With any film, there are going to be scenes that just don’t make the final cut — but luckily, those moments tend to be released as Blu-ray or streaming extras later on. That’s something that’s happening now with Disney+, which is making a number of deleted scenes from Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe available for subscribers to watch.
That includes Luke Skywalker’s original introduction from A New Hope, which offered a very different perspective on the character. The footage briefly shows Luke interacting with other denizens of Tatooine, right after seeing Darth Vader invade Princess Leia’s ship from way down on the planet’s surface. Mark Hamill had some strong feelings about that particular scene being cut, saying that the dialogue added depth to Luke’s character.
Hamill talked about the scene on an episode of Russo Bros. Pizza Film School, an Instagram Live series the Russo Bros. created to entertain fans during the coronavirus pandemic. According to him, the scene makes it clear that Luke is not popular among his peers, showing a side of him fans don’t really know, because just about everyone in the Rebellion comes to love and respect him fairly quickly. But more importantly, it shows a naivety that the character overcomes as the trilogy continues.
"And then I bump into Biggs Darklighter, played by Garrick Hagon, and I go, ‘Wow!’ You can see we’re good friends. He’s dressed in an Imperial uniform and I’m going, ‘Wow! That’s so great! I can’t wait until I can get off this dump of a planet and join with you.’"
Yes, you read that right. Luke was planning to join the Imperial forces. Luckily, Biggs tells the boy that he’s “jumping ship” and joining the rebels ASAP, and Luke quickly becomes wrapped up in the Rebellion.
“The only reason that is interesting to me is that Luke has no political persuasion,” Hamill explained. “He thinks it’s great he is in the Empire! Luke wants to be in the Empire if it will get him off the farm! So, he is completely pure in that he is not politically motivated in any way, shape, or form.”
Given what we know of Luke now, it’s hard to imagine there was a time when Luke wasn’t political, but that’s Hamill’s point. Luke’s original stance showcases how much the actions of the Empire (and Luke bearing witness to them) change the character.
Should this scene have been included in A New Hope? Discuss
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