Luke Skywalker is a fresh-faced farmboy when he makes his Star Wars debut in 1977’s Episode IV: A New Hope. So, just how old is Luke Skywalker in A New Hope?
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Luke Skywalker’s Age in Star Wars: A New Hope, Explained
Luke Skywalker is 19 in Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope. This is never explicitly stated in the film itself (the Star Wars movies generally avoid mentioning exactly how old characters are). Instead, we’re left to reverse-engineer Luke’s age using the timeline established by tie-in Star Wars media. Luke is born at the tail-end of Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which is set in 19 BBY. Meanwhile, A New Hope takes place in 0 BBY/0 ABY – 19 years after Revenge of the Sith. Incidentally, this means that Princess Leia is also 19 in A New Hope, as she and Luke are twins. Luke is the older sibling, born a few minutes before his sister (as depicted in Revenge of the Sith).
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In typical Hollywood fashion, actor Mark Hamill was a bit older than Luke Skywalker when he first played the part. While Luke is meant to be a teenager in A New Hope, in reality, Hamill was 25 during principal photography. By contrast, Hamill’s on-screen twin Fisher was only 20 – only a year off Luke and Leia’s canonical ages at this point in the Star Wars timeline. Hamill being a little older than Luke paid off later, however, as it reflected the trainee Jedi Knight’s growing maturity in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Facial reconstructive surgery Hamill underwent prior to The Empire Strikes Back helped in this regard, too.
How Old Is Luke Skywalker In the Other Star Wars Movies?
While we’re on the subject of Luke Skywalker’s age beyond A New Hope, just how old is our hero in his other big and small screen Star Wars adventures? Again, this is easy to work out based on the official franchise chronology:
- Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – 0
- Obi-Wan Kenobi – 10
- Star Wars Rebels Season 3 – 17
- Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope – 19
- Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – 22
- Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – 23
- The Mandalorian Season 2 – 28
- The Book of Boba Fett – 28
- Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens – 53
- Star Wars – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – 53
- Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker – 53
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Confused about Luke’s age not changing across the Star Wars sequel trilogy? We’ll explain. The Last Jedi picks up immediately after The Force Awakens, so Luke ages, like, a millisecond between the two movies. What’s more, Luke dies before the credits roll on The Last Jedi, so The Rise of Skywalker jumping ahead a year doesn’t alter the age of his Force Ghost.
Star Wars: A New Hope is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
Published: Apr 23, 2024 07:09 am