Mark Hamill was “impressed” by the Star Wars prequel trilogy

Before the Star Wars sequel films dominated the discourse, the fandom was talking about the prequels. George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy got a bad rap early on, but it’s reputation has improved since Lucasfilm introduced newer projects. Of course, some viewers never understood the animosity toward Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christen) backstory, including original trilogy star Mark Hamill.

That’s right, the man behind Luke Skywalker actually enjoyed the Star Wars prequels. Despite the overwhelming consensus that they fell short of the original trilogy, Hamill felt the films received the same undue hatred many other projects receive on social media.

During an interview with IndieWire, Hamill shared what he likes about Anakin’s story — and why he believes fans may have been less impressed with it:

"I was impressed the prequels had their own identity. They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of Star Wars films, but across the board."

He makes a good point that social media has given unhappy fans more of a platform to vent their frustrations. That’s something we’ve seen happen with the sequel movies as well.

How did Mark Hamill feel about the Star Wars sequel trilogy?

Hamill may have been “impressed” by the Star Wars prequel films, but what about the sequel trilogy? The actor reprised his role as Luke Skywalker for the occasion, and fans have questioned how he felt about the character’s fate in The Last Jedi. 

The newer additions to the Star Wars universe have taken a lot of criticisms, and some fans believe Hamill may have his own problems with them. However, while he didn’t necessarily agree with everything that went down during the sequels, Hamill doesn’t want fans to assume he dislikes them.

Speaking with Den of Geek, Hamill avoided coming down too harshly on the sequels. After seeing his comments taken out of context, he admitted he’s being more careful about sharing his thoughts online:

"If I were to answer your questions on paper, I’d think: oh, that sounds a little strong, or, I shouldn’t say this. But I have a tendency just to talk and talk and talk, and you can cherrypick. You know, I’ll be reading something, and say, ‘What moron said this?’ and then realize, ‘Oh, it’s me.’ They can take selective comments you’ve made out of context and use it to support their argument: ‘See, Mark hated Star Wars!’ ‘Did I?’"

Whatever Hamill’s feelings about the newer films, they didn’t stop him from getting involved in The Mandalorian season 2. In that sense, it seems Hamill will always be a big supporter of the franchise that defined his career — even if fans have negative things to say at times.

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