One of the biggest power couples in the history of sci-fi is the duo of Han Solo and Leia Organa. Of course, we know that this couple is the very first romantic couple in the entire Star Wars franchise, as they met and fell in love during the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. We also noticed that Han had already had quite the reputation as a smuggler back then, which means that he was already in the business of smuggling for quite some time. So, how much older is Han compared to Leia?
Han Solo is right around 13 years older than Leia. That’s because he was born in 32 BBY, whereas Leia was born in 19 BBY. That would mean that Han Solo was already 32 when he met Leia, who was just 19 years old during the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
It is important to note that Han Solo was already a mature adult when he and Leia met. In contrast, Leia was just learning about the world as a pampered princess of Alderaan that the Empire for her rebellious activities had just captured. So, with that said, they both grew up under different circumstances but ended up meeting each other at the right moment and probably at the right age.
When Was Han Solo Born?
While he was never a Jedi or a well-known fighter all over the galaxy, Han Solo was a pretty popular man among the scum of the galaxy, especially in the outer rim. That’s because he was a smuggler that encountered trouble with the worst kind of people in the galaxy, and that meant that he wasn’t exactly the nicest person in the galaxy even though he wasn’t a killer or an evil man that did horrible things to different people.
Of course, Han, during his introduction in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was already a known smuggler that only did things for money. He was willing to tag along with Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to rescue Leia Organa from Darth Vader and the Empire. However, before he met Luke and Leia and way before he was a smuggler, he was a Stormtrooper cadet that left the services of the Empire.
Han Solo was born on 32 BBY, which meant that he was alive right at the time of the Republic and when the Jedi Order was still operating without problems. Han was also already a young boy during the Clone Wars, which lasted from 22 to 19 BBY. Of course, years after the Republic was reformed into the Galactic Empire, Han became a Stormtrooper cadet.
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But after Han Solo was framed by one of the thieves posing as cadets, he was forced to flee from the Empire with Chewbacca. That was when his life as a smuggler began. This all happened in 13 BBY when he was already a 19-year-old teenager. After that, Han’s early life as a smuggler was given more attention in the Solo Star Wars movie, which took place in 10 BBY, ten years before he met Luke and Leia.
When Was Leia Born?
As established during the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Leia was born with Luke as the children of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, who were secretly married just after the Clone Wars broke out. They were born just after the fall of the Jedi Order and the “death” of Anakin Skywalker. However, Padme died after giving birth to the twins.
While Luke was given to his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine due to their familiar relations with Anakin and his mother, Leia was sent off to live with Bail Organa as a princess on the planet of Alderaan and her time with the Organa family allowed Leia to live a lavish lifestyle. But because Bail was secretly a supporter of the Rebellion the entire time, Leia inherited her foster father’s hatred for the Empire.
Of course, considering that she is the twin sister of Luke, Leia was born in 19 BBY. That would mean she was 19 during the start of Star Wars Episode IV, which sparked the Battle of Yavin. The Battle of Yavin restarted the entire galaxy calendar, and that’s why it was the “zero year” in Star Wars. Leia, born 19 years before the Battle of Yavin, was 19 at the time of A New Hope.
How Much Older Is Han Than Leia?
Now that you know when Han Solo and Leia Organa were born, it is easier to do the math. Han Solo was born in 32 BBY, which makes him 32 during the time of A New Hope. Meanwhile, Leia was born in 19 BBY, meaning she was 19 when she first met Han when he, Luke, and Obi-Wan rescued her from the Imperial ship.
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That would mean a 13-year gap between Han Solo and Leia Organa. Han was 32 when he first met Laia, who was just 19. But while it may look like they have such a huge gap between their ages, let’s not forget that it took a while before they fell in love.
At the end of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Leia admits to Han that she is in love with him. There was a three-year gap between the movies, meaning Leia was already an adult at 22 then, and she already knew better than when she was just 19. Of course, nothing happened between Han and Leia until the end of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi when they were already a year older.
