When new books are released there are always tons of cool little facts that don't really fit anywhere in a video of their own
that I still think are interesting and worth talking about
So here's a list of facts, small connections, references and pieces of trivia from 'Leia, Princess of Alderaan'
Be aware that spoilers for the book are ahead
The heir to the throne of Alderaan has to declare their right to the throne on the Day of Demand
The position of Queen or King was not merely inherited, it had to be earned
In ancient days that included combat of some sort as a sign of strength
In Leia's time she had to undergo challenges of mind, body and spirit
During her Day of Demand Leia wields a ceremonial blade called the Rhindon Sword
That was also the name of a sword that appeared multiple times throughout the Chronicles of Narnia
It took more than a thousand years to build the Palace of Alderaan
New chambers were added every few decades
This book features Breha Organa prominently in what might be her largest role in any Star Wars story both canon and Legends
This is only her second real appearance in the Star Wars canon
As Queen, Breha tended to Alderaan itself while Bale represented its interest in the Senate
One of her biggest responsibilities was to oversee all of Alderaan's accounts and funding of public works
This allowed her to funnel money into the growing Rebellion
It's also mentioned that Bray Howe was in an accident when she was a teenager
that required her heart and lungs to be replaced by artificial organs called pulmonodes
Leia visits the planet Wobani before it becomes a prison camp
It was once an average but lively world until Palpatine enacted the Commodities Enhancement Program
which put in place impossible quotas for the farmers until they were forced to sell their land to the Empire
Wobani then collapsed into the state we see in Rogue One
This is also very similar to what happened to the Pryce mine of Lothal in the book 'Thrawn'
Captain Raymus Antilles of the Tantive IV makes multiple appearances and mentions that he saw combat before
This could be a reference to the fight in the book 'Ahsoka', or maybe he fought directly in the Clone Wars as well
Vice Admiral Holdo is introduced as a teenage girl
Her real name is Amilyn Holdo from Gatalenta, a planet first mentioned in 'Bloodline', another book by Claudia Gray
Some of the more wealthy citizens on Coruscant dabbled in an odd fashion choice
They would have temporary extra body parts like tails bioengineered under their figure
They wouldn't last more than a few months before, I guess, falling off
Leia met Tarkin for the first time at the age of 16
Her reputation for finding legal loopholes preceded her and he remarked on her talent of finding and exploiting weaknesses
It's a nice nod to their future relationship
Tarkin has a few scenes with the Organa family and they are all at least a little terrifying
Leah's love interest in the book is a fellow Alderaanian named Kier Domadi
He likes studying history, specifically the Clone Wars era
He's literally a Star Wars nerd within Star Wars, and he's wonderful
At one point Kier tells Leia she did a good job and she replies, "I know"
I liked Kier all but she and Han are perfect for each other
Leia first hears about and visits the planet Crait in this book, suspecting it has something to do with insurgent attacks on the Empire
She investigates, and it turns out that's where she first learns that her family is involved with the rebellion
Leia also visits one of the moons orbiting Naboo
Seeing the planet gives her an unexpected pang of sadness
Although she can't pinpoint why
A new Queen of Naboo is introduced named Dalné
The position of Queen is now ceremonial with all governmental control passing to the regional governor
That governor is Moff Panaka
Yes, that Panaka
His rank of Moff was something established in Legends and was also mentioned in a canon reference book
But this is the first actual story source that provides confirmation
Leia needs a change of clothes and Queen Dalné offers her a dress
The description of which sounds very similar to the dress worn by Padmé at the end of The Phantom Menace
When Panaka sees Leia for the first time and she's wearing that dress
He briefly mistakes her for Padmé and is visibly shaken
He does some digging into her adoption and it's very likely he discovered her true identity
He is then conveniently assassinated by a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans partisans, whose description sounds like Two Tubes
C-3PO appears in one scene to help Leia with etiquette on the planet Chal Hudda
She is acquainted with Threepio at this point, but not overly so
Leia sees falsified images of Palpatine on Coruscant portraying him as a younger man, something we also saw in Star Wars Rebels
Most everyone knows the images are altered since he hasn't appeared to have aged in 20 years
When Breha learns of Leia's feelings for Kier she jokes that he's a nice boy
But it can be good for girls to fall for scoundrels on occasion
Leia meets R2-D2 for the first time and it's downright adorable
She notes how much personality and initiative he has, possibly setting her up to choose him for a very important mission only three years later
Even before Leia is fully accepted as part of the Rebellion
She can see that Mon Mothma may be the person for the uprising to rally behind
Senators Pamlo and Vaspar who can be seen at the Yavin base in Rogue One both make brief appearances throughout the book
In a tense moment, Leia unknowingly uses the Force to save Kier and herself from harm
Before doing so she mentions that she has a good feeling about this, a fun spin on a familiar Star Wars catchphrase
An early Rebel shipyard is revealed around the planet Paucris Major where Clone Wars era ships were refurbished to be used against the Empire
Leia witnesses a Senator making a shady deal to sell a large amount of Quadanium steel
to an imperial in a white uniform who is referred to only as Director
Considering the whole of the Death Star is made of Quadanium
It's only logical that the unknown character is Director Orson Krennic
Leia attends a ball for graduates of the Imperial Academy on Coruscant
It's not specifically stated, but I believe that to be the same ball attended by Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree in another Claudia Gray Star Wars book, 'Lost Stars'
Leia also likely saw the Millennium Falcon on Coruscant as she tried to hire a freighter for fast passage
It's only described as a YT freighter that looked like it could use some money for repairs
But come on, it's the Falcon
The freighter she winds up hiring is called the MOA, and it's mentioned having an Ithorian crew member
In 'Lost Stars' Thane Kyrell spends time on a ship called the Mighty Oak Apocalypse, which went by MOA, for short
and had an Ithorian crew member named Methwat
It's very likely these are the same ships
Near the end of the book Leia puts a lock of Kier's brown hair into her keepsake box
Shortly after she gives the box to her father who claims he will take good care of it in a tone that made her wonder he meant
Now let's jump back to over a year ago when Claudia Gray's book, 'Bloodline', was released
Bale hid a message for Leia about Vader being her birth father in that box where it remained for decades
When someone else recovered the box they looked through it
And there's a lock of dark brown hair tied at either end with a ribbon
It's something so small that blew me away
How did Claudia Gray plan that? Over a year in advance!
It's possible she knew she would be writing this story next
But still, that is some impressive foresight
This is my favorite Easter egg in the book even though it's such a minor moment
But that's it for random facts from Leia, Princess of Alderaan
If you're interested in checking out this story for yourself the audiobook is out now
And you can get it for free by clicking on the link in the description or by going to
www.AudibleTrial.com/StarWarsExplained
If you sign up for a trial you'll get a credit for one free book and you can use it Leia
Or a number of other Star Wars books, or get any book you want
The point is, you get a free book and you'll be supporting the channel when you do
But that's it for today!
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