Star Wars has redeemed Princess Leia's worst Return of the Jedi moment. Princess Leia may be the greatest heroine of the Star Wars saga, but Return of the Jedi provided some of her lowest moments in the series. Her attempt to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt led to her being captured and enslaved - dressed in a skimpy golden outfit. When Carrie Fisher first saw the outfit, she thought it was a joke. It wasn't - and in fact she had to wear it in the most uncomfortable position possible, because Lucas wanted her body to be as straight as possible. However, despite these initial issues, the franchise has now taken steps to redeem Leia's Return of the Jedi problems.
On reflection, Fisher decided she didn't have a problem with the scene herself. She chose to recontextualize it as a moment of power, pointing to the fact Leia may wind up in chains - but she then uses those same chains to kill the Hutt. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, they decided to discontinue Slave Leia merchandise, understandably uncomfortable with the idea this particular outfit could be seen as symbolic of Leia; they felt it undersold her character. Fisher herself disagreed with Disney's decision and aired her own interpretation of the scene, which prompted intense debate online.
One fan came up with a different name for the costume, an attempt to redeem it; she called it the "Huttslayer" costume. Author Claudia Gray came upon this idea when she was writing her novel Bloodline, set after Return of the Jedi and starring Princess Leia; she loved it, and decided to make it canon. "I believe it was a young lady named Angie P, who said, 'I petition that we call it The Huttslayer outfit,'" Gray recalled when speaking to MovieWeb, "and I was like, 'That is a great name and that is going to happen right now.' Not only did I like recasting that outfit as a memory of Leia being really strong and kick-ass, but think about it - for a human being to kill a Hutt with her bare hands? That's unbelievable. Anybody who would be able to pull that off would be remembered for it. That would be legend." Bloodline revealed Leia had indeed become famed across the galaxy as the Huttslayer, perfectly redeeming Return of the Jedi's most awkward scenes.
The Book of Boba Fett hinted at Leia's fame when it revealed even a former bounty hunter like Boba Fett wouldn't kill a Hutt without permission from the Grand Council. And yet Leia didn't need permission to kill Jabba, nor did she suffer the wrath of the Hutts for her actions. That likely reflects the fact that Leia was a key figure in the New Republic, too powerful and influential for even the Hutts to target. Jabba the Hutt aimed to humiliate Leia, but she killed him with her own chains, and then went unpunished. It's notable that the Hutts declined in significance after Jabba's death, not even attempting to claim Tatooine until five years later - and then running when the Pykes arrived as well. Not only did Leia kill Jabba, she also seems to have broken the Hutts' stranglehold on the galaxy.
Carrie Fisher sadly passed away in 2016, and her iconic portrayal of Princess Leia remains a testament to her skill as an actress. She disagreed with Disney's decision to stop marketing Slave Leia, considering it ridiculous, but she would undoubtedly be pleased with the way Star Wars has transformed the scene - integrating her own interpretation into canon and even giving it a catchy nickname. Disney's era of Star Wars has transformed Slave Leia into the Huttslayer, redeeming the worst moment of Return of the Jedi.
