Star Wars is arguably the biggest franchise in movie history, spanning decades of filmmaking. As such, generations of moviegoers have grown up on George Lucas' epic space opera, and the iconic and colorful characters which inhabit the galaxy. But there are no denizens of the franchise quite as beloved as Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, played by the iconic duo of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher respectively.
The Skywalker siblings seemingly got their last goodbye during Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. During the final conflict on Crait, Luke arrived via Force Projection to share a brief scene and kiss on the forehead with Leia. Mark Hamill recently revealed that interaction is his favorite scene in the blockbuster, and it turns out that his kiss to Leia was actually improvised. As he revealed:
I'm not crying, you're crying. Mark Hamill is always ready to speak about his love for Carrie Fisher, and the parallels between their real-life relationship and the characters is obvoious. Take into account the untimely death of Fisher, and the scene shared between the two in The Last Jedi is all the more powerful.
Mark Hamill's recent tweet is no doubt going to elicit strong emotional responses from the generations of Star Wars fans out there. Hamill is always very generous with his social media, using it to communicate directly with the rabid fandom. When Twitter users spoke about the emotionally charged performance he and Carrie Fisher gave during their brief scene in The Last Jedi, Hamill revealed that the kiss he gave his onscreen sister was a moment of improvisation. It was his chance to show how much love is shared between the two, both within the Star Wars canon and in reality as actors and friends. And it did just that.
The scene between Luke and Leia occurred late into The Last Jedi's runtime, with the fans waiting nearly two full movies to see the siblings reunited onscreen. While it wasn't a long scene, it was enough to warm the hearts of the galaxy. With The Resistance backed into a corner on Crait, Luke suddenly appears to distract Kylo Ren, and allow the surviving Rebels to escape the salt planet. But first he visits with his sister, and their bond over their mutual loss in Han and Ben Solo. He then departs, and eventually perishes from the exhaustion of Force Projection shortly thereafter.
Leia and Luke are both set to appear in J.J. Abrams' mysterious Episode IX. While Luke likely died during The Last Jedi, smart money says he'll pop back up as a Force Ghost, especially after Yoda recently did the same. As for Leia, Carrie Fisher will be included in the upcoming blockbuster through unused footage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Leia was reportedly set to be a major presence in Episode IX, so this clever filmmaking will allow the character and Carrie Fisher to get the ending they deserve.
Episode IX will arrive in theaters on December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
