Although Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, the beloved actress was still one of the main fixtures of the franchise up until the end of the Skywalker saga. Despite the fact that the script for Episode IX didn't even exist before Carrie's passing, Lucasfilm made sure that Leia Organa would still get a proper send-off along with the saga she helped start in 1978.
The Rise of Skywalker featured Leia's death and first appearance as a Force Ghost and even included a flashback scene where Fisher's own daughter Billie Lourd played a younger version of the character with some help from VFX magic. Speaking of that scene, it turns out that it would have been a fitting tribute for the late actress but Lucasfilm scrapped the original plans for the flashback sequence.
Adam Brockbank, one of the artists who worked on Episode IX unveiled a concept art from that specific scene and it features Leia wielding a purple lightsaber. If you may recall, the film's final cut saw her wield a blue-bladed saber.
According to Fisher's 2016 memoir (via Cinema Blend), she would have wanted to see Leia wield a purple lightsaber in the films and the artwork pretty much confirms that plans were in place at one point. Sadly, it didn't happen. Check out the concept art here:
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As it stands, we still don't know why the production company scrapped the idea as it would have served as a great homage to Carrie.
The entire Skywalker saga is available for streaming on Disney+.