I've just been having a discussion with a couple of friends about how old the B7 characters are. Are they much the same age as the actors who played them? And if so, just how old were the cast at the time? I have no idea.
My guesses for the characters at the point we first see them:
Blake 35 Jenna 26 Vila 28 (ignore his hairline) Gan 35 Avon 40 Cally 25 Dayna 18 Tarrant 25 Soolin 22
Just a guess.
I'd like to know:
1) how old were the cast at the time
2) how do my guesses compare to other people's
3) Is there a list of generally accepted ages somewhere, considered as canon?
Nico
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From: Nicola Mody-Nikoloff mody-nikoloffn@axis-intermodal.co.nz
My guesses for the characters at the point we first see them:
Blake 35
Blake's clone gave his age as 34 in Weapon, and then confirms that he was 'born' just five hours previously, so it seems safe to assume that the real Blake was also 34 at that time. This would make Blake 33 or younger on first appearance.
Dayna 18
Told Avon she left Earth twenty years previously when she was just a baby. If she means Sarran years, and if Sarran years are slightly shorter than Earth years, then she might be this young. Or that 'twenty years' might be an approximate measure.
Tarrant 25
Was lieutenant on the previous kairopan harvest, which would have been 15 Earth years prior to the episode, as stated by Zen. Although this was his first command, he would not likely be any younger than 18, which would make him 32/33 on first appearance. Steven Pacey was somewhat younger than this, as he has mentioned in interviews.
No information is given for any of the others. Since Spacefall implies some measure of time dilation through faster-than-light travel, it might be that habitual spacefarers (such as Jenna and Tarrant in paticular) might be physically younger than their birth date indicates. If this is so, then such people would in fact have two ages - a biological age, and a chronological one.
As to Servalan, I usually reckon her much older than she appears, thanks to cosmetic surgery or some other rejuvenation technique, and place her at 50 minimum. But there is no canonical evidence for this.
The B7 Marvel Monthly gives Michael Keating as being born in 1947 (thus 30 on first appearance as Vila), with nothing equivalent cited for any other member of the cast. (It also notes that Glynis Barber was 'born in Africa' - shy of mentioning the 'South' bit in those apartheid-conscious days?)
Neil
Neil Faulkner wrote:
Tarrant 25
Was lieutenant on the previous kairopan harvest, which would have been 15 Earth years prior to the episode, as stated by Zen. Although this was his first command, he would not likely be any younger than 18, which would make him 32/33 on first appearance. Steven Pacey was somewhat younger than this, as he has mentioned in interviews.
I know my husband, desperate to make the "first command was 15 years ago" statement fit with the fact that darnit, he just can't be 32--he doesn't look it or particularly act it, has considered writing a "Star Wars I" scenario somehow in which a 6-year-old Del Tarrant manages to blunder into/win an honorary lieutenantship in an emergency situation.
I personally have a hell of a time accepting that first-season Vila is younger than I am, even if Keating was at the time. But that's just a personal quirk of mine--even as I get older, I have a hard time accepting that leading characters can be younger than I am.
And I agree Dayna comes across as younger than 21 or so, but an extremely sheltered life will do that. {Jen contemplates many of her early-20s female students in Japan as cases in point}. I was always a bit disappointed they didn't play up that "unworldly" aspect of Dayna more in the show--she should have had a hell of a time with group dynamics and social mores. I know, I know, they all did, so she didn't stand out much. :)
Jen McGee
Jen,
And I agree Dayna comes across as younger than 21 or so, but an extremely sheltered life will do that. {Jen contemplates many of her early-20s female students in Japan as cases in point}. I was always a bit disappointed they didn't play up that "unworldly" aspect of Dayna more in the show--she should have had a hell of a time with group dynamics and social mores. I know, I
know,
they all did, so she didn't stand out much. :)
Ever since I first saw Dayna in 'Aftermath', I felt (although I was only 11) that she behaved like someone younger than about 20, due to what was obviously an 'extremely sheltered life'. In terms of why this unworldly aspect wasn't played up, I feel that because she was the youngest member of the crew, the rest treated her like a younger sister, who had led a sheltered life, but who was useful, knowing all she did about weapons, as well as being a good fighter. Even Soolin, the experienced gunfighter, had words of respect for her abilities.
Murray
Neil wrote...
Since Spacefall implies some measure of time dilation through faster- than-light travel, it might be that habitual spacefarers (such as Jenna and Tarrant in paticular) might be physically younger than their birth date indicates. If this is so, then such people would in fact have two ages - a biological age, and a chronological one.
I rather like that idea. Given what we're told about Tarrant's history he does look unreasonably young.
Leia
Nico said:
I've just been having a discussion with a couple of friends about how old the B7 characters are. Are they much the same age as the actors who played them?
Not necessarily!
Blake 35
...as already cited, Weapon would make him a little younger than that in SpaceFall
Jenna 26
I'd say 28 or so
Vila 28 (ignore his hairline)
My guess is 31
Gan 35
Sounds right to me
Avon 40
I don't think he's a full five years older than Blake...I'd say 37
Cally 25
Hard to tell with Aurons, but I'd say more like the equivalent of 30 in human years...a bit older than Jenna though
Dayna 18
Maybe 20--that makes Justin look a little less awful
Tarrant 25
Sounds right to me
Soolin 22
More like 25, I'd say.
- Is there a list of generally accepted ages somewhere, considered as
canon?
I'm pretty sure there isn't, I asked already.
-(Y)
-
Dana Shilling -
Jen McGee -
Leia Fee -
Murray -
Neil Faulkner -
Nicola Mody-Nikoloff