‘Star Wars’: Mark Hamill Discussed Luke’s Whereabouts Alongside J.J. Abrams, Eight Years Ago

During a roundtable that included Mark Hamill and J.J. Abrams, Kevin Smith brought up Star Wars, and we got what could be part of the plotline for Episode VII… eight years earlier. In the eerie 2006 video of the talk show Dinner For Five (unearthed by Decider.com), we can hear the original cast member talk about his take on what has happened to the hero after the events of Return of the Jedi.

One of the biggest secrets Abrams — who is the director of Star Wars Episode VII — is trying to keep under wraps, before the much anticipated sequel comes to theaters, is what have Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts been for the last 30 years. Did he walk into the sunshine and live happily ever after with his friends? Not surprisingly, there are all sorts of theories and conjecture after images of Hamill, sporting a rather bushy (“contractually obligated”) beard, surfaced recently.

Many believe Luke Skywalker has been living like a hermit on a remote island. The Star Wars cast member was also spotted filming on the island of Skellig Michael, off the coast of Ireland, earlier this summer, which led to even more speculation that, indeed, Luke is a recluse this time around.

@HamillHimself Looking good buddy! Nice beard. #lukeskywalker #StarWarsEpisodeVII pic.twitter.com/D7ThwfllEQ

— Collin Long (@MagicSpaceman) October 2, 2014

In the original Star Wars, Luke Skywalker starts as an innocent in all things evil, and ignorant about what exactly happened to his Jedi father, Anakin Skywalker, all those years ago. An android auction changes the course of the unsuspecting hero’s life, when his uncle purchases R2D2, who is carrying an urgent message for Princess Leia, his lost twin sister.

After his aunt and uncle are brutally murdered by the Empire, Luke leaves his home planet, Tatooine, in search of Leia alongside Obi Wan Kenobi, who has introduced him to the ways of the old Jedi knights and the Force. He eventually becomes a Jedi and successfully defeats the Death Star and Emperor Palpatine.

According to Wookiepedia, a website about all things Star Wars, Luke is a conflicted character in later years.

“Throughout the succeeding decades, Skywalker helped keep peace throughout the galaxy as the New Republic slowly defeated small remnants of the Empire. When Palpatine returned in the form of several clone bodies, Luke temporarily fell to the dark side and became the resurrected Emperor’s apprentice, but was later redeemed with the help of his friends, and he continued with his goal of reviving the Jedi Order.”

We don’t know many details about the Star Wars Episode VII plotline; the only thing that has been confirmed by Abrams is that the action picks up 30 years after Return of the Jedi. We also know that this time the Expanded Universe is out the window, so expect the unexpected.

So far, Abrams hasn’t even revealed the title of this first episode of the new trilogy and is keeping everyone guessing (maybe if he threw us a bone we could stop this crazy speculation). In the meantime watch the video in which Mark Hamill and J.J. Abrams joined the same roundtable eight years ago. The Star Wars conversation starts at about 10:50.

[Image via Lucasfilm]