Breha Organa

Breha Organa was a human female Alderaanian who served as queen of her homeworld of Alderaan during the final decades of the Galactic Republic and was one of the founding members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Following the rise of the Galactic Empire at the end of the Clone Wars, Alderaan became a source of early rebellion against the Empire. Though she would not live to see their defeat, Organa and her husband Bail were remembered as heroes and martyrs of the Galactic Civil War.
During her early years, Breha claimed the right to hold the throne through her Day of Demand, during which she suffered a bad fall, which ultimately proved her commitment to her home planet. However, because of the injuries she had sustained, Organa and her husband decided not to conceive, as it would strain the queen's body. An opportunity to adopt a child would come following the proclamation of the New Order, when Bail brought to his wife a young child, Leia, whom they adopted. Leia, who was the daughter of Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo and fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, became Princess of Alderaan, though her true heritage was kept secret from her.
Using Alderaan's wealth and their positions of power to their advantage, Breha and her husband organized clandestine operations to help planets subjugated by the Empire, and they searched the galaxy for insurgent groups that could help lay the groundwork for a revolution. While Bail continued to work on the foundations of a unified rebellion, Breha personally mentored a select number of young Alderaanians, teaching them the culture and heritage of their planet. During this time, the Jedi-hunting Inquisitorius attempted to use the Organas in order to locate the fugitive Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, threatening the lives of Leia and her separated twin, Luke Skywalker, but the children's protectors managed to keep them safe. Though the Empire made increasing attempts to crack down on the rebel effort, Organa and her husband continued with their struggle, and, when Mon Mothma publicly denounced the Empire and resigned from the Senate, their resistance was formally unified as the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
As the conflict between the Alliance and the Empire grew, large-scale warfare became inevitable. Following the destruction of Jedha City, the Alliance achieved its first major victory of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Scarif. Despite the victory at Scarif, Breha and her husband were killed when the Death Star, an Imperial planet-killing superweapon, destroyed Alderaan just days later.
==Biography==
===Early life===
A member of the galaxy's Elder Houses, the girl who would become Breha Organa hailed from the planet of Alderaan, a peaceful and influential planet. She had at least one sister named Celly and was also related to Bail Antilles, who represented their home planet in the Senate of the Galactic Republic. When Breha's mother was pregnant with her, her father stayed on world for the entire pregnancy and for several months after.
As a child, she grew up in the Royal Palace of Aldera, the planet's capital city. and would liken the palace's grand entrance hall to the inside of a seashell due to its characteristics, such as how most of the interior masonry was a silvery blue, smooth and lustrous and how, even at the height of summer, the hall was always slightly cool. She was introduced to Alderaanian pacifist values by her mother, and was first in line to inherit the mantle of Queen of Alderaan. At some point before she was fourteen, Princess Breha accompanied the queen to help her negotiate a treaty.Master & Apprentice
At the age of sixteen, she underwent her Day of Demand ceremony, during which she claimed her right to the throne by naming three challenges she would have to complete to prove herself worthy. While completing her Challenge of the Body, Breha suffered a bad fall that was remembered by her people as "the accident," and her injuries nearly killed her, if not for the quick action by the guards who were observing at a distance. Although she did survive, her heart and lungs had to be replaced by pulmonodes. Unlike most people who received such mechanized organ replacements, however, she refused to encase them in new flesh and skin, choosing instead to keep them visible as a reminder that she lived. Although people said she was being "too showy," it proved how committed to the planet she was. Following her fall, she was officially invested as crown princess of Alderaan and its future queen.
At some point between 40 BBYStar Wars: Timelines places the events of Master & Apprentice in 40 BBY. Master & Apprentice also establishes that Breha was a princess, which means she became queen of Alderaan sometime after 40 BBY. and 28 BBY,Breha was Queen of Alderaan in the novel Queen's Shadow, whose events take place four years after Padmé Amidala went to Tatooine, as depicted in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Since Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places The Phantom Menace in 32 BBY, it can be deduced that Breha was queen by 28 BBY. Breha ascended to the throne and married Bail Prestor, a fellow Alderaanian noble who was a distant kinsman to Lord Mellowyn of Birren but gave up his own legacy to marry her.Queen's Hope Although she and her spouse wished to have a child, the stress placed on the queen's body from the incident led the couple to decide to adopt an heir instead of trying to conceive one.
===Queen of Alderaan===
====Meeting Padmé Amidala====
During her time as queen, Breha also served as the minister of education for her planet.Princess Leia: Royal Rebel She also had an adviser named Visaiya, who, amongst her other duties, would remind the queen of her daily schedule. Breha came to regard her as a friend and often joked that losing Visaiya would be like cutting off a hand. As a symbol of their friendship, Breha had matching silver rings made for them which they would each wear on their right index finger.
In 28 BBY, Breha and her husband hosted Bail's senatorial colleague Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo and Senator of the Chommell sector, who had just completed her first full session in the senate, as well as her entourage, including several handmaidens who wore their hoods down as a mark of respect to the another world's monarch, at Breha's invitation. Breha greeted Amidala and her entourage in the palace throne room before they retreated to a nearby balcony for breakfast where Appenza Peak could be seen. The group stayed for a week before returning home to Naboo.
During the stay Breha talked to Amidala about her and her husband's decision not to have biological children, due to both the injuries she had sustained during her Challenge of the Body and the fact that Bail wouldn't be able to spend months on planet during Breha's pregnancy like her father had for her mother's, as well as Amidala's wish to have children with a partner rather than on her own like her sister Sola Naberrie, as Amidala wanted something like what her parents Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie had. Breha noted that due to Naboo having an elective monarchy, unlike Alderaan which had a hereditary one, Amidala's children wouldn't be bound to politics like Breha's would. Breha also talked about how her mother had had a change in thinking following her birth, thinking about the future in a way that she usually didn't, and how Breha imagined that she would too, however her children came to her. The two also discussed Naboo's decision to install an Ion pulse, with Breha admitting that, as she had never been to war, she had no room to judge how Naboo chose to defend itself.
====The Clone Wars and adopting Leia====
In the early days of the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Yoda informed Bail about a resupply company that had been red-flagged who demanded a contact, not with a Jedi but rather a senator sent in secret. Both Bail and Breha's people had looked into the company as much as possible, but they had all become swamped.
During Breha's reign, and through her husband's efforts in the Senate, Alderaan advocated ending the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, due to the planet's pacifist beliefs, and hosted a conference to assist refugees displaced by the galactic conflict as well many refugees from across the Republic who came to Alderaan to find their way again or to stay on Alderaan. During the Clone Wars, Breha and her husband sent aid to planets which had been ravaged by the Separatists. They didn't send just credits and supplies but also doctors, teachers, architects, builders, medics and droids. Breha also sent her people to dangerous places where they were needed, and though some of them never came back, their families didn't blame her, as they knew she had sacrificed and would again if she had to. When the Clone Wars ended, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine—secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, who manipulated the conflict to his own tyrannical ends—abolished the Republic and transformed it into the Galactic Empire, with himself as absolute ruler.
Palpatine also issued Order 66, a command to all clone troopers to kill their Jedi leaders, thus destroying the Jedi Order. During that time, Amidala gave birth to twins, Luke and Leia, before dying. The children's father, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, had also turned to the dark side of the Force and become Darth Vader, bringing an end to both the Jedi and the Separatists. Knowing that the children would be in danger if the Sith discovered their existence—both the Emperor and Vader believed that Amidala died before giving birth—it was decided that Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would take Luke to live with Vader's family on Tatooine. With the consent of both Kenobi and Yoda, Bail decided that he and his wife would adopt Leia and raise her as their daughter; the two had always wanted to adopt a girl. The Queen then received a letter from her husband, informing her of Amidala's passing and the imminent arrival of something that would "change [their] lives forever in a profound way." When the Viceroy finally came back to the palace, he placed baby Leia in the arms of the queen, who gazed lovingly at her new daughter.
Bail and Breha agreed to raise Leia and never reveal the identity of her birth father.Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! A few days later, Leia would become an official member of the royal family on her Name Day where she was presented by Breha and Bail in the palace throne room. Though Leia's adoption was publicly celebrated on Alderaan, everyone assumed that she was just one of the many children left orphaned by the Clone Wars and was told that Leia's birth father had died in one of the last battles of the Clone Wars and her birth mother was injured and lived only long enough to give birth to her.
===Age of the Empire===
====The anti-Imperial monarch and motherhood====
Breha and her husband were Leia's main companions, while she was growing up, as the princess had few friends her own age, due to the divide between those who did and did not live inside the palace, that existed even with a monarchy as egalitarian as the Alderaanian monarchy was.
As a small child, Leia believed that the glowing in Breha's chest, which came from her pulmonodes, was a bouquet of blooming Candlewick flowers and even after learning that it was Breha's pulmonodes Leia still harbored affection for the flowers as to her they would always symbolize magic and love.
Bail and Breha would often tell Leia the story of how they had waited a long time for a child when Bail returned from a "mysterious mission" to surprise Breha with a baby girl in her arms. Bail and Breha would also look up the answers to the questions Leia asked, without getting tired, regardless of how many questions she asked. They also didn't rely on a human nurse or caretaker droid when Leia had nightmares, instead, one or both of them would come to her. Every time Leia entered into the same room as them, they smiled making Leia feel as if she made them happy just by existing. Although most children would become "hopelessly spoiled" with the lifestyle Bail and Breha had given her, Leia always wanted to be helpful, especially to those she cared for, and she loved her parents, more than she believed that she could imagine loving anyone else.
One day, as the queen had retreated to the palace's gardens to read a paper book, she welcomed her toddler daughter into her arms and onto her lap, who had escaped the vigilance of her Nanny droid WA-2V. As an intrigued Leia pointed at a nearby statue of the late Padmé Amidala, instantly knowing that she was a queen, Queen Breha started recounting the story of the Naboo stateswoman, from her days in the Apprentice Legislature at age eight to her tragic death and how she fought both on the battlefield and in the senate, telling Leia that Padmé was a queen and 'so much more.' Breha ended the story, while she put Leia's hair into two buns either side of her face, with the lesson that Amidala had a spark of hope in her, and that Leia had it too and in times when Breha would try to protect Leia and keep her from the destiny that was hers, Leia must never doubt that she was a princess 'and so much more'.
At one point during Leia's childhood, she attempted to get the hang of basic accounting and doing well enough but hating ever moment. Within a week, Breha had released her with "a hug and a laugh." When Leia had protested that she would need to learn if she was going to be queen, Breha had jokingly responded by telling her she wouldn't if she fell in love with someone who liked bookkeeping, as then she could make her viceroy do it. Breha would later teach Leia how to care for orchids, as she herself grew Malastarian orchids, and also ensured that Leia was prepared to be a future leader in her own right.
In the years that followed the Emperor's rise to power, the queen mentored a select number of young Alderaanians, teaching them about the heritage of their homeworld. One of her pupils in particular, a girl named Evaan Verlaine, was so thankful for that privilege that she developed a staunch, lifelong, loyalty to the House of Organa and became a committed royalist. Breha's husband, while still part of the ceremonial Imperial Senate,Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide became involved in an underground rebel network, which would ultimately evolved into a formal Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Leia eventually became bored with the education she was provided, such as learning the names of every queen of Alderaan that came before her mother, Bail and Breha sympathized with her but were determined to make a "proper princess" out of Leia. Eventually, Bail and Breha decided to let Leia be taught in self-defense, with even Leia's aunts agreeing,A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy as they knew that being a princess could be dangerous and, given their own wealth and importance, Leia was under constant threat of being abducted and knew that one day Leia may need to defend herself rather than rely on her parents or their permanent guards. Breha also taught Leia how to pilot some small ships.
Alderaan was among the earliest supporters of the Alliance, with Bail working to build a loose underground network of cells, although its officials cautiously avoided supporting it openly. The Queen and her husband became close friends with Jan Dodonna, a future General in the Alliance. At some point, the queen passed down her necklace, the chalcedony waves, to the princess.Princess Leia 4
A week before Leia's ninth Name Day, in 10 BBY,The events of Leia, Princess of Alderaan take place shortly after Leia Organa's sixteenth birthday. Leia claims theses events happened seven years ago, meaning when she was 9 or coming up her ninth birthday. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places Leia's birth to 19 BBY meaning theses events took place in 10 BBY. Leia hid behind the screens surrounding the palace's banquet hall where Breha and Bail had been dining alone. Being young and self-centered, Leia had assumed they were probably discussing her presents however they were actually laughing and flirting with each other causing Leia to scurry out red faced in time to avoid "an unwelcome lesson in what spouses did together in their private hours." The event caused Leia to not venture behind the screens again for seven years.
When Leia was nine, she also became worried that Bail and Breha were going to arrange a marriage to her to a prince that she had never actually met before. In order to avoid this, Leia ran away to the woods, near the palace, where she learnt how to hunt and survive there. Breha and her husband sent their guards to find Leia and they managed to find her after a week.Star Wars (2015) 33 Leia didn't run away again but she did start escaping to the woods all the time for fun.
====Daughter in distress====
In 9 BBY, the queen officiated a ceremony at Aldera during which Miara Larte of the Alderaanian consular security was promoted to the rank of captain at the request of the viceroy. On that day, several other promotions were handed out as well. During that same year, while preparing for a visit by her sister Celly, brother-in-law Kayo, and nephew, Niano Organa, the queen went to pick up Leia as she was being dressed by her handmaidens. She asked them how the princess was doing before urging them to hurry up as they were running late. After the handmaidens confirmed the princess was ready, Breha began to tell Leia that, because they needed their extended family's support, she should try not to make anyone cry. However, she soon realized that her daughter had tricked her, having an alien friend take her place. The alien informed Breha that Leia insisted she would have found the trick amusing, and Breha deduced that Leia was in the cellar, kitchen, or the woods.
Breha, flanked by two Alderaanian guards, found Leia perched atop a tree where she was shipspotting with her toy droid, Lola, in order to avoid her royal duties. Annoyed, Breha asked Leia why she had to go that day, then ordered her to climb down. As she climbed from the tree. Breha murmured about the difficulties of raising Leia, claiming that it was like raising a Glor-ag. Once the princess was down, Breha informed Leia that she would be taking Lola for the remainder of the day as punishment, but Leia rebuked that the droid had done nothing. Despite this, Breha ordered Leia to shut her down, and the princess reluctantly submitted, shutting off Lola, and Breha placed the droid in her Back pocket. As the two headed toward the royal palace, Breha noted that, if Leia behaved as well as she climbed, she would be a senator already. Breha went on about Leia having to change inside the speeder, but the princess responded that nobody would notice at the reception if she was not there. Breha replied that she would miss her, but Leia complained that all she did was wave. Breha reminded her that she could do more than wave, she could get out of it what she put into it, and Leia apologized meekly for her disturbances. As she went in for a hug, Breha realized that Leia had seized the chance to take back Lola, pointing out that she could feel Leia doing it. An annoyed Breha commanded Leia to follow her, to which the princess answered that she was living in a prison. Unknown to the Organas and their guards, they were being watched by a figure.
Later, as Bail was waiting on a landing pad for the extended Organa family, Breha and Leia came up to him. Bail started talking about what ships Leia had observed in the woods, and Breha implored her husband not to encourage Leia's antics. Just then, the extended Organa family arrived, and Breha and her family greeted them. They were then driven away in a speeder, greeted by crowds of people. At the reception, Bail and Kayo discussed Imperial politics when Breha noticed Bail's irritation and offered him a drink. During the course of the reception, Breha overheard Leia getting into an argument with Niano, so the princess was pulled away by her parents. Leia remarked that Niano was being horrible to everyone, but Breha reminded her that Niano was her cousin. The princess added that Niano was rude to droids, and Breha asked Leia to rise above Niano's criticism. The queen then requested that Leia apologize to her cousin, but she refused. Breha exited the room, so Bail had a conversation with his daughter. However, in spite of Bail's best efforts, Leia ran off into the nearby woods.
Realizing Leia was missing, Bail approached Breha. Unbeknown to them, however, the Third Sister, an Inquisitor wishing to gain favor with Darth Vader, had arranged for Vect Nokru and his crew to kidnap Leia in an attempt to lure out the fugitive Kenobi. Nokru and his henchmen abducted Leia from the forest and took her to the planet Daiyu. As the Third Sister had suspected, Breha and Bail—the latter having Clone Wars–era ties to the Jedi—reached out to Kenobi via hologram after tracking Nokru's ship to Daiyu. Kenobi refused, however, due to his duty to protect Leia's twin brother, Luke, and did not relent until Bail traveled to meet the Jedi in person on Tatooine. The Jedi Master managed to rescue Leia from Nokru, and while still on Daiyu, relayed to the Organas that Leia was safe.
Thanks to the efforts of Kenobi and the anti-Imperial network known as the Hidden Path, Leia was returned to Alderaan. After her return, Breha went to pick up her adoptive daughter, only to find her wearing a holster that had previously belonged to Tala Durith. However, Breha then laughed and revealed that she, in fact, loved it, The two then joined Bail on the landing platform, where they had previously greeted Celly and her family, but were reunited with Kenobi, who had come to Alderaan. As Leia reunited with Lola, who she had left with Kenobi to give him strength for his confrontation with Vader, Breha thanked Kenobi for his help, and he replied that if the Organas ever needed him, they knew where to find him. Standing by as Kenobi and Leia parted ways, she then held her daughter close as Kenobi departed back to Tatooine.
====Leia's Day of Demand====
Before Leia's Day of Demand ceremony, Breha came to Leia with the Rhindon Sword and placed it on Leia's bed before telling her that she would wear the sword, not just during her Day of Demand and her investiture, but also at her wedding, as she reassured Leia that she would get to choose her own spouse. During the discussion, Breha told Leia that the sword was a symbol of their monarchy and a reminder that it was choice, not blood, that chose the ruler of Alderaan as she and Bail had chosen Leia to be their daughter and their future queen. Breha wanted Leia to know that although she came from a family that had many obligations and duties with their privileges, should would always have the right to choose, including who she was going to marry, and when she did marry, Breha would strap the Rhindon Sword around Leia's waist before she went to meet her husband or wife. Breha also told Leia that the sword represented, to all of Alderaan but the rulers especially, that they had the freedom to choose their own fate and they had the skills and weapons needed to defend it.The Princess and the Scoundrel
In 3 BBY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places Leia Organa's birth in 19 BBY. The events of Leia, Princess of Alderaan commence just after Organa's sixteenth birthday, which places the events of the novel in 3 BBY. Breha, Bail and their allies, including Mon Mothma and Winmey Lenz of Chandrila, Tynnra Pamlo of Taris, and Cinderon Malpe of Derella attended Leia's Day of Demand in the palace throne room, during an impending thunderstorm, where Breha was dressed in a bronze silk dress and had her hair piled atop her in braids woven through with strings of beads, while Bail wore the traditional long jacket of the viceroy, causing Leia to think that her parents looked "more regal than usual" and almost forbidding.
When Leia arrived a few meters from her parents, at the front of the throne room, Breha called out the first line of the ceremony by asking who distributed the queen in her 'seat of power.' Leia then reprised her speech by saying she was Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, who came before them to hear them acknowledge on this day that it was known that she had reached her sixteenth year. Continuing with the traditional dialogue, Bail said that they acknowledged that Leia is of age and asked why she came before them armed to which Leia then responded, while kneeling down and holding the Rhindon Sword above her head with one hand, that she came to demand her right to the throne as on that day they would acknowledge her as heir. Breha said that the Crown of Alderaan was not merely inherited, it had to be earned, the heir had to prove herself worthy in body mind and heart then asked if Leia was prepared to do so.
While standing up again and lowering the sword, Leia told her mother and queen that she was and had chosen three challenges that when she undertook and succeeded in them, her parents would invest her as crown princess of Alderaan. Bail told her to reveal the challenges and they would decide if they were worthy. Although Bail and Breha already knew what all Leia's challenges were, Leia stated that for her Challenge of the Body she would climb Appenza Peak and reach its summit, for her Challenge of the Mind she would no longer merely assist her father in the Imperial Senate but would also represent their world in the Apprentice Legislature and for her Challenge of the Heart she would undertake missions of charity and mercy to planets in need, paying all cost from her share of the royal purse, through these challenges she would prove her right to the crown. Breha inclined her head and said that the challenges were worthy. Breha then rose from her throne, while Leia stepped onto the dais and moved the sword back into position in front of her, and wrapped her hand around the sword's hilt, her fingers briefly overlapping with Leia's before her daughter let go of it. Breha then told all those present to bear witness as if her daughter fulfilled the challenges, she would be invested as crown princess, heir to the throne of Alderaan.
At first, when the ceremony was over, Breha and Bail beamed proudly, before the guests began to crowd the pair and they turned away to greet them rather than congratulate their daughter, with Breha taking the hands of Senator Pamlo, thanking her for her presence. Leia had taken this as confirmation of what she had suspected for months, that her parents were ignoring her and no longer cared, as they seemed to be slowly pulling away from her for the past six months.
Breha and her husband also hosted several dinner parties, throughout the year, in the palace's banquet hall, sometimes lasting till dawn, which actually served as strategy meetings to help form the Rebel Alliance. However Leia was unaware of this and believed that her mother had suddenly turned into a society hostess, inviting dignitaries from around the galaxy to sumptuous banquets, and would sometimes catch Breha dozing over the account books the next day, looking to Leia like her mother's responsibilities to her people didn't matter to her anymore, compared to throwing a fabulous party.
Around this time, Breha also organized a pathfinding class for Leia and some of her fellow Apprentice Legislators so that she could get to know them better, but Leia suspected that it was so that Breha wouldn't feel guilty about not spending time with her. Amongst those in the pathfinding class was Amilyn Holdo of Gatalenta and Harp Allor of Chandrila who had been sponsored by the Organas ally Winmey Lenz.
====Refugees from Wobani====
After having spent several hours on coms with angry Imperial officers across the galaxy, Breha also greeted Leia and the refugees that she had brought back from Wobani, following a mercy mission there as part of Leia's Challenge of the Heart, at the Aldera spaceport with an entourage of medical personnel, social workers and the like to help them, as her arrival was announced by a droid. She told the refugees that they were welcome on Alderaan and apologised for not being better prepared to receive them but her team would see to their every need from that moment onwards. She gave them a chance to rest, recover and reflect on their next steps as she pledged that every person that arrived that day would receive a stipend, that would allow them to either travel to another world to family or friends or begin a new life on Alderaan, as her welcome gift to them all. Although royalty on Alderaan was usually cheered by a gentle applause, the people at the spaceport cheered "All hail Queen Breha!"
Once the cheering was over, Breha stepped off the platform she was on, allowing the refugees to begin receiving help, and came towards her daughter, with the crowd parting for her to make a clear path without her needing to hold out her hand or say a word. When she finally approached her daughter, Breha pulled Leia into a warm embrace but when she pulled back, Leia saw that Breha's lips were pressed together in a thin line. Leia, knowing what the look meant, asked her mother what she had done. Breha then demanded that Leia return to the palace.
Breha and Leia moved to the private library in the palace where they argued about Leia's decision to go to Wobani without consulting her parents first and her actions there involving tricking the Imperial major in charge of Wobani as well as her ship being caught at Calderos Station soon after a 'dissent action'. Breha revealed to Leia that her actions had halted, likely permanently, the negotiations of Bail, Mothma and their allies for the relocation of the Wobani population. Breha asked her daughter to remember that she might not have all the facts when entering a situation.
Leia later attended her first pathfinding class, which had been organised by Breha, that were taught by Chief Pangie of the Chandrilan Pathfinding Corps. Amilyn Holdo told Leia, upon meeting her in the class to thank Breha for inviting her to the class. After Holdo commented that she was looking forward to trying pathfinding as and hoped it was dangerous as she wanted to get more comfortable with 'the nearness and inevitability' of death, Leia decided to listen to her mother's advice on trusting her instincts and decided that there was no way Holdo would be handling her ropes. When Leia returned to the palace after her first pathfinding lesson, she wished to speak to her parents about it only to find that they were planning a banquet and had given instructions to not be disturbed.
====Leia's involvement with the rebellion====
When Leia returned from Crait, having discovered her parents involvement in the growing rebellion, Breha greeted Leia in the throne room where the two began to discuss the matter, shortly before Bail arrived. The pair admitted their involvement in the rebellion to Leia but refused to give any more details. Bail and Breha believed that the only protection they could give their daughter was to make sure she was completely innocent so that, if they were all captured and tortured, when the Empire realised Leia truly knew nothing, they may let her go and install her as queen, allowing it to seem like a natural transfer of power. Leia then confessed to her parents that she thought that they had forgotten about her, devastating Bail and Breha who brought her into a hug and reassured her that they loved her and that they were fighting the Empire for her and her future.
Shortly after, Leia's parents greeted her upon her recent return from Coruscant in the family's private library where Breha brought Leia a frosty glass of mintea, Leia's favorite. The pair began catching up with Leia including discussing her upcoming mercy mission to Onoam which had sounded familiar to Bail, almost as if he had heard the name years ago, but before he could recall he and Breha left as Captain Raymus Antilles needed to talk with them in Bail's office.
While on Onoam, one of Naboo's moons Leia met with Quarsh Panaka, an old friend and ally of her biological mother, while wearing the jubilation dress Amidala wore to celebrate the liberation of Naboo from the Trade Federation. Panaka was able to, correctly, deduce that Leia was Amidala's biological daughter and planned on informing Palpatine of this but was stopped as he was assassinated by Saw Gerrera's Partisans who had planted a bomb in his chalet.
When Leia returned home, she overheard her parents discussing the matter in the library. While Bail wanted to take a stand so that they could get the Partisans under control, Breha, while agreeing that Gerrera's judgment was faulty, said that they needed to start asking themselves about how far they were willing to go. The pair were then interrupted by Leia. Breha was relived to see her daughter safe but tried to inquire if there was another reason behind Leia's decision to go to Onoam. Leia wanted to known if her parents were involved in Panaka's death, an accusation that greatly angered Bail, and pointed out that they were fighting against the Empire which meant killing people sooner or later which Breha agreed with. Bail left the library shortly after.
Breha then took Leia to the palace gardens and demanded to know the details of her meeting with Panaka. As Leia recounted the events to her mother, Breha looked as if she had aged years in minutes knowing they "came so close to utter destruction", though Leia claimed that she was closer to destruction than her parents had, Breha explained that while Leia was the person in the greatest danger, more than she could've know, Breha didn't know what they would do. Breha then told Leia about Gerrera and his partisans as well as Bail's reluctance to accept that the rebellion would need to be on a large scale, due to the conflict he saw during the Clone Wars.
A few days later, Bail and Breha hosted another dinner party at the palace with their allies, where they discussed the assassination of Quarsh Panaka. All were in agreement that it was the wrong course of action for Gerrera to take but Breha attempted to persuade the others that they would need to resort to further violence if they were going to take down the Empire. Despite his own feelings on the matter, Bail presented a united front with his wife. After the banquet was over, Breha went to Leia's room to talk with her. During the discussion, Breha commented about how "sometimes it does a girl good to fall for a bit of a scoundrel, now and then", before leaving and causing Leia to wonder who her mother may have fallen for before meeting her father.
Breha discussed the arrests on Christophsis with her husband and daughter over dinner on the terrance where they were all horrified by the events. Breha witnessed Bail loose his temper with Leia, who suggested that they try to preserve Alderaan's freedom rather than actively fighting the Empire, telling her that she was neither a selfish girl or a cowardly one so she should stop acting like it, before he stormed off. Breha reassured her daughter that Bail wasn't truly mad at her he was just reminded of his own logic from not to long ago and was struggling with the fact that there would need to be a large scale conflict.
Prior to another one of the Organas' dinner parties, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who was attempting to catch the Organas and their allies, arrived unexpectedly on Alderaan beforehand, claiming his personal ship, the Carrion Spike, had suffered a systems malfunction and he needed to stop on Alderaan for repairs, forcing Breha to invite him to the dinner party so he didn't suspect anything. Saying it was bad luck to seat an odd number for dinner, Breha also invited Leia to join them for her first official banquet despite heirs usually not getting to attend banquets until after their investiture.
During the dinner party the Organas and most of their guests were served a diluted version of the Alderaanian wine Toniray while Tarkin and a handful of the other guests were served true Toniray, keeping the Organas sharp while slightly dulling Tarkin's party. In an attempt to stop Tarkin from confirming the true purpose of the dinner party, Breha pretended to drunkenly accuse her husband and Mon Mothma of having an affair and implied Bail had cheated on her the year before with a girl from Corellia.
This caused Leia to burst into sobs, despite knowing the fight was an act, and angered Tarkin, causing him to storm out despite Bail pretending to apologize. With Tarkin gone, Breha reassured her daughter that the fight was not real and surprised some of their allies when they realized that the Organas had told their teenage daughter about their growing rebellion, to which Leia said that her parents hadn't told her, she'd figured it out.
A short while later, Breha was present in the family's private library while Bail and Leia argued about her recent trip with her friend Amilyn Holdo where they uncovered that Winmey Lenz had no loyalty to the rebels and was just attempting to benefit from whichever side won. Breha attempted to clam her husband and suggested to her husband that they allow Leia to become involved in the rebellion starting with controlled conditions, such as taking Leia with him to Paucris Major, where the rebels were refurbishing their ships, on a supply convoy. Bail angrily stated that he wouldn't use Leia like a skifter in a sabacc deck and that if Breha would then he was not sure that he had ever known her. Breha was hurt by his words and Bail was shocked at having said them, Bail then walked out the library and left for Coruscant later that night.
For the next few days, Breha would be saddened and angry, even snapping at 2V on one occasion, though she apologized immediately after, and walked around the palace wearing her robes rather than her formal wardrobe and not having her hair done up properly. Despite her own feelings, Breha encouraged Leia to return to Coruscant to attend the ball being hosted at the Imperial Palace, stating that their home would always be their but Leia would only get to go to this ball once.
====Re-climbing Appenza Peak====
A few days later, while Breha was getting ready for a medal ceremony on Alderaan, she was brought into a holo call with Mon Mothma by Leia who informed them that Tarkin had figured out that the rebels were stationed on Paucris, where Bail currently was, and was on his way to apprehend them. Leia was the only one free so she was forced to leave in order to inform Bail and the other rebels of the Empire. Although both her daughter and husband were in danger, Breha could do nothing and had to attend the medal ceremony, as it would look suspicious if she cancelled it. Leia was able to warn Bail and the others, with the help of Holdo, and Breha greeted them once they returned.
Later in the year, Leia officially joined her parents' rebellion and participated in her coronation to become crown princess of Alderaan, following the completion of her three challenges, including her Challenge of the Body, where Breha climbed Appenza Peak with her like she did when she herself was sixteen. During the climb Breha wore military-issue all-terrain gear and told told Leia, while whipping her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand before picking up her water bottle which she had brought with her, that it was even more beautiful than she had remembered and she should have done it along time ago, or maybe not as she though it may have been best that she was there with Leia. Leia then asked if where Breha's accident happened, which Breha answered by saying that they had passed it some way back, not that she knew the spot exactly as it was 'something of a blur' as she thought Leia could imagine. When Leia pointed out that it was high enough to grant her the summit and say she passed her challenge, Breha raised her eyebrow and said that she wasn't granted the summit as she made the ascent fair and clean and that what nobody ever says is that descents are even harder. Breha sat crossed legged and told her that they took their challenges-at their lessons- as things they mastered in order to achieve their goals but sometimes in life the most important lessons in life have to do with what happens when they fail: how do they know when to surrender and walk away? How do they judge their own part in their failures? 'Is it something to learn from or just bad luck?' And how do they pick themselves up again afterward? As Leia looked toward the horizon, where the palace was, Breha told her daughter that she was learning the most powerful lesson of all: she was learning how to fall.
Breha and Bail, decked in all white, took their places in the traditional ceremony for Leia to become crown princess of Alderaan, with Mon Mothma, Ress Batten, Amilyn Holdo and Chassellon Stevis all present, speaking the traditional dialogue by saying that she judged Leia had completed her challenges with great strength and even greater spirit and in 'all ways' had proven herself worthy. Breha held the Rhindon Sword with Leia and Bail placing the Heir's Crown on Leia's head. Breha then announced that her daughter was thereby invested as crown princess, heir to the throne of Alderaan, causing the room to fill with applause and cheers. In time, Princess Leia replaced her father in the Senate and joined the Alliance.
===Death===
Shortly after the Battle of Scarif in 0 BBY, Vader—who did not know Leia was his daughter—captured the princess, who had been part of the theft of the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's planet-killing deep space mobile battle station. Leia was captured and brought aboard the Death Star, where she was interrogated for information about the location of the Rebel base—the Great Temple on Yavin 4. Meanwhile, Breha anxiously awaited her husband's return from Yavin 4. Supported by Visaiya, Breha busied herself with her daily schedule. Eventually, the queen grew weary, so she asked that Visaiya cancel all her other appointments for the day. Increasingly worried about her family members, Breha told Visaiya that Captain Anderam had asked her to stop raising him. When Visaiya asked if she could go and keep watch, Breha explained that Captain Anderam had asked not to be disturbed. Breha decided to rest, but was approached by her daughter's attendant droid, WA-2V, who asked if Leia preferred silk or satin for the upcoming equinox in three weeks. Breha, however, responded by asking that she not be disturbed. The Minister of Finance, Lintreyst, and her daughter's old tutor droid, CZ-7OB, then followed the queen into the royal apartment, seeking an audience. Meanwhile, Breha told Visaiya there was hardly a credit in the budget to spare on the gown, then told Lintreyst that resources for the gala were allocated months ago, and then 2V to bring one of her gowns from storage. She then allowed 2V to fetch a crystal for Leia's gown, as well as allowing CZ-70B to follow her into her private apartment.
In her private apartment, the queen watched the sun set over the Juran Mountains. CZ-70B then informed the queen that there was a discrepancy in Leia's diplomatic records, as the records claimed that the princess spoke Huttese and Shyriiwook fluently. The droid also pointed out that the princess was merely proficient in Shyriiwook, and that such an error might cause her embarrassment. Breha assured him that it was not his fault, adding that she could not imagine a scenario in which Leia would need to be fluent in Shyriiwook. CZ-70B then informed the queen that Leia had altered the record herself. Breha commented that such an action sounded just like her daughter, and then sent CZ-70B to fix the record.
Bail eventually returned to Alderaan, and, upon his arrival, Breha asked him if the Scarif rumors were true. Though Bail attempted to assuage his wife's fears, she revealed that the Emperor had disbanded the Imperial Senate, so he informed her of the Tantive IV alleged destruction. Breha, terrified, asked if a squadron should be sent to investigate the wreckage, and Bail reassured her that he had already sent one to look for Tantive IV, though he warned his wife that they were now at war. He went on to say that their personal loss would have to be balanced against the Alliance's needs, but Breha insisted that she would not give up. Bail warned her that the war had just begun and that it would be fought by Leia when they found her, explaining to his wife that they could not risk sending another ship because the Tantive IV had already been caught. Refusing to do nothing, Breha contacted Captain Anderam.
Two days later, while they were attending a briefing of the Alderaanian generals, the Organas were contacted by Captain Anderam, who informed them that a massive object had moved into orbit. As communication failed, Bail led his wife outside, where they saw the Death Star rise into Alderaan's sky. Organa immediately realized what was about to happen and informed his wife that it was the Empire's planet-killing superweapon, which horrified her. Breha then tried to tell Bail ways they could escape and save as many Alderaanians as they could, but the Death Star fired, causing Bail pull her into his arms. As the ripple of destruction reached them, the two reassured each other that Leia was alive.
Unbeknownst to the Organas, Leia had refused to provide the location to the rebel's hidden base, so Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Death Star's commander and the Governor of the Outer Rim Territories, threatened to destroy Alderaan if she did not comply. The princess provided a false location and though Tarkin trusted her, the Grand Moff nonetheless chose to target Alderaan; as the Empire considered it to be a haven for rebellious activity, and Tarkin believed destroying it would be an effective demonstration of the station's power.
===Legacy===
====Impact on the Rebellion====
As Leia was walked away from the overbridge on the Death Star, and back to her cell where she was being held, her mother was amongst the things she thought of that she realized were now gone that she would do anything to bring back including trading herself.
After the planet's destruction, which Alderaanians who were off-world took to calling "the Disaster," the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.
With Breha Organa's passing, many surviving Alderaanians viewed Leia as their queen despite Alderaan's destruction. One of these Alderaanians was Breha's former student Evaan Verlaine, who referred to her as such upon meeting her.
Statues of the Queen and the Viceroy were raised in the Rebel base on Yavin 4 as a tribute to the royal couple. Several individuals paid their respects to the couple there and several wreaths were laid down at the base of the statues.
During a ceremony commemorating the Rebellion's victory, where two of the Heroes of Yavin were given Medals of Bravery, also known as the Medal of Alderaan,Lead by Example Leia asked that the Rebels in attendance honor those who died on Alderaan, including her adoptive parents. Though some in the crowd found Leia's speech to lack emotion and she was nicknamed the 'Ice Princess'.
Amongst those in attendance at the ceremony was Miara Larte, who had been off world when Alderaan was destroyed, and her Alderaanian crew who were given a place of privilege at the front. When Miara looked at Leia she noted that she was as compelling as her mother had been and gentle in the manner of her father. Though Miara had heard people call Leia cold she couldn't find fault in how Leia chose to carry herself as the rebellion demanded nearly everything of the princess and so Miara wasn't going to criticize her if she wanted to grieve in private. Miara also remembered the ceremony formalized by Breha when she was promoted to captain.
Evaan was also in attendance and she shh'd two individuals who were speaking during Leia's speech and, likewise, paid her respects to the royals in front of the statues. As Leia coped with her loss in a way that made her seem indifferent, Evaan resented the princess for not mourning her parents properly, and called her an 'Ice Princess' and claimed that if she couldn't cry for her subjects then she could have at least cried for the loss of her father. She also suggested that Leia wasn't paying proper respect to the loss of her parents and claiming that she was frost blooded.
Evaan nonetheless pledged her loyalty to the princess, bowing before her, despite Leia's protests, and Evaan even telling her about her past as Breha's student, before the two left Yavin 4 on a mission to save living Alderaanians from the wrath of the Empire. Eventually, Breha's chalcedony waves were bestowed upon the Sullustan Nien Nunb, as a reward for his help evacuating Alderaanians from Sullust.
A starship that served the Rebel Alliance was called the Breha. Between 0 ABY and 3 ABY,"The Trouble at Tibrin" takes place in between Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 0 ABY and 3 ABY respectively. Leia and Luke Skywalker used the ship on a mission to the aquatic planet Tibrin, where they posed as members of the Naboo House Berenko there to negotiate a trade deal. The Breha was later blown into the water by Imperials during the mission but both Leia and Skywalker escaped.
Between 0 ABY and 1 ABY,This issue takes place after the Alliance to Restore the Republic's victory at Yavin, which is featured in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 0 BBY. The issue also takes place prior to the assault on the Mako-Ta Space Docks, which Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition dates to around one year after the Battle of Yavin, meaning that it takes place in 1 ABY. Therefore, this issue must take place between 0 ABY and 1 ABY. while with Skywalker on a ocean planet, Leia recalled when she believed her parents were going to arrange a marriage for her so she hid in the woods for a week, recalling it as the best week of her life.
====A daughter's loss====
In 4 ABY, after an Alliance meeting to discuss approving Operation Yellow Moon, Princess Leia and Mon Mothma discussed why Leia was hesitant to leave the Alliance to rescue her love Han Solo, who had been frozen in carbonite and was being held by Jabba the Hutt as a wall decoration on the wall of his palace. During the conversation, Mothma told Leia that she was Bail and Breha's "greatest joy" and that the love they shared was what sustained them through the dark years. She then told Leia not to deny herself another chance at love because of what the Empire did to them, not to give Palpatine that victory too. Mothma then approved Operation Yellow Moon but said that Leia was to tell her anything she needed. Finally, Mothma told Leia to come back "safe and sound" as losing her would be unbearable to Mothma and many others.
Leia once called Han a "scoundrel," which Breha had once told her daughter that it does do a girl good to fall for every now and then. But when Leia later remarked that she wished that Han had met her parents, he joked that he didn't need their disapproval.
When Leia announced her and Han's engagement to Mon Mothma shortly after the Battle of Endor, Mothma said she only wished that Bail and Breha could be there, causing Leia to remember the conversation she'd had with her mother about the Rhindon Sword and her eventual marriage shortly before her Day of Demand, Leia then thought of the little things lost to her because of Alderaan's destruction and how it meant that her mother would never attach the Rhindon Sword to her waist. Later, during the wedding ceremony, the wedding officiant, Luke Skywalker, Leia's twin brother, asked for a moment of silence for those who couldn't join in the festivities. When Leia thought of Bail and Breha she felt as though someone was placing the Rhindon Sword on her waist. Though it was not real she felt certain that her mother had strapped it to her waist.
While Leia was on the ice moon Madurs, during her honeymoon, Leia noticed the attention her honeymoon was garnering from the press, though Leia knew that the only thing people loved more than a hero was a fallen hero. This reminded Leia of her mother's fall from Appenza Peak with Leia knowing that the greater her happiness rose the harder she would fall.
It was eventually revealed to the galaxy that Leia was the biological daughter of Darth Vader, using a music box, that Leia used to keep in her keepsake chest, where Bail had stored a recorded message of himself, telling Leia of her heritage. Once the keepsake chest and music box had been returned to her, Leia listened to the rest of her father's message, that hadn't been played before the Senate, where he said that his and Breha's love for Leia would endure past their deaths and that they would forever be by her side, in her brightest triumphs and darkest troubles.
Eventually, a collection of documents pertaining to Queen Breha were stored in the archives of the Alderaan Memorial on Coruscant, including the letter in which she learned of little Leia's pending arrival. Breha was also prominently featured in a biography of Leia Organa written during the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order.
==Personality and traits==
Breha Organa was a human female with tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Her hair began to grey in later years. After her Day of Demand at age sixteen, Breha's torso would often appear to be glowing due to the light emanating from the uncovered pulmonodes.
Shortly after the Clone Wars, she wore a blue metallic gown with slit sleeves and a collar adorned with a gold buckle-like brooch. When she wore that gown, the queen braided a golden fabric into her hair, wrapped it around her head, and put on a semi-transparent blue shawl. In informal settings Breha wore simple velvet robes and let her hair down.
Breha was smart and understood the importance of diplomacy, ruling Alderaan with a kind and even hand, she was loved by her people for her fairness and was quick to respond in a crisis.
She attached a great importance to education, taking time to teach several pupils in person, in addition to her royal duties. While Bail worked to build the loose underground network of cells that would eventually become the Rebel Alliance, Breha mentored several students including Evaan Verlaine. Breha also ensured that Leia was prepared for the future to be a ruler in her own right.
Breha also attempted to teach Leia about the divide between herself and others many times telling her, starting from when Leia was too young to understand how their happy home could ever be lonely, that 'the palace could be an isolated place' and though they had many privileges they had to make sacrifices too and they had to bear their burdens on their own. Though, she reassured Leia that she would get to choose her own spouse when the time came. She also told Leia to follow her instincts while Bail sometimes told Leia that she made up her mind too quickly about people. Leia chose to take Breha's advice when deciding to not let Amilyn Holdo handle her ropes during their pathfinding class. She also told Leia to more than wave, when the ten year old princess once complained that that was all she ever did, and that she should get out what she put into it. Breha also told Leia that it did do a girl good to fall for "a bit of a scoundrel, now and then" a word Leia later used to describe Han Solo, who she later married.
Like her husband, Breha showed deep concern for her daughter such as when she was kidnapped as a child and initially worked to keep her unaware of their involvement with the rebellion as she and Bail both believed that it was the best way to keep Leia safe should they be caught. However, Breha eventually came to realize that Leia needed to be involved in the fight against the Empire and tried to convince her husband to let her become slowly integrated into the Alliance.
Though she was raised by her mother to cherish peace, she was "no fool" and knew that Palpatine's reign couldn't end without further violence as well as a rebellion on a large scale and tried to get others like her husband to realize that as well, however she didn't approve of the extreme methods of Saw Gerrera such as the assassination of Quarsh Panaka saying that his judgment was faulty, though she was relieved that his death meant that he couldn't pass on the truth of Leia's heritage to Palpatine.
It was said that Breha Organa did not need a crown or jewels to command attention, draw attention, or appear every bit a queen. Following a mercy mission to Wobani where a hundred Wobani citizens were unexpectedly brought back to Alderaan, Breha greeted them at the Aldera spaceport with an entourage of medical personnel, social workers and the like to help them. This caused the citizens to cheer for her and Ress Batten to note that the queen "pulls her act together pretty quick," causing Breha's daughter, Leia, to claim that her act is "always together" and she was "born with it together." This was something Leia both admired and envied about her mother.
Breha would also say, although royalty no longer wasted money on finery, that it was silly not to use a perfectly good bed, or tiara, or palace which was why Leia still used her bed, an artifact of a grand age made from Glee Anselm hardwoods and inlaid with pure silver and gold.
Breha had a way of speaking to her husband without using words. They had such a perfect understanding at times Leia would think that they wouldn't need to talk at all and it took her a long time to realize that not all spouses were like this and that not everyone found the kind of love that was "like sharing souls."
==Skills and abilities==
Unbeknownst to most people, including her daughter, Breha Organa mastered several forms of hand-to-hand fighting, and she mentored a group of selected pupils in combat. Breha was also fairly skilled at mountain climbing, having scaled Appenza Peak for her Challenge of the Body, though she did fall down off it later, and doing so again as her daughter's companion, for Leia's own Challenge of the Body, several years later.
Breha was skilled at accounting and had charge of the royal books, balancing the many accounts and personally overseeing the funding of all public works on Alderaan. She later used this in order to secretly funnel money towards the growing rebellion.
Breha also planted Malastarian orchids, and her daughter later learned to plant and care for orchids.
==Equipment==
Breha Organa usually wore long gowns, including a blue and bronze slash-sleeved gown that mirrored the beautiful oceans and tranquil valleys of Alderaan.Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia She at one point also owned the chalcedony waves, which she eventually passed down to her daughter, who wore them during the Royal Award Ceremony on Yavin 4. Breha's state wardrobe also included a dress made of bronze silk, which she wore with her hair piled high atop her head, in braids that were woven through with strings of beads, which she wore for her daughter's Day of Demand.
When greeting Padmé Amidala for the first time, in the palace throne room, Organa wore the Crown of Alderaan, which was woven into the braid that twisted up on the top of her head, and a high-necked gown of silver and blue, with a wide skirt and a flat reinforced bodice, that covered her pulmonodes.
When Breha greeted Leia and the refugees that she had brought back from Wobani, at the Aldera spaceport, she wore a long gown of russet silk and blue velvet with ribbons of each fabric braided into an elaborate hairstyle.
Breha also wore a red silk wrapper, a green dress with wide skirts, and a deep red silk robe, on less formal occasions, usually with her hair down.
==Behind the scenes==
===Character origins===
"Queen Breha" first appeared in George Lucas's 1974 rough draft of what would become Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where she was the wife of King Kayos of Aquilae, and the mother of a spoiled, fourteen-year-old Princess Leia.The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film In this 132-page early story treatment, Breha was described as "a warm, silver-haired matron." Leia's mother was absent from the final version of the story, which was released on the silver screen on May 25, 1977. However, in 2013, George Lucas's rough draft was adapted into a non-canon comic book series called The Star Wars. That series featured the character Breha of Aquilae, drawn by Mike MayhewThe Star Wars 1 in a style that resembles a concept drawing of Princess Leia in Cloud City, originally made by Ralph McQuarrie for Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.The Art of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
George Lucas resurrected the character early in the production of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the third installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In December 2002, he informed his production staff that Princess Leia's surrogate mother would appear in the movie. Lucas described her as a trustworthy, peaceful woman in her mid-thirties, and illustrator Iain McCaig drew several conceptual artworks based on that description. In one of his drawings, McCaig gave Breha the traits of Padmé Amidala, in an attempt to explain how Leia could remember seeing the smile of her mother. In another piece of concept art, McCaig sought to recreate the likeness of his wife Leonor.
===Portrayal===
In May 2005, Breha Organa made her on-screen debut in Revenge of the Sith, in which she was portrayed by Australian actress and singer Rebecca Jackson Mendoza. Despite being a fan of the original trilogy, Jackson Mendoza did not immediately realize the significance of her role in the Star Wars franchise. When her brothers helped her understand that the Queen was none other than the adopted mother of Princess Leia, her excitement over the role increased. Rebecca Jackson Mendoza remembered having watched the original trilogy as a child, wishing she could be Princess Leia. In light of all that, Jackson Mendoza came to regard that role as something of an accomplishment. Andrea Wagner-Barton, editor Roger Barton's wife, served as a stand-in for Jackson Mendoza in the scene where Breha holds Leia, as their infant son Aidan was playing Leia, though Rebecca did play Breha in the scene when Bail hands Leia over to her.
A single robe, referred to as the "Alderaan Palace Dress" in Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars,Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars was created for Jackson Mendoza by Trisha Biggar, who worked as costume designer for all three prequel films. That robe, which Jackson Mendoza compared to a "green wedding gown," was originally going to be made of velvet, until the fabric was changed for fear it would come off too dark on screen.
===Further development===
Queen Breha received significant character development in Claudia Gray's 2017 young-adult novel Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Gray said it staggered her to realize how little had been written about Breha, who had such a central position in the narrative of Star Wars, being Leia's adopted mother, and a queen at the core of the Rebellion. Therefore, she was keen on giving her a role and a personality. In the 2022 live-action television series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Breha is portrayed by Simone Kessell.
Breha is also set to appear alongside her husband Bail in the novel Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear, with editor Tom Hoeler confirming her appearance ahead of release and joking that it would be illegal to have Bail appear in a story without his wife. With her recent appearances, Hoeler remarked that she was as much the fandom's queen as Bail's.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
Category:Alliance to Restore the Republic members
Category:Cyborgs with prosthetics
Category:Females
Category:Galactic Republic individuals
Category:House of Organa
Category:Humans
Category:Individuals with disabilities
Category:Individuals with she/her pronouns
Category:Martial artists
Category:Monarchs of Alderaan