She Was Space Royalty: One Year Without Carrie Fisher
Start writing a post
Entertainment

She Was Space Royalty: One Year Without Carrie Fisher

Why she was so iconic.

102
She Was Space Royalty: One Year Without Carrie Fisher
Flickr

Tomorrow, Dec. 27, will mark the one year anniversary of the death of Carrie Fisher. For many of us, she was more than just the actress who brought Princess Leia to life. She was an inspiration, an advocate, a writer, a feminist, and a survivor. Her death impacted not just the millions of Star Wars fans, but also millions of people who have suffered from mental illness, or tackled addiction in their lives.

As a writer

Carrie had written seven books, one of which became a feature film, and another a one-woman stage show. Most of them are autobiographical, but they're all hilarious and real. In them, she was very open about what life was like as a member of a prominent Hollywood family, living with a drug/alcohol addiction, and her problems with having bipolar disorder. In "The Princess Diarist," she gave us glimpses into the shenanigans behind the scenes of this weird, obscure space movie, which included an affair with costar Harrison Ford.


She also acted as a "script doctor": doing uncredited work re-writing, editing, or co-writing the screenplays of some of your favorite films, such as "Hook," "The Wedding Singer," the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, and even, a bit recently, on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." She became known as "one of the most sought after doctors in town," according to Entertainment Weekly. Carrie eventually stopped doing it, as she essentially called it "free work" and "life wasting."

As an inspiration

Carrie was extremely outspoken about her past addictions to drugs and alcohol, and how she suffered from bipolar disorder. This helped to lower the stigma around the condition, and inspired other people who also lived with it, or with any mental disorder, to talk about it and seek their own treatments. She gave advice to those afraid to pursue their dreams because of their conditions. "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action," she once said to the Herald-Tribune. "You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow."

She was considered by some to the "poster child" of being bipolar, to which she smoothly responded, "Well, I am hoping to get the centerfold in Psychology Today."

Fisher had also tackled substance abuse in the past. She had had multiple overdoses of cocaine, LSD, and heroin, and once linked her mental health to her addictions. "I used to think I was a drug addict, pure and simple," she said in an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2000. "Just someone who could not stop taking drugs willfully. And I was that. But it turns out that I am manic depressive."

Her fans always viewed her as more than just Leia.

"She was totally unafraid to say what she wanted to say," said Bonnie, a fan from Hong Kong. "She wasn't ashamed of anything about herself."

"[Carrie] taught me being mentally ill wasn't something I should be ashamed of," said Alwine, from France. "If I could turn the bad into something funny, then I could get through anything."

Her general awesomeness

Carrie had an adorable French bulldog named Gary. He acted as her therapy dog, and became a very familiar face to any die-hard, or casual, fan of Carrie. He accompanied her at every appearance, interview, screening, red carpet, and outing. She once said of him, "[Gary] really likeslooking at himself. Wouldn't you if you looked like that?" He made quick friends with the whole cast of "The Force Awakens," and even had a cameo in "The Last Jedi." Gary was at her side when she died.

Recently, he went to the see "The Last Jedi" and supposedly perked up when his mom appeared on screen. Make us cry even more, Gary.

Also, he has his own Instagram. And it's amazing.


Fisher was also a big supporter of the feminist movement. She allegedly sent a cow tongue to a movie producer who sexually assaulted a friend of hers, she once said she "doesn't think of men as people" (same, Carrie), she consistently derided the "slave bikini" that she was forced to wear in "Return of the Jedi", and pointed out that society thinks that women are not allowed to age, especially in a vicious industry like Hollywood. Princess Leia was also known as a groundbreaking character, a woman with amazing power and confidence who got stuff done in a movie dominated by men, both on-screen and behind the scenes.

She was a master of codes and baffled her 1 million+ followers on Twitter everyday with epic, hard to decipher tweets written in emoji. It sort of became a game among her fans to figure out what she was saying.



I have no idea what this says, but whatever it is, I agree.


Even her legible tweets had some great messages that will be quoted for all eternity.

The number of cares that she had was clearly zero. Or only three.


Carrie, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and daughter, Billie Lourd, were inseparable. Lourd called them "goddesses," and said that losing both her mother and grandmother within a day of each other was "surreal." She recounted what life was like living with Fisher, like how they would put Christmas lights in palm trees at 2 a.m.



Fisher had a string of A-List friends, from Meryl Streep to Mark Hamill to Dan Aykroyd. She touched so many lives and inspired or captivated anyone she'd ever met. Aykroyd called her "one of the most brilliant and hilarious minds of our eon." She truly was.

Hamill wrote an emotional tribute to his "space twin" after her death, and recently revealed that they "made out like teenagers" while filming the first Star Wars movie.

At the Star Wars Celebration this past April, he talked about how he imagines what she's doing now. "She's looking down from the celestial stratosphere," he said. "With those big brown eyes and that sly smile on her face, as she lovingly extends me the middle finger." This was apparently her favorite gesture.


Even in death, she is making us laugh. Her ashes were put into a Prozac pill urn, which had apparently been a prized possession of hers for many years, according to her brother, Todd.

Carrie Fisher's life had been full of both ups and downs, but she powered through like the trooper she was. She faced those hardships head on and came out on the other side, stronger than ever. She inspired us to not give up, to laugh, and she showed us that we can overcome anything, and still kick ass. With our middle fingers high in the air.


Happy anniversary in heaven, space mom. The world misses you.


"...I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra." -Carrie Fisher

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

45282
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

28628
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

953189
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

160091
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments