Star Wars 9 was meant to involve a "more prominent" Leia, but Mark Hamill promises she’ll still get an ending

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s new trailer but it’s impossible to forget that Star Wars Episode 9 is just over the horizon – and it’ll be missing a key player. Carrie Fisher’s untimely death in December not only left a gaping hole in the hearts of fans everywhere, it meant we’ll also miss out on a movie that – according to Mark Hamill – would have seen her in a more considerable role.

Speaking at a New York Comic Con 2017 panel on Saturday, Mark Hamill suggested that, as reported by USA Today, “they’re going to find a way to close [Leia’s] story in [Star Wars] 9.”

Not only that, Hamill also hinted at an interesting through line involving the trinity of Original Trilogy returnees, with Han Solo being front and centre of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke taking a starring role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Leia getting the spotlight in Star Wars 9.

“Leia was meant to be more prominent in 9”, Hamill told the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom, indicating that, perhaps Star Wars 8 won’t be filled with as many iconic Leia moments as we wished for.

This news stings more than I was expecting. As nice as it is to see Carrie Fisher crop up in The Last Jedi, just imagine Leia capping off her run through the Star Wars universe with a star turn in the finale. It would’ve been all we could’ve wished for – and more.

As for Leia’s story ending, Lucasfilm were still working on re-adjusting the script as of May to deal with Fisher’s death. Hamill’s glimpse into Leia’s future role is the first we’ve heard of it since. Here’s hoping she gets a send-off fitting of the legacy of General Leia Organa.

Image: Lucasfilm