During yesterday’s 40th Anniversary Panel at the Star Wars Celebration, members of the cast and crew throughout the 40 years of the storied franchise came out to tell their stories about the films they participated in.
During a particular tribute segment to the late Carrie Fisher, former cast members Peter Mayhew, Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas all shared their memories of the late Princess Leia. Towards the end of the panel, the most touching speech about the late Fisher took place from her daughter, Billie Lourd.
Lourd surprised fans when she came out onto the stage and talked in depth about how much the Star Wars franchise means to her family.
“She loved you. She loved these movies. And she loved this force called Leia. It’s not about what you were fighting – it’s how you fought it. How you resisted.”
In the first tear-jerking moment of the speech, Lourd used a direct pull from A New Hope, as she recited Leia’s “You’re my only hope” speech. Then, she continued with these other two points.
“Secondly, she taught me that if life isn’t funny then it’s just true, and that is unacceptable. And finally, she taught me by her own example, that the most evolved person is seemingly a contradiction – they are both the strongest and the most vulnerable person in the room. And that was her. That is Leia.”
The video itself brought tears to all the fans of not just the franchise, but the princess herself. She is and will always be missed.
