Amanda (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
street_symphony) wrote2018-01-02 10:45 pm
street_symphony) wrote2018-01-02 10:45 pm
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi - What about Leia?
Guess what I finally saw yesterday? Yes, I’m a couple of weeks late. I also still need to see The Greatest Showman.
Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, by the way.
I really don’t have a lot to say about the movie itself. This is more of a Leia post. Because that’s what I left the movie thinking about. It’s hard not to when they give her a role like they did in this film with us knowing she will not be making an appearance in the next. It’s bittersweet, especially when it occurs to you that at the end of The Last Jedi, Leia is the only one left of the original three heros.
What are they going to do with Leia in the next film? I read somewhere Episode IX was originally intended to be “her movie.” Not sure if that’s accurate, but judging from Episode VIII, she would have at least played a large role. Most sources point to the original intention of having her have an important part (makes sense...she’s leading a rebellion against the Empire now controlled by her own son). Lucasfilm says they won’t CGI her in. I didn’t really mind that they used CGI to help recreate her look from the 1970’s in Rogue One. Before you start throwing things at me, hear me out. They weren’t “replacing” her because the actress had passed away (unfortunately, I can’t say the same of other characters in Rogue One); they were trying to bridge the gap between Rogue One and A New Hope. Now, most Star Wars fans probably realized what the Rebels were after in Rogue One. Casual viewers might not realize the significance of the mission. Seeing Leia might be enough to clue them in...oh, yeah, they use the blueprints in A New Hope. Anyway, since the purpose was to remind us what had happened, I was OK with them using CGI. I would have a problem if they used CGI to recreate Carrie Fisher in Episode IX.
Sources also say Leia will not appear at all, which means no replacement actresses either. It would be easy enough for them to find a classy way for her to step down or explain the character’s passing. Poe would likely take the reigns of the Resistance based on his experiences in Episode VIII (his growth arc in this movie would help make this look like a natural transition in Episode IX). Leia could be there in spirit.
Why get into any of this? Because I LOVED that women were leading the Resistance in this movie. Even when Leia is out of commission, the chain of command leads to...another woman. And both are good leaders, above all choosing what is best for the remaining members of the Resistance. Also, here’s the thing about Leia: she has never been the damsel in distress type of princess. She seems to show no fear in Episode IV when she is captured, and when she first meets Luke who is in disguise, her first reaction is if he isn’t too short to be a Stormtrooper. She was captured for trying to help the Rebel Alliance, and she carries on even after the Death Star destroys her home planet of Alderaan. In Episode VIII, they establish that Leia represents hope to the galaxy, that people believe in her. When you realize Carrie Fisher is no longer with us, it’s overwhelmingly sad but ends up being a beautiful tribute to the character and actress. This film series holds her up as a figure of hope, and they should continue to treat her as such.
Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, by the way.
I really don’t have a lot to say about the movie itself. This is more of a Leia post. Because that’s what I left the movie thinking about. It’s hard not to when they give her a role like they did in this film with us knowing she will not be making an appearance in the next. It’s bittersweet, especially when it occurs to you that at the end of The Last Jedi, Leia is the only one left of the original three heros.
What are they going to do with Leia in the next film? I read somewhere Episode IX was originally intended to be “her movie.” Not sure if that’s accurate, but judging from Episode VIII, she would have at least played a large role. Most sources point to the original intention of having her have an important part (makes sense...she’s leading a rebellion against the Empire now controlled by her own son). Lucasfilm says they won’t CGI her in. I didn’t really mind that they used CGI to help recreate her look from the 1970’s in Rogue One. Before you start throwing things at me, hear me out. They weren’t “replacing” her because the actress had passed away (unfortunately, I can’t say the same of other characters in Rogue One); they were trying to bridge the gap between Rogue One and A New Hope. Now, most Star Wars fans probably realized what the Rebels were after in Rogue One. Casual viewers might not realize the significance of the mission. Seeing Leia might be enough to clue them in...oh, yeah, they use the blueprints in A New Hope. Anyway, since the purpose was to remind us what had happened, I was OK with them using CGI. I would have a problem if they used CGI to recreate Carrie Fisher in Episode IX.
Sources also say Leia will not appear at all, which means no replacement actresses either. It would be easy enough for them to find a classy way for her to step down or explain the character’s passing. Poe would likely take the reigns of the Resistance based on his experiences in Episode VIII (his growth arc in this movie would help make this look like a natural transition in Episode IX). Leia could be there in spirit.
Why get into any of this? Because I LOVED that women were leading the Resistance in this movie. Even when Leia is out of commission, the chain of command leads to...another woman. And both are good leaders, above all choosing what is best for the remaining members of the Resistance. Also, here’s the thing about Leia: she has never been the damsel in distress type of princess. She seems to show no fear in Episode IV when she is captured, and when she first meets Luke who is in disguise, her first reaction is if he isn’t too short to be a Stormtrooper. She was captured for trying to help the Rebel Alliance, and she carries on even after the Death Star destroys her home planet of Alderaan. In Episode VIII, they establish that Leia represents hope to the galaxy, that people believe in her. When you realize Carrie Fisher is no longer with us, it’s overwhelmingly sad but ends up being a beautiful tribute to the character and actress. This film series holds her up as a figure of hope, and they should continue to treat her as such.