8. A Rogue One cameo
Carrie Fisher’s appearance in Rogue One wasn’t really a cameo. Yes, it was her at the end of the film, but it was done through CGI to get a 19-year-old Leia into the role and have a tie to A New Hope.
Leia is given the plans to the Death Star in her wardrobe from the first Star Wars film. It was done with a mixture of motion capture and CGI (see video above), but it works because Fisher’s portrayal of Leia makes that moment so impactful.
She utters one word, “hope.”
It ties directly into the next movie in the Star Wars timeline with A New Hope.
Fisher was so impressed by the ending, she not only gave her approval of the CGI work, but thought unseen footage was being used instead. That’s all it takes for Fisher to steal a scene – one word and plenty of nostalgia.