Star Wars: Mark Hamill Details How He Wanted Luke to Turn to the Dark Side

When it comes to Star Wars fans, everyone thinks they know what’s best for the franchise, which includes actor Mark Hamill thinking that Luke Skywalker should have turned to the Dark Side in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Luckily, series creator George Lucas and his intentions for the trilogy prevailed, with Lucas going on to remind Hamill that the series was meant to explore the classic tropes of good triumphing over evil, as they were intended to inspire younger audiences as opposed to being gritty and complex narratives that would challenge adults with more mature and dark storytelling revelations.

“I remember complaining to George about something in Revenge of the Jedi,” Hamill shared with SiriusXM. “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.”

He added, “He’s the man. He knows what he wants, and I realized he was right. He said, ‘All fairy tales get tied up neatly at the end.’ Because I thought after [Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back] we should really go crazy as possible with the last one, but there’s a reason why George is where he is and I’m where I am.”

While this isn’t necessarily new information, as Hamill as revealed this anecdote on multiple occasions, it serves as a testament to Hamill’s passion for the character and the number of times his wishes for a character deviated from a Star Wars director’s goals. These conflicts have continued in recent years, as Hamill didn’t entirely agree with how writer/director Rian Johnson depicted Luke for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Making matters even more ironic is that, while Hamill wanted to see his character turn to the Dark Side decades ago, it was Luke’s detachment from the ways of being a Jedi that Hamill took issue with in The Last Jedi.

“Well, I thought I was turning evil,” Hamill continued. “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.”

The entire Skywalker Saga is now streaming on Disney+.

Would you have liked to see Luke turn to the Dark Side? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!