One shocking line fromPrincess Leiaactress Carrie Fisher’s audition would’ve fixed a major problem fromA New Hope. WhileStar Warsmovies and TV showscomprise one of the most iconic franchises of all time now, when Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill were trying out for their roles, they had no idea whatStar Warswould become. In many ways, George Lucas himself also had very little idea where the franchise was headed, which is evident in decisions like making Luke and Leia siblings—something that was clearly not planned from the jump.
This makes looking back on earlier versions of the scripts all the more interesting, as they showcase just how much the plans for the original trilogy changed over time. While many of these changes were for the better and reflect myriad reasons these are amongStar Wars’best movies, some are quite shocking, in part because they would have enhanced the story or addressed issues. This is the case forone line delivered by Carrie Fisher in her audition, which would have resolved a major problem fromA New Hopebut was ultimately not included in the movie.
It’s Always Bugged Me That The Rebels Led The Death Star To Yavin
Leia Already Knew The Empire Was Tracking The Millennium Falcon
InA New Hope, Leia knows the Empire is tracking the Millennium Falcon, which becomes one of thethings that make no sense about the original trilogy. After Han Solo congratulates himself on the successful rescue mission, Leia tells him,“They let us go. It’s the only explanation for the ease of our escape.“She then says,“They’re tracking us.“Despite that awareness,Leia leads the Empire right to Yavin 4. What makes this all the more bewildering is that Leia knew what a massive risk this was, as she had already seen the devastation the Death Star could cause.
This has long seemed like an odd choice at best and a major plot hole at worst.A New Hopeestablished that Leia was a competent and perceptive Rebel fighter, so it was more than a little bizarre that she wouldn’t think about the implications of this decision. InA New Hope, this is largely left unaddressed, which only makes it all the more frustrating thatCarrie Fisher’sStar Warsaudition proves this major issue was originally going to be directly explained in the movie.
Carrie Fisher’s Audition Makes This A Choice, Not A Mistake
This Line Was Evidently Cut From The Movie, But It’s So Important
WhileA New Hopemay have left an explanation for this dangerous decision out of the movie, clearly,George Lucas had already identified the reason Leia made this choice. As also recently noted byCBR, in her audition, Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher delivered the lines:
“I know they’ll follow. And they’ll bring the Death Star. But our only hope is to destroy it before it destroys us. Hiding is useless now. With the Death Star, they will continue to destroy systems until they have found us. We have no alternative but to process the information and use it.”
In this line, Leia makes it clear that she was well aware the Death Star would follow them to Yavin, but,rather than a lapse in judgment or a mistake, this was a strategic battle plan.
Not only does this resolve an issue that has long confused audiences, but it also reinforces the characterization of Leia depicted throughout the movie. Leia, from the first moment she was on screen, proved to be fierce, brave, intelligent, and loyal. Given those traits, it seemed impossible that she would have jeopardized the Rebellion like that or not thought through her next steps. With this line, that issue is entirely addressed, and it makes perfect sense. Rather than going back into hiding and gambling with the future, Leia decided it was time to engage.
This Looks Like A Very Different Star Wars Script
The Series Of Events Were Originally Quite Different, Based On This Audition Tape
This explanation of Leia’s decision to lead the Empire to Yavin isn’t the only notable difference between this audition clip and what the plot ofA New Hopeultimately entailed. Rather,the very sequence of events inA New Hopewas clearly quite different early on in the process. Although the smallest of details, in the audition tape, when Han asks what R2-D2 is carrying, Leia says,“The plans and specifications to a battle station with enough firepower to destroy an entire system.“InA New Hope, when Han asks, Leia instead says,“The technical readouts of that battle station.”
This subtle difference is pivotal, asthe language of the original script suggests Han wasn’t coming from the Death Star; if he was, Leia’s phrasing would have been similar to what ultimately appeared inA New Hope. This implies a very different series of events in the movie, which would have had interesting implications for the larger narrative. Regardless, it’s a bit of a shame Leia’s rationale for leading the Death Star to Yavin 4 wasn’t used inA New Hope, as it would have been much more in keeping with Princess Leia’s character and addressed this glaring problem.
