Mark Hamill Explains His Much Darker Backstory for Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi

Mark Hamill has revealed new insights into the backstory he created for Luke Skywalker’s transformation into the ‘suicidal hermit’ seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Despite his initial public dissatisfaction with the film’s portrayal of Luke, Hamill has since clarified his views and provided an explanation for Luke’s exile that is much darker than what was shown on screen.

While Hamill has always been open about his disagreements with the film’s direction, he expressed his respect for director Rian Johnson and his work on the movie. During a recent interview on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, Hamill explained how he was uncomfortable with the way Luke’s motivations were presented. According to Hamill, Johnson crafted a solid story overall, but the reasoning behind Luke’s retreat to the isolated island didn’t sit well with him.

Hamill recalled their conversations during filming, where he questioned why Luke would abandon the Jedi Order and become a recluse after the fall of his own students. In his head canon, Hamill envisioned a much more tragic and personal reason for Luke’s retreat. He suggested that Luke gave up being a Jedi after falling in love with a woman, only to lose both her and their child in a heartbreaking accident. This emotional devastation, Hamill believed, could explain why Luke gave up on the Force and went into hiding.

“I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi?” Hamill mused. “Well, the love of a woman. So he falls in love, has a child, but the child tragically dies when it accidentally activates a lightsaber. The wife, overcome with grief, takes her own life. That’s a kind of trauma that could break someone, even a Jedi like Luke.”

Hamill admitted that this backstory was never going to make it into the film, but he felt it provided a more fitting explanation for Luke’s despair. He also acknowledged that Johnson’s choice to have Luke abandon his mission in the face of adversity was a valid artistic decision, though it didn’t align with Hamill’s vision for the character.

Despite his differences with the film, Hamill made it clear that he fully committed to bringing his portrayal of Luke to life. He also confirmed that he would not return to the franchise for future films, emphasizing that he would not appear as a Force ghost in any upcoming projects.

The fallout from The Last Jedi continues to resonate within the Star Wars community, with many fans still divided over the film’s choices for beloved characters like Luke. As new Star Wars projects like The Mandalorian and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie prepare to release, it seems that the legacy of The Last Jedi will continue to shape the future of the franchise.