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Mark Hamill Asks When the 'Star Wars' Fandom Got So 'Contentious'

By Mae Harrington O'Neill

Mark Hamill reflects on how passionate, and even "contentious" the 'Star Wars' fandom is.
Mark Hamill reflects on how passionate, and even "contentious" the 'Star Wars' fandom is. / Rich Fury/Getty Images

The Skywalker Saga of Star Wars concluded last year with the release of The Rise of Skywalker, wrapping up a nine-part story that began with Luke Skywalker dreaming of a life filled with adventure and purpose. Mark Hamill played Luke since 1977 and he recently took to Twitter to commemorate his time as the iconic character, calling the end of the saga "bittersweet."

It's no secret that with a franchise as popular and long-standing as Star Wars, people have strong opinions about the story and don't always agree with the direction the filmmakers choose to go. It seems that some Star Wars fans get so worked up about what they think would or wouldn't happen in a galaxy far, far away that they think it's okay to attack people trying to do their jobs. Although he has hung up his lightsaber for good, Hamill recently spoke up about the tension he perceives in the fandom.

"I don’t know when, over the period of time, fandom became so contentious. But people are really opinionated, and you can’t help but be opinionated yourself, because you’ve lived with the character so long," Hamill said to The Daily Beast. "So whether it was on Episode VII, VIII or IX, I’d have disagreements, and I would say to whoever it was, ‘Well, I don’t know if that’s right.’ But everyone shares the same goal: you want to make the best movie you can."

In an interview with Den of Geek in 2019, Hamill reflected on why he was disappointed with Luke's arc in the most recent trilogy. "I just thought, 'Luke’s never going to see [Han] again," he shared. "You look at it in a self-centred [sic] way. I said that it was a big mistake that [Han, Luke, and Leia] would never reunite in any way. I guess I was wrong, because nobody seems to care!"

I cared, Mark! At the end of the day, even if people have complaints about the movies, nothing is going to change what has already been released, so you might as well relax and focus on the great parts of Star Wars by checking out this May the Fourth celebration compilation.