Star Wars: Mark Hamill Addresses Yoda/Luke & Luke/Rey Comparisons

When the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuted, fans were still left wondering about […]

September 5, 2017, 5:36pm

When the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuted, fans were still left wondering about Luke Skywalker’s role in the new trilogy. The Force Awakens only referenced the legendary Jedi until he appeared briefly at its end. When Star Wars‘ eighth film debuts, fans will be left to learn about the character’s mysterious exile and the supposed connection he shares with Rey. Some fans have even gone so far as to compare Luke’s impending relationship with Rey to the one he had in the original trilogy with Yoda. However, if you were to ask Hamill about the two, the actor would hold off on confirming any sort of comparison.

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Back at Star Wars Celebration, The Star Wars Show was able to speak with the cast of The Last Jedi. It was there that Hamill was questioned about the growing comparisons fans are making between Yoda/Luke and Luke/Rey.

“We are seeing him take the position of Yoda to a Jedi for the first time,” the interviewer noted before asking Hamill how he felt about that.

“Well, I can’t confirm everything you just said,” Hamill answered. “I think the only story point given is it’s time for the Jedi to end.”

Of course, Hamill would be hard-pressed to say anything about the upcoming film given the secrecy Lucasfilm holds over the project. The film’s teaser only briefly showed Rey training from a distance with her lightsaber, and a silhouette of Luke could be seen observing her.

When looked at from a high-flown level, there are some undeniable similarities between the two training eras. In The Empire Strikes Back, fans watched as Luke landed on the remote planet Dagobah where the Force was ever-present. Yoda sought refuge on the planet when he went into exile after the Jedi Order was destroyed. It was there that Luke learned the ways of the Force before Yoda passed, leaving his spirit to become one with the Force.

As for Luke, the character has found himself on another remote planet called Ach-To. There is no known Force connection with the planet, but Jedi scholars did once suggest the Jedi Order’s first temple should be built upon its rocky shores. When Luke tried to rebuild the order and failed thanks to Ben Solo’s turn, the Jedi went into a self-imposed exile to find the first Jedi Temple. Rey then located the man on Ach-To at the end of The Force Awakens.

If The Last Jedi acts as a replica of The Empire Strikes Back‘s training session, then things may turn out poorly for Luke. Yoda did perish after training the Jedi, but fans are hopeful that Luke won’t do the same after Rey absorbs his teachings. There’s also no telling how Luke will compare as a teacher in the face of Yoda’s peculiar wisdom. The teaser for The Last Jedi seemed to stress Luke isn’t in a great place following his Order’s destruction.

If all goes well, Rey might just be able to change that.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, from writer/director Rian Johnson, is in post-production now for a December 15, 2017 release. The film follows-up and continues the story of the next generation of the saga as Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren find their place in the galaxy and follow the legacy of Luke Skywalker, Leia, and Han Solo. Daisy Ridley returns to star as Rey, with other returning stars John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Peter Mayhew, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Lupita Nyong’o Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa. Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern join the cast in as-yet-unrevealed roles.