The first day of the 2017 Star Wars Celebration was filled with a lot of surprises as the event itself will be commemorating the 40th anniversary of "A New Hope." Despite being planned as a celebratory event, fans couldn't help but remember the passing of one of the franchise's most iconic personalities, Carrie Fisher.
A star-studded event
The event, which was filled with elaborate tributes and touching footage, was well attended by those who have been part of the franchise over the past few decades. The first-day kickoff event was hosted by Warwick Davis, who was accompanied by a slew of Star Wars veterans including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, John Willian, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, among others.
Samuel L. Jackson and Liam Neeson, who were both part of the prequel trilogy, also sent in their special video message to celebrate the event.
Commemorating an icon
All those who attended the event took part in quite an emotional experience as several heartfelt, and touching tributes for Fisher were shown on screen. One video in particular shown the different sides of the iconic actress, who has become a legend in the industry, for her contributions to the franchise as well as in other mediums.
A glimpse of the General
An almost five-minute tribute video to Fisher was showcased at the end of the 40th-anniversary panel, which shows the different images and videos of the actress throughout her career.
However, there was apparently some never-before-seen footage that was mixed in, which showed fans a glimpse of Fisher's General Leia Organa in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
The footage shortly right after the two-minute mark showed Fisher's character walking alongside the movie's writer and director, Rian Johnson.
In the clip, the actress can be seen wearing a new costume, which will likely end up in different scenes on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
'Star Wars 8' and beyond
Leia Organa, unfortunately, has a very small part in "The Force Awakens," but reports have revealed that she will become more prominent in the upcoming installment. The General will still be leading the Resistance, but more importantly, she has to face the fact that her son had murdered Han Solo.
Shortly after Fisher's death late last year, it was announced that the upcoming movie would not be changed to reflect her passing. Surprisingly, Fisher's own relatives, namely her brother and her daughter, revealed that her character was apparently already set to appear in "Star Wars Episode 9," with the production utilizing unused footage of the actress before her death.
