Hainrihi's Discoveries: Leia Organa

Photo Challenge/Geekery | Tiny: Big Changes for Star Wars (LEGO Figures)

9:28 PM

“Star Wars” has been part of my growing up, thanks to my father. In 1997, when the original trilogy was re-mastered and re-released in theaters, he took me to the cinema to watch “A New Hope”. Since then, my love for Star Wars grew. Now, I’m really a happy fan because two new Star Wars just came out.

As far as fans are concerned, big changes are coming in the next Star Wars installments. So many changes that I myself am excited with what will happen.

Leia Organa

At the same time, the changes also made me sad because of Carrie Fisher’s death. It makes me wonder how they’re going to write Leia Organa in Episodes VIII and IX. I don’t know what will happen, but watching the Star Wars movies will never be the same again.

After her death, every Princess Leia merchandise I see tugs at my heartstrings. One of them is my LEGO Princess Leia keychain figure (Hoth version).

It saddens me every time I look at this small keychain because I know I will never see my female role model in the next installments. This keychain may be small for some, but it definitely leaves a big impact on me.

Han Solo and Leia Organa

Another big change happening in the next movies is the relationship between Han Solo and Leia Organa.

For those who don’t know (spoilers ahead), in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, Han died in the hands of his son, Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo. Han and Leia’s marriage were also on the rocks because of Ben going to the dark side. Unlike the original trilogy where the couple had a happy ending, this movie showed the opposite. Han died, Ben continued to go to the dark side, and Leia is mourning for his husband’s death.

Just seeing these LEGO figures of Han and Leia makes me teary-eyed because of what happened to their relationship. For Star Wars fans, people loved the Han/Leia pairing so much that some got devastated with its outcome. I’m one of those who was sad that it took me weeks to actually recover. These two figures may be small, but they are great characters that made a big impact on the fans even until now.

Rey

Of course, one of the biggest changes in the Star Wars universe is making Rey the lead protagonist of The Force Awakens. She turned out to be a Jedi who can wield Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. After watching the movie, Rey became one of my favorite female role models. So I was happy when my sister gave me this LEGO Rey keychain figure.

I know Rey is going to have a BIG role in Episodes VIII and IX and I’m excited for that. Apart from Leia, this Rey keychain figure is one of my Star Wars collectibles that I truly love. Rey started small in the first half of the movie. But by the end, she became more matured and is now one of the best female leads of Star Wars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For others, LEGO figures are just toys that are displayed or given to kids. But for me, these figures expresses my love for Star Wars. While I treasure them way before, I treasure my Han, Leia, and Rey LEGO figures now more than ever because of the great impact they gave not just to me, but to all the fans. They are inspiring and big figures in the pop culture now.

~Hainrihi

Do you have your own Star Wars LEGO figures? If so, who or what are they? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach me via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A New Hope

Personal | In Honor of the Best Princess/General in the Galaxy

3:20 AM

I was supposed to write a movie review of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. However, the sudden death of Carrie Fisher, who is known as Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars saga, changed my mind. She died at 60 years old, after suffering from a heart attack four days ago on a flight. I decided to pay tribute to her with a simple but meaningful blog post.

Thanks to my father, Star Wars became a part of my growing up. He exposed me to the fandom when I was just a kid. That time, Lucasfilm remastered the Original Trilogy and released them in theaters. In 1997, my dad brought me to the cinema to watch a remastered “A New Hope”. Soon after, we also watched “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”. Thus began my love for Star Wars.

Despite being a naive kid, I became fascinated with this new world that was filled with different stories and lovable characters. One of the characters that really stuck to me was Princess Leia Organa.

At a time when princesses were about Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, and Cinderella who all waited for princes to rescue them, seeing Princess Leia in the big screen was very fresh and new.

She is not your typical princess who just waits for her prince to rescue her. She is the princess who is strong, powerful, brave, and independent. Leia always fights for what is right and shows everyone that she is a great leader on her own. Yes, Leia is a princess---but a princess who commands the Rebel Alliance and leads everyone into fighting the Empire without hesitation. In the 90s, that’s something you don’t see every day.

Despite being late in knowing Leia Organa, she became one of my first female role models (even way before Mulan). She showed me that women could do so much more than just wait for their men to save them. I agree with what my older sister said about her:

For Leia, she can do everything on her own and fight the enemy with her intelligence, wit, and bravery. In fact, when I watched “A New Hope”, one of the scenes I remembered was when Leia, Han, and Luke were trapped because Stormtroopers were firing at them. She took Luke’s rifle and said, “This is some rescue. You came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?” As I said, not your typical princess. That scene made me love Leia even more.

Of course, Princess Leia wouldn’t be known if not for the talented and witty Carrie Fisher. Because of her wonderful portrayal, Fisher became a household name in the 70s. Even if she had other roles after Star Wars, her role as Princess Leia stuck to me until today.

Which is why I was very happy that Carrie revisited the role again for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Yes, She was old, but she still portrayed the same strong and powerful Leia by becoming General Leia Organa of the Resistance. Despite having to go through various hardships, losing his family, losing his son to the dark side, and still fighting an enemy that refuses to be defeated, she didn’t give up. Instead, she stood, led the Resistance, and showed everyone that she is a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, now that I look at General Leia Organa, I also see Carrie’s life. She struggled with drug abuse, mental illness, and the consequences of fame and fortune. Despite the struggles, Carrie never gave up and faced her obstacles head on. She also retained her wit and brought out a lot of courage in poking fun about Hollywood.

Overall, both Carrie Fisher and Leia Organa almost share the same qualities. It’s no wonder many people loved Carrie. She fought for what is right and is a true feminist in her own sense. Throughout the years, a lot of young girls and women looked up to her for qualities, and I am one of them.

Carrie Fisher will surely be missed. After her death, the first thing that came to my mind is this: when Marc and I watch Star Wars Episode VIII next year, we will be watching it with a heavy heart knowing that we might not see General Leia Organa in Episode IX anymore. It’s not going to be the same after that. However, I will always remember Carrie Fisher as a strong woman who changed the world and the galaxy.

Carrie Fisher is now one with the Force. I will truly miss her. :’(