Forget AI: Star Wars Has the Perfect Plan for Bringing Back Its Original Characters
Marvel is relaunching its flagship Star Warsseries as it enters the post-Return of the Jedi era of the franchise's timeline – and series artist Phil Noto has revealed that he is creating his take on older versions of iconic heroes like Luke, Leia, and Han the old-fashioned way, by using pictures of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford from the mid-to-late-1980s as points of reference.
As part of the official announcement ofStar Wars #1, Noto – who joins author Alex Segura – discussed the excitement of getting to forge the next chapter of the franchise's history. Part of that includes developing the looks of Star Wars' main characters as they age over the next several years.
According to the artist, he intends to use photographs of the Original Trilogy's stars as inspiration to help him define the looks of Han, Luke, and Leia as they enter the next phase of their lives.
Phil Noto's Old-Fashioned Strategy For Establishing The Looks Of Han, Luke, And Leia In The Post-ROTJ Era
Star Wars #1 – Written By Alex Segura; Art By Phil Noto; Available May 7, 2025 From Marvel Comics
Speaking to StarWars.com about the relaunched series, and the franchise's new era, Phil Noto expressed his excitement about getting to work with aging versions of the character, of which there are only a limited set of visuals from the old "Legends" continuity, and of course, the older Sequel Trilogy versions of the characters. Noto said:
It’s also been exciting to draw the classic characters in the post-Return of the Jedi era because there’s no existing film or TV versions of them. I get to create new looks for them while also having reference of the actors from the 80s to help sell the look of this timeline.
In other words, Phil Noto is reaching back to old photos of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford in the 80s, post-filming of Return of the Jedi.
Given the increasing proliferation of AI in all types of art – including the Star Wars franchise – it is also a refreshing decision to stick to a fully hand-crafted, person-crafted way of doing things.
Noto's decision to use visual references to aid his work might seem natural at first, but given the increasing proliferation of AI in all types of art – including the Star Wars franchise – it is also a refreshing decision to stick to a fully hand-crafted, person-crafted way of doing things. Further, because Noto and Segura's title inaugurates a 30-year stretch of the Star Wars timeline that the comics can cover leading up to the Sequel Trilogy, the creative team is also potentially setting a precedent.
Other Characters, Such As Kylo Ren, Could Get The "Phil Noto Treatment" Down The Line
Keeping AI Use To A Minimum
In The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+, Luke Skywalker's appearances were made possible by Mark Hamill's CGI de-aged face on another actor's body. This is a fine method to get Legacy actors to appear younger in live-action, but it relies on an assumption of what the character would have looked like later in the timeline. Phil Noto's method of looking at actors' old photos provides reference to exactly what the character would have looked like at a certain point in the Star Wars timeline. That also opens up speculation about how else this could be applied to the franchise.
Looking at characters set to appear in Star Wars #1,Ben Solo seems to be the one that needs the most de-aging; looking at baby photos of Adam Driver would be the perfect way for Phil Noto to design what a baby Kylo Ren would look like. However, a dilemma arises when a character is played by two different actors, like Ahsoka Tano with Rosario Dawson and Ariana Greenblatt, but only time will tell how other artists deal with that roadblock as they craft future Star Wars stories.
Source: Star Wars #1 Exclusive Reveal
Star Wars #1 will be available May 7, 2025, from Marvel Comics.
- Created by
- George Lucas
- First Film
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
- Cast
- Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
- The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
- Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
