When we meet Luke Skywalker again in Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, he’s a rather haggard version of himself, living as a loner on an island in a distant part of the galaxy.
This was director Rian Johnson’s wish, for Luke to have shunned the ways of the Jedi, and fans were left feeling upset and angry that the Star Wars hero was a crusty old hermit.
Mark Hamill recently appeared on a podcast with Jesse Thorne, where he described his own motivations for this iteration of Luke, as an exclusive sneak peek into his thinking.
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He describes how much he respects Rian Johnson, and wanted to bring his own backstory to Luke, even if it wasn’t going to appear in the film.
Hamill says, “I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi. Well, the love of a woman.”
He goes on to tell a story of how Luke Skywalker ended up where he did, continuing, “So he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself.”
It’s a pretty harrowing tale of how Hamill felt Luke reached that point, shunning the Jedi, The Force, and his existence as hero.
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It’s a shame this wasn’t worked into the film, perhaps in a slightly milder incarnation, because it would have shown why Luke was at peace when he died.
He would have known that he’d get to see his family again, accepting one final chance to be a hero before he passed on.
It’s a horrifying history to give the beacon of hope, but it would certainly have worked, and explained more why Luke was so jaded.
Topics: Star Wars, TV And Film, Lucasfilm, Disney