Princess Leia hated the Empire.  But more than that, she hated Darth Vader.

The Rebels were in deep, deep trouble.  They had just destroyed the Death Star, but they had suffered a huge loss at the battle of Vas Vrogas, where Vader single handedly almost killed Luke and Leia.

The Rebels needed to rebuild.  And to do that, they needed supplies.

They sent Luke and Han Solo on a mission to get resources, but something went wrong.  Solo decided that he might be able to double the Rebellion’s money with a quick card game.

Lightsabers were forbidden during the Empire.  They were the weapon of the Jedi, and as such, were contraband.

So how did this particular stormtrooper manage to find one, and how did he use it to terrify Rebel fighters in all of his battles?

Over the few weeks following the destruction of the Death Star, newly appointed Rebel Alliance members Han Solo and Luke Skywalker have made quite the duo.

Initially clashing due to their vastly different ideologies, the pair soon began to see eye to eye.

So much so that the former farm boy was granted permission to pilot the all too pressure jewel of Han’s crown…

… The Millennium Falcon.

How did Luke convince him to take the reins of his baby?

And what kind of disaster could it lead to?

That’s today’s underrated moment...

Han Solo loved the Millennium Falcon.

It was more precious to him than almost anything, and his friends often joked that if he was forced to choose between Leia and the Falcon, it’d be an easy choice for Han….. he’d pick his ship.

So if it was so precious, then why did he allow Luke to smuggle a herd of filthy cattle aboard the Falcon?

That’s today’s story...

A dark side user could not be considered a proper Sith without wielding a crimson lightsaber.  But in all the years of harvesting Kyber crystals, no one had ever found a stone that emitted a natural red light.  No… the method for creating a Sith’s red lightsaber was more difficult than just finding a rock.

Essentially, they needed to make the Lightsaber bleed….

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve.

Here's what we have for you today....

A few weeks after Darth Vader learned that Luke Skywalker was his son, and a bit longer since the destruction of the first Death Star, Luke had gone missing.

But the fight had drawn attention from forces around the galaxy.

The Sith training Darth Vader underwent was full of surprises.

And his master, Emperor Palpatine, was far from making it easy for him.

Especially when just days after swearing his allegiance to the Emperor and murdering hundred of Jedi, Darth Vader was shocked to discover Palpatine had another potential apprentice in waiting.

Who was the Grand Inquisitor?

Why had the Emperor kept this student a secret?

A few weeks after The Battle of Yavin and destruction of the first Death Star at the hands of the Rebel Alliance….  Darth Vader tracked Luke down to the Rebel hideout on a gaseous planet named Vrogas Vos.

By himself, Vader was there to take on over 1,000 rebel soldiers in ground combat.

And Leia was caught in the crosshairs.

Could Han and Chewie reach her in time?

And how could she possibly defend herself against what was to come?

She couldn’t.  Eventually she chose to sacrifice herself in a Y-Wing bombing run in the hopes that she could kill Vader and deal a crushing blow to the Empire.