Leia takes starring role in 'Star Wars' miniseries

Mark Waid's already taken on most of the iconic characters that Marvel Comics and DC Comics have to offer.

So now, he's moving on to the wonder woman of the Star Wars universe.

Written by Waid and illustrated by Terry Dodson, Marvel's five-issue miniseries Star Wars: Princess Leia stars the female part of the famous Han, Luke and Leia trio as she comes to grips with her home planet Alderaan's destruction via Death Star in the original Star Wars film.

"Now that all of the adrenaline has died down among the Rebels and our heroes about getting rid of the Death Star and so forth, Leia has a chance to catch her breath, and the sheer impact of what she's lost comes raining down on her. She's lost her entire world, her family, everyone she loves," Waid says of the series, which picks up after the end of the first movie.

When Marvel editor Jordan D. White called Waid out of the blue about the possibility of doing a Leia miniseries, the writer was already yearning to do something with a strong female lead, he admits. "I was really itching to tell that kind of story right about now in my career anyway, so that was a perfect confluence of events."

Waid wants to explore Leia's transition from senatorial princess from the House of Organa to de facto leader of the Rebel Alliance, details that George Lucas never touched on in the movies.

What's integral for her, however, is to make sure that the accomplishments and wonders of her people are not lost to time, according to Waid. Leia sets out on a mission through the galaxy to gather up any other survivors there may have been from Alderaan who have been scattered among the stars, reunite them and give these folks hope for the future.

"Our story is essentially that she can either choose to be the princess of nothing or she can own up to her responsibilities and, as a leader, politician and princess, do what she can to rebuild Alderaan," Waid says.

Not all of them will roll out the welcome wagon, he adds. "Some of them are very reluctant to be seen because they're terrified this is a trick. Some of them are angry at Leia because they hold the House of Organa responsible for the destruction of Alderaan."

Adding to the obstacles: Before her run-in with the Empire, Leia always held some sway and authority wherever she would go in the galaxy, yet now she's working from a position of abject poverty.

"She's working from quite the disadvantage but she's a very determined, strong young woman," Waid says.

Although she's trying to travel on the downlow, the Empire begins to realize what Leia's up to.

"They take a great interest in where the process is and what they might be able to extract from her and what they might be able to extract from the other Alderaanians she's gathering," says Waid, adding that the series will establish a new arch nemesis for Leia on the Imperial side.

"They're giving us flexibility in terms of being able to build off of what is established and create new things for the mythos."