Star Wars 8: Millennium Falcon Is ‘Filled With Ghosts’ For Luke

Mark Hamill describes his emotions returning to the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but it doesn’t sound like it will be a happy reunion for Luke Skywalker. The old Jedi Master will step aboard the iconic vehicle for the first time since The Empire Strikes Back in Episode VIII, an emotional moment that was revealed in one of the TV spots that have come out over the last month. While Han Solo is the character most identified with the Falcon, it has plenty of sentiment for Luke as well. After all, it was there he took his first steps into a larger world and changed his life forever.

When Han and Chewbacca found their old home in The Force Awakens, it was a scene of heartwarming nostalgia, meant to inspire cheers and applause from the audience. Odds are, the tone will be slightly different when Luke enters the cockpit, as Skywalker is haunted by the mistakes of his past, including the fall of his nephew (and Han’s son) Ben Solo. Seeing the Falcon for the first time in years will be a painful reminder of Luke’s failures.

In an interview with EW as part of their coverage on The Last Jedi, Hamill discussed how he felt when he stepped aboard the Falcon, remarking that the set was extensively reconstructed to be identical to the one from the original trilogy:

“I’m telling you, I didn’t expect to have the reaction I had. I was there with my family, with [my children] Nathan and Griffin and Chelsea and my wife Marilou, and [Lucasfilm] asked if the documentary crew could be there when I came back on the Millennium Falcon. I mean, this was not on the shooting day. I was just street clothes and going to visit that set. And I said, ‘Sure.’

It was sort of like visiting an old house that you lived in when you were a kid. I mean, I just welled up with emotion and I said, ‘I need to be by myself.’”

Hamill may have welled up with emotion as the memories came flooding back to him, but Luke may have a dissimilar reaction. Director Rian Johnson told EW that this particular scene has “a lot of melancholy” because “that ship is just filled with ghosts for Luke.” From the sound of things, Luke never got a chance to reconcile with Han Solo following Ben’s turn to the dark side – an incident that tore the family apart forever. Skywalker no doubt has many regrets over what happened, which is part of the reason why he went into self-imposed exile. Seeing the Falcon without his old friend will make that hurt even worse.

Luke will never get a chance to speak to Han again, but he will have an opportunity to catch up with Solo’s co-pilot, Chewbacca. Many are curious to see how that scene plays out. Chewie took Han’s death harder than anybody, so he could hold Luke responsible for what happened, making this an uneasy reunion. Still, it’s been years since the Jedi and the Wookiee saw each other, so they may just be happy for each other’s company, mourning the loss of Han together. The Force Awakens blew by that plot point, barely giving the audience a chance to grieve. Luke and Chewie embracing would be a nice way of giving viewers closure before everyone tries to move on.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Star Wars 8/Star Wars: The Last Jedi release date: Dec 15, 2017
Solo: A Star Wars Story release date: May 25, 2018
Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: Episode IX release date: Dec 20, 2019