<P> Leia's slave costume when she is held captive by Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of Return of the Jedi--made of brass and dubbed Leia's "Metal Bikini" or "Gold Bikini"--immediately made the character (and Fisher) a "generational sex symbol" celebrated by pin - up posters, and later merchandising and cosplay . The outfit has gained a cult following of its own . </P> <P> Rosenberg noted that "the costume has become culturally iconic in a way that has slipped loose from the context of the scenes in which Leia wore it and the things she does after she is forced into the outfit ." Philip Chien of the website Wired wrote in 2006, "There's no doubt that the sight of Carrie Fisher in the gold sci - fi swimsuit was burned into the sweaty subconscious of a generation of fanboys hitting puberty in the spring of 1983 ." Acknowledging the opinion of some that the "Slave Leia" iconography tarnishes the character's position as "feminist hero", Rosenberg argues: </P> <P> Leia may be captive in these scenes, but she's not exactly a compliant fantasy . Instead, she's biding her time for the moment when she can put that fury into action, carrying out a carefully laid plan to rescue her lover . And when that moment comes, the bikini doesn't condemn Leia to passivity . She rises, and uses the very chains that bind her to strangle the creature who tried to take away her power by turning her into a sex object . </P> <P> Science fiction filmmaker Letia Clouston concurs, saying "Sci - fi has had a long history of strong female characters . Yes, Princess Leia was in a gold bikini, but she was also the one who single - handedly killed Jabba . When you take into account movies and TV shows like Terminator, Aliens, Battlestar Galactica, and even video games like Metroid, you can see sci - fi has consistently promoted the strength of women more than any other genre ." </P>

When do luke and leia realize they are siblings