Bail Organa. A character I always thought of as kind of secondary one in Star Wars. At least compared to the real heroes like Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie. However, could the events leading to the destruction of the second Death Star and the emergence of Luke as a "new" Jedi have happened without Bail's involvement?

We know that he was mentioned briefly in ANH when the hologram of Leia spoke to Ben and Luke that Obi-Wan had served her father during the Clone Wars and she needed his help now, as her only hope. We know now that Bail had sent her on a mission to find Kenobi and deliver the Death Star schematics they had smuggled out. We also know that Bail died when Alderaan was destroyed by the first Death Star, thus ending his servitude to Alderaan and before that, the Old Republic.

His act of sending his daughter to find Obi-Wan and delivering the Death Star plans started a chain reaction that would save the galaxy from Empirical rule. And I'm sure that was his intent right from the beginning. As we came to know more about him in ROTS, he came across as an early leader in the Rebellion ... knowing that granting Palpatine emergency powers would lead to devastating results. Then coming into the Senate session to discover that Palpatine elevated himself to the status of Emperor in his new Galactic Empire solidified Bail's resolve to restore peace to the galaxy. Then ... Then he took one of Anakin's children to raise as his own, knowing that Anakin had a hand in the destruction of the Republic. Maybe knowing he could use one of his children against this new Empire?

Then, fast forward once again to ANH where he sends said daughter to deliver plans to the one person he knows could help him defeat the Empire, and who he knows has as much distaste for the Empire as he does. Leia indirectly gets the message to Kenobi, who trains Luke as a result of him wanting to leave Tatooine because said message also brought stormtroopers to kill his aunt and uncle (not that Kenobi wasn't watching over Luke anyway). Luke continues to study as a Jedi and discovers that Leia is his sister and eventually cuts down Vader through blind fury after Vader discovers Luke has a sister (and realizes, his daughter) and threatens to turn her to the darkside if Luke does not turn. After defeating Vader, Luke does not want to become him and give in to the darkside, throwing his lightsaber away, prompting Sith lightning from Sidious, and a fatherly save from the newly redeemed Anakin.

Therefore, Bail was able to defeat the Empire by adopting Leia, and years later, sending her on a mission that would unearth heroes from the past and present to eventually stop the Empire.

Pretty cool for a "secondary" character, eh?