The Best Moments We Had From Princess Leia
The late Carrie Fisher brought so much to the franchise and the fanbase. Her passing in 2016 was a tragic loss that weighed heavily on the hearts of fans the world over. Her character, Princess Leia, was among the most iconic women, not just in Star Wars, but in all of film history. Leia has certainly left her mark on all of us with her unique personality and a fair share of scene stealing moments. With that in mind, here are just a few of her most memorable moments.
She Faces Down Darth Vader
Few imperials are as terrifying as Darth Vader. The dark lord of the Sith was feared throughout the galaxy and was notorious for his merciless tactics when dealing with enemies of the state. It takes nerves of steel to even share a room with Vader, much less oppose him. But when we’re first introduced to the princess of Alderaan, she does that and more. After the villain scours her ship and took what few remaining survivors into custody, Leia is brought before Vader for questioning. In the face of pure evil and almost certain death, she shows no fear and even throws accusations at the invader. It’s an amazing first impression to say the least. She may be a princess but deep down she was a fighter, and she was just getting started.
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"Help Me Obi-Wan"
Alas, pure bravado will only get you so far. Vader wins that round, but unbeknownst to the dark lord, Leia has a trick up her sleeve. In what serves as the call to action for the entire original trilogy, Leia secrets away the plans Vader was seeking, along with a message. “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” The now iconic line may be one of the most important lines uttered in the entire franchise. It brings Obi-Wan out of retirement, leads Luke to be a Jedi, and goes on to win the war for the Rebellion. Decades later, it would be played again by R2-D2 on Ahch-To to encourage Luke to train Rey to be a Jedi.
Leads Her Own Rescue
Things get off to a rocky start for our heroes in A New Hope. Their mission to save Princess Leia is met with complication after complication, until finally the trio of Han, Luke, and Chewbacca arrive at the detention level of the Death Star to save her. It doesn’t take long for Leia to flip the script on her rescuers, personally leading the charge and blasting the group to freedom. Their escape is certainly a team effort, but Leia proves she can hold her own in a fight and knows her way around a blaster rifle.
She Rescues Luke at Bespin
Following a rather unpleasant father son bonding moment in the skies of Bespin, Luke is left hanging on an antenna in dire need of a hand. In desperation he calls out to his sister through the force for aid. On the run from the empire and in dubious company, Leia still hears her brother’s call and has Chewie bring the Falcon around. This scene not only gives her a chance to return the favor, it also hints at her Force sensitivity, and highlights the bond she and Luke share.
Killed Jabba the Hutt
In another case of a Star Wars rescue gone awry, Return of the Jedi sees our heroes at the mercy of the foul crime lord Jabba the Hutt. After successfully infiltrating the villain’s stronghold, Leia is captured after Jabba sees through her disguise and promptly takes the proud princess as his trophy, as his last one was recently relieved of her position. Things looked grim until a series of events gave the captive rebel a chance to live out many a frustrated employee’s fantasy. As Jabba’s sail barge explodes into chaos, Leia takes advantage of the disarray to strangle her captor with her own leash, thus putting an end to the crime lord. As she’s proven many times before, you don’t mess with Princess Leia.
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Source(s): Screen Rant, WatchMojo, Wookieepedia