One of the most tragically underutilized elements of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was General Leia Organa's aptitude for the Force. Sure, she got that moment in the vacuum of space in The Last Jedi as well as a flashback giving audiences a glimpse of her lightsaber in The Rise of Skywalker, but many fans thought the whole series could have done more for the character. Apparently, the Star Wars brand agrees, to an extent, as evidenced by their unveiling of a new art print from painter Christophe Vacher.
The official Star Wars news site unveiled the painting alongside an interview with Vacher, who explained his process in conceiving and creating the "ethereal" piece. Depicting Leia surrounded by snow and mist with a menacing-looking Star Destroyer ship peeking through the smoky background, the future general strikes a confident and powerful figure with her lightsaber in hand. She sports an outfit heavily reminiscent of the flowing white robes audiences first glimpsed all the way back in Mark Hamill's own cringy meme nightmare A New Hope, suggesting a crossroads between her days of training as a Jedi and her ultimate decision to dedicate herself as a leader to the New Republic and, ultimately, the Resistance.
Vacher spoke about his inspiration for the piece, saying, "what I had seen in the last Star Wars, that short sequence where Leia is trained by Luke, started to trigger questions: what happened to her in those times? How long was she trained? Why did she eventually become a general instead of a Jedi, and did she make that choice or was she pushed into it?" It certainly resulted in an evocative image, and it's particularly impressive how well he implemented all of those questions into the various elements that make up the whole thing. Leia's wardrobe, the Star Destroyer, the setting, all come together to suggest lots of uncertainty behind her stoic expression.
While there were likely many factors that influenced Leia's depiction in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it's clear that a big part of it was due to Carrie Fisher's tragic passing in 2016 before she could finish her role as the general in the final film. Obviously, that left the filmmakers with a heavily restricted set of paths to take, ultimately opting to use only what footage they had from previous films. It seemed a decent effort for what it was, and the clever techniques used to briefly depict a younger lightsaber-wielding Leia sparring with her brother and mentor Luke felt like a service to the character. Using artwork like Vacher's painting to fill in some of those gaps seems to be the ideal method of expanding on things while remaining respectful to Fisher, and the legacy of both her and the character.
Some might see this print as a shameless cash grab from Star Wars, and it's not difficult to see why. Fisher is Star Wars royalty, after all, so any sort of official new material involving Leia will likely face heavy scrutiny. The aesthetic value of the painting aside, such a thing might still feel too soon for some fans.
Still, it's a touching tribute to the late actress and the impact she had on millions of lives. For those interested in owning a print, it's available for a limited time from Dark Ink and Acme Archives, with prices ranging from $50 all the way to a whopping $650 USD, depending on one's format preference.
The Star Wars saga is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: StarWars.com