Scoundrel smuggler Han Solo already knows his way around a galaxy far, far away when he makes his Star Wars debut in 1977’s Episode IV: A New Hope. So just how old is Han Solo in A New Hope?
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Han Solo’s Age in Star Wars: A New Hope, Explained
Han Solo is 32 in Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope. Don’t expect to glean this info from the movie itself, though. As is almost always the case, Han’s exact age comes via licensed Star Wars media, instead – specifically, the official franchise timeline. According to this chronology, Han was born in 32 BBY (the same year as Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace). So, given A New Hope takes place in 0 BBY/0 ABY, it doesn’t take an astromech droid to calculate how old he is.
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What about Han Solo actor Harrison Ford – what age was he during principal photography on A New Hope in 1976? Ford was 34, so not that much older than Han’s canonical age. By contrast, Ford’s co-star Mark Hamill was appreciably older than his character, Luke Skywalker, during the A New Hope shoot. Hamill was 25 in 1976 – giving him six years on the 19-year-old Luke. But Princess Leia star Carrie Fisher trumps them both, as she was just one year older than the 19-year-old Leia.
How Old Is Han Solo in the Other Star Wars Movies?
Of course, A New Hope wasn’t Han Solo’s only Star Wars appearance. The fan-favorite rogue played a key role in Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as well. Han was also on deck for Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens and Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and headlined his own spinoff, Solo: A Star Wars Story (this time portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich). Here’s how old Han is in each of these movies:
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 19 (prologue); 22 (main narrative)
- Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope – 32
- Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – 35
- Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – 36
- Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens – 67
- Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker – 67
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Two notes on the above. First, Disney-era Star Wars canon is unclear on whether Han aged biologically while frozen in carbonite between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – but chronologically, he did age. Second, while a year elapses between The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, Han appears in the latter as Kylo Ren’s memory of him as he was before he died. And since memories don’t age, neither does The Rise of Skywalker‘s Han!
Star Wars: A New Hope is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
Published: Apr 24, 2024 07:29 am