'Star Wars VII': Where Are The Characters Now?

It's official, as if it wasn't before. According to Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, Star Wars Episode VII has started shooting. With J.J. Abrams of Alias, Revolution, and Lost fame at the helm, the sequel trilogy to the Star Wars films has been the source of much speculation from fans. The script may have been finalized, but there's still no casting news and the only real thing that we have to hold on to is the fact that the trilogy is set 30 years after the end of Episode VI. That's good news, because that's about how old the actors who originally portrayed Luke, Leia, and Han are, opening the door for them to come back.

Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill have already leaked that they'll be returning for the film, and although Ford hasn't officially commented either way, I can't see why he wouldn't want to return. Han Solo and Leia Organa had one of those classic love (well, love/hate) stories the likes of which would pave the way for bickering couples like Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Besides, it seems only right for the original trio of stars to pass the torch on to the next generation.

The 30 year gap between films leaves the characters open to a lot of growth and change from where they were at the end of Return of the Jedi and a lot of rich history the movie could explore. If their post-movie stories went anything like they did in the tie-in books and materials, then it's quite a large torch that they'll be passing on.

Luke Skywalker

Luke's legacy after the films was basically just as heroic and destructive as his legacy in the films. While still recovering from the wounds he endured on Endor, he, Leia, and Han commanded a Rebel Alliance mission to save the Bakura system from an invasion. Luke went through a period where he feared training new Jedi because he didn't want them to fall to the Dark Side and that refusal returned to haunt him when one of the potential students that he turned away fell to the Dark Side as a result of his rejection. After becoming a Jedi Master and establishing a New Jedi Order, Luke eventually got married to former assassin Mara Jade and had a son named Ben Skywalker. By the time of the movie, Luke would be dealing with rising tensions within the New Jedi Order that could lead to war.

Princess Leia Organa Solo

Her actions to help the Bakurans led to the formation of the Alliance of Free Planets and she embarked on several missions to secure this new world order. She was a founding member of the New Republic and received limited Jedi training from her brother, Luke. She and Han were married around four years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and she became pregnant with twins. Jacen and Jaina Solo were followed by another son named Anakin and all the while Leia was fighting with the New Republic against threats to the galaxy. By the time of Episode VII, Leia will be either fresh from, or in the midst of, helping with yet another war effort, this time resisting the invasion of an alien race known as the Yuuzhan Vong.

Han Solo

Han accompanied Luke and Leia to the Bakura star system and tried to deepen his new relationship with Leia while they were there, but the whole war thing kind of put a damper on any of that. Like Luke, he became a recruiter for the First Conference of Free Peoples and under the New Republic he was instrumental in the defeat of many warlords throughout the galaxy. For a time, he was a stay at home husband while Leia served as Chief of State. Perhaps the most tragic thing to happen to Han during the thirty year skip was the loss of his best friend Chewbacca, who sacrificed himself during the war against the Yuuzhan Vong to save Anakin Solo's life.

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