Carrie Fisher might be gone, but her presence lives on in the hearts of every Star Wars fan for her portrayal of the beloved Princess Leia Organa. The original Rebellion bad girl tamed a scruffy-looking merc named Han Solo, kissed her brother, and helped blow up the second Death Star. She did it all while delivering some of the funniest one-liners in Star Wars history.
The bulk of her hilarious quotes came at the expense of Han Solo during their rather rocky courtship. Yet, at every turn, Princess Leia proved that she could dish out the insults just as well as she could take them. It helped cement her legacy as a tough girl with a soft side who knew when to hold her tongue — and when to turn it loose.
Updated on August 20th, 2021 by Derek Draven: Carrie Fisher helped bring the role of Princess Leia to life in a way that few actors could have managed. As such, her character has become a favorite among Star Wars fans to this day. There’s a wealth of material in the scripts to cite her funniest quotes of all time, and they never seem to get old. While Fisher unfortunately won’t be able to bring the character to life in future projects, new generations of Star Wars fans will get to experience everything that made previous generations fall in love with her. Whether she’s angry, or just being sarcastic, Leia knows how to deliver the funniest lines with a straight face.
15 “When Did That Ever Help? And Don’t Say The Death Star!” (Episode VII: The Force Awakens)
Even after falling in love and having a child together, Han and Leia never quite lost their penchant for ribbing each other at every opportunity. In one of many reasons why they’re the most relatable couple in the Star Wars universe, as imperfection is woven into the relationship.
When Han attempted to offer support to Leia while she was searching for Luke’s whereabouts, she told him to stop. He said that he was simply trying to be helpful, she dropped this funny quote, indicating that he must have used that tactic quite a lot in the past.
14 “You Have Your Moments. Not Many Of Them, But You Do Have Them.” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
After successfully throwing the Empire off their track by hiding Millennium Falcon on the back of a Star Destroyer, Leia and Han began to calm down long enough to have something resembling a civil conversation. Han began looking for a safe port to run to while waiting for the Empire to dump their garbage.
The plan came off without a hitch as the Star Destroyers dumped their refuse, allowing the Falcon to detach and float away within the debris field. Impressed, Leia uttered this quote before giving Han a kiss on the cheek.
13 “I Don’t Know Who You Are, Or Where You Came From, But From Now On You’ll Do As I Tell You, Okay?” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
It’s safe to say that Leia was less than impressed with the rescue plan concocted by Han, Luke, and Obi-Wan. First, they ended up causing a huge fire fight in the prison wing, forcing Leia to concoct a spur-of-the-moment escape down a smelly garbage shoot. Next, they were almost crushed to death by a garbage compactor.
By the time they got out and cleaned themselves up, Leia was irate. When Chewie lost his nerve and Han scolded him for it, Leia stepped in to deliver this line, causing Solo to react as expected. It was the start of a torrid and chaotic relationship that would eventually lead to the fan-favorite Star Wars characters falling in love and fulfilling each other’s needs.
12 “Someday You’re Gonna Be Wrong, And I Just Hope I’m There To See It!” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
Leia’s attraction towards Han was palpable, but one thing she could not stand was his brash arrogance. It was the one quality she wished she could exorcise out of the man, yet he kept on displaying it at every turn. When the Empire attacked the Rebel base on Hoth, it was up to Han to escort Leia off the planet on the Falcon.
She was less than enthusiastic about the malfunctioning Falcon being able to run the blockade, thanks to a number of technical glitches. When Han ended up scoring a reprieve after firing up the Falcon and avoiding a burnout, he threw it in her face, prompting her to reply in irritation with this line.
11 “Captain, Being Held By You Isn’t Quite Enough To Get Me Excited!” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
It’s safe to say that by the time the events of Empire Strikes Back rolled around, the romantic tension between Han and Leia was a pressure cooker waiting to explode. Both annoyed the stuffing out of each other, yet the attraction was unmistakable. When they went on the run against the Empire, it seemed to blossom in funny ways.
After hiding out in what they thought was a cave prone to tremors, one quake ended up shaking Han back into his seat, and Leia right down onto his lap. Han faked concern in an effort to keep her there as she protested. He responded with “Don’t get excited,” prompting Leia to take him down a peg with this funny quote.
10 “I Don’t Know Where You Get Your Delusions, Laser-Brain.” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
The romantic tension between Han Solo and Princess Leia was evident right from the start, but it wouldn’t begin to manifest heavily until The Empire Strikes Back. After Solo saved Luke Skywalker from the frozen surface of Hoth, General Rieekan temporarily grounded all ships from leaving the system — a perfect excuse for Han to tease Leia.
After proclaiming himself a “gorgeous guy” she didn’t want to let out of her sight, Leia shook her head in dismay and uttered this popular quote, which was sharp enough to make Chewie chuckle — much to Han’s annoyance.
9 “Will Somebody Get This Big Walking Carpet Out Of My Way?” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
The rescue of Princess Leia did not start off particularly well. After narrowly escaping death in a shootout with Stormtroopers, the heroes were nearly crushed in a garbage compactor. Already frustrated by the less-than-stellar rescue attempt, Leia decided to take charge and find a way off the Death Star herself.
After chastizing Solo for his incompetence, she turned her irritation on the towering Chewbacca by shuffling past him and uttering this hilarious quote. It was further evidence that despite how entertaining it might be, aggression was not always Leia’s most desirable trait.
8 “I Am Not A Committee!” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
While hiding from pursuing Imperials in what seemed like a cave, Han Solo began to suspect that something was out of the ordinary. Firing his blaster at the ground, he quickly figured out that they were actually in the throat of a gigantic alien worm.
They barely made it back on board the Millennium Falcon before Han ordered the ship to take off. When Leia began to protest and cited the presence of Imperials still within range, Han cut her off with, “No time to discuss this in committee,” which prompted this hilarious retort from Leia.
7 “Would It Help If I Got Out And Pushed?” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
With the Empire in hot pursuit following the Rebellion’s evacuation from Hoth, Han tried to shake them off their tails in preparation for a jump to lightspeed. Realizing that the Empire was gaining on them fast, Han and Chewie struggled to overcome the Millennium Falcon’s technical errors in time for the escape.
Leia quickly began losing patience with the ordeal as the Empire drew closer, pressing this quote to Han which made audiences laugh — particularly due to his reaction at his bruised ego.
6 “Governor Tarkin, I Should Have Expected To Find You Holding Vader’s Leash. I Recognized Your Foul Stench When I Was Brought On Board.” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
This moment has gone down in infamy as one of Leia’s most badass moments, and for good reason. It’s a direct and overt jab at Governor Tarkin, which seems to earn nothing but his amusement. Looking back, it’s a corny line that was typical of George Lucas’ original script.
During an interview for the Star Wars documentary Empire of Dreams, actress Carrie Fisher remarked about how awful the line was, quipping “I don’t know about you, but I’m always talking like that!” It was a sentiment shared by Mark Hamill, who revealed that the cast had to just forget the corniness and deliver the lines with conviction.
5 “Aren’t You A Little Short For A Stormtrooper?” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
A common trope is of the knight in shining armor who rushes in to save the beautiful maiden from the clutches of an evil villain. But few knights expect a reaction quite like the one Leia gave to Luke Skywalker. After Luke burst into Leia’s prison cell dressed in Stormtrooper garb, she sat up unimpressed and delivered this funny quote.
Forgetting he was still in uniform, Luke took off his helmet and revealed his identity, setting the stage for the adventures to come. To date, it’s one of the scenes that gets referenced the most in Star Wars documentaries and supplemental material.
4 “Into The Garbage Chute, Fly-Boy!” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
After Han and Luke’s failed plan to infiltrate the prison ward of the Death Star, a massive shootout ensued that attracted plenty of unwanted attention. As such, the gang needed to move double-time to rescue Leia and begin making their escape back to the Falcon.
Things immediately went sour when reinforcements showed up and trapped them in a small passageway. Realizing that things were only going to get worse, Leia lost her patience and took charge of the situation by blasting a hole into a garbage chute, ordering everyone to hold their noses and dive while delivering this hilarious quip.
3 “Why You Stuck-Up, Half-Witted, Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder!” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
Things got dicey when Han Solo pushed his luck a bit too far with his flirtatious teasing of Leia. After rescuing Luke from certain death, he tried selling the narrative that Leia had poured out her “true feelings” for him just prior to him prepping to leave the Rebellion.
Visibly irritated, Leia lost her temper and struggled to find words fitting enough to berate Solo for his pretentious arrogance. She ended up firing off this scathing quote salvo in his direction, turning it into one of the single-greatest Han/Leia moments in Star Wars.
2 “You Came In That Thing? You’re Braver Than I Thought!” (Episode IV: A New Hope)
Against all odds, Leia, Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and the Droids somehow made it back to the Millennium Falcon, which was being guarded in one of the Death Star’s hangar bays. With Leia’s rescue having been a series of ill-fated disasters, her reaction upon first seeing the Falcon was priceless.
By that time, Han had quickly become accustomed to Leia’s salty insults, but this quote directed at the Falcon must have stung him the most. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as most who glimpsed the Falcon saw little but a loose collection of nuts and bolts.
1 “I’d Just As Soon Kiss A Wookiee!” (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)
Realizing that Jabba the Hutt’s bounty was going to follow him from sector to sector, Han decided to leave the company of the Rebellion in order to pay off his debt and prevent the Empire from stumbling upon their secret base in the process.
Leia was upset by Han wanting to leave, and he insinuated it was because of her romantic feelings toward him. When he pressed her on being afraid to part ways with a goodbye kiss, Leia shot back this classic burn, which Han was surprisingly prepared for.
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