As excitement builds for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, following the release of the first trailer for the film, it's bittersweet, as one of the main stars won't be here to enjoy it.
On December 27, 2016, Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, sadly passed away following four days in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center.
Fisher made a return to the Star Wars franchise in 2015, when, alongside Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), the original cast returned for The Force Awakens.
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The 60-year-old had filmed all of her scenes for The Last Jedi, meaning she'll be in the film due to be released this December, but questions still remain over her posthumous appearance in Episode IX.
The first trailer for The Last Jedi. Credit: Disney
Work on the episode following The Last Jedi, is set to begin this year. In January, Lucasfilm stated it would not digitally generate Fisher's performance for the film. However, Fisher's brother, Todd, and daughter, Billie Lourd, have since given permission for recent footage of the actress to be used.
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While that is yet to be determined, co-star Mark Hamill has paid a truly touching tribute to the late actress.
He spoke at a 40th anniversary fan party for the sci-fi epic, called Celebration Orlando, at the Orange County Convention Center on Friday night.
"I was just bowled over by her humour and her wit, how sardonic she was, how dark she was," Hamill said, as he recalled the time they met. "Within 20 minutes, she was telling me personal stories about her mother and father that I wouldn't have shared with you if I'd known you 10 years."
Following lighthearted quips, he began to get upset.
Credit: The Star Wars Show Live
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"Today is a day where it would be very easy to be consumed with grief," he said. "Let me tell you, when I go to sleep at night, there's never a day so far where I don't think of her. And when I think of her she's looking down from the celestial stratosphere with those big brown eyes, that sly smile on her face as she lovingly extends me the middle finger.
"She was OUR Princess, damn it, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent and ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away."
After an hour long tribute to Fisher, he shared a picture of him with her daughter, Billie Lourd, and Harrison Ford.
Hamill and Fisher will be on our screens again soon, as the The Last Jedi is due to be released on December 15 later this year, so prepare for some agonising months in between then when it becomes unbearable to wait any longer.
Featured Image Credit: LucasFilm/PATopics: Star Wars, Mark Hamill
