Star Wars: Mark Hamill imagined a darker fate for Luke Skywalker

Concluding a film series can’t be an easy task, with the divisive reaction to the final film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, as Exhibit A. Decades before that, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi, hit theaters. It was better liked than Rise of Skywalker — most things are — but there were fans who had qualms with how George Lucas chose to wrap things up. In fact, even Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) questioned Lucas’ approach at first, complaining that the ending Luke and his friends got was “too predictable.”

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hamill admitted that he was expecting the trilogy to go somewhere darker in Return of the Jedi (originally dubbed Revenge of the Jedi), only to have Lucas remind him of who they were making this for.

"I remember complaining to George [Lucas] about something in Revenge of the Jedi. And I said, ‘It’s so predictable and pat,’ and he said, ‘Mark, don’t forget. These things were made for children.’ His original intention was to make movies for, you know, kids! Adolescents and younger. And we’re bringing our adult sensibilities to it and that’s where we go wrong."

Still, Hamill’s figured Luke was going to turn more to the Dark Side. “Well, I thought I was turning evil,” he said. “Because I was wearing all black. I thought I would go to the Dark Side in the last one. And, of course, you have to redeem yourself. But that movie is the way I felt it was going with the preceding episode. But every actor wants to play their own evil twin.”

And we’ve no doubt Hamill would have done a brilliant job if Luke had given in to the temptation to join his father and Emperor Palpatine. In fact, had the movies been made today, there’s a strong possibility such temptation would have appealed to the franchise’s many adult fans, especially given Kylo Ren’s popularity.

Still, there’s no denying Luke’s dedication to good is a refreshing part of the Skywalker Saga, and a large part of what saved the Rebellion in the end.

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