Here at HitFix Harpy, I”ve been pretty adamant that “Return of the Jedi” did a disservice to Princess Leia by sticking her in a bikini and stripping her – literally – of her voice. The marketing machine then added insult to injury by focusing on the wrong part of Leia”s time in Jabba”s Palace.
She wasn”t Slave Leia. She was Hutt-Slayer Leia. She literally used the chains of her oppressor to destroy him. She took down a crime lord with nothing but brute strength and belly full of righteous rage. Then she blew up his ship. Luke helped.
Regarding the recent rumor the all “Slave Leia” merchandise will be stricken from shelves (one that seems based in half-truth based on this Mrs. Potato Head labeled ‘Jabba”s Captive”), Carrie Fisher was recently asked for her take by The Wall Street Journal. Her response was amazing.
“The father who flipped out about [the bikini], ‘What am I going to tell my kid about why she”s in that outfit?” Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn”t like it. And then I took it off. Backstage.”
That right kids. If someone forces you to do something against your will, if they threaten your life, if they take away your agency and attempt to strip you of your dignity? Kill them.
Life lessons from Hutt-Slayer Leia.