“With no other family, she was forced to make her way in a tough, dangerous town. Now 17 she has become street smart and strong. She is able to take care of herself using humor and guts to get by. Always a survivor, never a victim, she remains hopeful that she can move away from this harsh existence to a better life. She is always thinking of what she can do to move ahead.”
“Thomas has grown up without a father’s influence. Without the model of being a man, he doesn’t have the strongest sense of himself, despite this he is smart, capable and shows courage when it is needed. He can appreciate the absurdities in life and understands you can’t take life too seriously.”
Above are the casting calls that I’m sure you’ve all already seen for Star Wars Episode VII. After having a couple days to think, I’ve come up with a couple theories that I’d like to share with you on who these characters are, and where they fit into the Star Wars mythos.
Also, just a quick note, there is only one date that matters in the Star Wars universe: The Battle of Yavin. All the timelines that have ever been released show events occurring in years either before (BBY) or after (ABY) the Battle of Yavin, and I may need to use those when describing my theories.
Theory 1: Tahiri Veila
If you aren’t familiar with the Star Wars Expanded Universe, you probably have never seen that name before. However, she is one of the most important characters in the universe, due to her strong relationship with Anakin Solo, as well as her actions after his death during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Tahiri’s origin is an interesting one, and it is quite unique. As the casting call says, she has no family. Also, she was raised by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, which certainly would qualify as “a tough, dangerous town”. The part about her being “always a survivor, never a victim” is a key part of Tahiri’s development as a character, especially recently in the Expanded Universe as she copes with her tumultuous past. While this casting call may not be for a character called Tahiri Veila, it seems to be for a character heavily influenced by Tahiri.
Want to become familiar with Tahiri? Read: The New Jedi Order (not her first appearance, but she takes a lead role in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, especially in Star by Star), Legacy of the Force (this is Tahiri’s fall to the dark side, and sees a ton of great character work done on the character), Fate of the Jedi (relegated to a side plot, but here character helped me plow through this series).
Theory 2: Zekk
Zekk would be perfect for the second casting call. Again, he is a character from the Expanded Universe, and another orphan, who lived on the streets of Coruscant, and befriended Jaina and Jacen Solo when they were all quite young. Eventually, it was discovered that he was Force sensitive, and he was taken to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV, where he began his training. As the call says, Zekk never had “the strongest sense of himself”. In fact, his entire character arc in the Young Jedi Knights series revolves around him being unsure of himself, an unsure of who he truly is. Again, this may not be a character named Zekk, but the casting call certainly suggest a character similar to Zekk.
Want to become familiar with Zekk? Read: Young Jedi Knights (This is Zekk’s origin. We first get introduced to him here, and much of the first part of the series builds him up as a character, and fleshes out his relationship with the Solo twins), The New Jedi Order (Zekk really comes to the forefront during the Yuuzhan Vong war, as one of the younger Jedi forced to step up and face the grim brutalities of war)
Theory 3: Ania Solo
Ania Solo is one of the newest additions to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, being introduced in the most recent Star Wars: Legacy comic book series. Ania is a distant descendant of the Solos, who lives in a period almost 200 years ABY. Normally, this would make me rule the character out, but they can still use her in the continuity that they want to establish with Episode VII. Again, she is an orphan, or at least believes that she is an orphan. She lives deep in The Outer Rim, on a planet ridden with crime, that she is forced to survive. She is quite the survivor, never giving up no matter what, and so far, seems to be a character with a lot of hope for her future, however uncertain it may be. Plus, she is seventeen years old when she is introduced. Some version of this character may be used in the upcoming movies.
Want to become familiar with Ania? Read: Star Wars: Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World (this is the only Ania Solo story to date. Still, it’s doing a great job of fleshing out here character)
Theory 4: Han, Leia and/or Luke are dead
It would make perfect sense. If the main three were killed off, this casting call could apply to their children, as they would be orphans, and would lack a father figure. While this is highly unlikely, its certainly something that must be considered. It makes sense in the context of the casting call, and would give Lucasfilm a reason to not have to bring back Hamill, Ford, and Fisher past Episode VII. I wouldn’t like this decision if it were made, but it may provide an interesting conflict for the story as a whole. Plus, Harrison Ford has said that he wants Han Solo to die, so this would appease him, and remain consistent with this casting call.
Want to become familiar with other crazy Star Wars stuff? Read: Star Wars Tales Volumes 1-3 (This is all fun, out of canon Star Wars stories. Darth Maul comes back and battles Darth Vader, plus there are a lot of stories that are just plain fun) , Star Wars Infinites Volumes 1-2 (Essentially”what if stories?” Interesting new takes on the Star Wars universe that aren’t as bad as The Star Wars)
Theory 5: Kyp Durron
Kyp Durron, in a lot of ways, seems like the basis for Thomas. If it weren’t for the fact that he isn’t exactly close to the Solo/Skywalker clan, I would say he would be my number one choice. The thing is, if they were to use him, it would point at this being in an era before Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, and Ben come into existence. Of course, this is entirely feasible if episode VII were to go almost directly after the end of Return of the Jedi, and look at Luke setting up his Jedi Academy. His story is one of redemption, overall, and he has one of my favorite character arcs in the mythos, eventually becoming a member of the Jedi Council.
Want to become familiar with Kyp Durron? Read: The Jedi Academy Trilogy (Kyp’s origin, fall to the dark side, and redepmtion story), The New Jedi Order (Especially towards the beginning, Kyp takes a lead role, pioneering a new school of thought among the Jedi Order)
