If there is something that "Star Wars" movies are not afraid of, it is killing major characters.

In a recent conversation with Entertainment Weekly, actor Anthony Daniels reflected on the possibility of killing of his character C-3PO.

"Humans die ... I guess, wow. ... Would he rust, gently? ... I think probably he would realize that his programming was failing, that it was too old fashioned, and Microsoft had stopped supporting that particular brand. He would see upcoming new robots and realize his power source was running out. He'd say to R2, 'Can you go down and get me a new power spectrum?' or whatever. I don't think he'd ever -- I'm looking at this image with [C-3PO having his replacement] silver leg. I think he would go on. Getting spare parts, getting surgery. And I think the people around him, humans and droids alike, would help because he would become part of their daily lives, part of their environment. They wouldn't want to let him go. You know, I'm a great do-it-yourself person at home. I mend pretty much anything I can, whether it's melting plastic with a hot skewer from the stove because the plastic is cracked, or with my glue gun mending this or that, or cannibalizing a part from something else that I kept in the workshop. I will keep objects going. I'm not from the throw-away culture, I'm from the make-and-mend culture. Threepio is nice to have around. I think he would go on and on and on."

The reality is that C-3PO is a droid. But as Daniels notes, humans do die. And there are a number of major veterans making a return to the franchise such as Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. Ford was famous for requesting that Han Solo die in "Return of the Jedi." And while he might be the most favored character to die (so that he can end his involvement in the franchise), the character most likely to die off in the franchise's latest picture is Luke.

In the original trilogy, Luke was the main man. He was on a quest to save the galaxy, become a Jedi and redeem his father, Darth Vader. But as soon as the prequels were released, he lost his position as the franchise's central figure. That now belonged to Anakin and Vader. The movies were now about Anakin's rise and fall, not Luke's rise to greatness.

With the new younger characters set to take over the franchise in coming films, Luke is likely to be relegated to the sidelines.

In the first prequel film "The Phantom Menace," Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were the central characters. Qui-Gon was the master and Obi-Wan was his apprentice. His power and strength gave audiences and the characters a sense of security. With him around, nothing would happen. But then it did. In the big duel with villain Darth Maul, Qui-Gon was killed off, forcing Obi-Wan to take over and become the hero he needed to be. He was then the man who trained young Anakin Skywalker and influenced his rise and subsequent fall.

In "A New Hope," it was Obi-Wan's turn to be the old man who was training another young pupil. This time it was Luke who he was training, and in the same manner that Qui-Gon lent the first installment with a sense of security, so did Obi-wan in the new series. But his death at the end of the film (in a duel with Vader), forced Luke to rise to the occasion and become the big hero for the next two films.

Both "Phantom Menace" and "A New Hope" were the opening chapters of their respective trilogies and both witnessed the death of an older Jedi Master to make way for the young hero.

Entering the new film, Luke is likely to be the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. As long as he is around, there is likely to be a sense of security pervading those around him. If he is killed off, it would not only raise the stakes for the new heroes, but would open up the way for them to take over permanently. He could still return in following installments, but it would probably be in the same role that Obi-wan occupied in the original trilogy -- a mentor.

It will be interesting to see if J.J. Abrams in fact continues this cycle started by George Lucas in his "Star Wars" movies, or maybe he decides to break with it all together and keep Luke around as a guiding force.

FOR MORE MOVIE AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S ENTERTAINMENT PAGE