We have reported the synthesis of a series of trigonal and square planar heavy AE(II) silylamide complexes; DFT calculations have been performed on both these complexes and theoretical AE(I) species that could form upon chemical reduction. We have demonstrated that Ca(II), Sr(II) and Ba(II) complexes with highly equatorial ligand environments (i.e. trigonal planar, square planar) have readily accessible dz2 orbitals, and that these should be occupied for their respective AE(I) analogues, providing feasible synthetic targets. Together, this work has presented a combined synthetic strategy and theoretical modelling that provide a blueprint for targeting sub-valent heavy AE species that do not form AE-AE bonds. This approach may provide heavy AE(I) complexes that should exhibit rich reductive chemistry analogous to that of divalent REs Sc, Y and La. We are exploring ligand variations and reduction protocols, including different reducing agents and the use of solid-state reactions, in order to overcome the synthetic challenges that have hampered the isolation of heavy AE(I) complexes to date.