10 Oldest Characters In Star Wars Universe

Is there anyone older then Yoda? Find out, you will.

by Andrew Pollard
darth sidious
Lucasfilm

Whether you’re a huge Star Wars nerd, have watched a couple of the movies, or even only simply heard of the antics that have happened in a galaxy far, far away, everybody is familiar with Star Wars.

In terms of longevity, few properties have had the same constant fan demand as Star Wars, as the cinematic franchise and its various spin-offs across other mediums have been passed from generation to generation. How well do you really know your Star Wars stuff, though?

Here, we’re going to explore the oldest characters and creatures ever included in the collected world of Star Wars.

After Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm, of course, 2014 saw the majority of the famed Star Wars Expanded Universe tie-in novels and comics rendered non-canonical. As such, those tales and their characters are sadly having to be put aside for this article – meaning no place for old-timers such as Durge, Rell, Arden Lyn, and Rokur Gepta.

With those names out of equation, then, here are the oldest characters to ever exist in what is now perceived to be the standard continuity of Star Wars.

10. R2-D2 & C-3PO - 66 Years Of Age

darth sidious
LucasFilm

At one point, there was a time where C-3PO was already deemed to be over 100 years of age by the time the events of 1977’s Star Wars – or A New Hope, if you’re one of those people – took place.

Seemingly, The Phantom Menace disproved that theory, and instead it’s largely recognised that both C-3PO and bestest bud R2-D2 came into creation approximately 30 years before we picked things up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in that ’77 picture.

Based on that logic, these two droids round out our list here by clocking in at 66 years of age when we picked things up with them in the landscape of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and this year's The Rise of Skywalker. And to think, both 3PO and R2 were being offered up for scrap as far back as their very first appearance.

If you don’t count droids as characters who truly age, of course, then you can put Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian in the #10 spot of this list. By the time Lando returns to action in this December's Episode IX, the coolest cat in the galaxy will be 65 years of age.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.