Star Wars: Which characters should die in Episode IX?
Princess Leia
While this one is not ideal in terms of how I’d like Star Wars: Episode IX, due to the real life death of Carrie Fisher and the fact that most of the other returning main characters from the Original Trilogy have died in the new movies, the character of Princess Leia is a worth mentioning.
In The Last Jedi, Princess Leia was nearly killed during an attack on the rebel command ship, but her connection to the force kept her alive and she managed to survive the attack and was treated for her injuries by the resistance. Leia was last seen escaping the planet Crait with the remainder of the Resistance at the conclusion of The Last Jedi.
Princess Leia has been confirmed to be appearing in Episode IX and will be portrayed by Carrie Fisher through the use of previously unused footage from previous films, although just how much of the character we will see is still unknown.
Since this will be the last we see of the character as portrayed by the original actress, its possible that her story is given a definitive conclusion and we see Leia’s death at some point in the movie.
While I would prefer to see the character left alive as I do not want to see the last living member of the original trilogy cast be killed off, there are ways to give the character a satisfying ending in Episode IX.
A heroic ending could be an interesting way for Princess Leia to have a meaningful death, such as something in the vein of Admiral Holdo’s death in The Last Jedi, where she flew the Resistance’s Cruiser into The First Order’s Flag Ship to destroy it and help allow the Resistance to escape capture.
Leia’s death could also have a nicer ending, such as her peacefully dying in her sleep at the conclusion of the film knowing that the First Order has been defeated and that she is leaving the Galaxy in good hands under Rey and the Resistance’s watch.
While I still do not hope that Leia dies in Episode IX, it is still a realistic possibility that it happens, so if it must be done, I’d rather it happen in a satisfying way, fitting of the character.