The Leia Organa storyline. Portrayed by the late Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia Organa was one of the main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy and has gone on to be one of the most iconic female characters in movie history. Not only was she strong-willed, but she had a sharp wit that allowed her to take on anyone she faced verbally.

In The Empire Strikes Back, it became obvious that Luke Skywalker, and their friends working together to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt’s palace, where he was frozen in carbonite. For years, it was unclear how Leia found the disguise she wore in Jabba’s palace, but one sequel trilogy character actually gave her a helping hand.

How Maz Kanata Helped Leia Rescue Han

This Can Be Seen In Forces of Destiny

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny is a unique concept because it's composed of short, less than five-minute episodes that not only connect characters across different Star Wars titles, but also help fill in some minor gaps in Star Wars fans’ knowledge. In Forces of Destiny season 2, episode 6, Leia Organa and Chewbacca look for one of Han’s friends who may be able to help them in their rescue attempt of the pilot. While searching, they come across Maz Kanata, and it’s revealed that she and Han had already been friends for years - and she was familiar with Chewie.

When a bounty hunter attacks Leia, Chewie, and Maz, they fight back, eventually disarming and knocking out the bounty hunter. Maz says that the bounty hunter's outfit is about the same size as Leia's and encourages her to take on the disguise to breach Jabba’s palace and rescue Han. Even in such a short amount of time together, it’s evident that Leia has a great deal of respect for Maz, and Maz returns the sentiment, even telling Chewie that Leia’s a keeper.

Maz Kanata was initially introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

It's Great To See A Connection Between Leia & Maz Kanata

Both Are Integral in the Star Wars Franchise

Leia may be a more well-known character, but Maz Kanata was an essential part of the Resistance’s success in the sequel trilogy. Though Leia led the Resistance, she had from Maz, which led to their victory over Palpatine’s Final Order. It’s wonderful to see this connection between Leia and Maz, simply because it shouldn’t be a relationship explored offscreen. While Forces of Destiny is not a widely watched show, these shorts are integral in establishing relationships between characters that audiences aren't aware of. Hopefully, Star Wars continues putting out these shorts to further enrich our understanding of character’s relationships.