The first two films in the new
Star Wars trilogy have been met with a mixed reception. The decisions made by directors J.J. Abrams (
The Force Awakens) and Rian Johnson (
The Last Jedi) have not only not sat well with a lot of fans, but even Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, has expressed displeasure in his character's role in the new trilogy.
Luke, of course, was only featured momentarily at the end of
The Force Awakens, much to the actor's displeasure. Johnson's
The Last Jedi attempted to explain why the Jedi Master had been in hiding for so long, but the dark reasoning didn't sit well with Hamill either.
While the actor has accepted his character taking a backseat in the new trilogy, there's absolutely one decision that still frustrates him to this day - the fact that Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess/General Leia were not seen on screen together at the same time.
"Everyone talks about the shock of realizing that in Force Awakens I don't come in until the last page. A bigger shock to me was them killing Han Solo before Luke could ever see his best friend again. It might be so selfishly motivated, but I said, 'Holy cow, that's a real missed opportunity.' Even having the three of us together briefly."
Hamill went on to reveal a scene idea that he pitched to
The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams that would've allowed all three iconic characters on screen together for one last adventure.
"I pitched Abrams on the idea of having me come in at the end, but how about Leia's trying to contact me telepathically. She gets frustrated because there's no answer, so she rushes to the new Death Star. She almost gets there when she's stopped by two stormtroopers. Just before she's abducted, one stormtrooper turns to the other, blows him away, pulls off his helmet and says, 'Hi sis, I'm here to rescue you.' I said, 'It'll blow the roof off the joint.'"
Admittedly, it sounds pretty cheesy; but, there's no denying fans would've loved to see all three beloved characters on screen together one final time. Hamill also maintains that Luke and Leia witnessing Han Solo's death would've made it more impactful.
"I'm still in it at the very end and I think it's more effective to have people who really have a history with Han Solo witness his death and be unable to stop that instead of two characters that have known him, what, 20 minutes? But they get the keys to the kingdom, and they're the deciders, so you just have to live with it.
Do you think Abrams missed a golden opportunity by not reuniting Luke, Han, and Leia in
Star Wars: The Force Awakens?