Mark Hamill Says Luke’s Backstory “Not Important” In ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

The seventh film in the Star Wars introduced many new mysteries in the galaxy far, far away. And while fans are waiting for hints and answers about Rey’s parents and Snoke’s identity in the new film, don’t expect any huge reveals about Luke Skywalker‘s time between The Force Awakens and Return of the Jedi.

In a new interview with Disney Insider, star Mark Hamill said he had to make up some of Luke’s backstory for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

“The biggest challenge for me was actually in the time between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” said Hamill. “I had to know what had happened to Luke during those years. I had to glean decades of backstory from the script. And some of it I had to make up for myself. I had to know what he went through during that time.”

So did Hamill’s story ideas become incorporated into the script, or did writer and director Rian Johnson later provide more insight into the character’s background?

No, actually. Apparently, Luke’s time between fighting Darth Vader on the second Death Star and being found in hiding on Ahch-To won’t be a major factor in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

“It’s not important to the storyline for this film, but I did discuss some of my thoughts with Rian Johnson to make sure I wasn’t coming up with anything in my personal backstory that would affect Luke’s portrayal in this film,” Hamill said.

While this may be disappointing to fans who were hoping to learn more about Luke’s time between the trilogies, they should take solace in knowing the fan-favorite Jedi will not succumb to the Dark Side.

But that doesn’t mean the character won’t have experienced some major changes, as evidenced by his line in the trailer when he says “It’s time for the Jedi to end.”

“I’m sure this line is a great shock to the audience, so you can imagine how I felt!” Hamill said. “This is a huge change for a character who once represented optimism and hope. It’s a radical decision to drop out of everything he’s ever believed in. The entire movie is filled with these kinds of jaw-dropping surprises, but you’ll just have to see the film itself to discover what they are.”

Fans will finally get some insight into the mind of the Last Jedi when the newest Star Wars movie premieres on December 15.