Editorial: Along with my fellow Star Wars fans, I am so very sad to hear the news that Carrie Fisher has passed away. I've never met her in person, but she was one of the female influences I can remember in my life who was always there with me while I was growing up.
Like every boy growing up in the early 80s, I loved Star Wars and watched the Original Trilogy movies more than any other movie. An only child, my parents went their separate ways when I was very, very young with my father maintaining full custody. The biggest female influences in my young life were from three women: my grandmother, my aunt and Princess Leia. I never knew my own mother and this is why Fisher's passing is sad for me because Princess Leia was like the big sister I never had. And she was there whenever I hit the play button on the VCR to watch the Star Wars Original Trilogy movies.
Fisher's performance as Leia was one of the first times in my life seeing a brave, tough-willed, strong woman who also stepped up as a leader. She helped me understand the role of women without having the influence of a mother to teach me these things. Seeing her grab a blaster to take control of a spiraling situation in A NEW HOPE is one of my favorite movie moments of all-time. Sure, she was sending everyone into the garbage chute but she had to save her own rescue party. That was a very powerful thing for me to see as a child because it helped to imprint those values of women being strong people, too, at such a young age.
But I digress because this is not about me, I just wanted to share my unique personal attachment to Fisher as Leia. This is about the world losing an iconic female in pop culture.
I will miss you Carrie Fisher because you have been, and always will be, like a big sister to me.
Rest in peace and may the Force be with you, always.
Written by Daniel Wolf, DailySuperHero.com Founder and Publisher