ST Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) in Episode IX

Luke training Leia would have been such a treat to watch on-screen , not only Luke would have 2 more movies worth of development as a real mentor figure than whet we ended up with but it would also have been a pay-off to a storyline which was on hiatus since 1983 (Legends also waited years before showing Leia's Jedi training). Episode IX was supposed to be Leia's movie just like the previous two were Han's and Luke's. If they somehow could add it in the 8-minute footage I say, why not? Though, if she doesn't, I'm also OK with it because the new generation rightfully should be the focus.

 

The new generation being the focus... besides soap operas that have never gone off the air, has this actually ever worked? Dallas, 90210... thinking. Aren’t they always considered the people taking over not as capitaving, and the audience primarily tuning in to see the originals?

 

I think Carrie's passing made a lot of people skeptical about what, if any role, she could have in the final film and that caused a lot of discord as well amongst fans after Luke had died because it felt like the entire OT3 was gone.

I'm glad Todd confirmed that he never wanted Leia's story to end in TLJ and pushed for her footage to be used in TROS so that both Carrie and Leia could live on. His talk about Leia still existing and looking down/sideways upon the characters from another dimension definitely seems to confirm that she will pass away in the film and become a force ghost. I still hope she has a major role in the final battle against Palpatine as a force ghost alongside Luke (and maybe Anakin) rather than be relegated to just a voice.

Overall though, the fact that Todd is happy (and it sounds like Billie is as well) definitely reassures me about Leia's overall presence and storyline in this final film.

We might not see present-day Leia with a lightsaber, but I'm not sure how much of that we would have seen even if Carrie had still been alive. Her health wasn't the best so to give her such a physical role would have been incredibly taxing on her. Probably wouldn't be anymore than the brief "combat" Mark had as Luke during his confrontation with Kylo on Crait, if even. A lot of fans think that Todd and the interviewer might be incorrect in how lengthy Leia's role as a Jedi was in the original plans because of this, not to mention that in TLJ, it is very clear that Luke is referring to Rey, not Leia.

If there's anything that TROS probably wanted to focus on with Leia and might not be able to achieve by the end, I'd say it isn't her Jedi heritage but instead Leia's relationship with Ben. Each ST film has ended with Ben having a confrontation with one of the OT3 and it's natural that for the final film, we would have seen him finally confront his mother and likely she would be the one to turn him back. With Carrie's passing, that role was probably passed onto Harrison for the vision scene although I still hope that can be interspersed with some sort of flashback of Ben's youth with Han and Leia so she isn't completely snubbed. And another reason why I want to see her as a force ghost during the final battle is so we can see some sort of interaction between her and Ben, however minimal it is.

JP has already confirmed that the flashback of Luke and Leia training is in fact back in the film. No longer at the beginning (if it indeed was ever supposed to start the movie), the flashback will take place when Luke is with Rey on Ahch-To and tells her about having trained Leia. JP said the flashback will be structured like the ones in TLJ.

BTW, I read Anthony Daniel's new book and besides having a whole chapter on Carrie, it also talks about a cut scene from TFA where Leia offers 3PO an oil bath. Maybe that scene will be brought back for TROS. Anthony also noted that Carrie was a lot happier with her role in TLJ than what the script for TFA gave her.

 

You don’t think if Carrie were alive and filming episode nine, she wouldn’t have pushed to do a lightsaber stunt? I think she would’ve been jumping up and down screaming, “let me do it! I can do it! I want to do it!” Especially with all the fat and old shaming she endured prior and after TFA, in which she deftly and expertly dismissed her naysayers. She got in her harness for TLJ space scene. I think she’d be in their ear the whole time saying gimme a big fight scene.

 

Here is a new TIME magazine article written by Billie Lourd. It’s about growing up as the daughter of “Princess Leia” and her involvement in the new films. Must read. No news exactly. But she says JJ wrote the whole film around her Mom’s existing footage. https://time.com/5720323/billie-lourd-princess-leia-essay-carrie-fisher/

 

It is still in the film later on, I believe?
Unless there is another leak I am unaware of?

 

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm in tears. What a beautiful story.

 

I was responding to the GL idea that Luke would have died in IX after training Leia which MH mentioned a few times before. The leak is about a flashback from the time before she stopped her training. I hope it's true because a flashback is still better than nothing.

 

Ah, I see.

Same, I too will take anything I can get along these lines for Leia and Luke.
TROS is the last real chance for them to do something like this.

 

The TIME piece is incredible!

 

"I grew up with three parents: a mom, a dad and Princess Leia. Initially, Princess Leia was kind of like my stepmom. Now she’s my guardian angel. And I’m her keeper."

Wow, this piece is quite a tearjerker. Beautifully written.

On the subject of Leia being the actual Last Jedi...I honestly think that would have quite literally united the fanbase. Who could argue? I wouldn't. Princess Leia represents everything that Finn and Rey and the rest of the Resistance would eventually come to stand for.

 

I wish that was the case but back when the leaks were highlighting Leia's role, the Luke fandom was losing it over their character being overshadowed by yet another female character. And there are some pretty nasty comments on social media right now about this idea of Leia being the Last Jedi and how Kathleen has feminized Star Wars with "the force is female." The raging bigots will never be pacified and the fact that they're going on now about how glad they are that Carrie is gone (and believe me, they've worded it much differently) so this would never occur just disgusts me even more.

I do remember watching a Carrie interview where she said something along those lines about always wanting to wield a lightsaber. So that I do believe. However, I don't think the material would be quite as extensive as Todd and the interviewer seemed to take it as, especially since this trilogy has been about bringing the new characters to the forefront and I can't imagine Rey would be thrown aside like that, even for Leia. I think it's more likely that it would have been Leia and Rey together which is why I want Leia to be there with Rey as a force ghost in the final confrontation.

 

Gross. No offense, but I don’t think I’d want to hang out with a lot of hard core SW fans anyway. CF fans anytime though.

 

Luke: I will not be the last Jedi!

*cut to image of Rey*

Luke: No not her! I meant my sister! Duh!

 

Kylo: After I've killed you, I will have killed the last Jedi!
Luke: ...So...you're gonna kill your own mother, then?

 

No. I hate the idea.
If they had made movies right after ROTJ with young Leia started training (incl. a proper character arc) then maybe I'd be fine with it but having grandma Carrie now in the last installment being suddenly Super Jedi Poppins and having this explained in a lousy flashback is the most terrible thing they can do.
Especially after Loser Luke in VIII.

 

People should see the film just ton

Luke was never a loser in my eyes...He was realistic..Bitter.. Angry..Sad... Powerful and heroic and selfless....I feel blessed to see it that way

 

I just hope her death is explained in some coherent way.

 

I just started reading Resistance Reborn and Leia is still recovering from TLJ. She's getting constant headaches from it.

The first chapter paints a grim picture of Leia's life with her losing everything she has with Alderaan, Ben, Han, Luke all gone. and she is tired of constant fighting/war in her life. She just seems really sad and exhausted.

 

I am glad that Leia Jedi stuff never made it to the movie. That would have made the Palpatine/Windu stuff not look so cringeworthy. It would have been worse than doing that flying space scene.

 

I am with you here, the active part of these roles has to be spot on to look good compared to todays scenes from other action films. Fans are super sensitive to this now. I didn't think Mark would be all that great in a saber battle either, don't think Carrie would come of so good either. Then again I wouldn't bash them for trying either.

 

Carrie and Mark werie rumoured to have done some sort sword training in their pre-TFA "get into shape" sessions, whilst this means absolutely nothing, BDW did some punch bag training and I doubt Lando will be boxing anyone in TROS, However there is the thought that if needed they both were ready and able, something Ian McDiarmid complained about when GL told him Palps will be duelling Mace Windu.

I think whatever the original ideas were and the ability to create them through technology should be conclusive, give the fans what they want and the buzz from Todd Fisher's comments have shown an overwhelming desire to see Leia's arc come to it's originally conceived conclusion.

 

Here’s the thing- my morning rant to save the world in a thread .0000001% of the galaxy will see. By not being open and instantly dismissing a person over a certain age or weight or Hollywood standard normal beauty engaging in an action scene, we eventually put ourselves in a box in society when we get to that point too. We put an expiration date on our psychical worth and keep reinforcing everyone has to look twenty two.
Fisher was always self conscious about her looks in the public eye, and I’m sure being under the micropscope and having to live up to the fantasy of the gold bikini sci-fi vixen to millions was beyond taxing, no matter how steely her outward disposition seemed. But during her press junkets on TFA, she was really embracing the new platform she had, and her role in talking about Hollywood and commercial beauty and age and weight. I think that’s an important thing.
When I think of the potential of the light saber battles, etc...(and SW’s light sabers have never been my number one, say compared to simple Han/Leia His Girl Friday-like quips) ...I think there is an importance to showing older respected icons engaging in it. I think there’s an importance in using a product that millions of people will see to slightly alter perceptions if they can do it.
I think back to Star Wars when Alec Guinness held his own against Darth Vader in a beautifully simple choreographed duel. It wasn’t about acrobatics, it was about dialogue... a debate between two foes, eyes locked together. Something like that could’ve been achieved with both Hamill and Fisher quite effectively.

 

Yeah, Fisher was conscious of it, but maintained a great sense of humor about it and everything else related to these movies. I still hope we get a taste of what was planned, because that was the destiny Lucas envisioned for her. Her lightsaber interactions could be limited and subtle and still evoke the emotional impact that Lucas wanted us to see in this final chapter of the saga. Yoda was a muppet wielding a lightsaber after all, so the storyline shouldn't be framed to exclude anyone from a certain age or build from doing the same.

 

Since they didn't film anything like that with Carrie, I doubt we'll see it.

Having Leia suddenly be a fully trained Jedi Knight in TROS would be out of place, I think. As far as what they've shown us, she felt Han die in TFA and flew back into the Raddus in TLJ. They never even hinted at any kind of combat prowess with a lightsaber, so again, I think that would be out of place considering what we've seen.