Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #48

Summary

• Leia’s nightmares of the Death Star motivated her to prioritize saving Han before attacking the second battle station.
• Leia struggled with intense guilt and dark fears, motivating her belief that saving Han needed to happen sooner as she might not get another chance after the Battle of Endor.
• Saving Han allowed Leia to continue leading the Alliance with stronger determination, both before and during the assault on the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars reveals why Han Solo had to be rescued before the mission to destroy the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Having learned that the Empire was constructing a second and even bigger planet-killing battle station, the Rebellion began preparing for another major assault, having finally regathered their forces and strength in the wake of the Battle of Hoth in Empire Strikes Back. However, rescuing Solo took priority as he was needed for renewed resolve, mainly for one Rebel leader in particular.

As seen in the new Star Wars #48 by Charles Soule and Jethro Morales, Princess Leia is plagued with nightmares of the first Death Star. Struggling with these dark dreams, Leias speaks with Luke about her ongoing personal crisis, confirming her desire to save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt sooner rather than later:

As such, Leia Organa believes that if she doesn’t try and save Han before the assault on the Death Star, she might never get the chance again following the major battle that could very well have been her last.

Before Endor, Leia Was Struggling To Lead The Rebellion

Plagued By Nightmares Thanks To The Second Death Star

After all Leia’s been through since the destruction of her homeworld, it makes sense that she’d begin to question if she had it in her to continue leading the Rebellion ahead of another Death Star mission. After all, she’s certainly carried quite the burden since losing her homeworld as seen in A New Hope. In Leia Organa’s darkest nightmares, the Princess sees herself as a child with her family right before Alderaan is destroyed, while also envisioning a version of events where Grand Moff Tarkin forces Leia to initiate the firing sequence personally.

As such, these dreams certainly seem to be signifying her lingering guilt over her role in Alderaan’s destruction. They also represent her dark fears of the future with all the death and destruction this new battle station could cause if the Rebellion can’t blow it up like they did with the first. As such, it’s clear that Leia needs to refocus on herself and find a new drive to keep leading the Alliance as she has been.

Leia NEEDED Han For The Sake Of The Rebel Cause

Saving Han Helped Leia Continue Leading The Alliance

Considering the high stakes and the low odds of survival with this upcoming assault, it certainly tracks that Leia would want to make saving Han Solo a priority even when the Rebellion needs her the most. By saving the man she loves from his carbonite prison at Jabba’s Palace, Leia was then able to continue leading the Rebellion with a greater and stronger resolve than ever before in Return of the Jedi, especially with the two of them going on to deactivate the second Death Star’s shield generator on the forest moon of Endor (along with help from some Ewoks).

Star Wars #48 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.