There are a lot of questions about Luke Skywalker going into Star Wars: The Last Jedi, not the least of which, is what exactly is his relationship with the Dark Side. Now, Mark Hamill clarifies some things about his character. While some have theorized that Luke may go full Dark Side in the new film, Mark Hamill says that this older Luke Skywalker isn't evil, he's simply a man who has lost his confidence. According to Hamill..
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke has lost confidence in his ability to make good choices. It haunts him to the core. But he hasn't gone to the dark side. This isn't an evil version of him. But it's still an incarnation of the character I never expected. It has pulled me out of my comfort zone. It's a real challenge.
We get a serious indication of what Mark Hamill is talking about in the newest trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In the trailer Luke says that he made a mistake not being afraid of the sort of power that Rey has once before. One assumes he's talking about his training of Ben Solo. The fact that he lost Ben to the Dark Side and Supreme Leader Snoke is haunting Luke, but Mark Hamill tells Disney Rewards magazine that it hasn't driven him to the Dark Side, simply that he no longer has faith in his own abilities and decisions.
This should put a few minds at ease if fans were afraid that they might be losing Star Wars ' biggest hero to the bad guys. There certainly have been indications that such a thing might happen. Previously, we've heard Luke say that it was time for the Jedi "to end," which is a sentiment that we'd certainly expect to hear from somebody trying to destroy the Jedi, not the only remaining member of their ranks. There was also the circumstantial poster situation, which put Luke in a position often inhabited by the villains of Star Wars movies. The evidence of a Dark Side Luke was minimal, but it certainly existed.
Of course, just because Luke Skywalker won't be joining the Dark Side, doesn't mean that another hero won't be. The trailer certainly wants us to believe that Rey might make that choice, and while it's possible that is also intentional misdirection, we're certainly going to be waiting to see what happens in the end. We certainly expect some sort of major twist in the new film, an "I am your father" sort of moment, but at this point that could be any number of things.
If you want to be the first to see what happens, be sure you pre-order your tickets to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. We'll all get to see what happens on December 15.
