There are few franchises quite as popular as Star Wars. Because the property has spanned decades and generations, OG fans have introduced the Star Wars franchise to their kids and grandchildren. While Disney may be producing thrilling new installments to the galaxy far, far away, there's nothing quite like the original trilogy. George Lucas' original set of films came to a head with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, uniting the characters in one final battle against the Galactic Empire and the Dark Side. Jedi begins with the rescue mission for Han at Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine, and it turns out that a seriously cringe worthy blooper happened due to the character's puppet. As Star Wars puppet master Dave Barclay recently told it,
One afternoon when we were working on Jabba, Princess Leia in the slave costume was lying against Jabba. And so the director said to me 'David, would you put your hand on Carrie's shoulder?' I said Ok. I was looking at these tiny little monitors and really couldn't see much at all. I reposition my body on the Jabba torso, reach down and put my hand on a shoulder. And then she said, 'Jabba, that's not my shoulder.' I think it's the only time Jabba blushed.
While many fanboys have fantasized about Leia and her gold bikini in Return of the Jedi, it looks like one Star Wars member of the crew got to get cozy with the legendary actress. It just happened to be totally accidental and through a disgusting Hutt puppet.
Dave Barclay's comments come from his recent appearance on Great Big Story, detailing his long career as a puppeteer. Barclay worked on both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, although his work in movie puppets certainly hasn't slowed. Barclay was also seen in the most recent Muppets movies, and Where the Wild Things Are. Plus he helped out with the cult classic classic Labyrinth, so obviously he has a good working relationship with the Jim Henson Company.
It's somewhat fitting that the Jabba puppet accidentally grabbed the wrong part of Carrie Fisher while filming. The drooling villain is loathed by Leia during their time together, where he forces her into the iconic gold bikini. Eventually the heroine gets the upper hand, and manages to strangle Jabba to death while the rest of the group saved Luke and Han from being thrown into the Sarlacc pit.
Leia's slave costume is one that hasn't really aged well, with many taking umbrage with its depiction through a modern lens. As such, merchandise containing that outfit are being produced less, although the great Carrie Fisher seemed to have a great sense of humor about the bikini in her final years.
The next installment in the galaxy far, far away is Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 25th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
