner but managed to get Leia to join them by claiming it was bad luck to seat an odd number for dinner. It was Leia's first official banquet, something Bail silently apologized for.[14]
During the banquet, the Organas and the majority of their allies were served a diluted version of the Alderaanian wine, Toniray, while Tarkin was served true Toniary, slightly dulling his edges while the Organa's stayed sharp. In order to throw off Tarkin as to the true purpose of the banquet, Bail, Breha, and Mothma staged a scene in which Breha pretended to drunkenly accuse Bail and Mothma of having an affair, with Bail saying that Breha was paranoid and imagined betrayals every time he failed to leave a message within a few hours and compared it to living on a leash. Breha also implied that Bail had had an affair the year before with a girl from Corellia. The dinner ended with Leia bursting into tears and Tarkin storming off, criticizing the Organas for their behavior despite Bail's apologies. With Tarkin, Breha reassured Leia that the fight was not real, and many of the Organa's allies were horrified at the revelation that they had informed their teenage daughter of the group's illegal and dangerous activities.[14]
A few days later, Bail was once again mad at Leia, who, along with Holdo, had snuck aboard a ship transporting quadanium steel, which had been sold to an Imperial Military Director by Lenz and had discovered that Lenz was not loyal to the rebels as he was merely hoping to profit off of whichever side won. Bail was greatly angered as he did not want Leia involved in the conflict. When Breha suggested that they slowly bring Leia into the rebellion, starting in secure locations, such as taking Leia with him on the supply convoy in a few weeks to Pacris, where the rebels had been refurbishing their ships, Bail snapped back that he would not treat their daughter as a skifter in a sabacc deck and that if Breha would then he was not sure that he had ever known her. It shocked Bail to say such hurtful words to his wife, and he stalked out of the library. Later that night, Bail left for Coruscant.[14]
While Bail was stationed on Pacris, Leia and Holdo unexpectedly flew into orbit on the Mighty Oak Apocalypse. Bail was initially absolutely furious, but Leia cut off his rant to tell her that the Empire was coming for them. Bail then began arranging for the fleet to move out. Leia's ship then docked with the Tantive IV, and she was reunited with her father. When Leia asked if she had finally proved herself to Bail, he responded that she never had to do that, as he always had and always would believe in her. Bail also apologized if he had ever made her doubt that and explained that it was difficult to accept that Leia would need to fight too and that he and Breha could not simply save her—she would have to stand by their side. Shortly after, Bail met Holdo, who was doing acrobatic stretching down the corridor, and offered the two a hopper to take back. Bail promised that they would spend some family time together back on Alderaan before the two departed, and Bail ensured the evacuation of Paucris Major.[14]
After these events, Leia was officially brought into the rebellion and Bail and Breha, decked all in white, helped to invest Leia as crown princess of Alderaan, with Bail placing the Heir's Crown on his adoptive daughter's head.[14]
Alliance to Restore the Republic[]
Growing conflict[]
- "Unfortunately, all we were able to recover were images of the poison canisters used by the Empire against the Geonosians."
"The images are frightening, but will not be enough to convince the Senate of the Empire's atrocities. They may, however, help us recruit more systems to our cause." - ―Hera Syndulla and Bail Organa
Following an attack by Imperial forces against Phoenix Cell on Garel, the rebel cell was forced to leave the planet. Though most of their forces were able to escape, including the Spectres, they suffered heavy losses. Upon learning of their defeat, Bail sent Leia to deliver three Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes, the P1, P2, and P3, to bolster their fleet. To keep the transaction between Alderaan and Phoenix Cell secret, Bail and Leia organized to have the ships "stolen" by the Spectres when Leia took the corvettes to Lothal, ostensibly to deliver relief supplies.[105] The plan was successful, and after the ships were taken away from Lothal, Leia filed a complaint to Moff Stattata, demanding full compensation for the "stolen" ships and cargo, which he agreed to pay. As Phoenix Squadron modified the ships, Bail sent Mothma a copy of Leia's complaint to inform her of the mission's success.[18] During this time, the Rebellion lost Ahsoka Tano,[106] one of Organa's earliest allies,[74] when she reportedly died during a mission to Malachor at the hands of Darth Vader.[106]
Organa and Commander Sato personally brief the Spectres on their mission to recover Saw Gerrera on Geonosis.
In 2 BBY,[35] after the Spectres reported that the native populations of Geonosis had disappeared,[107] Rebel Command decided to take a risk and investigate the matter. They dispatched Saw Gerrera and his Partisans to Geonosis, who reported an energy source on the planet's surface but soon lost contact. After two cycles without contact from Gerrera, Organa and Commander Sato braved further risk and sent the Spectres on a mission to find him and recover what intel he had gathered. While the Spectres were heading to Geonosis, Bail and Commander Sato contacted them to give them specifics on their mission. Syndulla was surprised to see Organa's involvement, but he explained that he wanted to give them their orders personally because of the stakes. Jarrus asked if he knew whether the Empire was involved, but Organa told him that he was unsure and reiterated that they were to search for Gerrera's team and hopefully learn what happened to the Geonosians.[104]
The Spectres' mission was a success, and they were able to locate Gerrera, whose team had been killed by the lone surviving Geonosian, Klik-Klak. After leaving Geonosis, the Spectres and Gerrera contacted Organa and Sato to report their findings. They informed the two that the Empire had perpetrated genocide against the Geonosians, but the only evidence they were able to gather were a few images of the poison gas canisters the Empire had used to wipe them out. Though he was disturbed by the images, Organa told the Spectres that they would not be enough to convince the Senate of the Empire's atrocities. However, he noted that they would be useful in recruiting more systems to their cause. Organa and Sato labeled the mission a success, given the intel on the Geonosian genocide, the acquisition of a shield core, and the rescue of Gerrera. They congratulated the Spectres before ending their transmission.[104]
Senator Organa helped coordinate the growing Rebel Alliance with military leaders like Jun Sato.
Despite the fact that the Rebellion's paramilitary continued to grow in size and resources, it remained direly outmatched against the Empire's growing militarization. Rebel leadership continued to restructure its organization, leading to the abandonment of Organa's original outpost on Crait. Though the forces at the base hastily left the planet, much of the infrastructure[18] Organa's network had established years before[14] remained intact. Meanwhile, debate arose among Alliance Command over the use of the Rebellion's central headquarters for command staff. Though some wished to keep such headquarters mobile, it was decided to use the Alliance's base on the planet Dantooine, where Command would hold executive-level meetings. The Rebel fleet, however, would continue to remain mobile under the direction of Admiral Raddus.[18]
Soon after Organa's work with Gerrera on Geonosis, Mothma reached out to him to inform him that she wanted to sever ties between the Partisans and the Alliance. Citing his extremism and brutality, Mothma told Bail that Gerrera was harming their cause by allowing the Empire to paint both the Partisans and the Alliance as extremists. She added that their refusal to condemn him had led sympathetic planetary governments to turn away Alliance delegates and that she was going to issue a motion formally censuring him and cutting contact with his Partisans. Though he had initially been wary of turning away potential allies, Organa agreed, and Alliance High Command accepted a resolution condemning Gerrera for his lack of moral standards.[18]
Declaration of war[]
- "The galaxy's many rebel movements are all led by brave beings who oppose the Empire. But that's about the only thing on which they agree. We are sharply divided on everything else: What tactics should we use against the Empire? Which Imperial facilities should we target? What's our ultimate goal? […] I no longer think talking can bring us together. We need something to unite all these rebel movements so they become a true alliance. Until that happens, we will remain divided—and dangerously weak."
- ―Bail Organa, in a report to Mon Mothma
Though they spent much time operating their Rebellion,[18] Organa and Mothma still attempted to do what they could in the Imperial Senate. They spent years pleading for the Senate to recognize the state of the Empire, but their speeches were dismissed with little to no consideration.[82] As time went on, Organa and Mothma grew increasingly disillusioned with the legislature they had served in for decades.[18] By this time, Organa had decided to become a part-time delegate[60] and gave his seat to Leia, who became the youngest senator ever elected. Breha's family protested her appointment, while the press claimed that she was not up to the task. In the days leading up to her election, Leia was intent on directly and bluntly addressing Emperor Palpatine, but when Bail presented her to him, she was disturbed by the man and was left speechless in his presence.[109]
Following the Ghorman Massacre, in which Imperial forces on Ghorman mercilessly slaughtered peaceful protesters, Mothma decided to resign from the Senate entirely. In a speech before the congress, she publicly denounced Emperor Palpatine and called him a tyrannical "executioner." Many in the chamber swiftly shouted her down, but as discord broke out in the Senate, she withdrew with her aides and escaped questioning. Mothma fled Coruscant with her attaché, Erskin Semaj, aboard the Chandrila Mistress and rendezvoused with Gold Squadron, a Y-Wing squadron under the command of the Massassi Group.[18] The Imperial Security Bureau immediately issued a warrant for Mothma's arrest and sent agents to investigate Cantham House,[18] knowing that Organa was a close ally.[60] ISB questioned Leia as well,[18] but because of Bail's spotless record,[60] the ISB was unable to implicate them,[18] and Organa went to meet with General Dodonna.[60]
Organa listens to Mon Mothma's official Declaration of the Rebel Alliance.
Knowing that Mothma and her escort would be endangered while en route to Dantooine, Organa contacted the Spectres and ordered them to refuel the Chandrila Mistress and Gold Squadron. Due to the sensitivity of the mission, Organa gave little information about their contact. At the refueling stop, however, an Imperial patrol attacked, critically damaging the Chandrila Mistress and forcing Mothma and her aide to evacuate to the Ghost, after which they managed to arrive at Dantooine.[110] Mothma sent High Command a copy of an address she was going to deliver, a call to arms that announced the Alliance's goal: to restore the Republic. An hour later,[18] Organa and Dodonna watched Mothma's Holonet speech,[110] in which she declared the formation of the Rebel Alliance to trillions across the galaxy.[18] With their plans in motion, Mothma formally organized the structure of the Alliance, which was divided into two entities under her command: the Alliance Civil Government and the Alliance Military. Organa remained a prominent leader under the restructuring[18] as a member of High Command,[5] which headed the military, and was seated as the Secretary of the Alliance Cabinet, a branch of the Civil Government.[18]
With Mothma's resignation from the Senate and the establishment of the Alliance to Restore the Republic,[60] as well as the release of the Declaration of Rebellion,[111] Organa and his family were placed on ISB scanners.[60] In spite of this, Organa began walking on a knife's edge, showing public sympathy towards the rebel movement[112] and even refusing to hide his contempt during Senate sessions.[18] A setback to the Alliance came in the form of Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had been working to locate Phoenix Cell's base on Atollon. When Thrawn launched an attack on Atollon, Phoenix Cell was meeting with General Dodonna's Massassi Group to plan a coordinated attack on Lothal's Imperial factories. Thrawn's forces decimated much of Phoenix Cell, and Commander Sato perished during the battle. Bridger tried to solicit Mothma's help in sending reinforcements, but she refused, admitting that Bail had been right: it was still too soon for open warfare with the Empire. Though he nearly won, Thrawn was unable to capture the remaining leaders of the cells, including Dodonna and the Spectres, who fled to the Massassi Group's base on Yavin 4 with the help of the Mandalorians of Clan Wren.[113] Shortly afterward, the Alliance forces on Dantooine also relocated to Yavin, and the Alliance at large was soon headquartered at Base One on the moon.[18]
Bail Organa informs the rebels at Base One of Jalindi Station.
Because he continued to hold a position of power outside the Alliance, Organa was able to secure a shipment of enough UT-6oD U-wing starfighters to fill out one or two squadrons at Base One. To cover up the theft, Organa had a data clerk from Aldraig in the Alderaan sector "mistakenly" reroute the shipment to Coruscant through Baylagon. General Antoc Merrick began incorporating them into the Alliance fleet, but their quick usage in combat against the Empire brought Organa unwanted attention from ISB Chief Inspector Axvering, who sent Organa a query about the missing U-wings. Organa acknowledged the data clerk's mistake but suggested that a layover would not have stalled a competent pilot. After the inspector contacted him again, Organa offered to compensate for the costs of the reroute. He later messaged Mothma and General Cracken and requested that Rebel Intelligence help obscure Alderaan's link to the missing shipment to keep the ISB off his scent.[18]
In 1 BBY,[35] rumors spread to Rebel Command that Saw Gerrera's Partisans had learned that the Empire established a relay station on Jalindi to track rebel supply lanes. Organa confirmed the rumors using his sources in the Senate, and the Alliance gained demonstrable proof when a supply run led by Captain Syndulla resulted in an Imperial attack. Though surprised by the assault, Syndulla managed to protect her pilots and return them safely to Yavin 4. After she returned, Organa contacted Base One via hologram to speak with Mothma, Dodonna, and the Spectres about the Jalindi Station. When Dodonna questioned what action they had to take, Alexsandr Kallus, a defected ISB agent who had previously led the hunt for the Spectres, suggested that they tap into the relay to monitor Imperial fleet movements, allowing the Alliance to adjust its operations to avoid them. Syndulla volunteered the Spectres for the mission, and Organa ended his transmission after Mothma confirmed their orders.[114]
Organa, Syndulla, and Mothma discuss the Empire's new TIE/D Defender Elite.
Sometime later, Organa attended a meeting via hologram with Mothma and other rebel leaders to discuss the flight data recorder of the TIE/D Defender Elite, which the Spectres had stolen from Grand Admiral Thrawn's forces on Lothal. After assessing the data, Dodonna informed Organa and those gathered that the Defender, a pet project of Thrawn's, possessed far superior technology to the Alliance's starfighter fleet and would likely be devastating in ship-to-ship combat. Captain Syndulla requested permission to lead an attack squadron to Lothal to destroy the Imperial factories there, but Organa argued that Thrawn's defenses and the Alliance's limited attack capability meant they could not allow it. Syndulla mentioned that she had a group standing by on Lothal to aid in the attack, but Organa again noted Thrawn's superior forces.[115]
Mothma sent Syndulla out of the briefing room so that she, Organa, and Dodonna could discuss the situation. While they trusted Syndulla and the Spectres, the rebel leaders were cautious of dealing with Lothal, given the evidence of the Empire's new plan, Protocol 13, the immediate evacuation of all Imperial personnel from an occupied planet. When informed by Mothma of Protocol 13 outside the briefing room, Syndulla realized that Lothal had little time left and barged into the room. Organa began to ask her to leave, but she stood her ground and convinced Command to authorize a strike on Lothal. As Organa and Command had believed,[115] the attack went awry, and what remained of Phoenix Squadron was destroyed. Surviving the defeat,[116] Syndulla and the Spectres joined the local resistance and successfully liberated Lothal from the Empire, taking Thrawn out of the picture, but at the price of Jarrus' death and Bridger's disappearance.[117]
The Death Star plans[]
- "If we can show them proof of such a weapon, Bail, the rest of the Senate will have to act."
"They should act, but that doesn't mean they will. For too many of them, ceding to the Emperor's will has become second nature."
"We must give them the opportunity."
"Of course."
"As long as the Senate stands, we must try diplomacy first. But we must also stand prepared for what comes after." - ―Mon Mothma and Bail Organa
Word of an Imperial superweapon concerned Organa and Alliance High Command, which launched a series of investigations into the rumors.
As the Rebel Alliance continued to gather its forces on Yavin 4,[5] rumors reached High Command that Saw Gerrera and the Partisans had identified a secret Imperial project known as the Tarkin Initiative, which was developing an "ultimate weapon." Though she disagreed with the rumors, Mothma had General Cracken and Rebel Intelligence research the Tarkin Initiative, which revealed that the project was under the jurisdiction of the ISB and was headed by Director Orson Callan Krennic of Imperial Advanced Weapons Research. The rumors of the "ultimate weapon" seemed proven when Intelligence reported that Gerrera was holding an Imperial defector, Ensign Bodhi Rook, at the Partisans' base on Jedha. Rook claimed that he had knowledge of a "planet killer" and that he had been sent to Jedha by scientist Galen Walton Erso.[18]
Using what they knew of Rook's intel, High Command approved a raid on Vulpter to learn more about Erso. The raid was successful, and Intelligence reported that Galen was a crystallographer who worked for Director Krennic's project, Celestial Power. They also learned that he was the father of Jyn Erso, a former member of the Partisans[18] whom Bail had encountered once before the Alliance cut ties with Gerrera.[98] Piecing together their various investigations, High Command realized that Project Celestial Power entailed the use of weaponized kyber crystals. A fact-finding mission to the Ring of Kafrene by Rebel spy Captain Cassian Jeron Andor confirmed that the Empire had been trafficking kyber from Jedha. Furthermore, Intelligence added to the puzzle the information gathered from the Spectres on Geonosis years earlier, and they hypothesized that the production of the "ultimate weapon" might have been tied to the sterilization of the Geonosian species.[18]
Mothma, Organa, and Dodonna interrogate the captive Jyn Erso.
While the Alliance's scientists began speculating on the form a kyber superweapon would take, High Command decided that they needed to extract Galen from the Empire to secure the details of his research concerning the planet killer. If the extraction, dubbed Operation Fracture, proved successful, Organa and Senator Pamlo would bring him before the Senate so that he could testify about the Empire's crimes, though General Draven protested, as he sought for the elimination of Erso if he proved uncooperative. In order to facilitate Erso's testimony, Draven conceived a plan to recover Jyn Erso, who Intelligence located at an Imperial detention center on Wobani.[18] Because Jyn had formerly been a part of the Partisans, they believed that she could help the Alliance gain access to Rook from Gerrera's camp on Jedha, after which they would find Galen.[5] Organa, Mothma, and Draven also agreed that Andor should take part in the mission.[119]
The recovery of Jyn from Wobani, which was led by Andor and Ruescott Melshi, was a success, and their team brought her to Base One as a captive to appear before a group of Alliance leaders, which included Draven, Mothma, Dodonna, General Merrick, and others for questioning. As Organa stood in the shadows, Draven, Mothma, and Andor confirmed with her that she had ties with the Partisans and revealed their plans to locate her father, whom she had not seen in over a decade, and informed her that they wanted her participation, but she expressed reluctance to aid the Alliance. When Mothma told Jyn that the Alliance planned to have her father testify about the superweapon before the Senate, Organa stepped forward and looked Erso in the eyes.[5] Jyn, who recognized him from the Holonet,[82] agreed to the Alliance's demands in return for her freedom. Soon after, she, Andor, and the latter's reprogrammed Imperial droid, K-2SO, departed Yavin 4 for Jedha.[5]
As Andor's team left Base One, Organa spoke privately with Mothma and admitted that he believed the Senate would not act on Galen's evidence of a superweapon, as ceding to the Emperor's will had become second nature to the legislature. Mothma told Organa that they had to give the Senate the opportunity to act and that they had to use diplomacy as long as the option remained open to them. Gazing over to the Alliance military forces walking about the base, Mothma added, however, that they still had to prepare for what would come after diplomacy failed.[118] Before long, the Alliance received a brief report from Captain Andor that the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, had been used to destroy the Holy City on Jedha.[18] Additionally, Jyn had discovered a recording Galen sent to Gerrera through Rook, but the destruction of the Holy City cost Andor's group a hard copy of the recording and resulted in the death of Gerrera.[5]
Using what Jyn had learned from Galen's message, Andor's team, now including Rook and two Guardians of the Whills, Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe, traveled to the Imperial research facility on Eadu. Despite Organa and Mothma's plans to extract Galen without harm, General Draven went behind their back and ordered Andor to assassinate him. The mission went awry, however, as when Draven lost communication with Andor, he sent Blue Squadron to target the base. Jyn learned that Andor planned to kill her father and set out to find him, putting herself in Blue Squadron's strike zone. Andor re-established communication with Base One, but Draven was unable to stop Blue Squadron before their attack on the base, which killed Galen and nearly-killed Jyn and Director Krennic. After securing Jyn, Andor and his team left Eadu and returned to Yavin 4, where Jyn and Rook met with High Command.[5]
Bail and members of High Command deliberate the future of the Rebel Alliance after hearing testimony from Jyn Erso.
Jyn's testimony to the Alliance leaders and Andor's confirmation of the existence of the Death Star created discord among the council. Erso argued that the Alliance had to steal the Death Star's technical readouts from the Citadel Tower on Scarif, from which they would learn how to destroy the weapon through a flaw Galen had deliberately set in its design. To the disappointment of Organa and Mothma, many of those gathered wanted to disband the Alliance and scatter their forces, while others, including General Draven, refuted Erso and Rook. Organa and Admiral Raddus protested against them, but the council deteriorated into angry shouting as Draven and Senators Pamlo, Jebel, and Vaspar argued that the Alliance would not survive if they trusted Jyn.[5]
Prompted by the arguing, Jyn spoke up and called for the Alliance to stand up to the Empire. Organa glanced up at her as she told the council that they would condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission if they failed to act. She asked that they send their best troops to Scarif to steal the Death Star plans and destroy the superweapon, but Pamlo told Jyn that she was asking them to strike the Citadel Tower based on nothing but hope. Jyn, however, responded that rebellions were built on hope, leading Organa and Mothma to look at each other. The two were dismayed when the council again began bickering, and Mothma disappointedly told Jyn that the Alliance could not take action without High Command's full support.[5]
Return to Alderaan[]
- "This war is just beginning, and we must make what preparations we can here. Even if we do nothing but look for her, even if we do nothing but hope, the war is here. It will be fought by Leia when we find her."
- ―Bail Organa, to Breha Organa
Organa and Mon Mothma agree to bring Obi-Wan Kenobi out of hiding so he can help with the Rebel cause.
After the contentious council meeting, Organa and Mothma walked together and agreed that full-scale war with the Empire was inevitable, regardless of the council's decision. Organa also informed Mothma that he had decided to return to Alderaan to warn his people that there would be no peace. As they walked from the meeting room to the hangar entrance, Bail and Mon briefly drew aside, and he told her they would need every advantage they could muster. She realized that he was speaking of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he informed her that he was going to send one of his agents to bring the Jedi out of hiding. Mothma responded that Organa needed to send someone he trusted, and as he walked away from her and towards Captain Antilles, he told her that he would send someone he trusted with his life: Leia.[5]
The Alliance was soon thrown into open war with the Empire when Erso and Andor disobeyed the Alliance's orders and set out to steal the Death Star plans themselves. Creating the Rogue One squad, they departed for Scarif.[5] When Admiral Raddus learned of this, he returned to his ship, the MC75 Star Cruiser Profundity, and began scrambling the rebel fleet to join the fight. Despite initially wanting to send Leia and the Tantive IV, helmed by Antilles, directly to Tatooine to collect Kenobi,[18] Organa altered his orders for Leia[121] since the Tantive was in drydock on the Profundity.[122] He told her that she would be the custodian of the Death Star plans, and that she needed to get them where they needed to go, but Leia doubted if she was good enough to take on such an important mission. Bail, however, proudly told her that there was no one better and that there was nothing she could not deal with.[121]
As Admiral Raddus led the fleet elements he could gather to Scarif,[18] Organa departed Base One for Alderaan. The Battle of Scarif marked the opening of the Galactic Civil War, though it resulted in the deaths of the entire Rogue One team and Admiral Raddus.[5] Rebel Intelligence learned that Leia and the Tantive IV had been able to escape Scarif with the Death Star plans secured, but they could not establish contact with the ship. Further intercepted transmissions of an Imperial pursuit in the Tatoo system led General Draven to presume that the Tantive IV had been either destroyed or captured.[18] In response, Bail sent a squadron to search for the ship. Organa received further bad news when the Alliance learned that Emperor Palpatine had dissolved the Imperial Senate,[120] effectively cutting off the Alliance from their Coruscant operatives and dealing a major blow to Intelligence's operations.[18]
Though weary of the war and scared for his daughter's life, Organa remained headstrong.
Upon his arrival at Alderaan, Bail immediately traveled to the palace to meet his wife. When Bail found her, Breha was speaking with CZ-7OB, one of their daughter's tutor droids. Upon seeing him, Breha rushed to her husband and embraced him. Bail dismissed CZ, and Breha expressed surprise that none of the Alderaanian officials had informed her of his return. As they continued to hold one another, Breha asked if the rumors of Scarif were true, but Bail told her not to think of them. He then informed her that he had bad news, and Breha brought up the dissolution of the Senate. Briefly acknowledging the end of the Senate, Bail told his wife that he had something else to tell her. Growing pale, Bail uneasily managed to whisper that the Tantive IV had either been lost or destroyed, then immediately fell to his knees. Breha started panicking and asserted to her husband that Leia must have survived. All Bail could do in reply was nod, and Breha helped him to his feet.[120]
Bail then told his wife about the squadron he had sent to locate Leia, but he added that they could not afford to send more Alliance resources to find her, as they were now at war with the Empire, and their personal loss could not interfere with the Alliance's needs. Embracing once more, Breha told Bail they had to help in the search, but Bail replied that it was too dangerous. Accepting that they would have to stay on Alderaan until it was deemed safe, Breha contacted Captain Anderam, who operated one of Alderaan's ports, and told Bail that they could still send their able pilots and agents in their place. Bail agreed, and he and his wife began preparing their best-trained agents to quietly search for information on Leia's whereabouts and the fate of the Tantive IV.[120]
Death[]
- "The planet killer."
"My love, they wouldn't."
"At least we will be together."
"No! There...There must be time. The spaceport is too far, but we could reach our private shuttle. We...We could evacuate as many as possible! There must be something, anything that we can— […] She made it out. I would know if she was gone, Bail."
"She lives. She lives."
"I know." - ―Bail and Breha Organa's final exchange, as the Death Star destroys Alderaan
Over the next two days, Bail and his wife turned a chamber at the north end of the palace into the central hub of their search for Leia. Most of the leads they found repeatedly circled back to the same conclusion: that the Tantive IV had been annihilated with every person on board. Despite the evidence before them, Bail and Breha refused to accept the findings and grew increasingly tired and despondent. On the second day, when a page informed Bail of another similar lead, Organa blew up at the young man and ordered him to check the report again. Breha crossed the room and sat beside her husband, and Bail expressed regret to her for snapping at the page. As they silently held hands, Leia's attendant droid, WA-2V, entered the room to show Breha one of her dresses that the droid had taken in to fit Leia. Though Bail interrupted the droid and told her that it was not the right time, Breha briefly held the fabric and praised the droid's work.[120]
Bail Organa was killed alongside his wife and billions of others when the Death Star destroyed Alderaan.
As WA-2V left, a hologram appeared in the room of Captain Anderam, who was shouting frantically from his port offices. Bail and Breha walked over to the hologram and asked Anderam what he wanted to say, but all the captain could get out was that something had moved into position in the planet's orbit. Bail immediately grabbed his wife's arm and told her to follow him outside, then ordered that someone transfer Anderam to his personal line. He led Breha to a nearby balcony outside their chambers, where they could see the sky darkening. Anderam appeared on Bail's comm, but through the crackling transmission, all he could hear was a warning saying that they reach safety. As Breha questioned if the Empire was cutting Alderaan's communications in retaliation after learning that Leia was custodian of the Death Star plans, Bail began pacing and muttering to himself.[120]
Suddenly, the palace was covered in shadow, and Bail looked to the sky to see the Death Star eclipse Alderaan's sun. As he realized what was happening, Bail, horrified, turned to his wife but could not speak. When he found his voice again, he told her that the object in orbit was the planet killer. Accepting his fate, Bail took Breha's hands and told her that he was glad they would be together in death. Breha, however, began to panic and frantically told him that they could reach their private shuttle and escape, but was cut off by the deafening noise of the Death Star firing its superlaser into Alderaan's surface. Bail pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her, and the two assured themselves that Leia was still alive. As the remains of the nearby mountains were thrown into the atmosphere, the palace started to crumble underneath their feet, and Bail continued to hold Breha as Alderaan entered oblivion.[120]
Legacy[]
Aftermath of the Disaster[]
- "A leader leads. Looking backwards will not honor Bail or the Alderaan dead. We will honor them by fighting. By facing down Palpatine. Plans or no, we will...must destroy the Death Star."
- ―Mon Mothma
Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader force a captive Leia to watch as they destroy Alderaan, killing her parents.
As Bail and Breha had affirmed to themselves in their dying moments,[120] Leia was indeed still alive but was being held captive by Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader aboard the Death Star. When the Tantive IV reached Tatooine after the Battle of Scarif, the ship was captured by the Star Destroyer Devastator, Vader's flagship. Though most of the crew perished, including Captain Antilles, Leia survived and gave the Death Star plans to R2-D2, who, alongside C-3PO, escaped the Tantive in an escape pod onto Tatooine's surface. While Leia was a prisoner on the superweapon, Tarkin demanded that she reveal the location of the rebel base, threatening to destroy Alderaan if she did not comply. Though Leia lied and named[123] the defunct base[18] on Dantooine, Tarkin nonetheless chose to target Alderaan, believing that it would be an effective demonstration of the station's power[123] and that it was a prime opportunity to remove the rebellious world and Organa as threats to the Empire.[81]
The Rebel Alliance first heard of what would become the destruction of Alderaan through an intercepted communique between Grand Moff Tarkin and General Hurst Romodi detailing the need for decisive action to neutralize the Rebellion after the Battle of Scarif. After Alderaan's destruction, General Cracken attempted to contact either Organa or his retinue, but the loss of communication led him and Rebel Intelligence to assume Bail's death, given that there was no indication he had survived the catastrophe.[18] Though the Empire had been able to partially decapitate the Rebellion by killing Organa, the ISB lost some of its files on the late rebel leader compiled by Agent Andressa Divo, the daughter of Coruscant Security Force inspector Tan Divo,[60] whom Bail had met during the Clone Wars.[46] Andressa's personal data on Organa vanished following the destruction of Alderaan, during which her father, who held anti-Imperial views, died as well.[60]
When the Alliance officially confirmed Organa's death, many members began requesting to meet with Mothma about Alderaan. Mothma's aide, Hendri Underholt, declined requests for meetings with her, lying that she was in private consultations. In reality, Mothma had reclused herself in her quarters as she grieved the loss of Organa, becoming disoriented and refusing to eat. While many in the Alliance began to fret over how to react to the Empire's actions on Alderaan, Mothma quietly reflected on her long friendship with Organa. The surge of requests to meet with her and Underholt's demands that she emerge from her room to lead the Rebellion led Mothma to reach a catharsis. In private, Mothma decided that the best way she could honor Bail and the Alderaan dead was to face down Emperor Palpatine and destroy the Death Star, with or without the plans. Mothma was not alone in her mourning,[18] and a memorial statue of Bail and Breha was erected in the Great Temple's ceremonial chamber on Yavin 4.[124]
The late Bail Organa's droids show Obi-Wan Kenobi the message Leia sent to him.
Shortly before the destruction of Alderaan, R2-D2 and C-3PO delivered a message from Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine, reminding him of his service to Bail during the Clone Wars and urging him to aid the Rebel Alliance.[123] Knowing that his exile was coming to an end,[125] Kenobi decided to answer the call to action and take Luke Skywalker with him, believing that the time was right to begin training Luke as a Jedi. Though Luke was initially reluctant, an Imperial squad searching for the droids executed Owen and Beru Lars, cementing his desire to leave Tatooine with Kenobi. With the deaths of Owen and Beru,[123] as well as Bail and Breha,[120] Kenobi was the sole survivor of Luke and Leia's original protectors.[8] Kenobi hired two pilots, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to ferry him, Luke, and the droids to Alderaan, but while they were on their way, he felt the deaths of those on the planet through the Force.[123]
Upon reaching Alderaan space, they found only the planet's ruins and the Death Star nearby. Their ship, the Millennium Falcon, was taken captive by the superweapon, and after learning that Leia was on board, Luke and Han decided to rescue her while Kenobi shut off the tractor beam. Though Skywalker and Solo managed to free Leia from imprisonment, Kenobi faced Vader for the final time and was slain by his former apprentice. Leia led Luke and their accompanying entourage to Yavin 4, where the droids gave the Alliance the Death Star plans. Before long, however, the battle station arrived in the Yavin system, having tracked the Millennium Falcon. With the Death Star readouts now in the Alliance's possession, General Dodonna formulated a plan of action to destroy the battle station by targeting the thermal exhaust port,[123] which Galen Erso had purposely made flawed as a means of sabotaging the machine.[5]
Just days after Bail's death, the Rebel Alliance successfully destroyed the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin.
In preparation for the climactic battle, which would end with either the Death Star or Yavin 4's destruction, Mothma was relocated off-world with her aide Cianne. As they awaited word from Base One, Mothma continued to mourn Organa's death. Cianne's hopefulness reminded Mothma of Bail, and she briefly imagined his ghost sitting alongside her and what she would ask him if she had the ability. Mothma expressed to Cianne that she wished they had stayed on Yavin longer so they could have extracted Leia as well, telling her that she owed the late Bail to save his daughter. Cianne disagreed and opined that Bail and Leia owed Mothma instead and that Leia was paying that debt by remaining to lead the attack on the Death Star with Dodonna. In secret, Mothma prepared several contingency plans for the numerous possible outcomes the confrontation at Yavin could have.[126]
The Alliance's assault on the Death Star was a success. Luke Skywalker managed to fire torpedoes into the exhaust port, destroying the ultimate weapon and resulting in the deaths of Tarkin and key Imperial High Command personnel. Though it cost them many starfighters,[123] the Alliance claimed victory, and Mothma soon returned to Yavin to reunite with her surviving colleagues in High Command. Though the Alliance was in more danger than ever,[126] a ceremony was held to congratulate the heroes of Yavin, including Luke and Han Solo, for their efforts in destroying the Death Star. After rewarding the pair with medals, Leia used her congratulatory speech to ask for a moment to honor the lost souls of Alderaan, naming her adoptive parents in particular. Dodonna closed the ceremony by announcing that the Alliance had to evacuate Yavin and locate a new base for operations.[124]
Galactic Civil War[]
The remembrance statues in the Yavin Rebel base.
Shortly after, Leia traveled with Verlaine in a T-1 shuttle to Naboo in order to find and rescue several surviving Alderaanians. While aboard Verlaine prepared ruica for them to eat which caused Leia to remember a time during her childhood when Bail tried to get Leia to eat her ruica by telling her about the star pilots that had brought it to Alderaan from Broest as well as another memory from her teenage years when Bail interrupted her sparing session with her partner to scold her for missing her lessons before taking her back to the palace and explaining to her the importance of her role as the future queen of Alderaan.[127]
Whenever Leia stumbled she would go back to her father's final words to her about how he had trusted her to finish. She told Luke their final exchange during the Battle for Jedha referring to it as a mission briefing for her whole life.[121]
At some point between the Battle of Yavin and that of Hoth, the Clawdite shapeshifter agent Tunga Arpagion briefly impersonated Organa in his cell when Leia extracted him from the Dex Acquisitions Depot on Meor Ain. However, the princess not only was not fooled, but also punched Arpagion in the face for trying to play games with her mind and using her late father's image.[128]
Between 0 ABY and 3 ABY,[129] Leia and Luke Skywalker were in the shop Lost and Found on the planet Banas were a doll reminded Leia of one that she used to own. She then told Luke about a Wookiee that she had met as a child who had been a guest of Bail's at a state dinner who made 'quite the impression'.[130]
In 1 ABY,[131] during the search of a new place to set up a Rebel base, Leia asserted Mon Mothma to consider Crait. Mothma didn't much appreciate the idea because of the planet's being dead, but Leia stated that it would be easier to lay low in a dead planet, and she had a trustworthy contact named Trusk Berinato who she knew from Bail. Mothma remarked that Bail really did see the good in people, and Leia agreed by saying he saw potential in them, and she was trying to do the same and added that her contact claims there's an abandoned mine that they can settle in. After Mothma accedeed to the suggestion, the Rebellion went on to set a new base at Crait.[132]
In 3 ABY,[133] shortly after the Galactic Empire's takeover of Cloud City, Kes Dameron noted that the Empire had been hunting them down since Bail Organa's first steps to create the Rebel Alliance years ago. After Shara Bey stated that they would fight until the end, Leia determined that while her father did not live to see the Empire's fall, they would live to see it.[134]
Leia's marriage to Han Solo[]
- "Second-guessing this scoundrel already?"
"No, it's just…I wish my family could meet you."
"Oh, I don't need their disapproval." - ―Han Solo and Leia, shortly after becoming engaged.
Following Leia's engagement to Corellian Han Solo, Leia commented that she wished Solo and her family had met, causing Han to joke that he did not need their disapproval. When Leia announced the engagement to Mon Mothma, she expressed her regret that Bail and Breha couldn't be there for her. When that caused Leia to reflect on the loss of her planet, including her sadness that Bail would never get to meet Solo, Mothma then reassured Leia that her parents would be proud of her, as Bail often worried that Leia would sacrifice too much of herself in helping others, so Mothma knew, without a single doubt, that Bail would be proud of Leia for choosing to celebrate joy in that moment.[135]
The night before her wedding Leia came across the funeral pyre of her biological father Darth Vader. It made her glad that, while they both became dust, Bail was "stardust" while Vader was nothing but "sooty mud", thinking that Bail would drift in the heavens forever while Vader was scum on the bottom of her shoe.[135] She decided to remember Bail as her real father, choosing to remember Vader as the villain in her history for all he had done to the galaxy and herself.[6] Later, during the wedding ceremony officiated by Leia's twin brother Luke, there was a moment of silence for those who couldn't be there to join in the festivities, with Leia thinking of her parents. Leia then felt as though her mother was attaching the Rhindon Sword to her waist while her father pressed a kiss to her forehead.[135]
A New Republic[]
- "He taught me so much about politics, leadership, and war, but above all he taught me that no price is too great to pay for our ideals. Bail Organa was willing to die if that meant the Empire would fall. He believed in the New Republic we have been able to create, and in the promise of fair, equal government for everyone under the law."
- ―Leia Organa memorializes her father
Bail Organa was a celebrated and bipartisanly revered martyr for the New Republic. As a result, a 70-meter-high statue of him carved from Jelucani fogstone was erected in the senatorial complex in Republic City on Hosnian Prime, though a hand on the statue was partially damaged during the Napkin Bombing. Soon after the Napkin Bombing and the damage to the statue of Organa, a music box was discovered by the Senator of Arkanis, Lady Carise Sindian. The box, which was meant to be listened to only by Leia if she was given the governorship of Birren, contained the Alderaanian song Mirrorbright. It also contained a recording of Bail's voice speaking about Leia's true parentage: that being the secret that her father was Darth Vader. This recording was later used against Leia in a Senate hearing, forcing her to withdraw from her campaign for First Senator.[6]
Historical remembrance[]
- "He stood as viceroy of Alderaan at the beginning of a dark time for our entire galaxy. He helped Mon Mothma create the Rebel Alliance, even while still fighting valiantly to preserve what little integrity and authority the Imperial Senate had left. I have no doubt that he would have continued the battle alongside our rebel soldiers if he had not so cruelly been taken from us in the destruction of my homeworld. [...] My father gave us one legacy more precious than any other—a galactic peace. All of us here today have inherited the responsibility to preserve that peace from this day forward. Only by doing so can we truly honor and remember him."
- ―Leia Organa
Bail Organa was primarily remembered in posterity for his role in the founding of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Though remembered most for his actions against the Empire, Organa's long and storied political career remained part of his historical legacy, namely his courageous efforts to stand up to Palpatine's tyranny in both the Republic and Imperial Senates in the name of democracy. He was also known for his significance as the final Viceroy of Alderaan. In the decades after his death, Organa's values and beliefs in leadership and government, such as his reverence for the art of compromise and unification against authoritarianism, formed an influential part of post-Imperial political philosophy.[6]
During the New Republic's reign, Exantor Divo, the police commissioner on Hosnian Prime and the son of Andressa Divo and grandson of Tan Divo, compiled the case files he and his lineage had created over their careers. Among the files he had access to from Andressa were some of her surviving ISB reports on Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, including a security image taken of the two in the Senate office building. Exantor published the three generations' worth of law enforcement work as Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious, in which he commented on and gave context to the files from the Republic and Imperial eras. In his comments on the security image of Organa and Mothma, Exantor wrote of their anti-Imperial work and the loss of Andressa's personal notes on Organa after his death on Alderaan.[60]
A copy of the handwritten letter Organa had sent to his wife following the death of Padmé Amidala survived the destruction of Alderaan and was eventually among the artifacts housed in the Breha Organa Collection at the Alderaan Memorial on Coruscant. While writing a biography of Leia during the Cold War between the Resistance and First Order, an archival droid used the resources at the Alderaan Memorial, including the letter. As part of its research, the droid biographer looked into Leia's adoptive parents, but some of Bail's actions during the Clone Wars were unknown. Though historians knew that Organa had served alongside Anakin Skywalker during the conflict, few records detailed their private relationship. In the finished biography, which Leia cooperated with, the archival droid credited Bail as the driving force behind his daughter's revolutionary work.[73]
In 34 ABY,[136] decades after the Galactic Civil War, the Resistance unearthed The Rebel Files, a series of classified reports and files that documented the Alliance to Restore the Republic from its early efforts in 5 BBY to the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. Among the accounts were numerous private messages sent between Bail and Mothma detailing their strategies to build the coalition of rebel cells that would eventually prevail against the Empire. When The Rebel Files fell into the Resistance's hands, Leia was among those who added footnotes to the various reports, and she frequently commented on documents involving her father, writing about how she still missed him and her reverence for his brave work against the Empire.[18]
In the art history book A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, Organa was named by historians as one of the most influential leaders of the early rebellion against the Empire, alongside some of his closest allies from the period, including Jan Dodonna, Jun Sato, and Hera Syndulla. Despite their notability and historical importance, however, some believed their initial efforts to unify the scattered rebel cells were ineffectual without the leadership of Mon Mothma. Among the artists whose work was featured in the book was Dashira Dobeq, an Alderaanian whose exhibition in the Alderaan Academy of Fine Arts led her to become a member of Breha's court before the Separatist Crisis, during which Bail invited her to lend her skills to the Republic's Loyalist Committee.[111]
Personality and traits[]
- "We're lucky on Alderaan. We are loved by our people. We have their loyalty. That's because we love them and are loyal to them in turn. If we ever cease to appreciate those around us—from the highest lord to the humblest laborer—we'll lose that loyalty. We'll deserve to lose it."
- ―Bail Organa, to Leia Organa
As a politician, Bail Organa was renowned even by critics for his honesty and commitment to justice.[3] As the Republic engaged in the Clone Wars, Organa forged friendships with several fellow, progressively-minded senators, including Padmé Amidala of Naboo and Mon Mothma of Chandrila. Together, they shared their concerns in regards to the increasingly authoritarian rule of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.[137] Organa also undertook relief missions to war-torn worlds, such as Ryloth, even convincing Junior Representative of Naboo Jar Jar Binks to use his talents as a clown to distract several Trade Federation delegates while he facilitated the shipment of supplies to the Outer-Rim World.[37]
Bail was a trusted ally of the Jedi Order, going as far as to rescue Yoda after his confrontation with Darth Sidious.
Bail also had a deep respect for the Jedi Order, and refused to believe Palpatine's claims that the supposed guardians of peace and justice had committed treason. Troubled by having witnessed the death of Zett Jukassa during Order 66, Organa risked arrest and went to rescue Grand Master Yoda from Kashyyyk. His friendship with Amidala also led him to adopt and raise her daughter, Leia, following her death during childbirth.[8]
Organa doted over Leia and trained her in the arts of diplomacy and language.[127] He also taught Leia the importance of appreciating those around them, and would tell her stories about Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Clone Wars, including the Senate hostage crisis. Organa also liked dancing, so his daughter studied it and would practice with her father until her feet were sore. He also stated that he and his wife, fought the Empire for Leia and her future.[14]
Bail doted and cared deeply for Leia, despite the fact that she was adopted.
Organa was initially against allowing his daughter to be involved in rebel activity, as he did not wish to put her in danger or lose her, so he initially hide his rebel activities from her. After she discovered his links to the growing rebellion on Crait, Leia became determined to join the rebellion, but Bail would constantly tell her to stay out of it and enjoy her youth. However, after Leia helped save the rebel fleet at Paucris Major, he came to accept that rather than fighting for Leia he would need to fight alongside her.[14]
While Organa maintained a respectable façade during the Imperial Era, he secretly opposed the Empire and helped to sponsor the earliest manifestations of resistance. He cultivated the former Padawan Tano as the Rebellion's first intelligence operative, "Fulcrum". He also used his wealth and position of power to shelter refugees from Raada on Alderaan.[74]
Though initially hesitate to accept that the rebellion would need to implore violence on a large scale,[14] as the Rebellion grew in strength, Organa devoted resources to financing and arming rebel cells such as the Spectres[99] and the Phoenix Group. He was supported in these endeavors by his adopted daughter Leia, who shared his zeal to the Rebellion and finesse for diplomacy and flattery.[105] Organa was widely regarded as a rebel leader and hero by many in the New Republic, who commissioned a statue in his honor.[6] Organa's love for his daughter led him to withhold the secret that she and her brother, Luke Skywalker, were the descendants of the reviled Darth Vader, the Emperor's executioner.[6]
Equipment[]
Organa wore a gray Alderaanian suit and dark blue overcoat.[25] He also owned the traditional long coat of the viceroy of Alderaan.[14] Organa owned a target blaster which he used during the Clone Wars.[1] Organa also had a dark green robe which had become almost shabby[14] by 3 BBY.[103]
Behind the scenes[]
- "The interesting thing about the experience was that, even though I was a fan of the films, I found that there were a lot of people who were true aficionados, who knew everything down to the most minute detail. When I mentioned to some people that I was playing this character, they rattled off who Bail Organa is and who he is related to and the history of each of those people. I had to go to the Star Wars Encyclopedia to figure it all out."
- ―Jimmy Smits on playing Bail Organa
Played by Jimmy Smits, Bail Organa made his first appearance in the 2002 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Episode II Casting Director Robin Gurland was considering Smits for the role of Organa when his agents contacted her and informed her that he was interested in becoming involved with Star Wars.[139] The character of Organa was originally meant to debut in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, with Adrian Dunbar playing the role. However, Dunbar's scenes were cut out, though his version of Organa was retconned into another character named Bail Antilles. Organa was voiced by Phil LaMarr in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.
In the 2016 reference book Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded, Organa's height is given as 1.91 meters,[1] while the official Databank on StarWars.com lists it as 1.99 meters.[3] According to Smits, Organa's garb in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was not as stately as it was in Episodes II and III as Organa is not as high up the political food chain.[140]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- Disney Infinity 3.0
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Crisis on Coruscant" (In flashback(s))- LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Mission to Mos Eisley" (In flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
