‘Star Wars VIII’ Set Photo Shares First Image Of Carrie Fisher In Her Final Princess Leia Performance

The tragic loss of Carrie Fisher is still being felt sharply among her devoted fans and, while nothing can compare to having Carrie back with us, Star Wars fans can take a small measure of joy in knowing we have one more performance to look forward to from Ms. Fisher. Carrie had already completed her work on Star Wars: Episode VIII prior to her passing, so the next sequel will give the world a few final moments with Princess Leia. In anticipation of those Star Wars: Episode VIII moments, actor Oscar Isaac has shared a candid photo of Carrie Fisher on the set of the upcoming sequel.

Star Wars: Episode VIII Will Give Carrie Fisher One Last Moment To Shine

Among the many celebrities sharing their tributes to the late Carrie Fisher is fellow Star Wars actor, Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens and its upcoming sequel. According to C-Net, Isaac’s post seeking to honor Fisher is unique in that it shares a candid moment on the set of Star Wars: Episode III with Carrie and her long-time Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill seen taking a respite from their shooting schedules.

The picture, in which Carrie shows her quirky sense of humor by twisting her head to give a quizzical stare at Isaac’s lens, was taken on the Pinewood Studios’ backlot, where the next Star Wars film is being shot.

“She had no patience for pretense or small talk,” Isaac wrote of Ms. Fisher in the photo’s caption.

“She saw through things, at a different angle, with the gritty wisdom that comes from the hardest lessons. And, man, did she make me laugh. Will miss you dearly, Carrie.”

The picture also shows Fisher and Hamill in costume, revealing darker colors for both Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Although Ms. Fisher had completed her scenes for Star Wars: Episode VIII, plans had already been underway to make Princess Leia an integral part of Star Wars: Episode IX. Carrie’s sudden passing will undoubtedly affect the plot for that sequel.

Can Star Wars Go On Without Princess Leia?

Certainly, the Star Wars franchise will continue, but, as CNBC points out, the loss of Carrie Fisher will have a massive effect on how the film series go forward from this point. While the role Fisher played in The Force Awakens was minimal, little more than a brief cameo, reports have revealed that Carrie’s part as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VIII is much more significant and that plans had been underway to make Ms. Fisher a central figure in Episode IX.

While it’s still soon, following the death of Ms. Fisher, neither Disney nor Lucasfilm has commented on how the loss of Princess Leia will affect future films.

Meanwhile, analysts, fans, and the media are concerned, and that in itself reveals just how vital Carrie Fisher was to the Star Wars franchise. Even the Star Wars prequels in which neither Hamill nor Fisher took part, seemed overshadowed by the legendary characters of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

“The fact that we are talking about this shows how woven into the DNA of Star Wars Carrie Fisher is,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore said.

“This is no small thing.”

Clearly, Star Wars: Episode IX will have to give Princess Leia, now General Leia, some kind of an exit. CNBC refers to the way in which Furious 7 used archived footage to let the recently passed Paul Walker finish out that film, as they suggest a similar trick might be used to give Carrie Fisher an honorable exit, paying tribute to Fisher as an actress and as the iconic Princess Leia.

On the other hand, Disney may choose to use CGI to keep General Leia in play in much the same way they brought back the long deceased Peter Cushing to play Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Morbid as that may seem at this early stage of the development of that technology, that may be the coming trend for filmmaking, where roles have been made iconic through the performances of specific actors.

“Based on the divisive way that fans have reacted to the effects in Rogue One and considering that her death will still be pretty fresh, I think they won’t go the CGI route,” said Erik Davis, who is the managing editor of Fandango.

“Unless, it’s to touch up a tiny bit, a fraction of a scene. Sort of the way Fast and Furious did it with Paul Walker. I think that that would be the only case that they would use effects.”

A less technical and more inexpensive method for explaining the loss of Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX would be to add the end to her story arc in the opening crawl, explaining the missing General Leia with a few sentences. While that would be the most efficient way of writing Carrie Fisher out of the Star Wars franchise, it would also leave fans feeling wanting and unsatisfied. Certainly, Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia deserve a more fitting tribute than a brief opening crawl write up.

Star Wars: Episode VIII hits theaters on December 15, 2017.

[Featured Image by Disney/Lucasfilm]