Warning! SPOILERS for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 1.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show explored Leia's relationship with her parents Bail and Breha Organa. Senator Bail Organa had a background presence in both the sequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a political ally of Padmé Amidala, a senator who opposed the war and grew concerned with the powers increasingly invested personally in Chancellor Palpatine. Bail was a signatory of the Petition of Two Thousand, in which senators attempted to force the Chancellor's hand after the death of General Grievous.
As seen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Bail became an unwitting witness to Order 66 when he visited the Jedi Temple and was almost killed. He helped Yoda and Obi-Wan escape Coruscant and offered to adopt Anakin and Padmé's daughter Leia. His wife Breha was unable to bear a child, and they had long been considering adopting a war orphan anyway. Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 1 jumps forward ten years, with the first episode exploring the relationship between Leia and her adopted parents. Their love for Leia was obvious, although they clearly struggled to keep Leia's fiery temper in check.
Alderaan was secretly Palpatine's greatest mistake. The Clone Wars had transformed Alderaan, and though the planet remained peaceful its population were more determined than ever to oppose evil. Refugees from the Clone Wars flocked there, and according to E.K. Johnston's novel Queen's Hope, the planet became "more cosmopolitan, more creative. More dangerous to those who stood for evil." Bail became a key figure in the nascent rebellion, attempting to unite disparate rebel groups and working with a network of Fulcrum agents to spy on the Empire. One of these was the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, and Bail would already have been working closely with Ahsoka by the time of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This, tragically, explains why Grand Moff Tarkin targeted Alderaan. Palpatine had constructed a surveillance state like no other, and by the time of the original trilogy he would have known full well Alderaan was a power player in the Rebellion. Bail was briefly seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but he made the mistake of returning to his homeworld and to his wife's side - never realizing the Death Star would be used to destroy Alderaan. Leia's parents died with their planet.
Bail and Breha had a legacy nonetheless, because their daughter Leia would go on to become one of the galaxy's greatest heroes. The destruction of Alderaan backfired, because many joined the Rebellion believing they could not remain blind to the Empire's atrocities. Years later, as revealed in Claudia Gray's novel Star Wars: Bloodline, Leia would discover a holo-message left for her by her parents, one where they revealed she was really the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala - but where Leia's adopted parents restated their love for her, in a heartfelt and poignant message. Tragically, this became a double-edged sword, as the recording confirmed Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and Leia's opponents used it to end her political career. They argued the daughter of Darth Vader could not be trusted with power.
Bail and Breha Organa are two of the most underrated heroes of Star Wars. They dared to oppose the Empire, and they - and their world - paid a fearsome price to do so. Yet, Star Wars' Rebel Alliance itself stands as their legacy - and the heroism of Leia Organa as testimony to the upbringing they gave her. It's a delight to see the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series finally reveal their relationship with Leia on the small screen.
