May the Force be with you, but don’t forget to have a box of tissues, too. You’re going to need them while watching the beautiful tribute to Carrie Fisher, who passed away last year, that debuted at Star Wars Celebration.
The annual fan-gathering kicked off with “40 Years of Star Wars,” which brought together some of the biggest names in the Star Wars universe, including Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen (aw, father and son), Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kathleen Kennedy, Liam Neeson, and Billy Dee Williams, as well as surprise guests Harrison Ford and some guy in a plaid shirt, George Lucas. But as moderator Warwick Davis (!) pointed out, “We can’t celebrate without our beloved princess.”
Lucas praised Fisher for “pointing out which dialogue didn’t work, and noted, “She wasn’t just an actress with guys’ clothes on and she becomes a hero. She was a princess, a senator, and she played a part that was very smart, and she had to hold her own against tow big lugs, two big goofballs.” He added, “I wanted someone young to play the part. When Carrie was the character, she was very smart, very bold, very thoughtful. There really wasn’t much of a question. There aren’t that many people like her. There’s one in a billion.”
Next up: Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, in her first public appearance since her mother’s death. “My mom used to say she never knew where Princess Leia ended and Carrie Fisher began,” she said. “She was imperfect in many ways but her imperfections and willingness to speak about them are what made her more than perfect. My mom, like Leia, wasn’t ever afraid to speak her mind and say things that might have made most people uncomfortable, but not me and not you. That was why she loved you, because you accepted and embraced all of her.” The American Horror Story star then recited the “help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” monologue from memory.
"My mom taught me three things," Billie Lourd said and then recited the entire "help me Obi-Wan Kenobi" monologue ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SFb5VSopYC
— BuzzFeed Arts & Entertainment (@BuzzFeedEnt) April 13, 2017
Feel free to cry. Everyone else was.