Carrie Fisher was a whole lot more than just Princess Leia.
She was a fierce advocate for social causes, an important voice for destigmatizing mental
illness, a bang-up script doctor on many of your favorite 1990s movies, and an incredible
author.
It's not often that one person can be so talented in so many fields, but Fisher was the exception.
She lived more in her six decades than most of us ever will in a lifetime, and we'll never
know what more she had in store for us.
But as incredible as she was in all these different ways, she's still best known for
one thing above all: her role as Leia in Star Wars.
Her tragic passing due to a heart attack will almost certainly affect the future of Star
Wars.
As sad as we fans are, it's impossible not to ask the question that's on all our minds:
what effect might our loss of Carrie Fisher have on Episode VIII and Episode IX?
Will they change Episode VIII?
Shooting on director Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII actually wrapped back in July
2016, and it’s been confirmed that Fisher had already finished her scenes for the 2017
debuting film.
So, however Disney decides to address Fisher's passing, they have a decent bit of footage
and a good chunk of time to figure it out.
Productions this big usually have a tight schedule, but as Rogue One showed us, it's
not uncommon to go back for extensive reshoots and editing in the months leading up to release.
If Disney decides to address Fisher's passing in a more direct way, like having General
Leia be written off into retirement or die heroically, there’s some time to tackle
that.
But, it might not be easy.
Going full CGI
As the computer-generated cameos in Rogue One made clear, fully CGI characters can’t
yet seamlessly share the screen with live actors.
Though the resurrection of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin was a powerful test for
how far digital effects have come, the resurrected actor still looked a bit off when acting alongside
living actors on screen.
Lucasfilm knew that Tarkin had to be in Rogue One, since he's the commander of the Death
Star, and it'd be strange for him not to be there in some capacity.
Even his limited screen time was a whole lot of expensive work, so it's not really feasible
to try and do this for a main character in a film.
If they try to alter or add Leia scenes digitally, it could get tricky.
It’s been done before
If we're looking for a modern example for how Fisher's passing might be addressed on-screen,
we don’t need to look further than Furious 7.
To finish Paul Walker's character's story, the studio used a mix of CGI and human stand-ins
to narratively retire Walker's character and have him ride off into the sunset with his
family.
It’s a viable concept to apply to Episode VIII, because Leia is obviously one of the
most iconic Star Wars characters in the franchise.
They'll have to address her absence at some point in the next couple of films.
Who leads the Resistance next?
Leia had become a revered Resistance leader by the beginning of The Force Awakens.
So in the wake of Fisher's passing, who will lead the Resistance?
Star Wars now has a fair share of strong, young heroes, and it's not crazy to think
that folks like Poe Dameron, Finn, or Rey could eventually step into that void.
Of course, Luke Skywalker is another obvious option, considering he'll be returning for
a major role in Episode VIII.
So, if they're looking for a steady hand to take the lead, he'd certainly be a worthy
successor.
How could this affect Luke and Kylo Ren’s arcs?
Any changes the producers make to Leia's story for the next two films will resonate with
her relatives.
Luke and Leia’s sibling bond was definitely important to the script pages hidden deep
inside Lucasfilm.
And the big story for Leia and Han in The Force Awakens was the effort to turn their
son back from the Dark Side… which didn’t end so well.
Did Lucasfilm plan to rely on the mother-son story between Leia and Kylo Ren?
And if so, how does that story have to change now?
Could Leia’s absence change Kylo's fate before the new trilogy comes to an end?
Could potentially losing both parents push him to the Light?
Or further into the Dark?
Either way, Star Wars just won’t be the same without Carrie Fisher.
"I love you."
"I know."
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