Why Luke Skywalker Is So Whiny In The Original Star Wars Trilogy, According To Mark Hamill

Luke on Tatooine in A New Hope

There is no franchise quite as beloved as Star Wars. The space opera has been shared and enjoyed for generations, with it often being passed down from parent to child. While everyone knows that Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker is hero of the property, he didn't exactly start off as a badass. Luke's introduction as a teenage moisture farmer didn't exactly inspire confidence, especially his first few scenes in A New Hope. Hardcore fans have umbrage with one specific line, where Luke whines about not being able to go to the Tosche Station with his friends. Now Hamill has revealed why he gave Luke that line, saying:

That's funny you mention the Tosche Station. I thought we might only be able to make the first film, because the second and third parts were predicated on how well the first one did. So I said, I'm going to have to make this as juvenile as I can so there's room for growth. And I sort of wanted to make it sound like I had four sisters and two brothers when you'd be in the car and they'd say things like, 'You said we could go to the mall.' So I wanted to give that flavor.

It looks like Luke Skywalker's way of speaking was a tool used by Mark Hamill to show the character's growth throughout the first Star Wars movie. The following two sequels were no guarantee, so Hamill believed he didn't have time to subtly show Luke's transformation from a boy to a Jedi. This explanation should make those hardcore fans feel better, especially those who have been mocking the character's voice for decades.

The Tosche Station line was the worst example of Luke's whininess in A New Hope, although he wasn't a character that shied away from strange vocal choices throughout the original trilogy. Check it out below.

Doesn't it just make your skin crawl? Luke ended up proving himself time and time again, but that line of dialogue is absolutely cringe-worthy. So having Mark Hamill's explanation all these years later is definitely a release, and will hopefully help the line stop being quite so hated.

After a long absence from the franchise, Luke finally returned in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film is available On Demand now, and physical copies will hit stores March 27th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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