In a darkened cinema one winter’s night in 1977, I was transported to a galaxy far, far away.
Watching Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, life was never quite the same again. The sci-fi fantasy film's special effects were out of this world and we were transfixed by the outlandish characters and plot.
As a child however, one of the most spellbinding features of the film was the princess. This was no ordinary Disney princess from our fairy tales but for the first time, we had a heroine who did not wait around to be rescued.
Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, was the smart, resilient, feisty princess we all wanted to be as she battled the Empire in this timeless, universal tale of good versus evil.
A few years later, during my teens, she even got to kiss Harrison Ford (Han Solo and Indiana Jones), in The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V). Dressed as a bounty hunter she helped to rescue him from his deep-freeze in carbonite in Return of the Jedi (Episode VI), effectively turning the role of the fairy tale princess on its head.
Princess Leia was my childhood heroine. And I was fortunate enough to meet her in March 2007.
I had flown to the Atlantic island of Bermuda a week earlier to start a new position as a journalist for the daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette. Colleagues invited me to the Bermuda International Film Festival party that weekend, in "the big, pink hotel down the road" — the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.
It’s always a strange, surreal moment meeting your idol, and as I walked in, I felt like I was in a parallel universe. There, before my eyes, was Fisher. Shocked and in awe, I had to quell my nerves just to approach her, but as I said “Hello” and asked if I could take a photo with her, she exuded a relaxed, friendly warmth, something that was at odds with the image of Hollywood superstar royalty.
Fisher it seemed, was certainly not a "princess" when it came to meeting her fans, in fact she positively embraced us, perhaps a part of still living in the Star Wars universe.
My childhood heroine has died and millions of us are mourning her loss across the planet Earth, the Milky Way Galaxy in the Laniakea Supercluster.
Her passing is particularly bittersweet following her role in last year's sequel, The Force Awakens (Episode VII), parts of which were filmed in Abu Dhabi.
And then there is Rogue One, the prequel where it all began, in a galaxy far, far away.
Rest in peace Carrie Fisher, forever in our hearts. Lightspeed.
adale@thenational.ae
