A younger version of Princess Leia is set to appear on Star Wars: Rebels this season.
It had previously been hinted that season 2 of Rebels would feature a major character from the original series and TV Insider has now revealed that this will be Leia Organa. She will make her debut on the episode "A Princess in Lothal," in which she is sent to Lothal on a secret mission only to be caught up in an Imperial lockdown.
“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,” said executive producer Dave Filoni. “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.”
Rebels is set in the years prior to the original Star Wars and so Leia will be a teenager in this appearance. The character's voice will be provided by Julie Dolan, known for voicing Leia in the video game Star Wars: Uprising.
The Disney XD cartoon, which takes place in the same universe as the Star Wars films and The Clone Wars, has done very well for the network. In fact, not long into the second season, the show was renewed for a third year.
Princess Leia's Star Wars: Rebels episode airs on Jan. 20.