There was an article posted on Digg.com recently called Star Wars Characters: Then and Now. It turned out to be an interesting "Where are they now?" piece looking at many of the actors from the Original Trilogy. However, some people checking out the story expressed a little disappointment - stating that they were hoping to see what the characters themselves - not the actors - looked like at a much later era in the Star Wars galaxy.
So with Universal Day of the Jedi happening tomorrow - the geeky Star Wars fan holiday celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of A New Hope - I decided to post up what the characters currently look like in the realm of the expanded Star Wars universe.
Some of the images below originally came from Wookieepedia. Click on the pics for that character's full biography at Wookieepedia; where there will also be a link for that particular image at a higher resolution.
Enjoy:
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker's journey was really only just beginning with Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. After a brief low point in his life where he temporarily fell to the dark side of the Force (and was turned back to the light by his sister), he began the restoration of a New Jedi Order; an Order that was a very changed face to the Jedi Order of old. The new image of Luke is set around 35 years after Episode IV: A New Hope, during The Dark Nest Crisis.
Leia Solo
After the events of Return of the Jedi, Leia married Han Solo, and while she initially tried to develop her skills in the Force, it was her skills in diplomacy and politics that were needed most. She helped Mon Mothma and the Rebel Alliance form the New Republic, and eventually herself became Chief of State of the New Republic (a title that was used to replace the tarnished name of "Chancellor" from the days of the Old Republic). Leia became mother to three children; twins Jacen and Jaina, and son Anakin. After her days in politics, Leia committed herself to her studies in the Force, and became a Jedi. The image above is set about 35 years after A New Hope.
The Droids
The droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, remained with the Skywalkers and Solos after the events of Return of the Jedi. For the most part, Threepio stayed with the Solos, and while he continued his role as protocol and translation droid, he also began another service to the Solos as they had children: Nanny. Needless to say, Threepio had a difficult time keeping up with three Jedi children with the smart-alec Han Solo genes flowing in them. In the meantime, Artoo stayed with Luke Skywalker. At a later point, during The Dark Nest Crisis, Luke stumbled across some corrupted sectors in Artoo's programming. After trying to recover these sectors, he discovered they were Artoo's recordings of the events of Episodes I - III. Via this, Luke finally learned the full truth of his mother and father.
Chewbacca
Chewbacca's journey after Return of the Jedi was initially as expected: he stuck by Han Solo's side; and eventually his Wookiee life-debt carried over to Leia, and the Solo children also. He was a fierce protector of the Skywalker and Solo clan. Then, 25 years after the events in Episode IV, Chewbacca was killed on the planet Sernpidal. The planet's moon was on a collision course with the planet - Chewie sacrificed his own life to ensure that Han, his son Anakin, and the Sernpidal refugees boarding the Millennium Falcon got away. In a fitting last moment, as the moon fell into the surface of the planet, Chewbacca faced his oncoming death with two raised fists and a defiant roar. The death of the Chewie had a huge impact on the Solo family.
Han Solo
Han Solo's rough and smart-alec personality softened a little slowly over the years following the fall of the Empire. He continued serving the New Republic, married Leia, and became a father. But perhaps the biggest event in Solo's life after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was the death of Chewbacca. His life became a personal and psychological disaster, and he fell into depths of despair he had never sunk so low to in his life. This caused some distancing between him and his family; and eventually went on his own journey, where he met allies in friends like the Ryn known as Droma. This journey and adventure for Solo was healing and therapuetic in nature: it helped focus his grief for Chewie and his anger against the Yuuzhan Vong; the alien invaders responsible for Chewbacca's death. The image above is from that time, approximately 26 years after the events of A New Hope.
Boba Fett
Boba Fett did not die in Episode VI. Fett, using his arsenal of weaponry on his armor and his sheer, yet stubborn, determination, escaped from the Sarlaac. He continued his role as bounty hunter during the era of the New Republic. During the events of the Yuuzahn Vong war, Fett decided to reform the Mandalorian warriors - as he ascended to and accepted his destined role as Mandalore; leader of the Mandalorian Protectors - a role also held by his father, Jango. Fett also had a daughter, Ailyn Vel, who he hardly ever saw or had contact with (she was a bounty hunter and also Mandalorian). Vel had a daughter, called Mirta Gev. Mirta and Boba met for the first time 40 years after the events of Episode IV: A New Hope - a time when Fett discovered his clone body was deteriorating from extreme aging and as a result is currently dying... slowly.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi continued appearing in spiritual form to Luke Skywalker during the years following Return of the Jedi. His last contact with Luke happened five years after this in which he explained to Skywalker that it was time for him to move on from his current form and truly become one with the Force. As he began disappearing, Skywalker stated that he was the last of the Jedi. "Not the last of the old Jedi, Luke," Kenobi said as he faded. "The first of the new". This final encounter is depicted above.
Palpatine
Palpatine's death during Episode VI was merely physical. In the events of Tom Vietch's Dark Empire, set five years afterwards, it was revealed that from the injuries and scarring sustained (most likely during Mace Windu's duel with him in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), Palpatine's physical body as time grew on, was unable to support his use of the Dark Side of the Force. It would slowly corrupt and destroy his physical body. As a result, the Emperor decided to employ the cloning technology to make clones of himself; and use ancient Sith techniques via the Dark Side to transfer his consciousness into his new clone.
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian's life after Return of the Jedi saw him jump into all kinds of roles. He continued serving as a General for the New Republic, though he eventually moved back into business. He returned to Cloud City as an administrator for a short time, but eventually moved to a new mining project on Nomad City on the planet Nkllon. During the Yuuzahn Vong war, Calrissian established the Tendrando Arms company; a weapons company that specialized in the creation of a new breed of battle war droids called YVH1 designed specifically to hunt, kill, and destroy Yuuzahn Vong warriors. These droids bore a resemblence to the Terminator endoskeletons, but behind the scenes this was deliberate in design: the Yuuzahn Vong hated technlogy (especially droids), and the YVH1 line resembled the Vong - to the aliens, these warrior-weapons would have been seen as a shocking heresy. After the Vong war, Calrissian returned to his business life.
Mara Jade
While she doesn't physically appear in any of the Star Wars films, her character certainly was there in the setting. Mara Jade was a form of elite Imperial agent during the era of the Original Trilogy. Known as the Emperor's Hand, Jade was a Force-sensitive child taken under the wing of the Emperor. After the fall of the Jedi, Palpatine wished to keep Force-sensitive beings under control, and took them in as either potential Imperial Royal Guards, or Emperor's Hands (though the Hands did not know one another existed - each believed them to be the only Hand in the galaxy). The image above on the left is Mara Jade at some point during the events of Episode IV. During Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, she went undercover as a slave girl in Jabba's Palace, keeping Luke Skywalker under surveilence. After the fall of the Empire, Jade eventually joined Talon Karrde's smuggling group. During this time she came face-to-face with Skywalker for the first time. Although there was much negativity from Mara at first, the two eventually became friends - and eventually fell in love and were married. They are parents to one son: Ben Skywalker.
The Next Generation: Jacen Solo
Born, with twin sister Jaina, five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Jacen Solo grew to become a powerful Jedi Knight. During the events of the Yuuzahn Vong war, he was abducted by the Vong and presumed dead by the Republic. He learned to endure significant pain as the Vong tortured him in their religious indoctrination known as The Embrace of Pain. After the war, Jacen Solo turned the Dark Side of the Force, and became a Sith Lord. The events of his turning will be depicted in the upcoming novel, Sacrifice.
The Next Generation: Jaina Solo
Jacen's twin sister, Jaina, also grew to become not only a great Jedi Knight; but an exceptionally skilled pilot who flew with Rogue Squadron. She was always close with brother Jacen as they grew - but as he slowly and quietly turned to the Dark Side, their emotional and mental connection was severed; and Jacen's actions caused rising tensions between the two. During the Yuuzhan Vong war, Luke Skywalker publicly prophesized Jaina to be The Sword of the Jedi (the prophecy stated: "I name you the Sword of the Jedi... Yours is a restless life, and never shall you know peace, though you shall be blessed for the peace you bring to others".) - though what this prophecy will mean or turn out to be still remains uncertain.
The Next Generation: Anakin Solo
The youngest of the Solo children, Anakin, named after his grandfather, also became a powerful Jedi. He and his siblings were trained in the ways of the Force by their Uncle Luke in the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. Solo became a well-known figure during the Yuuzahn Vong war - and a formidable fighter during conflicts. His final mission was to Myrkr - to hunt down and destroy a beast genetically bred by the Vong called the Voxyn. This beast was attuned to the Force; and could hunt the Jedi down. It was during this battle he fell in combat and died.
The Next Generation: Ben Skywalker
Son of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, Ben began his training in the Force as an informal apprentice to Jacen Solo. However, Jacen's descent to the dark side, though secretive and manipulative, pose dangers to the young Skywalker. Ben was born 26 years after the events of Episode IV. In the current novel series, Legacy of the Force, he is 14 years old.
