Summary
- A smart workaround in Ahsoka episode 7 involving C-3PO hints at bringing Leia Organa back to Star Wars to honor Carrie Fisher's legacy.
- The ethical issues and debate surrounding digitally recreating characters like Leia raises the question of whether recasting is a better solution.
- Billie Lourd, Fisher's daughter, could be a respectful choice to either stand in for digital recreation or as a recasting, giving her stamp of approval and honoring Fisher's legacy.
Ahsoka season 1 teased the return of Senator Leia Organa, but with the absence of Carrie Fisher, it’s hard to see a path to properly bring the character back in live-action. Despite this, there’s one way to bring back Leia in a way that honors Fisher’s legacy. In Ahsoka episode 7 Leia sends C-3PO in her stead, bailing General Hera Syndulla out of a court-martial after disobeying direct orders. This smart workaround by Dave Filoni prompted many to think about whether or not Lucasfilm should invest in digitally recreating characters like Leia for this era of Star Wars.
Star Wars hasn’t shied away from digitally recreating characters before, with Luke Skywalker’s appearance in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett created using a stand-in and de-aging Mark Hamill. Additionally, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Lucasfilm digitally recreated Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, over twenty years after the actor had passed. However, not only does digitally recreating characters have ethical issues, but it also raises the question of whether characters like Leia Organa should be recast altogether. There are arguments to be made on both sides, but at least for Leia Organa, there seems to be a solution.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Billie Lourd Can Act Princess Leia's Scenes 
If Star Wars were to bring back the Princess of Alderaan, the most respectful way to do it would be to have Fisher’s daughter, actress Billie Lourd, take over the role. Lourd already looks much like her mother and would be great as either a stand-in for digital recreation or as a recasting. Lourd isn’t new to Star Wars, either; in the sequel trilogy she played Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, a Resistance officer.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Lourd also acted as a young Princess Leia being trained by her brother in the ways of the Jedi. While deepfake tech was used to make Lourd appear more like her mother, she’s stood in for Fisher before and can easily do it again. Lourd taking over the role would honor Fisher’s legacy and essentially give Star Wars her stamp of approval to keep telling stories about Princess Leia. There’s been much debate over whether Lucasfilm should recast Luke, Leia, and Han Solo, but they’ve already started to, with origin movies like Solo: A Star Wars Story, digital recreations, and deepfakes.
