30 Greatest Star Wars Characters

5. Leia Organa

Back when she was first introduced in 1977, Princess Leia was something of a revolutionary character. She wasn't a damsel to be rescued, like those other princesses of the fantasy genre, and she was instrumental in saving the galaxy from the tyrannical Empire. The late, spectacular Carrie Fisher made all of this possible.

In Episode IV, she handles her own, wields a blaster, and proves instrumental in the destruction of the Death Star. She does this all, by the way, while leading the way in front of Han, Luke and Ben. Then in Empire Strikes Back, she's the commander of the Rebel Alliance and presides over the evacuation of Hoth, before rescuing Han Solo in Return of the Jedi and leading the Resistance against the resurgent tyranny of the First Order in The Force Awakens, when the Republic refuses to take it seriously.

Leia is a stunning, innovative and wonderful creation, and one who owes much of her success to Fisher's performance. Yes, the character has been through the occasional rough patch (kissing her brother in Empire and that unfortunate bikini in Return), but you'd struggle to find a Star Wars character who has managed to make as big an impact onscreen as they have off it as she.