Huckleberries: She gave us hope as Leia — and that hope lives on

Huckleberries Monday:

The recent joint memorial for Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, recalls a superb post by a Coeur d’Alene blogger after their deaths a day apart in late December.

Before Fisher introduced Princess Leia to us in “Star Wars: A New Hope” 40 years ago, said Nic Casey of the Faithful Geek blog, “women in pop culture were either the damsel in distress or nothing more than a romantic interest. They needed protection.” Even in the video game Nic played as a child, Mario was always trying to rescue Princess Peach.

Princess Leia broke that mold, Nic blogged, from participating in her own rescue from evil Darth Vader to leading a rebellion and a revolution over three films. This, while actress Fisher battled her own demons, from addiction to mental illness, with grace and humor.

Nic wraps up his blog comment on the importance of the late Ms. Fisher with this: “Because of her portrayal of the Princess of Alderaan, I have discovered something much like what was delivered to her at the end of ‘Rogue One’: Hope. She gave me hope that my daughter can be both a princess and a hero, both a peacemaker and a warrior, both delicate and unbreakable, both compassionate and fierce.”

Carrie Fisher may be gone. But the hope she has given us for four decades lives on. More here.