Ever since Carrie Fisher's untimely passing, fans from all across the internet have been paying tribute to both Fisher herself, as well as the character that most people remember her for: Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan from Star Wars. However, there's another dimension of her character that most people have forgotten, in favor of memories of the classic variant of Leia and her exploits. Thankfully, someone has addressed the fact that the woman we knew as a princess was actually a General upon her passing, and has done so in a fictional obituary for General Leia Organa of The Resistance.
Military satire site Duffel Blog is responsible for this item, as one of their writers integrated both details from Fisher's actual life, as well as some modern political satire veiled with aspects of the Star Wars galaxy, to make a fitting remembrance of the General's legacy. While her regal claim as a member of the house of Organa is still mentioned, as well as the action she took part of in the Original Trilogy, when she was still a princess, Leia's full title is bestowed upon her, acknowledging her as "the second woman to hold a high ranking position in the Rebellion." Of course, seeing as the First Order has a very different perspective of the actions of General Organa, the counter-narrative of her "terrorist" actions is also very much present.
While Princess/General Leia Organa is, at the end of the day, a fictional character, she's still a symbol of strong female representation in films and in Star Wars. Things have come a long way since Carrie Fisher's performance in the classic trilogy was boiled down to merely Han Solo's crush and metal bikini model, and in both the proper and expanded universe, her character has grown into more than just a token female trophy. It's also no surprise that this has happened, as Fisher herself was a strong figure among the Hollywood elite, thanks to her legacy in George Lucas' universe, as well as her unlimited source of candor and straight talk. In equal parts, Fisher was General Leia, and the complete opposite was just as true.
Carrie Fisher's legacy in Hollywood is made of much more than just her role in Star Wars. However, if one were to pick the most prominent piece of the puzzle that was her career, it would probably be the biggest one in the entire picture. It's a bittersweet fact that Fisher did complete her work in the latest film, Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is set for release on December 15, 2017. While we're eager to see how much her role has further changed, it'll be sad to know that after this, we won't be seeing General Leia Organa, and the woman who brought her to vibrant life, on our screens again.
