Audiences were probably as shocked as Luke Skywalker when they first saw Princess Leia, scantily clad and shackled to a slobbering, six-ton penis. Now, wealthy aficionados of forged-copper swimwear will get an opportunity to own an unforgettable piece of Star Wars history: The New York Post is reporting that Leia Organa’s slave costume will be up for auction. The outfit is expected to fetch at least $80,000, but may sell for much more.
“It’s every schoolboy’s fantasy but it’s also a very signature, iconic piece,” says Brian Chanes, consignment manager of the auction. Before we condemn Chanes for being an adult who makes vaguely creepy assumptions about boys’ sexual fantasies, Carrie Fisher herself has weighed in on the role of the bikini in an interview with Rolling Stone:
There are a lot of people who don’t like my character in these movies; they think I’m some kind of space bitch… In Return of the Jedi, she gets to be more feminine, more supportive, more affectionate. But let’s not forget that these movies are basically boys’ fantasies. So the other way they made her more female in this one was to have her take off her clothes.
Of course, Princess Leia wasn’t about to let being scantily clad stop her from being the galaxy’s number one ass-kicker: She used a laser cannon to blow up a skiff and choked the giant penis to death while wearing that bikini.
Other Star Wars props and memorabilia include Darth Vader prototype helmets, posters, rebel helmets, special-effects miniatures, and other things that aren’t Princess Leia’s sexy underwear. The lots are part of a larger “Profiles in History” Hollywood auction that includes more than 1,900 lots from Star Wars, Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, The Great Escape, The Sound Of Music, and scores of other Hollywood films. The auction will run from September 29 to October 1.