What happened to the Star Wars baby who played Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa in Revenge of the Sith?

20 years ago this past month, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith from 2005, which was George Lucas’ third prequel film in his initial series.

Or simply:

The 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) directed by George Lucas, the third prequel to his original trilogy, took place last month.

This month celebrates Aidan Barton’s 21st birthday, an essential yet often overlooked actor from the Star Wars universe, who is notable for portraying not one but two iconic characters.

As a new mom or dad, I remember vividly when my six-month-old baby was tapped to play a role in the iconic Star Wars saga. My husband, Roger Barton – editor of Revenge of the Sith – thought our little one could be the perfect fit for scenes involving both baby Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa being handed to their new guardians. It was such an exciting moment for us!

While taking a summer break between his last year at the University of Colorado film school, Barton shared insights into his distinctive part in the galaxy distant, distant away, during his trip back to Los Angeles.

In an engaging conversation with DailyMail.com, he shared an amusing explanation behind his father’s intention to cast him in the film, as well as his initial encounters with enthusiastic fans at various conventions.

He also showed some previously unseen clips from the set of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith to his parents and George Lucas himself.

In 2004, during the filming of Revenge of the Sith, Aidan was born to his dad, Roger, and his actress wife, Andi Wagner.

In the scenes depicting Luke and Leia being given to their caretakers, Lucas initially intended to employ a doll. It was during this filming that Aidan, who played the parts, was just six months old at the time.

Barton confessed that it was indeed the first time he personally watched the movie, as he had been informed earlier.

Barton shared, “When I first saw it, I must have been around 4 or 5 years old. It was a pivotal moment for me, as my father pointed out a scene and said, ‘This character is you, Aidan.’ At first, I thought he was joking, but then he explained that he had worked on the movie, and indeed, that was me.

It wasn’t until around middle school that I truly realized the impact of Star Wars, when I shared this with a friend. Their response was astonishing, and it fueled my passion for Star Wars even more.

When I rewatch movies annually, I find it fascinating to observe myself in them. It’s quite interesting to view them from the end.

He mentioned that attending the recent theater rerelease of Revenge of the Sith for its 20th anniversary with a group of friends was an extraordinary experience.

Barton mentioned that he’d just obtained the key to a private collection of his childhood videos, one of which was two clips from when he was six months old on the set of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. You can watch those videos here.

In the video, Andi Wagner (Aidan’s mom and an actress) is seen cradling him, as George Lucas, the director, and Aidan’s dad, Roger Barton, observe.

Andi lovingly cares for her new baby boy, discussing his sleep patterns with George, until they both agree it’s time to change his diaper.

After securing the shot, Lucas joked with Andi and Roger, saying “all this work just for two seconds on screen,” as Andi, holding Aidan, took a picture with George (which is shown below).

Aidan’s dad, Roger Barton, boasts a notable career history, having worked as an associate editor for films like Titanic and Armageddon. Following this, he edited Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II, The Amityville Horror, and most recently, Revenge of the Sith.

As a devoted admirer, let me share some insights about how my father secured the editing role for Revenge of the Sith. It seems that, having worked on or perhaps even been involved in the production of Titanic earlier, he was eventually tapped for this project. While I may not fully comprehend all the intricate connections that led to this point, it’s clear that his journey somehow led him there.

In the credits for the movie, Aidan wasn’t mentioned, but only a small number of people knew about him. Then, in 2019, Mark Hamill shared an interesting tidbit about Aidan on Twitter, making his name more widely known.

Additionally, he shared an amusing explanation behind his decision to accept the position; it was to facilitate his son’s romantic prospects in the future.

Aidan explained that he did it to improve his chances of getting romantic success. He told his mother something along the lines of, “We need to make this happen. This could potentially lead to him being late for college, but eventually landing a role in a movie like this.” Given his position as an editor, he had the ability to determine how much screen time I would have.

He commented, ‘Following my being shown on screen after they had shot me, George walked into the editing suite and said, “Roger, this is excessively prolonged. It seems like you’re keeping him in for no other reason than to maintain his presence on screen.’

‘My father agreed to make a cut, so he did it with George present in the room. However, as soon as he stepped out, he undid his actions by using command Z a few times and left everything unchanged. Consequently, the duration I appear on screen is the one my dad had initially set.’

From my unique perspective, nurtured by the vibrant world of cinema as the child of an actress and a film editor, my passion for exploration has been cultivated and ignited from an early age.

Whenever his father was engaged in film production, he would be away for six months at a stretch, prompting him and his mother to visit. Consequently, they traveled to various places such as Australia, Berlin, London, and numerous other locations, which nurtured his passion for traveling from an early age, carrying on into his teenage years and beyond.

Apart from that, Aidan had a chance to appear as an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a film his father worked on as an editor. He also mentioned that he got to meet Johnny Depp, which he found quite thrilling.

Currently, he is set to enter his final year at the University of Colorado’s film school in Boulder, Colorado, having initially planned to focus on photography instead.

He mentioned that there isn’t a photography program where he is, so instead, he opted for film-making. His ultimate goal is to pursue a career in Hollywood, following in his father’s footsteps. Consequently, this summer, he had internships at Company 3 and soon will have an internship at Flawless AI.

As a lifestyle expert, I find myself leaning towards the world of film more and more these days. The truth is, the photography field isn’t as financially rewarding at this moment, and it can be quite challenging to discover a career path that offers a comfortable income. It seems that AI is taking over the industry at an alarming rate right now.

He’s shared two of his brief movies on Instagram (@aidan.cr3). One was a collaborative effort with his classmate, Kelly Pinch, while he handled the other one alone.

He mentioned that he quickly completed the task at hand within a span of a week. The concept and script for this project were his own ideas that he had been holding onto for some time. They perfectly matched the genre our team was focusing on for the project.

The second video was a unique school assignment for him, as it was deeply personal. He delved into old family footage and blended it with clips of his Pacific Palisades home that was sadly consumed by the recent wildfires, which he shared in April.

During his school vacation, the wildfires occurred in Los Angeles, yet he wasn’t there; instead, he was hiking in Peru at that time.

During those five days, I was hiking in Peru, far from any service. It was on the day I departed that a fire broke out. Since then, I had no idea about the situation. Once I regained cell service, I eagerly wanted to text my parents and share some photos, but instead, I was overwhelmed with hundreds of messages and news articles. That’s when I learned that the fires had destroyed everything, he said.

When queried about whether creating the movie served as a means to find resolution and simultaneously addressed a school assignment, he acknowledged, ‘It was a bit of both.’

At that point in time, Aidan was working on a final project and it required him to focus on it. Following some conversations with his father, he felt motivated to produce something that could serve as therapy and also help him find closure.

He explained that his concept resembled a narrative voiceover, stemming from his experiences in Peru. Upon returning home for the first time and being overwhelmed by countless family home videos, he found it difficult to explain the transition between the two ideas. There was simply so much footage at his house that he didn’t feel compelled to go outside to make the film; instead, he used the footage he already had.

Upon being inquired about my mom Andi’s ability to salvage anything from our home, I shared that she managed to snatch a box of documents and our beloved pet, but unfortunately, all else succumbed to the blazing inferno.

Funny enough, much like Aidan, our beloved pet dog has stepped into the spotlight too, taking on the role of the genuine Clifford The Big Red Dog in the 2021 movie adaptation bearing the same title.

Aidan mentioned that when she was still a young pup, they colored her vibrant red, created detailed 3D models and scans of her. Consequently, she became the character ‘Clifford’ in the movie. They merely utilized her images for animation purposes.

It was Mark Hamill, a renowned figure from Star Wars, who initially revealed that Aidan had some involvement in Revenge of the Sith, although he wasn’t officially credited for it.

* TIDBIT TRIVIA: Aidan Barton portrayed BOTH Luke AND Leia in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
* He is the child of the movie’s editor, Roger Barton.
* I have never had the pleasure of meeting him personally.
* As of now, he is attending high school.
* Whoa, time sure does fly! #NoStoppingTime [was Hamill’s tweet, along with images of young Aidan].

Yet, it transpired that the majority of those images weren’t truly of Aidan. Later on, Hamill rectified this error within a few days.

MISLEADING TRIVIA: A) Aidan Barton portrayed BOTH Luke AND Leia in ‘Episode III.’ B) He is the offspring of the film’s editor, Roger Barton. C) I have not had the pleasure of meeting him. D) He is currently attending high school. E) The three images I shared were NOT HIM. His mother generously provided me with these photos of the real Aidan – my apologies,” Hamill explained.

Aidan mentioned that ‘He once posted a tweet long time back, then searched for Aidan Barton online. Naturally, my name wasn’t visible, so he picked the first three images he found, which happened to be a lacrosse player from New England. It was as if he had mistakenly identified me as Aidan Barton.’

A post shared by Aidan Barton (@aidan.cr3)

Aidan stated that his mother firmly refused any initial reveal of him, so she reached out to his representative and got them to create a fresh post featuring new images of him, which he shared. He also mentioned he was scheduled to meet Hamill, but that encounter did not take place.

On the day I was planned to visit his house in Malibu, COVID-19 restrictions suddenly came into effect,’ Aidan explained, mentioning that he hasn’t had any communication with his agent since then.

‘But I think it’d be really cool to be up there with him,’ Aidan said of Hamill.

In my previous statement, I implied that Disney’s announcement about Star Wars Celebration taking place in Los Angeles for the franchise’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2027 suggests there might be a panel featuring Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen, and Natalie Portman.

‘Oh I would love that. That would be incredible,’ a smiling Aidan said in response. 

Consider checking out Aidan on Instagram (@aidan.cr3) and TikTok (@aidanroams), where you can view his heartwarming short movie about his old residence in Pacific Palisades situated above.

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2025-06-15 21:06