Princess Leia to Appear on Star Wars Rebels This Month
The hit Star Wars animated series, Star Wars Rebels, has been on a little bit of a break for the past couple of months, but the show returns with a bang and an appearance from a classic character this month. Disney XD and Lucasfilm have confirmed that the iconic, classic Star Wars character, Princess Leia Organa, will make appearance on a new episode of Star Wars Rebels this month. The new episode, “A Princess on Lothal,” airs next week. The episode will mark the first appearance of a young Princess Leia in the series.
According to materials from Lucasfilm, this episode of Rebels will be currently set three years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Leia is introduced in the show as a young leader on her way to becoming the strong and resolute character depicted in the original trilogy.
Speaking on Leia’s appearance , executive producer/supervising director Dave Filoni stated: “One of the complex challenges of depicting Leia in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ is that we have to remind the audience that she is part of the Empire at this point. She doesn’t believe in the Empire, but she is acting the part, almost as a double agent. The Empire sees her as a privileged princess who runs mercy missions to wayward worlds, but in truth she is much stronger and more dangerous than they imagine.” Filoni added, “There really is no other character quite like her. And to quote The Force Awakens’ Lor San Tekka, ‘She’ll always be royalty to me.’”
Julie Dolan will provide the voice of young Princess Leia for the series. She previously voiced the Rebel leader for Disney’s Star Tours attraction. This will be the beginnings of the seasoned general who fans meet again in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, with her royal heritage eclipsed by her hard-won military stature.
In “A Princess on Lothal,” an aide to Bail Organa (Princess Leia) is sent to Lothal with ships for the Rebel fleet. However, an Imperial lockdown forces the Rebels to create a new plan to steal the vehicles. You can check out the first clip and some images for the episode below. Star Wars Rebels returns to Disney XD with “A Princess on Lothal” on Wednesday, January 20 at 9:00 pm ET/PT.