'Star Wars Rebels' Reveals Princess Leia With First Photo

Sidelined though she may have been, ~~Princess~~ General Leia thrilled fans with Carrie Fisher’s return to the role for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and now we’ll get the opportunity to see the original Star Wars heroine in a new light. As long expected, Princess Leia will pop up on Star Wars Rebels this season, but will Carrie Fisher be along for the ride?

As revealed over at TVInsider, Princess Leia will make a solitary appearance this season in January 20 installment “A Princess in Lothal,” albeit voiced by Julie Dolan, rather than Carrie Fisher. The episode in question will see Leia, still “officially” aligned with the Empire at this point, arriving on Lothal with a secret mission to bring ships for the rebel fleet, a mission complicated by an Imperial lockdown.

Says supervising producer Dave Filoni of the younger Leia:

We thought we had an opportunity to show her learning to be a leader, experimenting with the personality that becomes the stronger more resolute character you see in A New Hope. One of the complex challenges of depicting Leia in Rebels is that we have to remind the audience that at this point she is part of the Empire. She doesn’t believe in the Empire, but she is acting the part, almost a double agent.

Leia becomes the latest of many Original Trilogy characters putting in Rebels appearances (the majority voiced by their original portrayers), including Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian, Grand Moff Tarkin, Yoda, C-3PO and R2-D2.

In the meantime, check out the first photo above, and stay tuned for more details of Princess Leia’s arrival on Star Wars Rebels!

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