Mark Hamill Has More 'Star Wars' Thoughts For You To Obsess Over
Mark Hamill is always down to talk about Star Wars, and he's never afraid to voice his opinions on the franchise. In a new interview, Hamill offers some new thoughts on The Last Jedi, the prospect of seeing Luke in Episode 9 , and more.
Mark Hamill has some more thoughts on Star Wars, and he'd like you hear them. Speaking with Games Radar, Hamill weighed in on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the possibility of appearing in future films, and some of that pesky fan backlash. It's a frank and honest interview, as is the case with most interviews with Hamill. Spoilers for The Last Jedi follow, so if you've somehow avoided seeing the film, be warned.
Snoke and Fan Backlash
Some Star Wars fans were severely Mad Online about the surprising choices director Rian Johnson made with The Last Jedi. While I won't say every single criticism of the film is incorrect, it certainly seemed like the major complaint most fans had amounted to "I expected the film to do one thing, and it did something else instead, and now I don't know how to react."
For his part, Hamill says he understands why some people got upset. "I relate to the fans because I'm a fan myself," the actor says. "I understand that they have a deep investment, a sense of ownership, because I do too and the problem is, you just can't please everyone."
That said, Hamill does think anyone who get upset by the sudden, shocking death of Snoke is just being silly:
"I was surprised everyone was so upset that they got rid of Snoke. From Rian's point of view, it was a big favourite for [Episode] 9 because he's not important. It clears the deck to have the conflict between Kylo and Rey without him getting in the way and having to explain if he's a clone or if he's related to Palpatine...all that stuff".
Broom Boy: The Saga Continues
The Last Jedi ends with a powerful moment in which a kid working on the stables on Canto Bight looks to the stars, his broom clutched in his hand like a lightsaber. This character, who has earned the goofy nickname of Broom Boy, is Rian Johnson's way of signifying the Star Wars story is bigger than just the characters we've grown used to. It's spread throughout the galaxy, inspiring countless people we may never even meet.
Some people don't like the Broom Boy ending (what a surprise!), but Hamill is on board with it:
"What I love particularly was – and they didn't have to do this because the movie's over – all of a sudden you cut to the stable and there's that little boy, he puts out his hand and the broom comes to him...It's so subtle, the first time I saw it I thought he just took it, but if you look he puts his hand out and it moves over for him, implying that yeah, she's [Rey's] the last Jedi...until the next Jedi. It'll go on forever, believe me. Long after both of us are gone they'll be making these films from here into eternity."
He's right, folks.
Luke In Episode 9
Luke dies at the end of The Last Jedi, but anyone who happens to be Force sensitive in the Star Wars franchise is never truly dead. There's always the option of returning as a Force Ghost. So will that happen with Luke in Star Wars: Episode 9? Hamill says he "hasn't really thought about it", primarily because he feels like Luke's story had a great sense of closure in The Last Jedi. Hamill also adds the the prospect of returning isn't very appealing since there's not really a chance of him acting alongside Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher again in a Star Wars sequel:
"I haven't really thought about it because there's such a sense of closure, Luke's story is told. What more can I do? And you know, you have to start disconnecting from it emotionally...The main thing [that shocked me in Star Wars: The Force Awakens] was – Han Solo is killed! I'll never get to work with Harrison again. Luke will never see Han again. That's what struck me, that was the first break, we lost a member of the band. And then what happened with Luke [in The Last Jedi], I said 'Ok, that's the next link' when I was still thinking I'll come back as a Force ghost. And then to lose Carrie in real life, I said 'That's it'. They say you can never go home again, and that for me was the real indication that it's time to move on."
A part of me feels like Hamill is being coy here – there's no way the idea of appearing in Episode 9 hasn't crossed his mind once or twice. That said, I somewhat agree with him that Luke's story did have closure in The Last Jedi, and it's not essential for J.J. Abrams to bring the character back for Episode 9.