Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Speculation

[BillCable]

Maybe the originals' grandkids... 70-year-olds don't have 20-something kids.

[Pete_Fett]

Maybe the originals' grandkids... 70-year-olds don't have 20-something kids.

2015 - 1983 = 32 years

Why is it so unrealistic that Han & Leia and Luke & mystery woman (I won't say Mara Jade anymore since she could be negated by the ST) waited 5-7 years after the events of Return of the Jedi to have kids? If they did, the first born would be 27 years old at the start of the movie and would still very much be considered a 20-something. 20-something doesn't have to mean 20 or 21.

Personally I'd welcome a movie that, while always aimed also at kids, I hope kids/teens on the big screen take a back seat to adults.

The caveat to that though is that out of any director in Hollywood, Abrams is someone I would trust with directing kids in a movie - while the plot of Super 8 wasn't all that great, the acting on the part of the kids in that movie was fantastic and even if just ONE of the offspring of the Solo/Skywalkers has a kid themselves, if that kid is handled in the same way the kids in Super 8 were handled, we'll be just fine.

[BillCable]

2015 - 1983 = 32 years

Why is it so unrealistic that Han & Leia and Luke & mystery woman (I won't say Mara Jade anymore since she could be negated by the ST) waited 5-7 years after the events of Return of the Jedi to have kids? If they did, the first born would be 27 years old at the start of the movie and would still very much be considered a 20-something. 20-something doesn't have to mean 20 or 21.

Leia would be having her first kid at 40 then  (and Han 54).  Sure medical science was better in the Star Wars universe, but you must admit having kids that late isn't typical.  Especially for women.

Maybe Leia just froze some embryos in carbonite so she could focus on her career...

I think of it this way... Luke Skywalker is a hero - like Lincoln.  Did amazing things.  Made history.  Saved humanity.

Nobody gives one damn about Lincoln's kids.

[Scockery]

Lincoln saved humanity? Hate to tell you but that vampire hunter movie was fiction.

[JediJman]

This is still the fictional Star Wars universe, right?  Who says people can't have kids at 40, 50, or 60 in George's galaxy?  Hell, we don't even know the average life span for anyone outside of Yoda.

[EdSolo]

2015 - 1983 = 32 years

Why is it so unrealistic that Han & Leia and Luke & mystery woman (I won't say Mara Jade anymore since she could be negated by the ST) waited 5-7 years after the events of Return of the Jedi to have kids? If they did, the first born would be 27 years old at the start of the movie and would still very much be considered a 20-something. 20-something doesn't have to mean 20 or 21.

Leia would be having her first kid at 40 then  (and Han 54).  Sure medical science was better in the Star Wars universe, but you must admit having kids that late isn't typical.  Especially for women.

Maybe Leia just froze some embryos in carbonite so she could focus on her career...

I think of it this way... Luke Skywalker is a hero - like Lincoln.  Did amazing things.  Made history.  Saved humanity.

Nobody gives one damn about Lincoln's kids.

I think you are getting way to hung up on the actors' ages instead of the in universe age.  If the ST is set 30 years after ROTJ, then Luke and Leia will be ~52 and Han will be ~62.  If you follow the EU for the birth of the Solo kids, they would be in their mid 20's 33 ABY since the twins were born during the Thrawn novels which were five years after ROTJ.  Ben Skywalker was born a lot later than that.  I am assuming the EU will be essentially wiped out by the ST, so I doubt it will be the same set of kids, but it certainly isn't unrealistic for the second generation to be around the same age Luke, Leia and Han were in the OT if the ST is set approximately 30 years after ROTJ to coincide with the actual passage of time in the real world.

[Pete_Fett]

I guess I should have also stated that in ANH - Luke & Leia are supposed to be 19 years old. Another three years pass between ANH and ESB so that makes them both 22 at the time of ESB. ROTJ supposedly only takes place 1 year after ESB so that means they would be 23 years old in ROTJ.

Han was 29 years old in ANH which means in ROTJ he's 33 - ten years older than Leia.

Even if Leia didn't have kids for ten years after ROTJ, it would still mean she had her first kid at 33 years old (Han would be 43). Last time I checked, women have kids that this age all the time w/o any problem whatsoever.

So setting the ST 30 years after ROTJ means that when they start, the ages of the main three characters are:
Luke - 53
Leia - 53
Han - 63

And the ages of the actors in 2015:
Mark Hamill - 64
Carrie Fisher - 59
Harrison Ford - 73

With the help of makeup and movie magic, I have no doubt that Hamill and Ford can be made to look like they're playing characters only a mere 10 years younger than their actual ages. Considering that in 1977, a 57 year old Obi-Wan Kenobi was portrayed by a 63 year old Alec Guiness and NO ONE seems to mind, I don't think another four years is that much of a stretch.

And Fisher is only 6 years older than Leia would be at the time, so again, not enough of an age difference to get so upset about.

[BillCable]

I'm not so upset about whether it's feasible to juggle around the numbers so they can make the Skywalker kids young enough for them to be marketable.  On that front, I'm more concerned about how stupid it's going to look for old actors who haven't aged well trotting around their young, dashing "children."

My bigger fear is that they're going to be up on the screen, and it's going to be sad and pathetic.  Like Star Trek V.  Actors who can no longer cut it in the roles they once made famous.  Self-parody.  Unintentional laughter.  "I didn't know they made Jedi robes in XXXXXL!"  Does anything in the post-ROTJ careers of Hamill or Fisher inspire ANY confidence in you that they can still pull off Luke and Leia?  Yes - Hamill is a great voice actor, playing over-the-top psychopaths.  And he seems like a nice guy in real life.  But his acting wasn't well-regarded even back when the Original Trilogy was filmed.  He's been in virtually nothing since.  That doesn't lend itself well to improved chops.

If they're added in a cameo it'll be all "aw... look how old everyone got."  If they're instrumental to the proceedings, it'll be forced and torturous.  I can't envision any scenario where this goes well.

[JediJman]

Outside of Ford, do you really think the younger versions were all that talented in the first place?  I can't even watch the "You're not my father" or "I wanted to go into Toshi Station" lines without chuckling a little.  I'm not worried about the older actors losing their mojo because I don't think they had much mojo to begin with.  Everyone mostly places the part straight outside of Han and Yoda, so if they can just deliver their lines I think they'll be fine. 

Star Wars has always been more about the visuals and the story with a lot less focus on the acting (I'm looking at you Hayden and Natalie).  I'll be happy if we can just get a good story and a believable hand off to the next generation.  Some improved acting from the younger characters would be icing on the cake.

[Pete_Fett]

Star Wars has always been more about the visuals and the story with a lot less focus on the acting (I'm looking at you Hayden and Natalie).

Not to stir up another hornet's nest, but I'm convinced that what performances we got out of Hayden and Natalie were a product of 20% their own doing, and 80% bad directing. Lucas got LUCKY with ANH and like you pointed out things like "But I wanted to pick up some power converters whine whine whine" is pretty bad - we just forgive it because most of us look back at ANH through a VERY thick pair of rose colored glasses.

I have seen both Hayden (Life as a House) and Natalie (Black Swan) turn in performances that were great. In fact, if I were to pick their WORST performances EVER, it would be their performances in the Star Wars prequels.

[BillCable]

Agreed on the front, Pete.  Natalie Portman is a great actress who flirts with brilliance.  The emotion she can convey with a look or gesture is something to behold.  Even when she was a kid in "The Professional" and "Beautiful Girls" she was really, really good.  "Garden State" - awesome.  "Black Swan" - unmatched, absolute perfection. 

I'd attribute her failure in the Prequels 70% to bad directing and 30% to atrocious writing.

We'll see what Abrams can do.  The first new Trek wasn't horrible.  Decent popcorn flick.  But the plot was a mess, and it was pretty empty.  I've read mixed-to-negative reactions to the second.  I don't know if I've seen any of his projects where he's gotten really great performances from marginal actors.

[Darby]

I've mentioned elsewhere in another thread I think the concern with the actors ages is overstated. It's one thing if you want Luke to remain as you last saw him. Ok. But if the concern is that they're too old fat whatever other hang up someone has, please. Alec Guinness was old. Out of shape. Now mark Hamill may not be Alec Guinness but he is Luke ******* skywalker.

[Scockery]

The actor who played Jabba the Hutt in ROTJ was old, bald and morbidly obese.

[Matt_Fury]

We'll see what Abrams can do.  The first new Trek wasn't horrible.  Decent popcorn flick.  But the plot was a mess, and it was pretty empty.  I've read mixed-to-negative reactions to the second.  I don't know if I've seen any of his projects where he's gotten really great performances from marginal actors.

That I blame on Damon Lindelof.  That guy is the most over-hyped "writer" going.  He should change his name to McGuffin.

[Tracy]

Even if Leia didn't have kids for ten years after ROTJ, it would still mean she had her first kid at 33 years old (Han would be 43). Last time I checked, women have kids that this age all the time w/o any problem whatsoever.

Thank you!!  I didn't even get married until I was 33, had my first child at 36 and my second child at 40. Women have babies after 40 quite often.