This article first appeared in the online Dec. 30 issue of True Believer (true-believer.net).

By Mary O’KEEFE

Those in the sci-fi world are still nursing broken hearts from the loss of Mr. Spock last year and now the galaxy is in shock again over the sudden death of Princess Leia … and of her mother just a day later.

The death of Carrie Fisher was one of those moments in history when you could hear the collective gasp throughout the galaxy, even one far … far … away. Fisher as Princess Leia represented a new type of female heroine. She was not waiting for the men to save her; in fact, the thought of a man even attempting to save her really angered her. She was a leader, one that was smart and as capable with a DL-44 blaster as any man, and no one – not even Darth Vader – made her back down.

Princess Leia introduced us to a new type of feminine power, one that allowed a woman to be a love interest as well as the leader of a rebellion. Fisher’s sudden death from a heart attack not only caused grief for those who remembered her performance in the first series of the “Star Wars” saga but perhaps her death was made even more tragic because she had just recently returned to audiences as Leia in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and was in post production for “Star Wars: Episode VIII.”

Fisher was more than Princess Leia; she was a writer, one of Hollywood’s top script doctors, an actress in non “Star Wars” movies and in television and the daughter of legendary actress Debbie Reynolds.

It was no secret that Carrie had lived a hard life with drink and drugs and, in true Leia form, she never backed down from the truth. She spoke of her addictions in several books she wrote including 2008’s “Wishful Drinking.”

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher had a strong relationship that had its ups and downs but was built on a foundation of love – so much so that Reyonlds died just a day after her daughter’s passing.

“Star Wars” lost others this year as well including Peter Sumner who played Lt. Pol Treidum, Kenny Baker who was R2D2 and Darth Vadar’s (James Earl Jones) wife Cecilia Hart.

The “Star Wars” animation galaxy saw its share of loss with the death of Larry Drake, who voiced Kazdan Paratus in the video game “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed-Ultimate Sith Edition.” He also voiced “Green Lantern: First Flight Ganthet” and was Chellick on “Star Trek Voyager” as well as voicing and acting in “Star Gate SG-1” and “Batman Beyond.”

There were so many losses including Alan Rickman who played Professor Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series, as well as so many other characters in so many films including Hans Gruber in “Die Hard.”

Then there was Gene Wilder who was Dr. Frankenstein in “Young Frankenstein” and Mr. Wonka in “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

David Bowie whose performances of “Ground Control to Major Tom” and Ziggy Stardust gave music to science fiction like it had never heard before. He also performed in “Zombified 3D” that is in post production. He played Jareth in “Labyrinth” and Thomas Jerome Newton in “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

“Star Trek” mourned the death of William Schallert, who created such lasting characters as Admiral Hargrade of “Get Smart” and the Undersecretary in charge of Agricultural Affairs for the United Federation of Planets in 2267 – Nilz Baris. It was his snarky clashes with Capt. James T. Kirk over the little creatures known as Tribbles that made “The Trouble with Tribbles” such fun. In the end, after all of his bravado, it was Baris’ assistant – a Klingon spy – who had poisoned the darling Tribbles to death.

“Star Trek” also lost its latest version of Lt. Chekov – Anton Yelchin. The young actor brought Chekov to life for new audiences adding his own spin to Pavel Chekov while respecting the character’s foundation that was built by Walter Koenig in the ’60s.

Other sci-fi losses include:

• Van Williams who stared as the Green Hornet alongside Bruce Lee in the ’60s TV show.

• Ron Glass who some may remember from the TV series “Barney Miller” but everyone will remember him as “Shepard Book” from “Firefly.”

• Bernard Fox as the memorable Dr. Bombay in “Bewitched”

• Ron Thornton, visual effects designer, supervisor and producer of such shows as “Babylon 5” and “Star Trek: Voyager.”

• Robert Vaughn who played Napoleon Soto from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

• Don Marshal who portrayed Dan Erickson in “Land of the Giants” and Boma in “The Galileo Seven” episode of the original “Star Trek.”

• Michael Massee from “The Amazing Spider-Man” film series.

• Bill Nunn who played Joseph “Robbie” Robertson in “Spider-Man 3.”

• Terrance Baylor who was in two episodes of Tom Baker’s “Dr. Who,” the Bloody Baron Ghost in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and Gregory in “Life of Brian,” which I know isn’t science fiction but it is Monty Python.

• Jon Polito who voiced the “Ultimate Spider-Man” TV series as Hammerhead as well as countless “Batman” animation.

• Noel Neill, the first actress to portray Lois Lane in the “Adventures of Superman” in the 1950s.

• David Margulies, the mayor of New York who hired the “Ghostbusters.”

• Alan Young, the owner of the talking horse in “Mister Ed.”

• Michaly “Michu” Meszaros who was the person inside the E.T. “Alf.”

• Angus Scrimm of  “Phantasm.”

  Mary Okeefe