Lit Leia's fate post-TLJ

Today, I stumbled upon an article titled Leia At Risk Revisited: The Stakes After The Last Jedi, and it reinforced my conviction that Leia should be recasted for Episode IX. The character's journey isn't complete, and the last steps of the way just can't happen offscreen or in a book. It's too important. Leia is too important. Although Carrie was unique, I think Leia must be given her due. But what do you guys think?

 

Well, they already recast Han Solo and Lando.

 

Yes, but younger versions of the characters, and while the original actors are still alive. That makes it much less contentious.

 

but they're not younger in a meaningful sense than they were when we saw them in the OT

 

I suppose you're correct. Then again, I completely support the recasting of Leia anyway. I'm just trying to see things from the perspective of those who don't.

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of recasting, but the Solo movie is more egregious than if they were to recast Leia in IX. As you said, there's a valid reason to do so for the purpose of completing the narrative. Solo is a cash grab.

If they're willing to recast Han Solo for that, then there's no reason not to recast Leia. But in all likelihood they'll be ass backwards and not do so.

 

Truth to be told, I can think of only two other options:
(A) have the character die offscreen between the two movies ;
(B) make it clear that Leia is alive and well but not part of the main action (if present at all) for some reason.

To me, A would be heartbreaking, and B would be immensely irritating.

 

I feel strongly that there is zero chance that Leia will be recast in IX, and that we just won't see her, perhaps outside of brief hologram/CGI bits.

 

Probably.

 

Oh, yes, that's most likely. But in this case, her character arc will be all for nothing.

 

Being that Lucasfilm has already said that they won't do a CGI version of Leia, I think there is absolutely no chance they will recast her. Nor do I think they should or even have to.

One of the central themes of TLJ was letting the younger generation step up into leadership. That was Poe's entire arc, capped off by having Leia ask people why they were still looking to her for leadership as the Resistance started exploring the tunnels on Crait. Luke's transformation into the Force means that he will be a mentor, not the solution to Kylo Ren. Ren, of course, kills Snoke and becomes Supreme Leader.

I think the most sensible place to start IX is Leia's funeral. This turns the last film entirely over to the new generation, and starts them off dealing with the fact that they're the ones running the show now. What will the career of General Dameron look like without Leia there to tap his breaks on occasion? What does Kylo Ren's vision of the future (or path to redemption) look like now that the last person that believed in Ben Solo is gone? Who will rebuild the Republic now that the last political leader of the Rebellion is gone? These are all more interesting questions than "how do we give Leia another chance to lead the galaxy?"

 

Absolutely not. Leia is Carrie; Carrie is Leia. No other actress could do it and frankly no actress should *have to* face the entirely impossible pressure that would come with it.

 

This might hurt to read but, I don't think any off Carrie's charisma or wit ever made it into her character. After she died she (I think deservedly) overshadowed Leia. They won't recast her but they should.

 

I don't see any way out of this that doesn't piss off an awful lot of people.

 

Tv series set between TLJ and E9

 

I'd just have a line that says she died in battle off screen or in her sleep or something.

Having her not be present would be irritating and recasting her or using CGI would anger the fanbase.

Just a line like "General Leia died in her sleep last evening" or something that ends the character's story(in the Nucanon) without the obvious blowback recasting or using CGI would do.

 

There's no good way out of it for the creators, unfortunately. Whatever they do, from recasting to killing off the character offscreen to having her appear in a tiny role via hologram or whatnot, will tick off someone. (What does Star Wars do anymore that doesn't tick off someone?) No choice is optimal; putting a time jump between 8 and 9 and having Leia pass away during that time - thought it won't be easy or pleasant to face - might well be the most respectful way (to both the character and the actress) to approach it. As TheRedBlade said, this also plays into TLJ's storyline of Poe growing into a true leader - losing Leia provides an opportunity to fully appreciate where Poe's growth during that film's events took him.

 

If there was only a scene in TLJ where Leia almost died in a shocking way that drove the story (specifically poes') forward....

 

I actually think the Abramsverse Trek movies and how they dealt with Nimoy's death is a good basis for how I hope IX deals with Carrie Fisher's death. It was maybe redundant to actually have old Spock die in Beyond, but they did it in a way that I thought tastefully acknowledging the actor who died, while also making the character's death flow into the movie's story naturally.

I'm actually curious how much can be read into that statement. For one, it was made when IX had an entirely different directorial and writing team than it does now. And I feel like using CGI to depict Leia very minimally in a way like, say, having her in a hologram or (if they choose to actually kill Leia) depicting her in repose ROTS Padme style, is very different than having her appear as a full-on CGI character like in Rogue One, which I definitely don't think will happen.

 

If only...

 

I honestly don't know how Leia's death can be portrayed. Mentioning her death in the opening crawl or by a character in passing doesn't do her justice. The best way in my opinion is to cut to a scene where Leia is being cremated and Rey will ask how Leia died, and some female character (perhaps Carrie Fisher's daughter's character) will say Leia died of a broken heart after Luke died. That's how Padme died, and it will be fitting since Luke and Leia are twins and their is often a twin bond, something that is being studied by parapsychologists here on Earth. Also, even more fitting is that dying from a "broken heart" IS possible because Carrie Fisher's mother Debbie Reynolds died a day after her daughter.

 

Leia dying of a broken heart doesn't make sense given her final conversation with Rey, in how they talk about Luke being at peace and the theme of the Resistance being in everyone. (It also didn't make sense for Padme, of course. If anything, I think it would have made more sense if it was stated that Padme's belief in Anakin still was what was helping her cling to life despite her injuries.)

That being said, I have no idea really what sort of death for Leia would be thematically appropriate, especially given the lack of Carrie to actually film scenes, and that TLJ already had what would have been a good thematic death.

I do really hope that at the end of TLJ, we get Force ghosts of Luke, Anakin, and Leia (if she dies), though.

 

Leia should have died in TLJ. Since it's obviously too late for that I say have IX take place a year later. Imply some kind of death. A novel can flesh it out later.

 

Oftentimes when someone close to you dies, you go into shock and you don't feel anything. Then it sets in, and you feel the grief. Leia is also Luke's twin and we never (in canon at least) seen what happened when a Force-sensitive twin dies; how the other twin responds. Forget Jacen and Jaina Solo

 

One female Star Wars character dying of a broken heart is enough.