Carrie Fisher Appears At ‘Star Wars’ Celebration: Let’s Hear It For The Girls

While Star Wars fans across the globe are rejoicing in today’s release of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, fans attending the Star Wars Celebration must think they’ve died and gone to heaven, as Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill appeared in person.

Much of the trailer talk has been focused on the first glimpse of the beloved Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford. Hamill’s voice narrates and presumably we see Fisher’s hand reaching for a lightsaber. Ford, who is recovering from a plane crash, was unable to attend the fanfest that celebrated the merger of the old classic Star Wars starring Ford, Hamill, and Fisher, with the new Force Awakens starring relative unknowns John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac.

While Hamill gushed about how his fans have become like family and thanked them for their support, Fisher, known for her sharp humor and wit, delighted by performing a little jig as the crowd continued their uproarious cheering and keeping up her witty banter during the panel interview.

When Fisher was asked if we would see the return of the classic Princess Leia buns, her response had the guests in stitches, “The buns are… you know, they’re tired now so we’re probably not going to have the futuristic buns. But, I think we have an alternate thing you’ll be very into… which is not the metal bikini.”

Carrie Fisher’s double bun hairdo from the original Star Wars has often been utilized in pop culture humor from Spaceballs to 30 Rock. Carrie’s wearing of the metal bikini in Return of the Jedi became the fodder for many 1980s adolescent boys’ fantasies.

Fisher was asked her thoughts on increasing the film series’ “girl power” with the addition of more female characters, considering Princess Leia was the primary female character for so long. “It’s good to have a little help,” Fisher quipped, “but I liked, you know, being the only one when I was 19 and that was possible. But now, I need some back up.”

Carrie Fisher was a young, fairly undiscovered actress when she starred in Star Wars: A New Hope as Princess Leia. The daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, she was catapulted into the limelight with the series of films that became a sci-fi icon. While it’s Carrie’s role as Leia that may have brought her the most notoriety, Fisher is also known as an accomplished writer and champion for mental health issues. Now in her sixties, Fisher has returned to the role that made her a star, and Star Wars fans couldn’t be more delighted.

For the complete Star Wars Celebration panel including Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, and Anthony Daniels, check out the video.

Are you more excited for the nostalgic return of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher or to see what direction the new Star Wars takes? Tell us what you think!

[Image provided courtesy of Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]