Sabers of the world are lit up in solidarity following the tragic passing of Carrie Fisher, the real life woman behind Princess and later General Leia Organa. While there is much to be said about her career in film, her advocacy, and her savage wit, I wanted to hone in on just one thing that really made her royalty, not just in galaxies far, far away, but also our own.
Leia was an early role model for girls. She was sassy and independent, a rebel leader, and STILL yet a princess. So it's understandable that fans were made uncomfortable at having to see her subjugated in a gold bikini in Return of the Jedi. Fisher herself famously detested the outfit, and parents protested at the idea of the Slave Leia toy-- and that is its official name-- being out on store shelves.
There were calls to halt sale of the toy. Setting aside the discussion of whether that is right or wrong-- Fisher had a surprising response, when a vocal father asked, "What am I going to tell my kid about why she's in that outfit?"
Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn't like it. And then I took it off.
Since then, many Leia fans have given the outfit and the toy a new name: Hutt-slayer Leia.
In life, Fisher wasn't very much like her on-screen avatar. But in that brief moment, Carrie the actress, the advocate, the screenwriter, was one and the same with Leia the princess, the fighter, and the rebel who strangled her captor with his own chain.
And that's why Carrie Fisher will always be royalty, in that galaxy, in this galaxy, and the next.
Snow
FBWY
