George Lucas has united the legends of the Star Wars universe to bid a poignant farewell to the late Carrie Fisher.
The man who created the beloved franchise delivered an emotional eulogy of sorts to both the legacy of the General Leia character and Carrie Fisher herself, as part of the opening of the Star Wars Celebration on Thursday (April 13).
Moving the thousands of fans in attendance in Orlando, and many others watching on the official live stream, to tears, George Lucas explained just how important Leia has always been to Star Wars lore.
"She was a princess, she was a senator, she played a part that was very smart and she was having to hold her own against two big lugs and goofballs who were screwing everything up," George remembered.
"When Carrie came in, she was that character. She was very smart, very funny, very tough. There aren't very many people like her, they are one in a billion and, for this part, it was perfect because she could hold her own.
"She wore a dress through the whole thing but she was the tough one of the group. It was a hard part to play, but she pulled it off brilliantly."
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Lucas went on to say: "She was very fun to be with, very challenging in terms of pointing out that certain bits of dialogue were difficult to say.
"We'll all miss her. She'll always be the princess who took command and never backed down, never was in jeopardy. [Leia] was always helping the guys out of the messes they were getting into. We'll all love her forever and ever."
The video tribute released on Thursday includes archival footage of Carrie looking back with her trademark wit on 40 years with the Star Wars franchise, and also features poignant testimonials from her friends and co-stars.
"I love that Princess Leia was a very strong woman and I adored how feisty Carrie Fisher was," The Force Awakens star Gwendoline Christie says in the clip. "I could really sense and feel her fire, and that was important for me as a young girl to see that kind of woman."
The late actress's on-screen brother Mark Hamill adds: "I love her! I love her when she drives me crazy and I love her when she makes me laugh. She's just delightful."
"Carrie's amazing and unique," Harrison Ford says. "She's got an intellect. She's got real courage, real gall."
This moving tribute was introduced in-person during the Star Wars: A New Hope panel by Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, who shared with the crowd the most important advice she'd ever received from her mum.
"If life isn't funny, then it's just true, and that is unacceptable," Billie smiled.
Carrie Fisher died tragically from complications relating to a heart attack on December 27, just one day before her own mother Debbie Reynolds died from a stroke as well.
Although Carrie was taken from us long before her time, she will always live on as General Leia — including in two upcoming Star Wars sequels.
The actress had finished filming on Star Wars: The Last Jedi before her death, and the movie's storyline will not be changed to write Leia out.
Carrie's brother Todd Fisher has also confirmed that Leia will be seen in 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX as well, not digitally recreated by Lucasfilm as the late Peter Cushing was in Rogue One.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in cinemas on December 15.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
