Leia Wields Her Lightsaber in Epic New Star Wars Print

Although the Skywalker Saga of films might be complete, the Star Wars universe still has a lot of elements to celebrate across films, TV shows, comics, and otherwise. Thanks to a new art print, one of the most-anticipated aspects of the sequel trilogy — one that was just barely showcased in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — is being immortalized. Over the weekend, StarWars.com unveiled the first look at “Until Our Last Breath”, a painting from Christophe Vacher that showcases Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) holding her lightsaber. The painting will soon be available as a limited print from Acme Archives.

“At first, I wasn’t sure how I would visualize Leia, but I knew I wanted to put her in some kind of epic or heroic situation, yet without being corny. While I was putting together some ideas for the piece, I went to Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada in December 2019,” Vacher explained. “I had wanted to visit it for 20 years, and was fascinated by the beauty and scale of the place, especially in the depth of winter, while the lake was frozen and the snow covered everything. When I came back, some visuals started to connect in my mind, that epic snowy landscape, and the idea of Leia in the middle of it. What I had seen in the last Star Wars, that short sequence where Leia is trained by Luke, started to trigger questions: what happened to her in those times? How long was she trained? Why did she eventually become a general instead of a Jedi, and did she make that choice or was she pushed into it?”

“I think I see her as someone who has become selflessly dedicated to fight for and with her people, despite the tremendous pressure and responsibility as a princess,” Vacher said of Leia. “These are qualities I respect. I felt that in Queen Amidala, too, though in a different way, because Padmé Amidala has a softer personality and I wouldn’t think of her as a general. I like the evolution of the Leia character throughout the Star Wars saga, from a fairly wild and impulsive young woman to a wise, poised, and collected general. I thought that trying to capture a snapshot of the segment of her life in which that transition happens, trying to capture that transformation and maturity in one image while taking into account all the cultural background and linear story of the Star Wars universe was an interesting challenge.”

What do you think of this new Star Wars print of Leia? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!