‘Star Wars’: Bittersweet Behind-the-Scenes Photo Shows How Heartbreaking the Passing of Time Can Be
In 1977, the Star Wars saga began with a movie that wowed audiences everywhere and started a universe that has been on an expansion course since then.
Unfortunately, although the characters in the first three films will always live on through their fans’ eyes, sadly, the actors who brought the characters to life face mortality.
Recently fans recalled the original cast from the first films with a behind-the-scenes photo. The post had fans talking and reminiscing about their favorite actors. The behind-the-scenes photo proved how big of an extent the passing of time can have.
The original cast was unknown when the saga began
When Star Wars creator George Lucas developed the franchise, he wanted the story to expand. He, therefore, tried selling the show to many studios but failed. Studies at the time found Lucas’s story weird and his imagination wild. They didn’t understand the storylines and ultimately decided to pass on the offer.
After pushing his script with no success, he landed a deal with 20th Century Fox, who were at first reluctant to finance the film. The studio generally had low expectations of the show and gave Lucas a low budget for directing and writing.
Lucas cast relatively unknown actors such as Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. After the Star Wars first installment was released, the movie exceeded all expectations and broke the record for the highest-grossing film in history. Star Wars raked in more than $775 million during its theatrical run.
Fans shared a throwback photo of the original ‘Star Wars’ cast
A recent Reddit discussion had fans looking back on a picture of the original cast members of Star Wars. The picture included Kenny Baker, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Peter Mayhew. Although some fans recalled the cast members fondly, for others, the image struck a realization that time passes and only one of the actors in the picture is still alive.
One fan said, “Typical Harrison nowhere to be found, probably being Solo somewhere,” as a reference to his character Han Solo in the Star Wars trilogies. Another fan noted that Baker was the oldest of the bunch, noting that he was 43 at the time Star Wars: A New Hope was released, which would have made him old enough to be Fisher and Hamill’s father.
For some fans, the picture made them realize how heartbreaking the passing of time is, with one fan noting, “Really sobering that Mark is the only one still around.”
Who of the ‘Star Wars’ original cast members is still alive?
The original Star Wars trilogy was a significant part of many people’s childhoods. As time goes by, fans have had to say goodbye to their favorite actors from the trilogy, with their deaths hitting a little closer to home than other celebrity deaths.
The picture from the Reddit thread shows the vibrant young actors who brought Star Wars characters to life, thus bringing Lucas’ dream to reality. Reflecting on how young they were, it is almost difficult to imagine how many of them have died over the years.
The first Star Wars film was released over four decades ago, and to say that the years have been anything but kind is an understatement. In 2016 Star Wars fans said goodbye to two actors from the original Star Wars cast. Fisher, who played Princess Leia, died of cardiac arrest at the age of 60, while Baker, who wobbled and voiced the R2-D2, died at 74 years old.
With David Prowse being the latest Star Wars death, the remaining original cast members are Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill.
