When it comes to Star Wars, Carrie Fisher’s absence is frankly a void that can’t be filled.
The People’s Princess was cherished by all four corners of the Lucasfilm fanbase, and no matter your opinion on the film itself, The Last Jedi delivered a heartfelt tribute to General Leia Organa and her legacy. It does, however, leave Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker facing a tricky predicament.
After all, Rian Johnson chose to spare Leia at the end of The Last Jedi, placing the onus on J.J. Abrams and his writing team to effectively conclude her saga. No pressure, then…
Thankfully, the VFX maestros at Lucasfilm Towers have been able to salvage some unused effect shots from the Sequel Trilogy, resulting in a number of fresh scenes with Carrie Fisher. See for yourself:
It’s a clever use of editing that retains Fisher’s likeness without the needed for full-blown CGI (here’s looking at you, Rogue One), and we can’t wait to see more of what Episode IX has in store.
Truth be told, we expect General Leia Organa to hold a relatively small role in the grand scheme of things, as The Rise of Skywalker looks to focus on the power struggle between Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley’s Rey. Thanks to the sizeable time gap between Episodes VIII and IX, the latter has had ample time to study the remaining Jedi texts, so she’ll make a formidable opponent to Kylo and his knights. And yes, based on Vanity Fair’s recent blowout, there will be another lightsaber duel between the two star-crossed characters.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker draws the curtain on Lucasfilm’s time-honored saga this December, by which point we should have a better understanding of the studio’s future plans for that famous, far-away galaxy beyond 2019.