Star Wars: farewell to Carrie and Kenny

Carrie Fisher's autograph, sent from Elstree Studios in 1979

Opening the garden gate on my way to work on Tuesday, my attention was drawn to something unusual. Two small party balloons were caught at the top of a power pole opposite. Fluttering in the thinnest of breeze, they were tethered by ribbon tails snagged on the wires.

As the two escaped balloons danced I inspected them from below and noticed they were decorated with Star Wars characters. When I returned home that evening the balloons had gone, and I was reflecting on the news that Carrie Fisher had died a few hours earlier.

During the past few days I've thought about Carrie, and also about Kenny Baker who passed away in August. They were the first movie stars to write their autograph for me when I was 12 years old, and many decades later were two of the three actors from Star Wars I was fortunate to encounter in person.

It was a long time ago - to be precise, 38 years ago - when I sent a letter to Elstree Studios, just outside London, and marked it for the attention of the film crew working on The Empire Strikes Back.  Enclosed within was my HMS Victory souvenir autograph book with its small coloured pages, a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a note requesting whoever dealt with the letter if they would be kind enough to ask any Star Wars actor if they would write an autograph. 

I waited in hope for the book to come back. One day it did. There was no note, just the book. Inside, two pages bore signatures, one was a boldly scrawled 'Kenny Baker, R2-D2 - Star Wars', the other was best wishes from Carrie Fisher.

Carrie's writing appeared understated, almost apologetic in its unflorished smallness, not even taking up half a page in the three-inch wide book. The hallmarks of her signature were there, the hooked 'c' and the quirky look of the double 'r', but it lacked the more flamboyant style she would adopt in later years. Beneath her name she sweetly added 'Princess Leia' in parenthesis, in case it might not be a given which character she played.

That unassuming approach was understandable. She was barely into her twenties, and lasting worldwide recognition was not assured for the Star Wars actors, despite the 1977 film smashing box office records. There was no guarantee the sequel then being filmed would live up to the success of its predecessor.

I was delighted with the autographs from two heroes of my favourite film. R2-D2, as operated by Kenny, was one of the movie's most iconic creations. While Carrie as Princess Leia was a strong, spirited heroine who led by example and fearlessly expressed herself when confronting arch-villans. But she also exhibited empathy and a deeply caring side, strikingly crystallised in Star Wars as Luke Skywalker reflected on the loss of Ben Kenobi - Leia was there comforting and reassuring. Faced with uncertainties or emotional jolts, she was the person you most wanted to have by your side.

Carrie became much more than the princess from Star Wars. In life, she displayed those same qualities of warmth, compassion and honesty, together with an admirable fearlessness and a sense of humour never dimmed even as she faced personal struggles, much of which is detailed in her autobiographical book Wishful Drinking.

Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfus in Bermuda, 2007

Many decades after receiving their autographs, I encountered Carrie and Kenny in person.

Carrie was first. She was on the jury panel of the Bermuda International Film Festival in 2007. In a contemporaneous account for Microdot News, a light-hearted newsletter I sent to friends and family at that time, I wrote:

Star Wars heroine Princess Leia, or more precisely actress Carrie Fisher, came to Bermuda for the film festival. She and Richard Dreyfus (Jaws, Close Encounters etc) were the star judges of the festival.

As a life-long fan of the original Star Wars trilogy this presented an opportunity I didn’t expect – to see a Star Wars legend. There was one small problem; I was scheduled to listen to a bunch of business-types froth at the mouth talking about internal audits at the same time that Fisher and Dreyfus were giving a free lunchtime chat 100 yards away. What to do? What to do? I know……Use the Force.

By bending the space-time continuum (I explained to my editor), I’d be able to duck into the film stars' lunchtime chit-chat for a few minutes before going to the 'not-to-be-missed' internal audit extravaganza over the road. It worked and I got to listen to a little of the talk, with Ms Fisher, now 50, bemoaning the fact that she doesn’t make a penny from all the Princess Leia action figures sold. I saw the two stars at the film festival wrap party and was amazed how small they both were (about 5ft 2in average) as they walked in front of me. Midway through the night as the party waned I left, only to bump into Dreyfus coming back down the corridor from his hotel room to the party having decided to give it another go.

Kenny Baker as R2-D2

Three years ago, while attending a film stars and astronauts event in London, Heather and I met Kenny and Dave Prowse (Darth Vader). We spoke with Kenny and his wife Valerie Gale a few times, and Kenny showed happy recognition whenever Bermuda was mentioned. I asked him if he had been approached to reprise his role in the-then upcoming Star Wars reboot The Force Awakens. He said he did not know about that, although as it transpired he was called up in a consultative capacity regarding R2-D2. It was his last film role.

During the past few days I have been contemplating Carrie's autograph from 38 years ago. To me it is less a piece of movie-related memorabilia, and more a representation of a moment in time. It symbolises kindness from a young actress leaving her teenage years behind, to a boy on the verge of becoming a teenager - a simple token of universal humanity shared between strangers along life's journey.

Farewell Carrie and Kenny, and thank you for the joy and happiness you gave to so many.

Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker, as Princess Leia and R2-D2 in the first Star Wars film

Rogue One - a grimly great Star Wars tale

If you are looking for a 'soft and cuddly' Star Wars movie, then Rogue One is not the one you're looking for.

Expect hard edges and the grim realities of life under the Imperial boot in this tale about a group of unvarnished misfits willing to sacrifice everything to strike at the Galactic overlords.

With Rogue One, director Gareth Edwards takes the Star Wars story deep into the dim and dark territory that paid dividends for The Empire Strikes Back and made it the standout episode of the original trilogy.

Rogue One’s realism and its portrayal of the grey areas that exist between the light and dark of good and evil, give it a grown-up feel. There are enough nods in the direction of the main series to firmly anchor it within the Star Wars universe, but its self-contained story arc is not subservient to the Skywalker/Jedi/Force narrative of the main saga.

Felicity Jones, who plays the lead role, has tagged it as Star Wars 3.5, referring to the episodic nature of the film franchise, in which the original Star Wars is now known as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

Chronologically, the events depicted in the film occur in the run-up to the original 1977 blockbuster, with Rogue One ending 10 minutes before the opening scene of A New Hope.

However, don't be put off if you are unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga, because a new viewer should be able to enjoy and follow this film without prior knowledge of either what came before or after, although they will miss out on a lot of symbolism and foreshadowing.

This is a standalone from the main series and is the first such departure. A further two standalones are planned, along with two more episodes in the main series.

Rogue One is a welcome return to gritty realism. It is self-contained with no obvious follow-on (aside from 1977's A New Hope). The characters are introduced, have their adventure and the tale concludes. Rogue One is decidedly dark and far from Disney-fied.

Bleak realism dominates. We see the struggle of the rebel alliance, and the wayward, raggle-taggle elements that are involved. Many of the locations are strikingly dimmer than we have come to expect in the Star Wars realm, including the opening scenes on a tundra-like world (filmed in Iceland). Darkly lit scenes add to a feeling of oppression, as does the nondescript clothing of the Rogue One team, which is a mass of blacks and grey. However, this compounds the already frustrating task of differentiating one character from another, as many lack distinguishing attributes and blend in as much of a muchness.

Jones stands out in her role as Jyn Erso, a plucky misfit. Sadly, her backstory is never divulged to the extent that it should have been, and consequently Erso lacks a truly engaging presence. This is not the fault of Jones, whose character portrayal lifts Erso above the band of rebellious cohorts.

There are other exceptions; droid K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk) is a Star Wars classic, and the Jedi-like follower Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) stands out, but the stronger sense of individuality and identity so masterfully achieved in the original trilogy is missing from Rogue One. Forest Whitaker is wasted in his small role. His character, Saw Gerrera, had scope to be a far more fascinating addition to the story.

As seems obligatory in movies today, the story rushes headlong towards the next development at the expense of allowing time for characters to grow and express themselves, or to reveal inner conflicts satisfactorily.

The grand battle in the final quarter of the movie will have its fans, but Star Wars cheapens itself by plumping for hefty war film stylistics. The original trilogy was all the better for relying on character development and interaction and less on half-an-hour runarounds with all guns blazing.

The fleeting return of three strong characters from the original movie (two through the wonders of digital technology), nicely ties Rogue One to the epic storyline to follow, and Edwards skillfully guides the film’s finale to the point where the 1977 classic lifts off.

Rogue One is a grown-up Star Wars adventure that entertains and delights. It succeeds in demonstrating the reality of a rebellion against evil overlords - the squalor and unglamorous realities of half-victories and sacrifices. A little more character focus, a little less wham-bam, and this could well have been a classic. As it is, Rogue One is a solid entry in the top four best Star Wars films.