Princess Leia Organa

For the Blackadder character, see Princess Leia of Hungary. For the fungus gnat genus, see Leia (insect).

Leia Organa
Star Wars character
Position	Princess of Alderaan (Adopted), Imperial senator of Alderaan, New Republic diplomat, Chief of State of the New Republic Jedi Knight
Homeworld	Alderaan (born on a remnant of Polis Massa)
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Imperial Senate, Rebel Alliance, New Republic/Galactic Alliance, Jedi
Portrayed by	Carrie Fisher (Episodes IV–VI) Aidan Barton (Episode III) Ann Sachs (Radio drama) Lisa Fuson (Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi, Star Wars: Rebellion, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds) Grey Delisle (Star Wars: Force Commander) Sumi Shimamoto (Japanese dub)

Princess Leia is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. She is portrayed by actress Carrie Fisher in A New Hope^[1], The Empire Strikes Back^[2], Return of the Jedi^[3], and The Star Wars Holiday Special. Aiden Barton appeared as an infant Leia in Revenge of the Sith. Ann Sachs provided the voice of Leia in the 1980s radio dramas of the original Star Wars trilogy.

She is one of the main protagonists of the original Star Wars trilogy. In Return of the Jedi, it is revealed that she is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and thus the daughter of Darth Vader. In the Star Wars prequel films, her mother is identified as Padmé Amidala. Her adoptive father is Bail Organa, the head of Alderaan's royal family and a supporting character in the prequels; in later Star Wars literature she marries Han Solo, her romantic interest in the original films.

In 2008, Princess Leia was selected by Empire Magazine as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.^[4]

Appearances

Star Wars films

Revenge of the Sith

Baby Leia being put in the care of Bail Organa and his wife after the death of her mother, the fall of her father, and the separation between her and her brother.

By the fictional chronology, Leia first appears in Revenge of the Sith, when Padmé gives birth to her and Luke at Polis Massa.

After Padmé dies in childbirth, Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda decide that they must hide the Skywalker children from their father, former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who has recently turned to the dark side of the Force and become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Leia is sent to Alderaan with the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO and her adoptive parents, Bail and Breha Organa, where the Jedi believe she will be safe from the newly-declared Galactic Empire.

A New Hope

Princess Leia aboard the Death Star with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.^[5]

In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Leia is introduced as the Princess of Alderaan and a member of the Imperial Senate. Darth Vader captures her onboard the ship Tantive IV, where she is acting as a spy for the Rebellion. He accuses her of being a traitor and demands to know the location of the secret technical plans of the Death Star, the Empire's newest and most powerful weapon. Unknown to him, the young senator has hidden the plans inside an Astromech droid, R2-D2, and has sent it to find Obi-Wan Kenobi on the nearby planet of Tatooine. Later, Vader has her tortured, but she resists telling him anything. Still believing she could be useful, the Death Star's commander, Grand Moff Tarkin, threatens to destroy Alderaan with the superweapon unless she reveals the location of the hidden Rebel base. She lies to them, and Tarkin orders Alderaan to be destroyed anyway. She is finally rescued by Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, the Wookiee Chewbacca, and the two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. When they finally escape, at the expense of Obi-Wan's life (sacrificed in a duel with Vader), they take part in the Battle of Yavin, in which Luke destroys the Death Star in his one-man X-wing fighter. In the Massassi Temple at the hidden Rebel base on Yavin 4, the radiant Princess Leia Organa presents the Alderaanian Medal of Freedom to her rescuers and the heroes of the battle.^[1]

The Empire Strikes Back

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, set three years later, Leia is at the Rebel base on Hoth. She later helps with the evacuation of Hoth during an Imperial attack, remaining at her station until Han forces her to leave with him. She flees with C-3PO, Han, and Chewbacca on Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Although they are pursued by Imperial TIE fighters, they dodge their fire by flying into an asteroid field when the Falcon's hyperdrive breaks down. Romance blossoms between Leia and Han during their flight from the Empire; while hiding in the stomach of a space slug, she finally shares a kiss with the Corellian smuggler. Later, when they stop at Bespin for repairs, Han's friend Lando Calrissian turns them over to Vader, who uses them as bait for Luke. Han is also used as a test subject for the carbon freezing chamber meant for Luke, and it is there that Leia finally confesses her love for Han. Vader then gives the frozen Han to bounty hunter Boba Fett to give to Jabba the Hutt, to whom Han owes a very large debt. Later, Lando helps Leia, Chewbacca, and the two droids escape. While escaping, she senses that Luke is in trouble and makes them go back for him. They save Luke, who is badly hurt after a near-fatal duel against Vader.^[2]

Return of the Jedi

In Return of the Jedi, set a year later, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, Luke (now nearly a Jedi Knight), and the droids go to Tatooine to try to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. Leia's part of the plan consists of posing as the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh, who will turn Chewbacca over to Jabba. Her ruthless bargaining, negotiating the price for Chewbacca at the end of a thermal detonator, impresses Jabba enough to allow her quarters in the palace for the night. The Huttese gangster eventually discovers her real identity, captures her, makes her his new slave girl, and forces her to wear her now iconic metal bikini after she frees Han from the carbonite.^[3]

After Luke kills the Rancor, Jabba sentences Luke and Han to be fed to the Sarlacc. Just as all seems lost, Lando, disguised as a guard, helps Luke and Han overpower their captors. Leia seizes the moment to kill Jabba by strangling him with the very chain that bound her. R2-D2 cuts her loose, and after Luke boards the sailbarge, he rescues Leia. With Leia's help, Luke uses a deck cannon to blow up his barge as they swing to safety.^[3]

While preparing for a last battle with the Empire on Endor, Luke reveals to a stunned Leia that she is, in fact, his twin sister, and that Vader is their father. Initially reluctant to believe him, Leia realizes that Luke speaks the truth and joins Han Solo in leading the Rebels in battle on Endor as the Rebel Fleet battle the second Death Star. Leia is injured in the battle, but the Rebels, allied with the Ewoks, are victorious over the Empire.^[3]

The Star Wars Holiday Special

Leia and C-3PO in The Star Wars Holiday Special

Leia briefly appears in the 1978 TV movie The Star Wars Holiday Special, where she is once again portrayed by Fisher. In the show, Leia is a leader and administrator of the new Rebel Alliance base. She is accompanied by C-3PO when contacting Chewbacca's wife, Mallatobuck, for assistance in finding Chewbacca and Han. She also appears in the cartoon segment at a different Rebel Base, located in an asteroid field, and at the Life Day ceremony at the end of the film.^[6]

Leia also appeared in and hosted the November 18, 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live that aired one day after the holiday special.^[7] The Summer 1983 issue of Rolling Stone magazine poked fun at this appearance.^[8]

Expanded Universe

Star Wars literature

Alderaan

In The Truce at Bakura, set one day after the ending of Return of the Jedi, Leia establishes New Alderaan, a sanctuary for the destroyed planet's surviving inhabitants. The Royal House of Alderaan, in the person of Leia Organa Solo and her children, officially holds sovereignty over both New Alderaan and the old Alderaan system. Her title is largely ceremonial, however, as the government on New Alderaan actually administers the Alderaan system and New Alderaan in her name.

That same day, she encounters the spirit of her father, now redeemed and resuming the form of his original self, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin pleads for her forgiveness, but she angrily banishes him from her life. Anakin says that he will be there for her should she need him, and disappears.

The New Republic

In Expanded Universe materials set after Return of the Jedi, Leia is portrayed as a founding member of the New Republic. Although most of her life is devoted to such matters of state, she engages in limited study of the Jedi arts, with Luke as her teacher. Notably, she wields a blue lightsaber that she built herself.

In Queen of the Empire by Paul Davids and Hollace Davids,^[9] she is kidnapped by the "Prophets of the Dark Side", who try to brainwash her into pledging her loyalty to the Empire and marry their leader, Trioculus. Leia tricks her captors by having a look-alike droid take her place; the droid eventually kills Trioculus.

In Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn,^[10] Luke builds her a green lightsaber which she uses to help free the Noghri from their debt to the Empire. Luke then gives her a red lightsaber to complement the weapon she had constructed earlier.

As described in The Courtship of Princess Leia, Leia marries Han after a near-disastrous courtship in which Prince Isolder vies for her affections. Han kidnaps Leia and takes her to the planet Dathomir, which he had won in a game of sabacc There they encounter the Nightsisters, whose attempt to escape eventually leads to the demise of the Warlord Zsinj and his empire, equal rival at this time to both the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic.

At first, Leia does not want to have children, fearing they would succumb to the dark side as her father had done. In the novel Tatooine Ghost, however, she begins to understand what happened to her father to bring him to the dark side. When she and Han go on a mission to Tatooine to retrieve the Alderaanian moss-painting Killik Twilight and the Rebel code hidden within it, Leia discovers her grandmother Shmi Skywalker's diary and, with the help of her father's childhood friends Kitster and Wald, discovers her father wasn't the monster she thought he was. By the end of the novel, she learns to forgive him.

In the Thrawn trilogy, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had formed an alliance with Joruus C'Baoth, orders Noghri commandos to kidnap Leia, who is pregnant.^[10] C'Baoth intends to warp Leia and Luke to the Dark Side, and plans to corrupt also the two unborn twins. To avoid capture, she hides on the planet Kashyyyk, but her would-be kidnappers track her down. She later learns that Vader once landed on the Noghri home planet Honoghr and tricked the Noghri into serving the Empire by promising to help their planet recover from the ecological disaster that it suffered during the Clone Wars. Because of this, they are fiercely loyal to Vader. Leia is able to leverage her biological relationship to Vader to persuade a Noghri assassin to travel with her to Honoghr and help convince the Noghri of the Empire's deception.^[10] Leia shows an assembly of Noghri matriarchs that the droids which the Empire demanded are actively poisoning the land and slowing down the reconstruction. They leave the service of the Empire after one of their assassins (and Thrawn's personal bodyguard), Rukh, kills Thrawn during the Battle of Bilbringi and becomes allies of the New Republic. For her efforts, Leia is known as "Lady Vader" among the Noghri, and she and her family become revered figures in their society.

In The Last Command, Leia gives birth to the twins Jaina and Jacen on Coruscant during Thrawn's siege.^[11]

Dark Empire

During the events of Dark Empire, the New Republic suffers severe setbacks, losing most of its worlds, as well as Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side. After her brother's capture on Coruscant, subsequent transport to Byss, and temptation by the cloned Emperor, a pregnant Leia along with her husband, Han Solo, reach the Emperor's new stronghold of Byss where she confronts the reincarnated Palpatine. At first Leia is unsuccessful in turning Luke away from the dark side, but does manage to take a Jedi Holocron away from the Emperor's chambers. Leia boards Palpatine's Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer during its assault on the Pinnacle moon of Da Soocha. She appeals to the good in Luke, redeeming him, and assaults Palpatine with the light side of the Force, cutting him off from the dark side and control of the titanic Force-storm he had created, intending to obliterate the Rebel Alliance fleet. The storm grows out of control, destroying both Eclipse I and Palpatine; Luke and Leia escape just in time.

In Empire's End, Leia gives birth to a second son, whom she names Anakin in honor of her father's redemption (See Solo family.) Along with a Jedi named Jen, she defeats Palpatine's second-in-command, a Dark Jedi assassin. Palpatine is soon reborn in his last remaining clone body, which is quickly deteriorating, due to sabotage by Carnor Jax and one of the Emperor's Hands. Leia is forced to flee to Onderon to hide Anakin from Palpatine, who intends to transfer his spirit into the infant. Palpatine does eventually find her, but Han accidentally shoots him in the back just as he is about to possess the baby. A sacrifice by a dying Jedi named Empatojayos Brand saves them both from Palpatine's wrath, and incapacitates Palpatine's malignant spirit forever.

The Yuuzhan Vong War and beyond

After serving a second term, Leia resigns as Chief of State, and is replaced by Borsk Fey'lya. After the Yuuzhan Vong attack on Sernpidal, Leia goes before the Senate to bring attention to the threat posed by the approaching Yuuzhan Vong. Her pleas go unheeded, and the Vong legions swarm into the galaxy, destroying system after system and defeating the Jedi and the New Republic army in countless battles. Leia contributes to the war effort by joining SELCORE, a movement that helps refugees.

In Vector Prime, Chewbacca's death sends Han into a deep depression, causing a large rift between him and Leia, culminating in his walking out of the marriage after an argument. They patch things up after Leia is gravely wounded by Tsavong Lah at the Battle of Duro. Their troubles are not yet over, however; when the Vong unleash the deadly voxyn, Leia is targeted by a Voxyn master slayer who has already killed many Jedi. With the help of her Noghri bodyguards, she eliminates the assassin with her lightsaber.

In Star By Star, Leia and Han lose their youngest son, Anakin, during the Myrkr mission and the fall of Coruscant.

After Coruscant's fall, Han and Leia go to Hapes for Anakin's funeral, then on several missions to restore HoloNet communications to the Unknown Regions, including foiling a second attempt of the Ssi-ruuk to invade Bakura in the process. Leia helps the Pwecks to rebel against their masters during her confrontation face to face with the Imperium; her stand allowing several traitors to ambush the Imperium.

Near the end of the Yuuzhan Vong war, she and Han rescue Thorsh, a prisoner from the internment camps of planet Selvaris. Later, they enter with Jedi Master Kyp Durron, a Bothan secret agent named Wraw, and a few more allies on the planet Callulla. During the battle with the Yuuzhan Vong warriors, she destroys a few Slayers and a Commander before being captured. The commando is eventually rescued by Lando Calrissian, Talon Karrde and Tendra, Lando's wife.

When Zonama Sekot makes its existence known near Coruscant in The Final Prophecy, Han and Leia travel there to be reunited with the rest of their family. While there, they meet Harrar, a Yuuzhan Vong priest. Leia, Han, and a few companions work with Harrar and a group of heretics to get inside the Well of the World Brain on Coruscant.

After the destruction of Shimrra and Supreme Overlord Onimi, Nom Anor travels with the Solo family across the labyrinth to escape the mighty war vessel of the Master Shaper. However, the executor turns on them and shoots his venom towards Han, but Jacen catches the poison, saving his father from certain death. Leia engages the Prefect before he can eliminate her husband and her elder son. She proves victorious and cuts off the rogue Nom Anor's arm. Han and Leia then leave Anor to die.

Leia then gives up politics and becomes Han's copilot, a position she holds for the next five years.

The Dark Nest

In The Joiner King, Han and Leia follow various Jedi who had disappeared into the Unknown Regions, and discover Raynar Thul is alive and had been taken in by a nest of Killiks. To avoid a war with the Chiss, Leia suggests to "UnuThul" (as Raynar was now known) that the Killik nest be moved to a new planet, but makes him think it is his idea. At this time, Leia comes to terms with her heritage and asks Saba Sebatyne to train her as a Jedi Knight, as per a promise Luke had made to her during the Thrawn crisis.

In The Unseen Queen, R2-D2 suffers some severe malfunctions and shows Luke a holoclip of his father and a pregnant woman, whom Luke learns is his and Leia's real mother, Padmé Amidala. In the holoclips, Anakin and Padmé are discussing a dream of Anakin's in which Padmé dies in childbirth. Before Luke can get more info out of R2, the droid has a meltdown, claiming he is protecting information. Frustrated, Luke contacts master slicer Ghent, who manages to recover one other holoclip from R2, this time featuring a scene in which Padmé is talking to Obi-Wan Kenobi about Anakin, which is displayed to both Luke and Leia. In The Swarm War, Luke and Leia finally see their mother's death. (All of these scenes were originally portrayed in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.) Also, Sebatyne tells Leia to construct a new lightsaber to show she is a true Jedi Knight.

Later on in the novel, she defeats the evil Joiner Alema Rar, a former Jedi Knight. She defeats her and assumes that she is dead, although Alema was in fact still alive, but severely injured.

Leia and Han unknowingly become grandparents to Allana, Jacen's daughter, but they finally find out the truth as of Fury.

The Legacy of the Force Era

Initial rough concept sketch of Princess Leia

During the Legacy of the Force series, set some 35 years after Return of the Jedi, Leia supports Han, who feels allegiance to Corellia, even though she remains a Jedi Knight. However, they soon break from Corellia following that planet's plot to assassinate Queen Mother Tenel Ka.

In this series, her own son, Jacen, gradually falls to the dark side, and terrorizes the galaxy as the ruthless Sith Lord Darth Caedus. Leia tries to reason with Jacen at first, but ultimately disowns him after he commits a series of atrocities, and tacitly agrees to Han and Jaina's plan to hunt down and kill him. Jaina kills Jacen in Invincible, the final novel in the series, leaving the Solo family stricken with grief, even as they acknowledge that his death was "necessary". To cope with the loss, Leia and Han adopt Allana and pledge to raise her as their own.

Character development

In the rough draft of A New Hope, Leia was a 14-year-old princess (the same age as Queen Amidala in The Phantom Menace), the spoiled daughter of King Kayos and Queen Breha of Aquilae. In that draft, she had two brothers, Biggs and Windy, whose identities were substantially revised into their current form by the fourth draft (though they did not appear in intervening versions).^[12] The later story synopsis established her as Leia Antilles, the daughter of Bail Antilles from the peaceful world of Organa Major. In the fourth draft the names were turned around so that Leia Organa came instead from Alderaan.^[13]

Characteristics

In a memorable scene from The Empire Strikes Back, romance blossoms between Han Solo and Princess Leia once the two kiss.

Princess Leia Organa is a driven, dedicated individual with a forceful—if sometimes abrasive—personality. She is professional in all respects, but occasionally relaxes her guard to let her strong compassion and quirky sense of humor show. The "petite, fair-skinned human female" is known perhaps as the most beautiful and remembered woman in the Star Wars universe.^[14] Leia was loved by Luke Skywalker (before their sibling relationship was discovered), Han Solo, Prince Xizor, Prince Isolder (before he met Tenejiel Djo) and others. In the Shadows of the Empire novels, Leia was seduced by the Crime Lord Xizor. He had the chance to steal some kisses from the young princess: Having possessed her with pheromones, Xizor kissed her with passion—-but Chewbacca managed to break the seduction, allowing Leia to defeat the Crime Lord.^[14] Fellow crime boss Jabba the Hutt also had a one-sided relationship with Leia, and made her his slave; Leia, in response, despised the Hutt and killed him in revenge.

Although she is depicted in the original Star Wars trilogy as having no experience in the ways of the Force, Leia is actually very capable, both physically and spiritually, in her own right. A woman warrior, she frequently took part in combat operations. She is an excellent marksman, missing rarely, if ever, with a blaster.^[1][2][3] She kills, among other villainous characters, Jabba the Hutt, choking him with the very chain that bound her to him;^[3] Leia is also responsible for Grand Admiral Thrawn's death, since she turns the Noghri against him.^[11] By redeeming her brother, she also helps bring about the destruction of the Clone Emperor.^[15] She even kills a Dark Jedi named Kueller with a blaster rifle, right before he is about to deal a fatal blow to Luke.

Though initially hesitant about her Jedi training, Leia later learns various Force techniques, and becomes a very proficient Jedi after finishing her training under Luke's guidance. She eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the New Jedi Order, developing her lightsaber skills to the point where she could deflect blaster bolts back at attackers.

Princess Leia Organa in popular culture

The "Cinnamon Bun Hairstyle"

Princess Leia, sporting her trademark "cinnamon buns" hairstyle and wielding a blaster.

Leia's well-known hairdo in A New Hope has been affectionately dubbed the "doughnut hairstyle", or "cinnamon buns", by many science fiction fans.^[1] Carrie Fisher, in an appearance on the UK TV show Bring Back Star Wars, said she hated her character's hairstyle; she felt it made her face look rounder, and it took two hours every day to style. Miss Piggy of Jim Henson's Muppet Babies copied the hairdo with doughnuts in a Star Wars-centric episode of the series. Also, in one scene from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, Princess Vespa also appears to have the hairstyle, but reveals that she is actually wearing a large pair of headphones. In the parody film Thumb Wars, the role of Leia was filled by a character named Princess Bunhead, who, as the name implies, had two cinnamon rolls for hair.

In reality, however, Leia's hairdo may not be as unique as it first appears. Young marriageable Hopi Indian women wear a very elaborate "Squash Blossom" hairdo that superficially resembles Princess Leia's.^[16] It takes a hairdresser nearly one hour to create.^[17][18] George Lucas has even admitted as such, saying: "In the 1977 film, I was working very hard to create something different that wasn't fashion, so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look, which is what that is. The buns are basically from turn-of-the-century Mexico."^[19]

A similar hairstyle still persists in the Spanish region of Valencia, and can be seen during the Falles festival.

Leia's signature hairdo also inspired a recurring freshman gag at the U.S. Naval Academy. Along with "wildmans" and "assassinations," the "Princess Leia" is another popular method for freshmen (Plebes) to taunt their superiors. The freshman smears peanut butter on a pair of hamburger bun halves or English muffin halves, sneaks up behind an upperclassman in the dining hall, and sticks them on the upperclassman's ears. These dining hall pranks, however, have been discouraged in recent years.^[20] In the animated TV show Phineas and Ferb, the episode 'At the Car Wash' had a scene where the brothers' sister, Candace Flynn has her hair tied up into Princess Leia like buns by a machine in the car wash.^[21]

Padme Amidala (Leia's mother) sports a similar hairstyle in her first appearance in Revenge of the Sith.

"Princess Leia's Theme"

"Princess Leia's Theme" is the musical leitmotif in the Star Wars saga that represents Princess Leia. The piece was composed by John Williams.

It first appeared in A New Hope, heard when Princess Leia is captured by Darth Vader. Later, it plays as R2-D2 plays her holographic message to Obi-Wan Kenobi. The theme plays when Obi-Wan Kenobi is killed by Vader, even though Leia is not directly involved in this event. Finally, it plays in the end credits.

In The Empire Strikes Back, the theme is developed into "Han Solo and the Princess". "Princess Leia's Theme" plays as Han Solo tells Leia that he must leave to settle his debt with Jabba the Hutt. The only other time it plays is at the end of the movie, when Leia and Lando Calrissian rescue Luke Skywalker from Cloud City and Leia and Luke are reunited.

In Return of the Jedi, the theme is heard as Leia shoots a stormtrooper on Endor. Earlier it plays as Luke mentions her name on Dagobah.

The theme was revived for the prequel trilogy. It appears in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, when Bail Organa has a conversation with Obi-Wan Kenobi about adopting her. It is then heard during the final montage of shots at the end of the film as her adoptive parents hold the newborn Leia. It reappears during the end credits.

The "Metal Bikini"

Leia wearing her iconic golden "metal bikini" slave outfit at Jabba's palace. Leia's appearance has been voted one of the most memorable swimsuit moments of cinema history.^[22]

The term "Metal Bikini" refers to the iconic slave girl costume worn by Princess Leia when she was held captive in Jabba the Hutt's palace, at the beginning of Return of the Jedi.^[3] The skimpy costume consisted of a brass brassiere fastened over the neck and behind the back with string,^[23] a brass thong g-string panty,^[24] a red silk loincloth, and leather high-heeled boots. There were other various adornments, including a hair fastener, a snake arm-wrap and two bracelets. Last, there was the chain and collar that bound her to Jabba which, ironically, she uses to strangle him in the film.^[25]

After her appearance wearing the "golden metal bikini", Carrie Fisher (and thus Leia herself) almost immediately became a cult sex symbol.^[27] Leia's metallic bikini scenes were voted by Empire magazine as among the most memorable in movie history.^[28] This phenomenon is noted in an episode of the sitcom Friends ("The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy") in which Ross tells Rachel about his interest in the "golden bikini".^[29]

According to the Internet Movie Database, Fisher had said that her costumes in the previous two films had been so long that viewers could not tell "she was a woman", resulting in the skimpy outfit for Return of the Jedi. Costume Designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers noted that the inspiration for Leia's slave outfit came from the artwork of famed fantasy and science fiction illustrator Frank Frazetta. Rodgers had a "no lingerie in space" policy which prevented Fisher from wearing a brassiere; adhesive tape was used in its place.

As the metal framework of the top did not fit to Fisher's skin especially well, before each take someone made sure the actress' breasts were properly covered. Several scenes had to be re-shot when "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred. An alternate, rubber version of the costume was created and used for stunts.^[28]

Despite the immortal status it has given her, Fisher has admitted that she initially objected to the costume, believing it made her appear subordinate to the male characters: "When they took my clothes off, put me in a bikini and shut me up, I thought it was a strong indication of what the third film was."^[30] One Wired magazine editor concurs, stating the only reason for the outfit's fame is "no doubt that the sight of Carrie Fisher in the gold sci-fi swimsuit was burned into the sweaty subconscious of a generation of fanboys hitting puberty in the spring of 1983."^[27]

See also

• Skywalker family
• Solo family
• Woman warrior

References

External links

• Princess Leia in the Star Wars Databank
• Leia Organa Solo on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
• Princess Leia at The World of Star Wars (yahoo.com)