Mark Hamill dropping hints

Not really... What exactly are you trying to say?
Luke didn't show up in TFA because it's not how the script was built up. It could've been possible with a different script, but they concentrated on Han and the new characters in this version. Luke showing up from nowhere on SK base would've been super awkward fanfiction-ish deus ex writing. Maybe if some sort of final confrontation would've taken place on Ach-to it might've worked, but definitely not on SK base imo.

 

Like I said, it is not how the script was built up...

Imagine the situation. Han dies, Finn and Rey confront Kylo. Kylo defeats Finn and then Rey (they both have to fight otherwise their role in the movie is rendered pointless). Kylo almost kills Rey then Luke shows up from nowhere... He obviously defeats Kylo, but Kylo escapes. Ok, but then what? Since Luke suddenly appeared the tone and pacing of the movie is immidiately altered. You suddenly want answers from Luke and can't properly mourne Han's death. How does the movie end? Where does Luke go after Sk base blows up and why? Where do Finn and Rey go? Where is Chevie and the Falcon? What about Leia and her connection with Luke? What about the incomplete map arc, it's pointless now etc...
I'm not a writer, but it's pretty obvious that this version of the script couldn't have ended with Luke on SK base.

 

But you need to go into "what ifs" if you suggest a plot change like this.

He still can in the next episodes. Luke and Kylo's relation wasn't fleshed out enough in TFA for them to have a meaningful fight. Old Luke wasn't fleshed out at all. This isn't how you build up a story.

Yes, with a completely different script. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your idea, but for an ending like that they would've needed to create an entirely different story. Note how Michael Arndt dropped the idea of Luke appearing in the middle of the movie, since he immidiately changed the tone and focus.

I have to disagree, since this Luke could be a completely different character. 30 years have passed and many things happened.

 

*You're.
And I'm not disagreeing with anyone. I'm merely talking from the storyteller's perspective.
Btw Mark also supported the idea of Luke turning to the dark side in the end of ep VI (which Lucas rejected). How does that comply with your story?

Original trilogy Luke very certainly. Not to mention the destruction of the Hosnian system (where millions, if not billions died).
And yeah, him leaving everything back and just disappearing is not easy to accept, but maybe there's a good reason for it.
Yoda also went into exile after his first confrontation with Palatine (which he didn't even lose that much, in fact he held up very well against him, and Pappatine was rather lucky).
But this Luke isn't necessarily original trilogy Luke.

"Evidence", lol. This is not a crime scene. We're talking about evolving a story, and the progression of multiple characters in a completly different situation. If you can easely deduct what's exactly going to happen in the next chapters, then there isn't really a reason to tell the story.
Like I said, since Luke and Kylo's relation wasn't fleshed out at all in TFA, their fight would've been completly meaningless. You don't write major plotpoints into a script just for the sake of a "tradition" (which isn't really a tradition btw).

Not just major script points, but all of it. Like I said, if Luke appears on SK base, the movie can't be finished and everything TFA has built up is null and void.

This wasn't an easy story to write. The main cause of the problems is the new characters. Once an old one appears, you suddently don't care about the new ones at all. The tone and pacing is immidiately changed. Especially a character like Luke who needs to answer dozens of questions. Han's role as a mentor that joins them in the confrontation was perfectly incorporated. So was Leia's as a leader from the back. But Luke? Such a big character is very problematic. This movie would've had 6 (!) main characters and 3 of them iconic legends with 30 years of untold backstory.
Writing this story wasn't an easy job at all. Even Michael Arndt, (one of the best in the industry) struggled with it and after 8 months of work only fragments were created. If it was only Han, Luke and Leia (the old EU was told mostly by their perspective) it would've been much easier, but obviously the story needs a new generation to be able to continue.

 

Luke felt on Dagobah that Han and Leya were in danger and he runs to them for help, but Vader could've kill them all five times if he wanted to by the time Luke arives on Bespin , that was the story ;
Now he ( probably ) felt the destruction of the Republic's core planets , and he choose not to go 'guns blasing' against the starkiller base and first order, thats the story; he feels Han is in danger , maybe he also sees that he can't do nothing about it , or even considered what he was doing on the island is more important, like other posters said, people change and evolve .
In the end is the same discussion since tfa, people complain is a rehash , people complain the heroes are doing things a diferent way like they did in the ot , at least have the decency to wait until december to pass judges and post crap like MH is shiting all over SW, after all Mark is paid to act and Rian to direct.

 

Neither do I with your points, to be honest. It makes little sense for Luke not to do anything about the terrible things that happened in TFA. The explanation has to be very well written in order to me to accept it. Like the island dosen't let him leave or something similar (although that would be a bit forced).

I have to admit that I really liked the idea of having Luke as the McGuffin of ep VII. The race to find the missing jedi master could have been a very good movie.
When TFA is about this (the first half), it's actually good, but as soon as Starkiller base pops up and the focus swifts to rehasing the ending of ep IV, the story immidiately takes a sharp nosedive.
They could have explored the history of the Republic and the jedi order in the 30 years (at least partially, but certainly better than just Rey having an ambiguous vision) between VI and VII in a creative way, while delivering a fun adventure/drama movie. Like Rey finding relics while searching for Luke, exploring new and old planets/places, discovering more about the enemy, the force, and herself (pretty much what the concept art suggested). The entire thing could have culminated in an epic battle near Luke's hideout or near the last piece of the map or something similar.

So, while I overall still like TFA, I have to admit (especially after Rogue One) that it's not really well written. Arndt struggled to deliver the story in time and the JJ&Kasdan duo failed to do so as well. There are way too many things left unexplained and the fact that Rian recently tweeted that basically nothing (!) way layed out after TFA, suggests serious problems about ep VII's script. JJ really wanted to make the movie, and noone is denying his excitement and love towards SW, but he should've waited for a worthy story before starting the production. Kasdan himself once said that movies like Star Wars and Jaws don't just grow on trees. Writing a story for it is very hard. I think Disney should have let Arndt having that 18 extra months he needed for ep VII.

Although I still have high hopes towards the ST. For example the lightsaber-theory about Rey's parentage (which is unlikely to become the real deal though) pretty much proved me that there are ways to improve TFA. Rogue One was also good imo, much better than TFA. It managed to capture the essence of Star Wars while expanding its story and lore in a creative way, while also delivering a good standalone movie about hope and sacrifice. This is what the ST needs as well. They can't just let Star Wars become the next mediocre blockbuster- factory, like Marvel. What made Star Wars special was the story and characters, not just the visuals. And even though I dislike the prequel trilogy, I still believe that it's way more creative than most recent blockbusters.

So far I like what we've seen from ep VIII though. The Vanity Fair photos indicate something unique and special. Lets hope for the best.

 

Luke Skywalker Theory: Why Hamill "Fundamentally Disagreed" with the Direction of Luke in Star Wars Episode 8

– Hamill has previously said that he wished Luke had come in at the end of The Force Awakens to save the day

– So, Hamill views Luke as a brave hero

– If he "fundamentally disagreed" with the direction of Luke in The Last Jedi, then that means Luke likely will not fully fit this characterization in Episode 8

– Instead, the most likely scenario is that Luke will be a reluctant hero in The Last Jedi

– This fits with my previous theory that Luke will be in a bad place psychology to start out The Last Jedi and that he will initially resist or reject Rey’s pleas for him to join the fight against the First Order

– Link to the Full Article: http://starwarsanalysis.com/luke-skywalker-theory-vanity-fair/

 

These sequels aren't about Luke, per se, so having him do all these things in the OP would have been just taken away from the new cast as Michael Arndt supposedly did in his draft

The other thing is this; if Luke saved the day in every scene and come in all the time doing exactly like in the OT, then wouldn't people have griped about it being like the OT? People would say, oh they're ripping off the OT in which people already complain about.

Mark may have a point of how Luke should go, as he himself stated on Twitter he's been known to be wrong. Even in GL's version Luke would've been a cameo/Obi Wan type character.

This arc type is the opposite. Instead of Mentor coming to hero as Obi Wan did. The Hero comes to the Mentor

 

This is part of the issue imo. The old EU mostly told the story from the old trio's perspective and it was better than what we got so far. I think after TFA, it's pretty evident that as much as they're trying to push a new generation of heroes, they can't just ignore the old ones. It's just not how things work. Those characters are too iconic. Although like I said it earlier, Han was very well incorporated into TFA (although his first appearance in the Falcon was too deus-ex to me).

This whole "being like the OT" argument started after TFA pretty much rehashed the entire story of ANH. I really doubt that a completely new story where Luke saves that day would've triggered the same reaction.

 

This makes me think...Maybe it would have been best to have two sequel trilogies (with the first made around the time the PT was made), so that we could have one more trilogy with the old trio as the focus, and then, by the sequel-sequel trilogy (i.e., now), we'd be ready to move the focus onto the new generation.

 

Kind of like an easing into phase? One thing I do dislike is the gap between trilogies. ROTJ and the ST

 

Exactly, yeah. That way, we wouldn't be itching to know what happened to Luke/Leia/Han, and we wouldn't mind if they weren't the focus anymore.

 

HAHAHAHAHA Ending with the weird Yoda. Love a poetic license.

--- Double Post Merged, May 29, 2017, Original Post Date: May 29, 2017 ---

Of the main actors of any Star Wars Saga film, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher seemed the most tied to their characters. They were Luke and Leia as much as they were Mark And Carrie. Just like the roller coaster of being a human (i.e "I like myself/I hate myself", "Im strong/Im weak" cycle) Mark and Carrie felt the ups and downs of being this other person. Loving the Role/Hating the Role. We criticize ourselves, and they SHOULD get to criticize their role. Especially when as accepting Star Wars participants, they actually truly love their role, even when they hate it.

Mark carries a larger weight. Only he can hear the force of Carrie. As they shared the same bond to the legacy of their characters.

 

That might've been better. This entire ST should have been made around 10 years ago, when the old trio was healthier and more physically active. Marginalising them wasn't a good idea. While I liked the new characters from TFA, the best part to me was still Han. These characters are so iconic and have such a rich story and progression...

Although their idea of centering each new episode with one of the old trio is a not a bad idea either. We'll see how it will work out.
I have faith in Rian Johnson and TLJ. He worked very hard in the last 3 years, and ep VIII's developement went very well (from what we know at least). Almost a year and a half in post production only is a rarity with recent blockbusters.

 

Luke maybe wants to be stranded there and had no means to leave. Even if he sens d Hans danger, he maybe stranded on purpose.