Carrie Fisher’s performance as Leia Organa is something so monumental it cannot even be put into words. Not only has Leia changed many lives, she’s changes the cultural landscape. There are few characters as iconic or as important as Leia and few actors as indelibly memorable as Carrie Fisher. Star Wars: The Last Jedi was Carrie Fisher’s last complete performance as Leia and it was utterly amazing. Fisher effortlessly reminded us why Leia Organa is a legend, communicating her power, regality, warmth and love in a way that left many in tears.
Director Rian Johnson has discussed how he felt passionately about keeping Carrie Fisher’s entire performance intact, even in the wake of Fisher’s death, in The Last Jedi. ““We have a beautiful, complete performance from her that I think audiences deserve to see,” he said “and I think it will mean a lot for them, that ray of hope from Leia”.
It really did mean a lot. Leia was amazing, badass and beautiful throughout the whole movie. Let’s take a look at all the times throughout The Last Jedi Leia showed us she was not only a princess, but a general and Queen we should all bow down to.
Leia Inspiring Holdo
As a hero, Leia has inspired thousands across the world. Her strength, gumption, defiance of tyranny and determination have been a constant lesson for many who are fighting their own battles. As an actress and all-around amazing person, Carrie Fisher herself has also inspired so many who are in acting or want to go into acting, including Laura Dern, who plays Admiral Amilyn Holdo in The Last Jedi.
There is a highly emotional scene in The Last Jedi where Leia and Holdo say goodbye. In it, Holdo expresses to Leia how profoundly the other woman has influenced and inspired her and how she taught her strength and conviction. The scene really illustrates how massive and important Leia’s leadership is to those around her and how well respected she is. Holdo’s heroism was birthed from Leia’s. Leia was her role model.
Apparently Holdo’s words were not only directed at Leia, but Carrie Fisher herself. And the words came directly from Laura Dern.
That whole Holdo scene, that goodbye scene was actually completely rewritten with Carrie and with Laura,” Rian Johnson says. “The three of us got together and worked through it. The real heart of that scene came from Laura. It was her saying, ‘I just feel like, from my character to Leia, but also me to Carrie, I want to express what she means to me. I want to express my gratitude.”
Fans share Dern’s gratitude towards and awe of Fisher, which is exactly what makes that moment so powerful.
Leia Using the Force
One of the most surprising scenes of the movie is the one where Leia uses the Force to spectacular effect. It’s arguably one of the most impressive uses of the power in the Star Wars universe. Leia is blown into space. A normal person would be dead within seconds. But Leia is not normal, she is a Skywalker, and is strong with the Force. In those seconds before death sets in, Leia’s power erupts and she flies through the air in a manner similar to Superman. She makes it all the way to the ship and is the sole survivor of the explosion. Even the dark depths of space are no match for Leia Organa!
Leia has shown she’s Force-sensitive before, like when she sense Luke’s distress in The Empire Strikes Back. However, she’s never used the Force to this extent, and the amount of power she wields is truly impressive. Johnson explains that the adrenaline that comes with a near death experience was responsible for awakening her ability.
“I liked the idea it would be an instinctual thing. This would be more like stories you hear about parents of toddlers who get caught under cars and they get Hulk strength and lift the car up,” Johnson said. “It would be something in these final moments to show that she’s not done with the fight. And like a drowning person pulling herself back, that’s how it manifests itself for the first time in her.”
Apparently, it was Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy who wanted to see Leia finally use her full potential. Rian Johnson recalled about Kennedy that “she kept asking, ‘Leia’s a Skywalker, Luke gave her this speech in Jedi and told her basically, ‘You have this potential, too.’ It seemed to me it would be a really emotionally impactful thing to see her use it.”
Many fans would agree it left a big impact indeed.
Leia Shows She's the Smartest in the Room
There were a few subtle moments throughout the movie where Leia showed why she was boss. She proved herself to be smart and quick thinking when she realized the First Order was tracking the Resistance through Hyperspace. The importance of her cottoning onto this cannot be overstated- if she hadn’t figured it out, the resistance ship would have done another jump and then been helpless and completely out of fuel when the First Order came after them. They all would have died right there and it all would have been over. It was because of Leia’s strength as a strategist and general that anyone survived at all.
Leia Teaches Poe about Leadership
Throughout the movie, Poe learned a lot from Leia about how leadership works. Her easy grace and command of the resistance was something for the young and reckless hothead to aspire to and she showed him that caution and thoughtfulness were just as important in leadership as valor and gumption. The scenes where she slapped him and hit him with a blaster may have been over-the-top (and controversial with a few fans) but the larger arc of her calling him out and disciplining him when he made reckless decisions was something he needed to hear as a member of the resistance.
This movie really showed us that age has given Leia a lot of wisdom, and it was great to see her pass it on to Poe. Not many people would be able to handle a subordinate who was so cocky and confident, but Leia was easily tough enough to take him to task.
Another nice thing was her easy comeradery with Poe. Despite his rebelliousness, he clearly was in awe of her and respected her greatly. She’s clearly had a huge influence on his life and you could see how deeply upset he was over her being hurt. The “permission to blow something up?” “Permission granted” exchange between them was one of the cutest moments in the movie. They had something akin to a mother-and-son- and it was very nice to see that even in the absence of her biological son, Leia was charismatic and loving enough to find the successor she deserved- one who actually though the world of her and wouldn’t ever consider murdering her.
Leia Wields a Blaster
I’m not talking about when Leia stuns Poe, though that was indeed a dramatic entrance. No, Leia’s shown with a weapon in another part of the movie, and it shows that she may be a general, but she’s also ready and willing to go on the front lines in need be. At the beginning of the battle of Crait (just after the resistance evacuates), we can see her right at the front of the crowd with a blaster. She may be older than she was in the original trilogy but she’s still ready to fight anyone who messes with her.
It's also a great callback to the orignal trilogy. Leia proved proficient with a blaster when she first met Luke and Han and especially during the Battle of Endor. Seeing her weilding it in her last appearance feels like we've come full circle.
Leia Lets Kylo Ren Go
Sometimes the bravest thing to do is to let someone go. That’s why Leia’s willingness to admit that her son is too far gone and there’s no bringing him back to the light is both admirable and heartbreaking. She doesn’t face this revelation with tears and rage, but with a quiet acceptance. She knows what has to be done. After murdering his own father and rejecting Rey’s offer of help, Kylo has used up all his chances. It’s honestly incredibly sad we’ll never get to see Leia face to face with her errant son- I would have loved to see him crushed by her calm disappointment. But as it is, her grace in accepting the truth is still impressive.
Leia Reunites with Luke
One of the most emotional scenes in the entire movie is when Leia reunites with Luke. Leia’s confidence and warmth is just pitch perfect throughout. The first thing she says to Luke-“I know what you’re going to say. I changed my hair”-is the kind of wonderful snark we’d expect from our rebellious princess. And its no surprise the line comes from Carrie Fisher herself.
“The whole thing where she sits down with Luke and [says], ‘I changed my hair,’ obviously, that was her,” Rian Johnson informed fans. Carrie had a big hand in writing the reunion scene, apparently.
Leia’s strength is on full display during the reunion. Luke’s apology to her reminds us that while he gave up and left, she never stopped fighting and saving people. She also always believed that he would come back and she was right. She shows a great maturity in accepting his apology and in saying she understands how sorry she is. It’s far too late for reprimands to accomplish anything.
Mark Hamill also confirmed that Leia was saavy enough to realize her brother wasn’t really there during their talk. When Luke hands her Han Solo’s dice, she gives him a “subtle look.” Hamill says that was when she realized her brother was a Force projection.
The most impactful part of the scene may be when Luke tells Leia “no one is ever really gone”. It feels like it is Mark himself speaking about Carrie Fisher in that moment. Both she and Leia will never be gone from our hearts.
Leia Gives Hope
Leia’s parting line in The Last Jedi is an incredibly powerful and hopeful, taking on a double meaning in the wake of Carrie Fisher’s loss. When she says the rebellion has all it needs to rise again, the audiences feels like they can rise up to face everything as well. They are extremely comforting words- Leia’s confidence and assurance everything will be all right even in the face of devastating loss. In many ways, Leia is the embodiment of hope in the Star Wars franchise- her first scene in the story is an appeal to hope, so it’s only fitting her last one should be as well. Her hope gives everyone hope. As long as she continues steadfastly believing, there’s a sense everything will be fine.
The words are also representative of both Leia and Carrie Fisher herself passing the torch on to the next generation. Leia is telling youth of the rebellion they have what it takes to succeed and it seems like Carrie is saying the same to a new generation of actors and fans. She reminds everyone who is struggling and fighting that they have everything they need and encourages them not to give up. Thank you, Leia. Thank you, Carrie. Thank you for everything.