Star Wars: Bloodline, a Star Wars novel by Claudia Gray, arrives on May 3 and focuses on Princess Leia Organa in the years before The Force Awakens. It delves into the political landscape of the galaxy and shows the beginnings of a government falling into disarray. Leia is a respected senator, but her desire to make a difference instead of wasting time arguing puts her in a questionable position with her peers. We see her take charge, and her initiative puts her into a path of a less than savory individual who knows her by one name: Huttslayer.
Don’t worry, I won’t go into any more spoilers about who calls Leia Huttslayer. I’ll only say that this character highly appreciates Leia taking out Jabba the Hutt. Leia committed the deed in Return of the Jedi while in what marketing and merchandising usually refers to as the “Slave Leia” outfit. The image of Leia in the metal bikini is overused to sell toys, magazines, and other licensed materials, and to be honest, the label of Slave Leia isn’t a great one. The nickname doesn’t send the most positive of messages.
Because really, Leia took charge while she was Jabba’s slave and turned the situation around—her act of killing Jabba was one of empowerment. It was the ultimate raising of a fist against the man and slamming it into his face. So why not associate the dumb bikini with that action instead of her status? Angie P., a fan of a Star Wars podcast I co-host called Full of Sith, suggested the change in July 2015–this is the first I recall hearing the idea:
Can we petition to replace the term "Slave Leia" with "Leia the Huttslayer"? (cc: @FullOfSith)
— angie ðŸ´â€â˜ ï¸ (@gospelflare) July 23, 2015
Leia the Huttslayer. The title has a nice ring to it, no? And now, thanks to Bloodline, Huttslayer is part of Star Wars canon. Learning about the moniker and the respect associated with it helps push Leia into an interesting direction in the novel.
What do you think of the nickname Huttslayer? Let me know in the comments. Stay tuned for a review of Bloodline and an interview with the author next week.
Image: Lucasfilm
