Star Wars: Princess Leia Was Supposed to Wield a Lightsaber in Rise of Skywalker

I remember waking up one morning in 2017 to news that our Princess Carrie Fisher had passed away. I was in tears. What made her passing even more tragic is the fact that she couldn’t reprise her role one last time and see the Skywalker Saga through to the end. Her passing also raised questions about the direction the story was going to head in, in Star Wars: Episode IX. Fortunately, it looks like J.J Abrams and gang has found a way — by using footage from The Force Awakens — to wrap up her arc nicely. But we can’t help but wonder what the original plans for Princess Leia were.

In a recent interview with Yahoo, Carrie Fisher’s brother, Todd Fisher provided some interesting insight on what Leia’s role was going to be in The Rise of Skywalker.

She was going to be the big payoff in the final film. That was what the intent was prior to her exiting. She was going to be the last Jedi, so to speak. That’s cool right?

This definitely sheds some light onto the polarising scene in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi where General Leia uses the force to pretty much cheat death and “Mary Poppins” her way back into the ship. It also looks like Johnson was laying the groundwork for Leia to not only wield the Force in a meaningful way but also perhaps wield a lightsaber in the final film. Todd Fisher added:

“People used to say to me, ‘Why is it that Carrie never gets a lightsaber and chops up some bad guys. Even as a person of her age. I said, ‘Obi-Wan, when he was in his prime, was Carrie’s age. You think about it, Alec Guinness, when he gets cut down by Vader in the first Star Wars, he was about Carrie’s age.”

While I certainly love the idea of Princess Leia wielding a lightsaber in a moment of pure epicness, I think it could be yet another decision that would’ve been polarising among ardent Star Wars fans.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas this December.

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