The Daughter should say Goodbye

image from Vanity Fair

Disney has reportedly held meetings recently with its creative minds to discuss how to proceed with the story of General Leia now that Carrie Fisher has passed on. 

Some key issues it looks like are story choke points: the reunion of the twins, Leia and Luke; the reunion of Leia and Kylo Ren. Regardless if such scenes were already shot for Episode VIII or reserved for IX, the story cannot be played out to fruition now without deep consideration.

The term choke point is purely for my own benefit.  If I call it that then I won’t be mad and think myself spoiled. What the article revealed is only the obvious, the story had to go there as would a geographical choke point. 

However, with my ignorant bliss shattered my mind is racing off to directions I don’t want to go this early, so here goes.

Reuniting the twins is a nostalgia trip mixed in joy, sorrow, and hope. Since the triumvirate that won the Battle of Endor lost a member, this meeting is inevitable. The pirate husband is dead leaving the sister, now general, alone holding the fort. Naturally people will want the brother to come back from self-isolation and help.

There will be joy seeing Luke and Leia together because we have seen them individually with setbacks in The Force Awakens. And depends on the timing, if indeed a reunion has already been shot in Episode VIII, such a team up will elicit feelings of hope against a still unknown mastermind. 

Of course on a smaller note, Leia will grieve for Han more effectively with someone who has been there since the beginning.  Emotionally there will be an upswing onwards to the final battle.

Now Carrie’s gone…  Then again reunion of Leia and Luke is inevitable only because Star Wars is a feel good space fantasy but war can be ugly. In war families can get separated without any benefit of closure.  Borrow some dark tones from Rogue One anyone?

Kill Leia and the ante’s up, greater than it ever was in Empire Strikes Back with its captured Han Solo, the loss of Luke’s sword hand, and the Revelation. The Jedi knight who won the Battle of Endor will be alone –maybe he shouldn’t have left his sister, plays his mind drowned in sorrow. That’ll leave the question of how dark the death will be.

To actually kill Kylo Ren never felt to be realistically on the table that is why a reunion between Leia and her son is inevitable.  For one Luke Skywalker refused to kill his father even at the behest of his mentors nor even in the heat of battle.  Could he even dare to imagine it or face Leia had he done so?  

Not even Rey would kill I think especially if she had heart to heart talk with Leia – girl talk.  For Rey to develop bloodlust Luke would have to have condoned it in training scenes expected in Episode VIII.

Now Carrie’s gone…  It is clearer to me now at this point the question is how if indeed the character of General Leia will be killed off.  The how will be the twist. From there a more accurate guess can be made: who kills who in the next movie and how badly.

If it was a death as unthinkable as Han’s then killing Kylo Ren may be on the table. Then again this is Disney we’re talking about.  Entire families dying will not make a happy ending. Kylo Ren has to live if only to say the Skywalker line has moved on.  Unless Rey is a Skywalker?

It is likely that if Leia is killed off and to leave room for Kylo Ren to survive, the mother’s death itself will be the turning point.  Real life has always pegged the mother as closest to her child. Kylo Ren could possibly team up with Rey against Snoke - all for mother dear.

Without the benefit of the story twist my mind keeps computing in circles so I have to stop. Why  ever am I overthinking an imagined ending that I never wanted to learn in advance to begin with?

Ultimately what everyone really wants is a great goodbye. That’s the fire that really burns brightest now that Carrie has died.  I can only think of one perfect ending since goodbye won’t be dependent on twists and turns. 

Lt. Kaydel Connix who is played by Carrie’s daughter Billie Lourd. She should be the last person to see General Leia or if not she is a confidant, a bearer of some kind of last will. 

With Billie in play the technological solution that brought back an actor who died 20 years ago will be prevented from coming in to bear. 

Lt. Connix echoes Leia’s goodbye to Luke.  And because it is Billie Carrie Fisher, in spirit, would be saying goodbye to us all.