Carrie Fisher's final performance as the beloved Leia in Star Wars puts the character on the front lines in a dark new chapter that reaches theatres this month, leaving a galactic hole to fill after the sudden death of the actress a year ago.
Fisher had filmed all of her scenes for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth installment of the blockbuster space saga, before she died of a heart attack in December 2016.
"She's irreplaceable," Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker said. "'Star Wars' is about great triumphs and great tragedies, and I can't think of a bigger tragedy than missing our Leia," Hamill said.
Writer and director Rian Johnson said he did not change Leia's story in Last Jedi after her death. The film debuts in theatres December 14.
It will be up to the makers of 2019 film Episode IX to decide the ultimate fate of the character first seen as a spunky princess in the original 1977 Star Wars film, Johnson added.
In The Last Jedi, "we didn't tailor it to be a farewell to her," Johnson said. "But, that having been said, I think there's some moments that I think will really mean a lot to fans. You will see more from Leia that you haven't seen before."
Fisher's final film appearance is expected to boost already feverish interest in the franchise, now owned by Walt Disney Co . Boxoffice.com projects Last Jedi will haul in $185 million to $215 million at US and Canadian ticket windows its first weekend, which would rank as one of the biggest film debuts in history.
The cast and director provided few details about the film's plot. John Boyega, who portrays former Stormtrooper Finn, said the movie finds Leia, now a general, leading the Resistance against the evil First Order during a tense time in the raging battle to protect the galaxy far, far away.
"There is a lot of pressure on the Resistance, and General Leia is on the front lines having to make big decisions," Boyega said. "It's a performance that requires a heartfelt approach, and she definitely had that."
Oscar Isaac, who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, said the time in Leia's life mirrored Fisher's in some ways.
Leia understands "she's not going to be around forever, and there is a passing of the torch that needs to happen," Isaac said. "She wants to give over as much of her wisdom as she can before this moment happens."
Fisher, however, would not want fans to get too sentimental, Hamill said.
"I do know her well enough to say that she would want us to be laughing and even mocking her," Hamill said.
"She was irreverent, she was cynical, and she was bitterly funny and caustic and all these things. But she was always fun to be around," he added.
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Read more:
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John Boyega confirms Princes William and Harry have cameo roles in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE SPECS
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
