It's hard to believe, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released nearly a year ago. With Disney now leading the Star Wars franchise, we can expect a new blockbuster every December for the foreseeable future, and this year will be a doozy. Because in one month's time the very first Star Wars standalone movie will be released. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will bridge the gap between the prequel trilogy and A New Hope, while also following an entirely new group of characters as they attempt to steal the plans to the original Death Star. But there are a few familiar faces returning, including Leia's adopted father Bail Organa, once again played by Jimmy Smits.
News that Bail Organa would be returning to the franchise was an exciting way to keep hardcore fans invested in Rogue One, but how exactly is the character doing in the overall timeline right before A New Hope? Is he hanging out an Alderaan hoping not to get blown up? Luckily, we now have the first glimpse at Leia's father, and he looks pretty modest.
This first image comes to us from a Twitter user who found the still in a new US Weekly. Here we can see the first look at Bail Organa in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and he's looking pretty different from the prequels. Of course, this probably doesn't bode well for the character, as we know what happened to Alderaan in A New Hope. Alas, let's explore what the hell Bail Organa might be doing in Rogue One.
To start, it's clear that Bail Organa isn't living quite as large as he was in the prequel trilogy. At that point, he was a Senator in the Galactic Senate and had a fair amount of power. But after democracy died in the galaxy (to thunderous applause), he was presumably fairly useless in The Empire's rule. Additionally, he was one of the founding members of the Rebel Alliance, and helped raise Leia to rebel against Darth Vader and his forces.
Bail Organa's active role in The Rebellion explains his inclusion in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In the spinoff, we'll see how The Rebellion operated before Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia provided a new hope for the group. It seems like The Rebels will be in a sorry position, and this is likely reflected in Organa's more modest costuming. Furthermore, we'll see first hand how important stopping the Death Star is, as we have a face to put to the doomed Alderaan's name.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will fly into theaters on December 16th, complete with Jimmy Smits' return as Bail Organa.
