Speculation Who should die?

Assuming the new movies will take place about 40 years after ROTJ and some (or all) of the surviving heroes will be back in some capacity, who should die an when?

I think it would be very dramatic if Luke would die, but not in the first movie. This would seem like a rehash of Obi Wan's death in ANH. Having Luke around for at least two movies would be great.

Han could die in the first movie. If Harrison Ford would reprise his role of Han Solo, I doubt it would be much more than a cameo. So why not let him die in the first half or at the end of the first movie?

Leia... hmmm... I doubt having her die would have that much impact

Chewie or Lando - same as Leia.

The Droids... no, they are the fun relief of the movies. Let them stay around.

3po can die, he annoys me I have no issues with artoo though.

Set the film up by having the Falcon destroyed in the opening sequence, no need for Harrison as he's killed off screen but it brings up the new big bad early on.

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Every episode of Star Wars thus far has featured the tragic loss either permanent or temporary of one of the main protagonists that moves the plot somehow. Let me demonstrate:

The Phantom Menace: death of Qui-Gon Jinn
Attack of the Clones: death of Shmi Skywalker
Revenge of the Sith: death of Padme Amidala
A New Hope: death of Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Empire Strikes Back: Han Solo frozen in carbonite (he doesn't die but is treated as a loss of uncertainty and suits the pattern)
Return of the Jedi: death of Anakin Skywalker (Yoda a close second but he basically died of old age or something and thus it is not "tragic" and a direct result of the conflict like the others)

So episodes VII, VIII and IX should each have a loss of some kind that is significant to the plot. Perhaps Han Solo in VII (he would have the unique distinction of being lost twice) but this time he actually dies and Luke Skywalker in Episode IX. The loss in Episode VIII could be the loss of some other character introduced in VII that will have a significant impact.

If Luke Skywalker does have the older mentor role, then I think it would be appropriate for him to die in the first movie of the trilogy like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan before him.

Chewie.....o wait.

Unless a dead dude can die again. That could make Chewie dead dead.

I thought of that and it would be more symmetrical in some respects because it would continue the pattern of the elder Jedi master dying in the first movie of the trilogy and the apprentice Jedi having to come to terms with the loss of the elder. What is different however is that neither Qui-Gon Jinn nor Obi-Wan Kenobi were members of the Skywalker family. The final episode in a trilogy should be about the death of a matriarch or patriarch of a generation of the Skywalker family. Padme although not a Skywalker by blood but as the mother of Luke and Leia she was the matriarch of that generation of Skywalkers, she was the epic death of the third and final episode in the prequel trilogy. The death of Anakin Skywalker, the patriarch of the first generation Skywalkers is the epic death of the third and final episode in the middle trilogy. The death in the third episode of the sequel trilogy should have the same level of impact, I think that pattern is more important than who dies in the first movie of the trilogy.

The argument for Han Solo dying in Episode VII can have both a thematic and practical reason. The thematic reason that would make it similar to episodes I and IV would be if one of Han Solo's sons who is force sensitive but wants to follow the footsteps of his father but is being pressured to be trained by his uncle Luke to be a Jedi witnesses the tragic and heroic death of his father and that seals his fate to be trained by his uncle and depending on the circumstances might create underlying tension between him and Luke. Of course Han Solo is not force sensitive and even though he technically is a member of the Skywalker family as an in-law (unlike Jinn and Kenobi) he is not a patriarch (Luke) or matriarch (Leia) of a generation and thus his death in the first episode makes more sense in this context. The practical reason is because of Harrison Ford himself, I think he is much more likely to sign on if the producers say "ok Harrison, this time we will kill you off in the heroic death you always wanted for Han Solo, he will not be frozen in carbonite or anything like that, he will be dead and he will not come back). I think that is the easiest way to get Ford to sign on to VII and I also think he should not be killed off screen as someone suggested because it would be kind of cheap to know he was alive just a few minutes ago on screen in the Falcon and yet we didn't even get to see what he looked like after all these years.

Of course Han Solo's death in VII would be the third episode in a row to involve either the loss or return of his character. He is captured and frozen in carbonite in ESB, released from carbonite and saved in ROTJ only to be killed off in VII, perhaps that would be considered a bit redundant but if VII is set 30+ years hence, as would make sense, it would not cheapen his rescue in ROTJ. To the contrary mentioning that he died sometime between ROTJ and VII would seem cheap for a character that means so much.

You do make some good points. I wonder how long it will be before we start getting casting confirmations, specifically for members of the original cast. I'd say it's almost a given that Mark and Carrie will return, but Harrison is definitely a wild card and could easily go either way I think. Actually, come to think of it, it would make a lot of sense to me if Han dies in the first movie, Leia in the second and Luke in the third.

Of course whether Harrison signs on or not, theres always the possibility that it will be Leia who dies in the third movie, creating a parallel with her mother's death in the third movie of the first trilogy.

I think Luke should die early in the first movie as a major plot setup point!

I don't want Han Solo to die, if Ford doesn't want to do more than one film then let Han leave at the end of episode 7, not die.

Hmmm.

If Han Solo dies (provided he's in the film at all), he should have a heroic death, like piloting the Millenium Falcon into a deadly threat, saving the day.

Or...

Princess Leia has been dead well before Episode VII and Han disappeared in sorrow before the movie as well (along with Chewie). Luke is the only returning character, but the new heroes must find Han and Chewie in Episode VIII for some reason. At the end of Episode VIII, they should have a heroic death, like piloting the Millenium Falcon into a deadly threat, saving the day.

Something else occurred to me as I was writing in another thread. In the OT, the only Skywalker we see in a romantic relationship is Leia. That goes a long way toward the notion that the next generation will be her offspring and not Luke's, thereby freeing up Luke for the role of the mentor who dies in the first film, and giving more weight to the death of Leia in the final one.

I don't want any of them to die.

Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.

Actually that makes the most sense especially if the new protagonist is an offspring of Han Solo and Leia. That way he/she wouls lose the father in VII, the mother in VIII and the uncle in IX. At first I thought it would seem kind of heavy handed to a "kill all three" approach but if done right it works beautifully into the theme of passing the torch. The protagonist sees how much can be lost with constant conflict between Jedi and Sith.

Luke....unless he is the villian

It also makes sense to kill off Han Solo first in VII because Harrison Ford is 70 years old and 9 years older than Mark Hamill and 14 years older than Carrie Fisher. Also with a fifth Indiana Jones film now in serious doubt and my desire to see Harrison Ford in at least one more action role as an iconic character of his and with his age you never know how many more years he could pull it off having Han Solo die heroically in VII is the perfect opportunity. Heck Ford has this thing for wanting to kill of his characters, he even talked of killing off Indiana Jones which makes less sense in light of their EU.

I guess when it comes down to it I just want all three to be alive when the trilogy begins and dead when it's over.

I do agree, however, that it's very likely that if Harrison signs on it will only be for one more movie and that his death could be a stipulation in doing so.

I agree with you on that, maximum emotional impact. Also to those that said they want none of them to die, look at it this way, all of our heroes will be much older and will have lived relatively long lives already, would you rather them go out in some heroic death worthy of their characters and with dignity or would you rather they die at age 103 wrinkled and hooked up to wires in a bacta tank? For Han Solo especially I don't want that fate, perhaps Luke and Leia if they are lucky will die like Yoda. However any of the above is better than them dying off screen before the sequel trilogy IMO.

I like the idea of Han and the Falcon going down in a blaze of glory. However, I think Leia should pass from old age.

I think a cool way for Luke to go would just consciencely choose to become one with the force when he feels the time is ready. Kind of like Obi-Wan, but without a lightsaber swinging at him.

Also to my knowledge Harrison Ford has never done a death scene in a movie, at least that I am aware of and I have seen pretty much all of his movies of note, perhaps that is why he is always so keen on the idea. What better way than to give him a great death scene for the character that launched his career?

I could imagine one of the children of Han and Leia being Lukes padawan. Han or Leia dies at the end of Episode VII and he snaps, giving in to anger (maybe he even kills his father or mother). Thus Luke loses his padawan to the Dark Side and has to find a way to bring him back - or come to terms with the fact that there can be no good without evil and that there will always be a Dark Side.

Han, Luke, Leia. One death per movie.

If I see Luke Skywalker die on screen it will be like being hit by a truck. I really don't want too see that. I know if they bring them back someone will go but I really don't want it to be him.