50 Roles for 50 Actors: Dream casting the Star Wars saga

Dream casting the Star Wars saga: Chris Pine as Biggs Darklighter

Chris Pine, as you’re probably aware, is headlining the current series of Star Trek films as Captain Kirk. Mixing sci-fi fandoms can be explosive, but why shouldn’t there be cross-pollination every once in a while? After all, the recent Trek films sometimes feel more like Star Wars than Star Trek. A crossover of sorts may not be as crazy as it sounds.

Anyway, about Biggs Darklighter: he’s a pilot in the Rebel Alliance and an old friend of Luke’s—toward the beginning of Star Wars, Luke laments that Biggs got to leave his home planet of Tatooine while he’s stuck on his uncle’s moisture farm. Biggs is about five years older than Luke, although actor Garrick Hagon, who played Biggs in the original films, was just over a decade older than Hamill. Basically, Biggs is Luke’s cooler older friend.

Pine fits into that role nicely. He’s got the look and pedigree of an action sci-fi hero, but in his early 40s, will be older than whoever gets cast in the role of Luke. He can provide someone for Luke to look up to, which will make it all the more tragic when he dies while trying to blow up the Death Star. Plus, although he doesn’t wear one in the Star Trek films, let us assure those worried about visual continuity that Pine is very much capable of growing a mustache.

Next: He of little faith