Carrie Fisher Was Going To Be A Big Part Of Star Wars 9

The tragic death of Carrie Fisher will have repercussions on the finale of the current Star Wars trilogy.

Colin Trevorrow, director of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, recently told The Irish Examiner (via Star Wars News Net) that Fisher, who played General Leia Organa in The Force Awakens, was originally supposed to be a big part of movie.

"She had a major role in the film, and it's something we had to deal with emotionally at first," Trevorrow said. "Now, we've had to deal with it in very practical ways and in a form of storytelling we know is going to honor her and keep her soul alive. But it is an unfortunate reality that we're just going to have to handle. It's been tough emotionally, and logistically, we'll figure that part out. But she was just very important to the Star Wars family, and that was the hardest part."

As for the The Last Jedi, which will be released this December, Fisher had reportedly wrapped filming with an increased role before she died. A coroner's report recently revealed that Fisher had cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy in her system at the time of her death. 

Since we don't know what will happen in The Force Awakens, it's difficult to guess where Leia's storyline was originally intended to go. But a report a few months back suggested that Fisher was supposed to appear in at least two pivotal scenes in Episode IX: Leia's reunion with her brother Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and a confrontation with her son Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

We'll have to wait to see, but we have some thoughts about how Fisher's death could affect the future of the franchise.