7 Worst Things That Happened To Star Wars In 2022

Disney and Lucasfilm most definitely have a new favourite toy, don't they?

The moment it was revealed that the House of Mouse had found a way to digitally bring Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin back to life and turn back the clock when it came to a certain iconic princess in 2016's Rogue One, fans knew it would only be a matter of time before the franchise doubled down on all things digital de-ageing.

And sure enough, 2019 saw both Luke and Leia thrown into a time machine during a flashback sequence in The Rise of Skywalker, and the former was eventually digitally realised once again for an emotional cameo in The Mandalorian soon after.

2022 definitely saw the biggest leap yet when it comes to said tech being used for more than the odd shot, though, with a de-aged Mark Hamill (brought to life by Graham Hamilton on set) being found training young (?) Grogu in The Book of Boba Fett and both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen taking part in some subtly de-aged lightsaber practise as Prequel era Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the former's Disney+ spin-off.

But the tech is still proving to be somewhat divisive, however, with many wondering why Disney didn't simply opt for the far cheaper and less potentially jarring move of recasting Luke in particular for his subsequent appearances in the small-screen corner of the galaxy.

Disney appear to be reluctant to attempt another recasting experiment in the wake of Alden Ehrenreich's younger iteration of Han Solo, though. And with next year also bringing a spookily effective younger Indiana Jones in The Dial of Destiny, expect the studio to continue laughing in the face of Father Time via deepfake for some time yet.