There is little doubt that it was difficult to close out Leia Organa's story in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker following the unfortunate passing of Carrie Fisher. Nevertheless, Chris Terrio figured out the best way to pay tribute to the beloved character. The writer, who co-wrote the screenplay with director J.J. Abrams revealed how they made sure Leia's storyline would be complete.
Terrio recently spoke to Awards Daily where he explained that he and Abrams had to make sure Leia's story was treated properly.
"We knew there was, in this movie, a certain sobriety about Leia, and we had to pick and choose to ensure the weight of responsibility was still on Leia's mind while at the same time maintaining a sense of Carrie's wit and brilliance. It wasn't easy," Terrio said.
Terrio continued by stating that Leia would be established as a Jedi since it was already teased in the original trilogy.
"We wanted to put Leia in the Jedi pantheon. We thought that was a promise that was made in the original trilogy. In Return of the Jedi, you have this line, ‘There is another.' That line haunted me as a kid, and to learn Leia was another Jedi was profoundly moving to me. We thought if we did one thing in this move, we wanted to find a way to put Leia in the Jedi pantheon," he said.
This explains why Leia was revealed as Rey's new Jedi Master in The Rise of Skywalker.
"The way to do that was through Rey and Leia training her through the Jedi trials. A lot of our decisions through the film were setting up scenes where Rey could finish Leia's Jedi journey for her," Terrio concluded.
It's great to know that Terrio and Abrams took extra care with making sure Leia got an ending truly fit for a princess. Needless to say, this was one part of The Rise of Skywalker that truly moved the fans.
Related: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Writer Explains How Rey Represents Luke And Leia
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