Mark Hamill has racked up an impressive body of work, but his most iconic role has to be Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. Luke’s arguably one of the biggest heroic figures in modern-day film history, as his rise from farm boy to Jedi Master makes for a compelling story. But while Hamill did eventually return for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, he’s pumped the brakes on any future Luke Skywalker appearances. While discussing The Life of Chuck with ComicBook.com, Hamill discussed his time with the franchise and why he won’t be returning:
“I am so grateful to [creator George Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made…We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that. But I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
Hamill’s comments aren’t just well thought out, but they also make a great deal of sense, especially considering where Star Wars is at the moment.
The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy Gave Luke Skywalker a Complete Story
Mark Hamill’s comments about focusing on the future of Star Wars make sense, especially since the “Skywalker Saga”—the official title for the nine main films in the Star Wars franchise—chronicle the full life of Luke Skywalker and his father, Anakin. In Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, Luke learns that his father was a Jedi and starts to train under Obi-Wan Kenobi before joining the Rebel Alliance and blowing up the Death Star. Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back throws the infamous bombshell that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. And Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi reveals the events that led to Luke’s new Jedi Order dissolving and his nephew Ben Solo transforming into Kylo Ren.
Throughout these films, Luke undergoes a massive change. He starts out as a naive young man looking for adventure, then evolves into a freedom fighter, then transforms into a Jedi before dealing with his own personal failures. Given the events that happen in the Skywalker Saga, there’s not really much more that can be done with the character. But even though the story of Star Wars’ greatest hero has ended, the galaxy far, far away has plenty of stories to tell.
Star Wars Projects Have Begun To Expand Beyond the Skywalker Saga
Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t just the grand conclusion to the Skywalker Saga, but it also marked the last time a Star Wars movie was on screen, at least, for a while (more on that later.) But the Star Wars franchise has thrived thanks to a series of television shows on Disney+ that explore different eras and elements of the Star Wars universe. With Skeleton Crew, fans got a story that featured younger protagonists and also delved into the “wretched hive of scum and villainy” in the galaxy, particularly pirates. The Acolyte leapt back to the early days of the Jedi Order. Star Wars: Visions allows different anime studios to put their own spin on a galaxy far, far away, resulting in stories like “The Ninth Jedi”—which simultaneously feel like a throwback to and yet completely different from anything in Star Wars. While there have been ups and downs, for the most part, these shows are introducing new characters and trying to do something new with Star Wars.
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“We never expected it to become a permanent franchise.”
It all began with The Mandalorian, which ironically features Luke Skywalker in its Season 2 finale, “The Rescue.” While Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) goes to rescue his Force-sensitive charge, Grogu, from Imperial Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), things end up taking a surprising turn when Luke—having been contacted by Grogu via the Force—arrives on Gideon’s ship. What follows is a scene that some fans had been waiting to see: Luke pulling out his green lightsaber and carving through droid troopers, even using the Force to crumple one up like a soda can. Luke also decides to try and train Grogu in the ways of the Force, though the pint-sized powerhouse decides to reunite with Djarin. While it was cool to see Luke again, the de-aging technology used on Hamill’s visage felt extremely off at times, not to mention the fact that most of his dialogue wasn’t even performed by him but by a digital program called Respeecher. That’s a lot of work to bring a character back, not to mention constantly bringing Luke back would draw the focus away from Djarin. In any case, Djarin is going to continue to be a new figure in Star Wars lore, especially since The Mandalorian and Grogu will bring Star Wars back to the silver screen.
Fans Looking for More Luke Skywalker Stories Should Check Out the Star Wars Comics
While Mark Hamill’s shut the door on any future Star Wars appearances, Luke Skywalker’s journey has been fleshed out in the Star Wars comics published by Marvel. When Jason Aaron and the late John Cassaday launched a Star Wars ongoing series in 2015, they explored how Luke, despite destroying the Death Star, was still struggling to master the Force—even revealing that Obi-Wan Kenobi had left him a series of journals chronicling his time on Tatooine. Charles Soule would explore the fallout of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and show how Luke dealt with learning Vader was his father. Now Alex Segura and Phil Noto have launched a new series that takes place in between Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will explore what Luke, his sister Leia, and Han Solo were doing during that time period. While Luke Skywalker might not be the Last Jedi, Mark Hamill’s time with Star Wars has ended…but it doesn’t mean Luke’s story, or Star Wars as a whole, should stop either.