An aide to Bail Organa (Princess Leia Organa) is sent to Lothal with ships for the rebel fleet, but an Imperial lockdown forces the rebels to create a new plan to steal the vehicles. Princess Leia, the unstoppable Rebel hero featured in both the original Star Wars trilogy as well as the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens, makes her Star Wars Rebels debut when an all-new episode of Star Wars Rebels airs Wednesday, January 20 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. The network has released a new clip from the episode, entitled The Princess on Lothal, along with photos that offer our first look at this iconic character on the animated series.

Taking place three years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Leia is introduced as a young leader on her way to becoming the strong, more resolute character portrayed in the original trilogy. TV Insider spoke with executive producer Dave Filoni, who revealed that this episode will show how Leia will learn how to be a leader. Here's what the executive producer had to say in his statement.

"We thought we had an opportunity to show her learning to be a leader, experimenting with the personality that becomes the stronger more resolute character you see in A New Hope. One of the complex challenges of depicting Leia in Star Wars Rebels is that we have to remind the audience that she is part of the Empire at this point. She doesn't believe in the Empire, but she is acting the part, almost as a double agent. The Empire sees her as a privileged princess who runs mercy missions to wayward worlds, but in truth she is much stronger and more dangerous than they imagine. There really is no other character quite like her. And to quote The Force Awakens' Lor San Tekka, 'She'll always be royalty to me.'"

Appearing in her only episode of the season, the young Princess Leia is voiced by Julie Dolan, who also lent her vocal talents to the Rebel leader featured in Disney's Star Tours attraction. Her character's appearance in Star Wars Rebels. portrays the beginnings of the seasoned general we meet again in The Force Awakens, her royal heritage all but eclipsed by her hard-won military stature. We'll have to wait and see if Leia will come back in future seasons of the show.

We reported in November that Disney XD has already renewed the hit series for Season 3, scheduled to premiere sometime in 2016. The Star Wars Rebels Season 2 voice cast includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus and Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Seventh Sister Inquisitor. Take a look at the new clip and photos from the Star Wars Rebels episode, The Princess on Lothal, and stay tuned for more on this hit series.