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Here’s how old The Mandalorian‘s biggest characters were during the Star Wars original trilogy. Since debuting in 2019, The Mandalorian has made a huge impression upon Star Wars fans and casual viewers alike. The Disney+ series excels in crafting brand new characters such as Din Djarin, also known as Mando, Grogu and Greef Karga, all of whom fans have immediately taken to their hearts. Animated favorites like Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano successfully translated to live-action, while legends Luke Skywalker and Boba Fett received glorious, fist-in-the-air returns. To discerning fans, knowing these Mandalorian characters’ ages isn’t just noteworthy trivia, but important context for seeing the big picture across Star Wars’ interconnected movies and shows.
The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2, just like The Book of Boba Fett, take place in the year 9 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin). The timeline of the original Star Wars trilogy, therefore, stretches from 0 ABY in A New Hope to 4 ABY in Return of the Jedi. With only 5 short years passing between the Empire’s defeat and Din Djarin clapping eyes on Grogu for the very first time, most of The Mandalorian‘s main players were alive and active during the events of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Knowing the age of Mandalorian characters during the original movies can better put into focus their motivations in the series. This is even more crucial as the characters also feature in The Book of Boba Fett. Based on everything we know about their current ages and years of birth, here’s how old each major character in The Mandalorian would’ve been between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.
Din Djarin
Star Wars canon has yet to reveal an exact age for Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin, which have led viewers to ask, “How old is Din Djarin, really?” Through The Mandalorian‘s season 1 flashbacks, we know Mando was a young child during the Clone Wars, which ended in 19 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin). This means Djarin was likely born around 30 BBY, and would’ve been 30-years-old while Luke Skywalker was still on Tatooine. That’d make him 34 during Return of the Jedi, and 39/40 during The Mandalorian. This estimate is partially based on the age of Aidan Bertola, who portrayed Djarin during the character’s Clone Wars flashback scenes.
Grogu
Helpfully, Grogu’s age is clearly stated as 50-years-old in The Mandalorian, with that cute green smirk belying Baby Yoda’s years. Consequently, Grogu would have been a ripe 41-year-old Jedi when the Star Wars original trilogy era began, and 45 when it all ended. Since he was in hiding during this period, however, Grogu probably didn’t celebrate any of those birthdays after departing the Jedi temple in 32 BBY. We’ll leave you with the image of Grogu alone in the dark on Arvala-7 with a party hat and a single green balloon.
Greef Karga
The Mandalorian provides no information regarding Greef Karga’s year of birth, nor any hints that might give an approximate age range. Much like Greef Karga’s backstory, the bounty hunter leader’s real age is a mystery. The best assumption is to use Carl Weathers’ date of birth as a guideline. The Greef Karga actor was 70 years-old when The Mandalorian premiered in 2019 so, by that logic, the character would’ve been roughly 61-years-old when Star Wars Episode IV began, celebrating the Empire’s fall at 65. The Mandalorian suggests Greef Karga was already embroiled in the world of bounty hunting during this period.
Cara Dune
Raised on Alderaan but fortunate enough to be elsewhere when Grand Moff Tarkin selected the planet for target practice, Cara Dune spent her time in the original trilogy era training to become a shock trooper for Star Wars’ Rebel Alliance, then sticking it to the Empire on Endor. Employing the same logic as our Greef Karga/Carl Weathers approximation, Cara Dune is 36 in The Mandalorian, which would make her around 27-years-old when Alderaan was obliterated, and 31 during her prime years fighting for the Rebel Alliance.
Bo-Katan Kryze
When Bo-Katan Kryze first appears in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (her debut episode is set in the year 20 BBY), she’s already a grown-up Death Watch warrior, at least 18-years-old but more likely in her early-20s. This would make her around 40-years-old during the events of A New Hope, which comes immediately after Bo-Katan’s animated appearance in Star Wars Rebels. Bo-Katan would then be 44 in Return of the Jedi, and 49 in The Mandalorian, even though the character’s actress, Katee Sackhoff, is only in her early-40s. Perhaps The Mandalorian season 3 and the reveal of the Great Purge will provide a clearer idea of Bo-Katan’s age.
Boba Fett
The canon Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know Updated & Expanded reference book lists Boba Fett as 10-years-old when he was orphaned, which, of course, happened during the Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY. When Boba Fett appears in The Empire Strikes Back (set in 3 ABY), he’s 35-years-old, making him 36 when he “died” in Return of the Jedi, 36 to 37 when he escaped the sarlaac, and then 41 in The Mandalorian. This doesn’t necessarily come across on-screen, since Temuera Morrison is almost 20 years older – especially odd since Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan is supposed to be the older out of their respective characters. One could put Boba Fett’s appearance down to Kamino’s cloning technology or the presumably unpleasant aftereffects of being swallowed by the Sarlacc.
Ahsoka Tano
According to the Star Wars Fact File collection, Ahsoka Tano was born in 36 BBY, and recruited by Plo Koon into the Jedi Order only 3 years later. Her whereabouts during Star Wars‘ original trilogy haven’t yet been revealed, but Tano would’ve been 36-years-old when the Civil War began and 40 when it ended, making her 45 during The Mandalorian. Having said that, Ahsoka spent an unknown stretch of time in the mysterious World Between Worlds, where aging doesn’t necessarily happen in the usual way. This could mean Ahsoka Tano is either older or younger than she should be during the original Star Wars trilogy and The Mandalorian.
Moff Gideon
Before he was chasing Grogu around like an intergalactic Elmer Fudd, Moff Gideon belonged to the Empire’s ISB division, where he played a significant role in the Great Purge of Mandalore – but his history before that is largely unknown. The best method of estimating the age of The Mandalorian‘s arch-villain is using Giancarlo Esposito’s date of birth as a guideline, with the Gideon actor 60 years old when his Star Wars debut aired. Thus, the Empire’s Moff Gideon was approximately 51-years-old during A New Hope, which makes sense given how far he’d already risen in the Imperial ranks.
Fennec Shand
As with the other characters whose exact years of birth are unknown, one might wish to use Ming-Na Wen’s real life age to extrapolate Fennec Shand’s, but the character’s Star Wars appearances suggest this wouldn’t necessarily give an accurate result. That method would calculate Shand as 29 in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, but not only does the animated bounty hunter look younger, she’s described as an upstart bounty hunter, meaning Shand more likely in her early-20s here. With The Bad Batch set in 19 BBY, The Bad Batch‘s Fennec Shand actually seems to be closer to 40-years-old upon the outset of the original trilogy, making her 49 in The Mandalorian. Although Ming-Na Wen is in her mid-50s, she easily gets away with playing a younger assassin.
Luke Skywalker
A more clear-cut entry, largely because Luke Skywalker’s birth happened on-screen in all its heart-breaking glory. Born in Revenge of the Sith, Luke Skywalker was 19-years old when he torpedoed the Death Star, and 23 when he convinced Darth Vader to return to the light side. Though the iffy de-aging effect muddies things somewhat, Luke is supposed to be 28 when he picks up Grogu for his first day of Jedi training in The Mandalorian season 2.
The Ages Of New Characters In Book Of Boba Fett During The Original Trilogy
The Book of Boba Fett introduced new characters to the beloved Star Wars sci-fi franchise, all with mysterious backgrounds that keep their ages pretty under wraps. For starters, the exact age of the Hutt twins that contested Boba Fett’s claim to Jabba’s fiefdom is a mystery. However, since they are the cousins of Jabba the Hutt, who was around 600 years old during the trilogy, the Hutt twins are likely around the same age during The Book of Boba Fett and Return of the Jedi.
The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett‘s Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of Freetown, also has mysterious origins. However, the actor Timothy Olyphant is in his fifties, which also fits the Marshal’s age, as the character would’ve been in his late ’40s during the original trilogy. The same can be surmised of the Mod Artist on Mos Espa, played by soul musician and bass guitar virtuoso Thundercat, who is 37 years old – 32 when the Empire still ruled. Meanwhile, the age of Boba Fett’s unnamed Rancor trainer, played by Danny Trejo, is unknown, but he is likely in his late ’70s, just like the actor in the role, and was around 75 during Palpatine’s reign. More than just bits of interesting trivia, the respective ages of The Mandalorian characters during the original movies, as well as those of the characters from The Book of Boba Fett, help put characters into perspective within the complex narrative of the Star Wars saga.
- Rogue Squadron (2023)Release date: Dec 22, 2023
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