Why Family Guy's Star Wars Episodes Didn't Cast Carrie Fisher As Princess Leia

Although most remembered for playing Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars, Carrie Fisher also made notable contributions to Family Guy, but the latter intentionally avoided her reprising her seminal role when the two properties collided between 2007 and 2011. Rather than this being a missed opportunity or an accidental oversight, it was actually a conscious decision by the writers that still made to reference Fisher's Star Wars efforts just as much as if she'd been cast as Leia in Seth MacFarlane's animated sitcom.

The Star Wars parodies are among Family Guy's best episodes - especially the first one, "Blue Harvest." Even though the feature-length episodes didn't include Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia, there is still a version of the character portrayed by Alex Borstein's Lois Griffin. Thankfully, Fisher's established presence among the Family Guy cast pretty much guaranteed her involvement in the playful homage to the Star Wars original trilogy, but in a different role entirely than Princess Leia.

Carrie Fisher Playing Mon Mothma, Not Princess Leia, Was Part Of Family Guy's Star Wars Joke

Fisher's Star Wars recasting was a coy wink to her franchise connection

Family Guy's Angela as Mon Mothma in Family Guy's Star Wars parody

Speaking with Looper, Family Guy producer Steve Callaghan has explained the quirk of having Fisher among the cast of a Star Wars parody trilogy and not placing her in the role of Princess Leia. The interview confirmed that Fisher was "on board" with the subversive casting, as it prevented her involvement from being too predictable. Instead, voicing Family Guy's Angela as Mon Mothma in "It's a Trap!" (the show's parody of 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) gave Fisher the rare opportunity to play another Star Wars character entirely.

Family Guy's Star Wars Parody Specials
Title	Year	Movie Parodying	IMDb Rating
"Blue Harvest"	2007	Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope	8.2/10
"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side"	2010	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back	7.6/10
"It's a Trap!"	2011	Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi	7.2/10

The role of Mon Mothma was originated by Caroline Blakiston in the very movie "It's a Trap!" is parodying. Although Blakiston was eventually replaced by Genevieve O'Reilly for 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Fisher beat Blakiston's live-action successor to the punch by six years by voicing Mon Mothma in "It's a Trap!" However, O'Reilly has gone on to reprise the role since Rogue One by also appearing in two Star Wars shows: Andor and Ahsoka. So, she has arguably eclipsed Blakiston's version.

Putting Lois In The Princess Leia Role Made Sense For Family Guy's Star Wars Parody

Peter was too perfect as Han to not also have Lois as Leia

With MacFarlane's Peter Griffin already perfectly recast as Han Solo in the Star Wars episodes, there was only really one choice for who would be playing Leia.

Because they end up together, Lois standing in for Fisher's iconic princess is a great way of echoing Han and Leia's relationship in Star Wars, as Peter and Lois are already married in Family Guy. With Lois being a main character in Family Guy, it only makes sense that she receives equal attention in the Star Wars episodes, and at least Fisher was still able to revisit the franchise that made her.

Source: Looper