by Alexandra Speck ’21, Staff Writer

SPOILER ALERT!  DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN ALL STAR WARS MOVIES

On 27 December 2016, Carrie Fisher, best known for portraying Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies, tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack.  Fans of Star Wars were left in tears and questioning how the Star Wars  franchise would move on without its princess.

In The Force Awakens, Fisher played a crucial role as General Leia Organa, the leader of the Resistance, and the mother of Kylo Ren.  She also shared a sweet moment with Star Wars’ newest protagonist, Rey, as they both grieved the death of Han Solo.

Although Fisher had already finished filming scenes for Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) before her passing, her death has thrown a major wrench in Disney’s plans for the franchise.  Leia was supposedly a major force in the final two movies of the trilogy, more notably in Episode IX.

Fans questioned whether Disney would digitally recreate Fisher’s character as they did Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.  Disney recreated Leia for a short scene at the end of the movie as well, but fans observed that her image looked suspiciously like a cartoon and that it would be an insult to Fisher’s memory to recreate her on a computer.  As of now, Disney has confirmed that there are “no plans” to digitally recreate Fisher’s character in later movies.

 It is extremely unlikely that the role of Leia will be recast, simply because Fisher’s character is too iconic.  Fans tweeted that there would be “hell to pay” if another actress took on the role.  It would be an unfair Fisher’s memory and to one of the most admired characters of our generation.  Disney will most likely use the material that Fisher had already filmed to explain her absence and rewrite Leia’s scenes in both upcoming movies.  Whatever Disney chooses to do, it seems as if Luke Skywalker is the only member of the original trio that has chance of making it to Episode IX.  Luckily, Disney has plenty of time to work on the scripts in between The Last Jedi and Episode IX, since a standalone Han Solo Movie (2018) will be released between the two.

A statement on the Star Wars website read, “”Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.”  On screen, Leia was a symbol of strength and independence in a movie and time that was noticeably lacking in female role models.  Off screen, Carrie Fisher was known for her snarky sense of humor and wit.  Although Disney’s plans are undetermined, there is sure to be a bright future ahead for Star Wars and for Fisher’s memory, both of which will serve as icons for generations to come.