Words are hard to say yet easy to find in discussing the loss of Carrie Fisher. And millions from all over the world are doing so at this very moment (12:47 PM 12/27/2016), so pardon me if I ramble. But I can’t help it we lost OUR Princess.
Of course Carrie Fisher was far more than a fictional character, and no life should ever be trivialized in such a way. But the particular fictional character she brought to life is one that changed the world.
The character of Princess Leia was so incredibly important on so many levels. She was the damsel in distress that wasn’t actually helpless. She was just stuck at the moment Ben, Luke and Hon went to save her. That broke the mold. But not in an in your face way. She was one of the boys but at the same time a lady that captured the hearts of many, many young boys before we even knew what “the girl next door” meant. And frankly I can’t think of any other character that has done that since. Seriously, I can’t.
We saw this coming… but the sting remains.
When it was announced that she had the cardiac arrest episode, all we could do was hope… and we all did. Even if most of us knew that the odds of survival were minimal, and quality of life was most certainly not going to be at the levels she had lived up to that very moment on the plane in L.A. But we had hope. Damn it.
Why are we so affected?
For all of the obvious reasons as stated above but if I may add, she was also the first person / actor to be brought into all of our homes in the form of toys and merchandising. This is not to sound cold, in fact the complete opposite is true. We knew her. We held her in our hands. Some of us even WERE her at Halloween for decades
and now as cosplayers at conventions. Her image and creation were a part of our everyday lives for almost all of our lives. Literally. For nearly 40 years, Carrie Fisher’s lovely face was with us. And while those images will remain til the end of time, the spark behind those bright brown eyes is forev
er extinguished.
But what about Star Wars?The giant Dewback in the middle of the room.
While writing this I’ve unplugged from the social world but I’m sure there are millions folks asking that same question. And I’m sure there equally as many arguments about motivations in making such assumptions at this time. But as far as I’m concerned it’s a fair argument and just concern. Again, for all the same reasons I’ve listed above. Princess Leia is OUR Princess, from OUR Star Wars, without her, it simply can’t be the same. And this isn’t just fanboy raving, it’s fact.
Without Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford’s agreement to return to the galaxy far, far away, there would have been no “Episode VII – The Force Awakens”. Well, I’m sure Disney still would have made one but without Han, Luke and Leia it simply wouldn’t or couldn’t have been the same for fans. Even the new “Rogue One” acknowledges that by bringing the Princess back, if only briefly (but to great effect with those dazzling brown eyes and giant buns).
It’s not petty … it’s reality
We saw how well the makers of ‘Fast and Furious’ handled the death of Paul Walker. And no disrespect to Paul or his fans, but this isn’t the same.
How will Lucasfilm and Disney explain the loss of OUR Princess? I know that will be the toughest job any writer, producer, director has ever had to face. And that’ just for Episode VIII. Her shadow and spirit will carry on to Episode IX as well. And even more so than Han Solo.
Because this is real.
This is finite.
This is the end of Princess Leia. CGI can only go so far and there’s a big difference in the hearts and minds of fans when it comes to a legendary actor in a legendary role, receiving post life props like Peter Cushing just received than the Princess that came back into our lives, aged and with more stories to tell. But how can you tell them without Carrie Fisher? You can’t.
The takeaway….
In the end, no one is immune from death’s grasp. No one. But we can learn a whole lot from the lives that death takes and the reminder that it gives us all that every second is precious and they are numbered but we can’t see the clock.
So let us mourn.
Let us celebrate the life and legacy of Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia.
And more importantly let us do the same for ourselves, our friends and our family. Embrace them NOW for in life that is truly our only hope.
God Bless You, Carrie Fisher and may you rest in peace, Princess.
Jim 12/27/2016
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