The Galaxy bids farewell to iconic princess Carrie Fisher

On Dec 27, 2016 there was a great disturbance in the force when actress Carrie Fisher passed away. Fisher, best known for her major role in the Star Wars movies as Princess Leia Organa, went into cardiac arrest on board a plane from London to Los Angeles on Dec 23rd. Fisher was taken to the hospital where she died four days later.

Growing up as a kid, there was a wide variety of idol-worthy princesses to choose from. Whether it’s Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, or someone else, most had one prominent trait in common: they were damsels in distress.

“She starts off as a little bit of the damsel in distress, but then she picks up the blaster.” Carrie Fisher said in a Rolling Stones magazine interview on Dec 9, 2015.

Princess Leia is a princess unlike any other. She doesn’t wear a tiara, sit in a castle all day, or wear ball gowns – maybe the occasional gold bikini. She was independent, sassy, quick on her feet, and she wasn’t afraid of a fight. Leia quickly became an idol to many because she made it clear that not all princesses need saving.

Despite her whole planet being destroyed, Leia never lost hope and fought for a cause. Similarly to Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher has never lost hope or has never stopped fighting, even in her darkest times. She became one with her character Princess Leia: strong yet feminine, fearless, and rebellious.

Carrie Fisher wasn’t just known for being the galaxy’s favorite princess, she was also a very active mental health advocate and women’s rights activist. Fisher was very public with her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and her addictions to cocaine and prescription medications. She fought for the equal representation of women in Hollywood and made sure her voice was heard.

In 2016, Harvard College awarded Fisher with the Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism due to her “forthright activism and outspokenness about addiction, mental illness, and agnosticism have advanced public discourse on these issues with creativity and empathy.”

“I’ve never been ashamed of my mental illness; it never occurred to me,” Fisher commented upon receiving the award. “Many people thank me for talking about it, and mothers can tell their kids when they are upset with the diagnosis that Princess Leia is bipolar too.”

Carrie Fisher marched to the beat of her own drum both onscreen and off screen. She never succumbed to the stereotypical lifestyle of a natural-born celebrity. Instead, she evolved into a supportive mother, a loving and devoted daughter, a successful actress, writer, producer, and a resilient, strong woman among other things. She embodied what it means to be human: picking yourself up off the floor in your lowest moments and keep fighting.

Rest in peace, Carrie Fisher, and may the Force be with you, always.