The eight installment in the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi, is finally in theaters! Wasn't it shocking when they revealed Rey's parents were Jar Jar Binks and Sy Snootles? All right, you got me. I haven't seen it yet. But it looks awesome. The film has already made a Sarlacc pit of money. And so far, it's gotten rave reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it's currently at 93% fresh - that's higher than Anakin Skywalker's midochlorian count. However, it's a bittersweet time to be a Star Wars fan. The Last Jedi features the last performance of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa. Last December, Fisher tragically passed away from cardiac arrest (although sleep apnea and drug use were also factors). She was 60 years old, which seems far too young. Besides her iconic movie roles, Fisher was known for her wild talk show appearances. She had an unpredictable, witty, profane sense of humor, and she was almost always joined by her French bulldog, Gary Fisher. The pair were inseparable. She took Gary to movie sets, red carpet premieres, talk shows, panels at Comic-Con, and her best bud was even by her side when she died. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI-pwktI8AQ]] If you've read Fisher's memoirs, you know she struggled with drug addiction and bipolar disorder for many years. She got Gary as a therapy dog to help her cope with those issues. In an interview, she explained their special connection, saying, "Gary is mental also. My mother says Gary is a hooligan. Gary is like my heart. Gary is very devoted to me and that calms me down. He's anxious when he's away from me." In fact, Gary was such a beloved figure on the set for The Last Jedi, that he has an adorable cameo in the movie. (Sorry, Prince William and Prince Harry - Gary's cameo's better than yours!) An eagle-eyed Star Wars fan noticed Gary's familiar face in a screenshot, and tweeted the director, Rian Johnson, "We want to know if you can confirm this cute little creature is #spacegary in #TheLastJedi." Johnson responded, "YES! Wow, good eyes." (We can only hope his character's name is "Space Gary.") [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/irishgeekgirl/status/938303373161517056]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/938314810290302977]] Luckily, Gary's got a lot of friends on social media to help him cope with his loss. The adorable bulldog has 164,000 followers on Instagram. When the trailer for The Last Jedi came out, he shared a picture of himself watching it, with the caption: "Just watched the new trailer of The Last Jedi and my mom looks more beautiful than ever." [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BceJBfyhW7h/]] Carrie Fisher's former assistant, Corby McCoin, takes care of her dog these days, and brought him to the premiere of The Last Jedi in Los Angeles. Of course, Gary was dressed in a rebel flight suit, to support General Leia. ABC Reporter Veronica Miracle interviewed McCoin after the screening, and asked how Gary reacted to the movie. She said he "perked up" every time his mom on screen. (Man, that would even make an emotionless Jedi Knight tear up.) Miracle shared a video of Gary on Twitter, letting everyone know "He sat on Fisher's former assistant's lap during the film. She said his ears perked up every time she was on screen." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ABC7Veronica/status/941533853511909376]] Now whenever Gary misses his mom, he can just watch one of her movies.

In December 2016, Carrie Fisher tragically died at the age of 60. The actress, author and pop culture icon suffered a sudden case of cardiac arrest, following a medical emergency on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Star Wars fans fondly remember for her for playing Leia Organa, the feisty rebel princess turned bikini-clad Jabba-strangler turned badass war general.

The world mourned Carrie's death, with fans and friends posting emotional tributes. When she appeared on talk shows, movie sets and the red carpet, she was always accompanied by her French bulldog, Gary Fisher. Unfortunately, she died just before the premiere of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. But Gary caught the movie, and perked up whenever his owner was on screen.

Fans wondered how Carrie Fisher's death would affect the new trilogy. In Episode VIII, her character survives, which would seem to be a big problem. In the standalone Star Wars movie Rogue One, a prequel to A New Hope, they used CGI to bring back a character played by a dead actor: Grand Moff Tarkin, played by the late Peter Cushing. They also used CGI to create a young Princess Leia, as played by a 21-year-old Carrie Fisher. (In both cases, they superimposed digital likenesses on young actors. Carrie Fisher was alive at the time.)

For Episode IX, would they bring back General Leia with CGI? Some fans hated the idea, arguing the Rogue One recreations had an 'uncanny valley' effect. However, special effects technology is constantly improving. In the Marvel comic book movies, they successfully de-aged Robert Downey Jr. and Martin Sheen. Terminator: Genisys sucked, but young Arnold Schwarzenegger looked pretty good. Plus wouldn't Carrie want them to finish the story?

[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZqFkcLrbfs]]

Well, wonder no more. Today Disney and LucasFilm announced they will bring Princess Leia back to the screen using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (That's right, TFA, not The Last Jedi.)

"We desperately loved Carrie Fisher," said J.J. Abrams, director of TFA and Episode IX. "Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1022939332708126720]]

They also announced the cast for Star Wars Episode IX: Return Of The Money Train. (Okay, there's no subtitle yet.) Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher's daughter).

New cast members include Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell. And veteran cast members include Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, reprising smooth-talking traitor Lando Calrissian. (Finally!) Also, 86-year-old composer John Williams, who scored every Star Wars movie since 1977's A New Hope will returning one last time.

In December 2019, Episode IX will hit theaters, and we'll see how General Leia Organa's story comes to an end.

During a panel at the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago, the first trailer was released for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. (Oh yeah, they released the title too.)

The two minute teaser features our first glimpse of Lando Calrissian, with 82-year-old Billy Dee Williams reprising his role from Return of the Jedi. (But unfortunately he doesn't slam a Colt 45.) The footage also teases a broken Death Star, Emperor Palpatine's laugh, an intense confrontation between Rey and Kylo Ren, and an emotional scene with Princess Leia, played by the late Carrie Fischer.

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The movie is directed by J.J. Abrams, who also directed Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. After George Lucas' creative but cringeworthy 2000's prequel trilogy, TFA was hailed as a return to form. It brought back beloved characters from the classic trilogy, played by the original actors, plus introduced a new cast of captivating characters, with Rey, Poe, Finn and Kylo Renn. (Although TFA caught some criticism for being pretty similar to the first Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope.)

The previous entry, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, was directed by Rian Johnson, who strove to do something fresh with the franchise and subvert viewer expectations. The movie made a ton of money, as usual, but was surprisingly polarizing with viewers. Some fans loved the Marvelesque humor, adorable Porgs and subversive plot twists, while others hated Luke Skywalker's arc, thought the Casino Planet trip was tangential, and and wondered why Purple Hair Lady didn't just tell Poe her plan.

Here's some responses to the Episode IX trailer from Twitter. People are pretty psyched about Palpatine's laugh.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/DoxdyKing/status/1116763710524198912]]

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[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Pithy_Remark/status/1116764110765592584]]

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Episode IX is intended to be the last entry in the 'Skywalker story,' although the Star Wars franchise will continue through endless spin-off movies and TV shows. Personally, I'm a bit annoyed that Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer and Billy Dee Williams returned for the sequel trilogy, but didn't have any real scenes together. Oh well. At least there's no Jar Jar Binks, Jr!

Carrie Fisher's untimely death last year left her fans, and fans of the Star Wars franchise heartbroken. The actress died at the age of 60 on the 27th December 2016 as a result of sudden cardiac arrest, four days after experiencing a medical emergency during a transatlantic flight from London to Los Angeles. The passing of the pop-culture icon caused a veritable maelstrom in the press, with celebrities of every ilk sharing their memories of the Hollywood legend, and offering their condolences to the Fisher family. And one year later, not much as changed. Since her final film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (a feature which was dedicated to her), was released on the December 15th, 2017, fans have taken every opportunity to remember the star. However, it's all the more poignant now, on the anniversary of her death. Certainly, her co-star, Mark Hamill chose to commemorate the occasion by posting a loving tribute to the actress, one year after her passing. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BOh8IP4gmo7/?hl=en&taken-by=officialcarriefisher]] Mark Hamill, who is known for playing Luke Skywalker, posted photos of him and Carrie Fisher together alongside a drawing depicting Fisher holding her dog, Gary, and raising her middle finger. "No one's ever really gone..." Hamill captioned the image, adding the hashtags #AlwaysWithUs and #CarrieOnForever. The quote will be familiar to any Star Wars fan, as it is the same line that Hamill's alter-ego, Luke Skywalker, says to Leia Organa, Fisher's character, in The Last Jedi. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdMw5kJFjHr/]] Hamill also wrote a touching tribute to his dear friend earlier this year for The Hollywood Reporter. "We ran the gamut over the years, where we were in love with each other, where we hated each other’s guts. “I’m not speaking to you, you’re such a judgmental, royal brat!” We went through it all. It’s like we were a family," he wrote. Admitting that the pair had no idea that the Star Wars franchise would be so commercially successful, he continued: "Carrie and I occupied a unique area in each other’s lives. It was like we were in a garage band together that somehow hit it huge. We had no idea the impact Star Wars would have on the world. I remember we were out on tour right before the movie opened. By the time we got to Chicago, there was a crowd at the airport. I said, ‘Hey look, you guys, there must be somebody famous on the plane.” I was looking around to see who it might be. And then in the crowd I saw a kid dressed in a Han Solo vest. Then I saw a girl dressed like Princess Leia." Fans of Carrie Fisher have also taken to social media today to commemorate the actress's life. One Twitter user wrote, "It’s been a year since we lost Carrie Fisher. My resolution for 2018 is to put into better practice everything she taught - the wisdom to own yourself, flaws and all, and to give as few f***s as possible" [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/clarisselou/status/945820124883320832]] Carrie Fisher will certainly remain an enduring icon for decades to come. And on this day, which is sure to be painful, our thoughts lie with her friends and family.

Billie Lourd, who lost her mother, Carrie Fisher, and grandmother, Debbie Reynolds, during the Christmas season of 2016 has taken to Instagram to share a powerful message about grief and loss.

The American Horror Story star posted a photograph of herself beside her two relatives, the legendary actresses, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, on Christmas day. In the caption, she reminded her followers that there is no one right way to grieve, especially during the festive season.

Watch the final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker: 

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/kRHIyuyP-Q0L14jDU.mp4||kRHIyuyP]]

"Happy holidays! (But also sad/emotional/weird/stressful holidays!) Sending my love to everyone who has lost someone they loved and is missing them a little extra today," she wrote.

"I see you. It’s okay if everything ain’t all merry and bright. It can be a mix of all of it. And it’s all okay. Feel all the feelings - the good and the not so good."

"Eat something delish they used to love,” Lourd continued. “Put on one of their favorite songs. Tell a story about them. Cry about them. Call one of their friends you haven’t talked to in a while. Be kind and patient with yourself. Don’t grieve in silence. You’re not alone."

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This Christmas is especially poignant for the actress, given that it coincides with the release of the ninth and final Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker. The feature, which was made after Fisher's death in 2016, includes a performance from the late actress as General Leia Organa, which was crafted from deleted footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In the movie, Fisher and Lourd - who portrays Connix, a resistance member - appear together. "I want to be in scenes with her. I want it for my children when I have kids. I want them to see me," Lourd reportedly told director JJ Abrams whilst on set.

"There are moments where they’re talking; there are moments where they’re touching," Abrams since stated. “There are moments in this movie where Carrie is there, and I really do feel there is an element of the uncanny, spiritual, you know classic Carrie, that it would have happened this way because somehow it worked. And I never thought it would."