Summary
In a recentinterview regarding the impending second seasonofAndor,showrunner Tony Gilroy seemingly confirmed that a legacyStar Warscharacter would not only be appearing, but would be portrayed by a new performer. Although we don’t know just which character that is, this announcement is good news.
Given the space saga’s muddled and often controversial history of utilizing digital effects to either de-age or flat-out resurrect the original performers of legacy characters, this is a marked change, but it’s one that is undoubtedly for the better. Here’s why audiences should be looking forward to a new take on an established character.
Star WarsTimeline Problems
From the outset of the series in 1977,Star Warshas been a story that was told out of order. George Lucas made the deliberate decision to thrust audiences into a story already in progress, kicking things off with what was canonically the fourth chapter of a serialized saga. It wasn’t until over twenty years later that audiences would finally be treated to the actual first episode of the series.
As a result of this approach, theStar Warsfranchise has always jumped around its own timeline. However, the projects that have been made since the Disney acquisition have taken this to new heights. Now, between films and streaming TV shows, there are projects set all over the map.The Acolytewas set hundreds of years prior to any of the films, whileThe Last Jediwas set decades after the original trilogy. However, the overarching franchise has routinely returned to a central sweet spot in the timeline: right around the original trilogy.
Rogue One,The Mandalorian,Ahsoka,Obi-Wan Kenobi,Skeleton Crew,Andor, and more — every one of these projects has been set within a few years of the original trilogy. This aligns neatly with Disney’s primary financial motivation from the get-go of acquiringStar Wars, which is to mine the property for its nostalgia andgive fans something familiar. After all, Disney’s first project wasThe Force Awakens, a film that took things back to basics and all-but-entirely ignored the prequels. To this end, the original trilogy settings make sense. These stories get to be set in aStar Warsuniverse in which many of the franchise’s legacy characters (Luke, Leia, Han) are still in their prime and kicking around.
Star WarsStories Don’t Age, But Actors Do
The problem is, real life doesn’t work that way. But as the divisive response toThe Last Jedidemonstrated, audiences apparently don’t want to see their heroes grow old. They want them to remain perfect, encased in the amber of nostalgia in perpetuity, like an action figure inside its box. But like it or not, the reality is that performers like Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford have aged, soStar Warswas faced with the question of how toincorporate these legacy characters into new stories.
Rather than recasting, the franchise has regularly elected to utilize groundbreaking digital effects to preserve the original performers. This began with Leia and Tarkin’s appearances inRogue One,and continued with Carrie Fisher’s posthumous digital revival inThe Rise of Skywalkerand Luke Skywalker showing up inThe Mandalorian’s second season. The franchise appeared committed to not wavering on this point.
What’s even stranger about all of this is that, before this digital reanimation was possible, the franchise had recast the performers of legacy characters. And it worked extremely well. No one was demanding that Alec Guinness’s likeness be digitally trotted out and pasted over someone’s face inThe Phantom Menacein 1999. Instead, George Lucas hired Ewan McGregor, a talented young actor, to play the part, and he did. Now, several decades later, McGregor is a fan favorite and an integral part of the franchise.
More recently, therole of Han Solo was recast inSolo, with the ever-talented Alden Ehrenreich stepping into the role. For a long time, it seemed as if Lucasfilm had taken that film’s financial hardships as proof that audiences wouldn’t accept a legacy character’s recasting. However, many fans found both Ehrenreich’s Han and Donald Golver’s Lando (also a recast legacy character) to be some of the strongest elements of that film. A feature-length film starring the uncanny valley faces of de-aged Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams pasted atop younger actors' bodies sounds like a literal nightmare. Lucasfilm was foolish for acting like they made a mistake by casting brilliant new actors instead.
AndorBrings Change to Star Wars
Fortunately, asAndor’s second season prepares to release, it appears the franchise has had a change of heart, and it’s absolutely for the betterment of these individual projects and theStar Warssaga as a whole. Having a real actor give a real performance and make real, authentic decisions will always be better than any digital mimicry can muster.
In recent years, these digital recreations have grown more technologically advanced thanks to evolving tools. (Luke’s appearance inThe Mandalorianwas aided by the use of AI in appearance and voice.). But if anything, they feel even less human. Whena digitized version of young Mark Hamillpops up in something, it doesn’t feel like Luke Skywalker: it feels like some inhuman approximation of him. To this end, recasting these roles allows new performers to pick up the mantle and imbue these beloved characters with actual agency and life once more. Hopefully, we’ll get to see that with whatever legacy characterAndorhas in store.
