'Star Wars' Reportedly Scraps Carrie Fisher Tribute from Sequel Trilogy

The Star Wars universe will never be the same without the iconic Princess Leia played by Carrie Fisher, but a new piece of concept art for Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) reveals a potential Leia tribute that was scrapped.

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The Skywalker Saga owes a debt of gratitude to the wits and charm of Hollywood starling Carrie Fisher, one of the most iconic figures in George Lucas’ space opera.

Though the world lost Carrie Fisher in 2016, every Star Wars fan paid tribute to her with viewings of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) and more.

(l-r) grand moff tarkin, princess leia organa, and darth vader in a new hope — Credit: Lucasfilm

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Now, a new piece of concept art for J.J. Abram’s The Rise of Skywalker reveals Leia Organa wielding a purple lightsaber, a potential nod to the late Carrie Fisher:

New #TheRiseOfSkywalker concept art shows Leia wielding a purple lightsaber, potentially as a tribute to Carrie Fisher!

New #TheRiseOfSkywalker concept art shows Leia wielding a purple lightsaber, potentially as a tribute to Carrie Fisher! Photo & details: https://t.co/eo9afqN47G pic.twitter.com/GsUp2MtqMt

— Star Wars – The Direct (@StarWars_Direct) July 19, 2022

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While the above image is nothing more than showcasing the flashback sequence of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) undergoing a lightsaber training duel, the fearless princess was initially supposed to wield a purple lightsaber.

Concept artist Adam Brockbank shared the new image on his Instagram, revealing a scrapped scene from The Rise of Skywalker that would have made Fisher’s dream of having a purple lightsaber come true (she reportedly told Stephen Colbert that she felt Princess Leia would carry a purple saber). Nonetheless, The Rise of Skywalker would showcase Leia holding a standard blue saber while sparring with Luke Skywalker.

star wars millennium falcon cockpit with (left to right) chewbacca, c-3po, princess leia, and han solo — Credit: Lucasfilm

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The world of George Lucas is expanding beyond Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Darth Maul (Ray Parker), Anakin Skywalker (Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temura Morrison), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), Moff Gideon(Giancarlo Esposito), the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star, and The Clone Wars.

Within the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm is moving past Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) or the controversial Rian Johnson Star Wars film The Last Jedi (2018) as we dive into the Old Republic or explore new realities of the Star Wars universe with each new TV show or the upcoming Star Wars game like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 or Star Wars Eclipse.

Do you think Princess Leia should have wielded a purple lightsaber? Comment below!