Kicking off Star Wars Celebration Orlando on a bittersweet note, a new featurette has arrived that pays tribute to the late, great Carrie Fisher.
Chronicling Fisher’s life and legacy in Star Wars and beyond, the poignant video tugs at the heartstrings in all the right ways, and even includes a shot of Fisher on the set of The Last Jedi with director Rian Johnson. It’s undoubtedly a fitting salute to one of the greatest Star Wars characters to grace the silver screen, and the tribute above screened during this morning’s 40 Years of Star Wars panel.
Hosted by series stalwart Warwick Davis, the buzz-worthy showcase rolled out one A-lister after another, beginning with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy. From there, the likes of George Lucas, Harrison Ford – marking his first appearance at a Star Wars celebration – Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Hayden Christensen, Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels and Dave Filoni also took to the stage, before musical maestro John Williams orchestrated a surprise performance dedicated to Carrie Fisher. And really, if there’s one takeaway from this morning’s panel, it’s that Fisher’s memory lives on in Disney’s galaxy far, far away. For many, she is Princess Leia – and the Star Wars universe will forever hold her in high regard.
Here’s that aforementioned shot of Fisher on the set of The Last Jedi, courtesy of Star Wars News Net:
First look at Leia from #TheLastJedi! pic.twitter.com/ifRBReD6qE
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) April 13, 2017
Next up for Disney and Lucasfilm’s rejuvenated juggernaut is the launch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on December 15th. Despite her tragic passing, Carrie Fisher’s role in the sequel remains unchanged, while Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX will reportedly use a combination of old and existing footage come 2019.