Mark Hamill Had A Different, More Emotional Ending In Mind For 'The Force Awakens'

The end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens dealt quite a blow to fans with the death of Han Solo at the hands of his son Ben, who turned to the dark side as Kylo Ren. Sadly, the death of Han Solo means that fans won't get to see a reunion between their favorite smuggler and his old pal, Luke Skywalker. That's something that definitely bums Mark Hamill out, and he expressed as much in a new interview. The actor then went on to discuss a The Force Awakens alternate ending he thought of while reading the script, one that would have added even more emotional weight to the death of Han Solo.

At Star Wars Celebration, Mark Hamill was asked by Fandango if he lamented not having a reunion with Han Solo in The Force Awakens, to which the actor answered with this lengthy response:

"Absolutely. In fact, I was reading and thought if Leia is trying to mentally contact me and she's not successful, she'll rush to his aid. She'll get close to him and then get into some dire situation and THAT'S when I show up for a big 'yay'. Save her life, then we rush to Han and are in the same position that Rey and Finn and Chewie are in. Too late to save him, but witnesses. Because it would carry so much emotional resonance into the next film. For us: his wife, his best friend to witness. Instead of two characters that have known him, what, 20 minutes? [Besides] Chewie. I thought that was a great missed opportunity."

That last bit sounds like Hamill is throwing a bit of shade at the ending of The Force Awakens, and he's not entirely wrong. Rey and Finn have known Han Solo not even an entire day, and yet Rey is crying and Finn is pissed. Though Rey does have a lovely bond with the smuggler, and Finn clearly knows him because of his reputation, not to mention a quick pep talk about lying about who he is, there would have been much more emotional resonance if Luke and Leia were there to witness Han's death along with them.

Though beyond that added harrowing touch, that ending with Luke and Leia present doesn't make much sense. First, if Luke was there, it might have been much easier to stop Kylo Ren in the act. Plus, the lead-up to get Luke and Leia to Starkiller Base to witness the death of Han would be rather contrived. It also would have changed the entire trajectory of the sequel since Rey wouldn't be seeking out Luke, still in hiding. Mark Hamill's idea was also something that he thought of before he knew the path Luke might take, and him interfering with something like this seems a little out of character, based on what little we know about him at this point in time.