Star Wars: Mark Hamill Recalls the Daffy Duck Cartoon George Lucas Wanted Shown Before Screenings

With Mark Hamill being one of the most active members of the Star Wars franchise on social media, he often offers anecdotes and insight about the galaxy far, far away, with one of his recent posts confirming that series creator George Lucas had originally wanted the Daffy Duck short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century to screen ahead of showings of Star Wars: A New Hope to get audiences in the right frame of mind for the adventure. The animated short, which was a riff on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, would bring with it an inherent sense of playfulness to alert audiences that the film they were about to see was meant to embrace that spirit of adventure without being too serious.

“George really did want this classic Daffy Duck cartoon shown before every screening of [Star Wars],” Hamill shared on Twitter. “It would’ve been an icebreaker to let the audience know what was coming was less than dead serious. I was disappointed when we couldn’t get the rights to it & it didn’t happen.”

With the original Star Wars trilogy, Lucas synthesized a number of iconic legends and influences to craft a seminal work of embracing a courageous path instead of descending into darkness. In the decades since the original trilogy’s release, fans have subsequently debated about the intended audience for the narratives, with some fans thinking the series has gotten too playful as others think it gets too serious and somber.

Despite parting ways from the franchise when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Lucas himself has previously detailed how his intentions were always to instill honorable traits into impressionable viewers.

“It’s a film for 12-year olds. This is what we stand for,” Lucas shared at Star Wars Celebration back in 2017. “You’re about to enter the real world. You’re moving away from your parents. You’re probably scared, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Here’s what you should pay attention to: friendships, honesty, trust, doing the right thing. Living on the light side, avoiding the dark side.”

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Star Wars franchise.