The return of Luke Skywalker to the Star Wars universe is something fans have waited a long, long time for. His appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was merely a tease at what was to come. But in next month's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Jedi Knight makes a proper return to that galaxy far, far away to meet with new faces and reunite with old ones. For fans of the franchise, the prospect of seeing Luke Skywalker interact with Chewie, R2-D2 and hopefully, Leia, again, is a very emotional thing. The man playing the last Jedi, Mark Hamill, spoke about the unexpected emotions he experienced returning to the Millennium Falcon after all these years.
I'm telling you, I didn't expect to have the reaction I had. ... It was sort of like visiting an old house that you lived in when you were a kid. I mean, I just welled up with emotion and I said, 'I need to be by myself.' ... They had recreated it down to every last detail that I remember. The oil drips, the hanging pipes, just everything. The dice in the cockpit.
While not the noted curmudgeon that Harrison Ford is, Mark Hamill has been known to be very honest with his opinions about his character and storytelling decisions in the Star Wars films. It is cool to hear that being back in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon can have this kind of effect on him. He has spoken about how filming Star Wars: The Last Jedi was like A New Hope, but this is more emotional and relatable. There are people and places from your youth that have seas of emotion and memory tied to them. They are immune to the effects of time, maturity and cynicism and going back to such a place after a long time away can be a profound experience. This also speaks to the intricacy and level of care the team at Lucasfilm has put into the Millennium Falcon set. Mark Hamill also spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how his return to the iconic ship brought home how much the saga means to people.
All of this, happening to me again was... it's hard to put into words. I figured when the prequels came out, plus a few years, people would forget about us. But it never really went away.
Indeed Star Wars is evergreen and is never truly forgotten, and when it is gone, it is deeply missed. For Mark Hamill this must be a indescribable experience to have so much enthusiasm for Star Wars again and specifically him. He seems to be enjoying every minute of it and appears to relish engaging with the fans that love him so much. Here's hoping he survives to enjoy this experience again when Episode IX hits.
Will Luke go dark? What's happened to him? Why is he in hiding and what will happen with him and Rey? All, or more likely, some of these questions will be answered when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. Pre-order your tickets for opening weekend now.
