But ignoring their age would be to ignore the obvious. That in itself would be a disservice to fans. There was nothing more ridiculous than seeing Yoda in the prequels fighting Count Dooku (spelling?).

And at the same time, anyone thinking their role in this film would be to sit in the background and give counsel on occasion is ignoring the obvious signs. They're being asked to get in shape so they can go on the adventures themselves. And in doing so they will realize they can no longer be tip of the spear.

For those resistant to the idea, I've got more bad news, the Millenium Falcon is going to be really old too and breaking down even more than it was before.

And if the rumoured title is indeed "A New Dawn", it just reinforces my idea it will be about turning the reigns over to more physically capable heroes.