Celly Organa

"Remember, my sister's whole family is coming. We need their support."

―Breha Organa —

Duchess Celly Organa was a human female member of the House of Organa of the planet Alderaan. In 9 BBY, she visited the family of her sister, Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan, along with her own family: her husband Kayo and son Niano. While visiting, Celly and family attended a meal at the Royal Palace of Alderaan and discussed politics with Breha and her husband, Senator Bail Organa, whose daughter, Leia, had received many lessons in manners and rhetoric from her aunts, much to her chagrin.

Biography[]

"There are still some issues we need to address. Slave labor, taxation of the Outer Rim…"
"I didn't come here to end slavery, Bail. I came to eat your food."

―Bail and Kayo Organa, with Breha and Celly Organa listening —

Listen (file info)^[1]

Celly Organa was a human female duchess of^[1] the Elder Houses'^[2] House of Organa, the royal family of the planet Alderaan.^[1] She^[2] was the sister of Queen Breha Organa, married to Duke Kayo Organa, and mother of Niano Organa.^[1] She and her family moved to Kayo's home city of Hallyn, understanding that the throne would go to a child of Breha's and that Aldera—Alderaan's capital—was already well represented by the Organa family.^[2] Breha's daugher, Princess Leia, was tutored from a young age by her aunts in diplomacy and studied politics, manners, and rhetoric,^[3] lessons which Leia felt were "ruthless" and forced her to be a "simpering princess."^[4] During her youth, Leia's aunts wished for her to be wedded advantageously, though the princess was not fond of the idea herself.^[5]

KayoCelly-PartI — Celly (left) and Kayo Organa at the Royal Palace of Alderaan

In 9 BBY,^[6] Organa and her family visited Breha and her family: Senator Bail and Leia Organa. Breha and Bail needed Celly's family's support, which Breha told who she thought was Leia but was actually Leia's handmaiden Agira in disguise. Celly and her family greeted Breha, Bail, and Leia at a dock and then made their way to a meal at the Royal Palace of Alderaan, where Celly and her husband discussed galactic politics with Breha and Bail. The senator attempted to discuss slavery and the Empire's taxation of the Outer Rim, but Kayo made a joke about preferring to eat Bail's food than trying to end slavery, which Celly laughed at. In order to keep the conversation civil, Breha offered Bail a drink.^[1]

Leia once escaped to a circus to avoid her aunts' lessons. Her aunts also pushed back when Leia wanted to join the Galactic Senate, and although she did not like to admit it, she was grateful that the public-speaking lessons her aunts had given her helped her speeches later in life. While Leia's aunts planned what her hairstyle should be on her first visit to the capital planet Coruscant, Leia thought about what issues to tell Emperor Palpatine to his face; however, she was too intimidated and curtsied automatically due to her aunts' intense manners training. Once Leia turned sixteen, her aunts agreed that self-defense should become part of her training, which helped Leia bear her normal lessons later in the day.^[4] Years after Alderaan's destruction,^[5] in 4 ABY,^[7] Leia thought about her aunts' wishes regarding her future marriage as she prepared to marry Rebel Alliance General Han Solo.^[5]

Personality and traits[]

Celly and her husband enjoyed living lavishly rather than engaging in the political world.^[2] She had brown eyes, dark hair, and fair skin.^[1]

Equipment[]

The duchess wore beige clothing that had a multicolored design over her chest and shoulders. The garb also had red down the middle of her front that went around her neck as well. Upon arrival to visit her sister's family, she wore an additional red sash.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

In the current Star Wars canon, the aunts of Leia Organa were collectively mentioned in the 2015 junior novel Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure, written by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry. None were identified by name, however,^[8] until Celly Organa first appeared in "Part I," the first episode of the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi,^[1] which premiered on May 26, 2022.^[9] While unnamed in the episode, she was identified as "Duchess Celly Organa" in the credits and was portrayed by Roberta Sparta.^[1]

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Celly Organa was first mentioned in the 1995 novel Children of the Jedi, written by Barbara Hambly.^[10] She later made her first appearance in "The Princess Leia Diaries," a comic story published in Star Wars Tales' eleventh issue. The story was written by Jason Hall, illustrated by Chris Brunner, and published by Dark Horse Comics^[11] on March 20, 2002.^[12] In Legends, Celly was one of Bail Organa's sisters^[10] instead of Breha's as she is in the new canon.^[1] The change was made since Star Wars creator George Lucas's 1977 notes on Alderaanian culture establish that the royal lineage comes from the queen's side.^[13]