Star Wars: Squadrons Gives Audiences a Heartbreaking Death of a Famous Figure

In Star Wars: Squadrons, players are treated to a new story that fills in the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. However, the start of the game takes place during A New Hope, and showcases a never-before-seen moment: the death of Bail Organa. Princess Leia’s adopted father was known to have died during the Death Star’s attack on Alderaan, but the character was not actually shown until the Attack of the Clones. Squadrons gives the character portrayed by Jimmy Smits an on-screen death, as Darth Vader makes the fateful decision to destroy the planet and its populace.

In the sequence, Organa is seen in a planning session, alongside other members of the rebellion. He does not have a speaking role, but the character model is clearly based on Smits. It’s a small moment, but one that gives Organa a sequence that would have been previously impossible in A New Hope. Because of the release order of the Star Wars films, moments that truly connect the prequels with the original films can only happen in this manner.

Following his debut in Attack of the Clones, Smits went on to portray Organa in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. While the character is relatively small compared to other Star Wars icons, Organa plays a major role in the series canon. Organa is a founder of the Rebel Alliance, and raises Leia on Alderaan following the death of Padme Amidala. Organa entrusts Leia with the task of finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, kicking off the events in the original Star Wars trilogy, and the eventual demise of the Empire.

Developed by Motive Studios and published by EA, Star Wars: Squadrons is an aerial dogfighting game in which players switch back and forth between a team of pilots for the New Republic, and a team of pilots aligned with the Empire. During the game, players can pilot eight different vehicles in total, with four belonging to each side. The game offers both a single player mode and online multiplayer. Players can customize their vehicles with graphics earned during gameplay, and there are options for HOTAS controller support.

Star Wars: Squadrons is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Have you been enjoying Star Wars: Squadrons? What did you think of the sequence with Bail Organa? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!