UPDATE: Mark Hamill addressed negative reactions to the photo in a new tweet.
Mark Hamill shares a fan-made image reuniting the beloved characters of the Star Wars original trilogy, wondering what might have been if the old guard went on another adventure together. By the time The Force Awakens picked up 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the heroes of the Rebellion had all gone their separate ways. Following the emergence of the First Order and Ben Solo's turn to the dark side, Luke Skywalker fled to Ahch-To to die in isolation, Han Solo returned to a career of smuggling around the galaxy, and Princess Leia led the Resistance. The trio never saw each other again, due to Kylo Ren murdering his father at the end of Force Awakens.
For the sequel trilogy, the filmmakers created a new generation of heroes and villains that would carry the Skywalker saga towards its conclusion, introducing audiences to characters like Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron. The old guard of the originals was still a part of the new films, but they were all relegated to supporting roles. There are many fans out there who wish the veterans got one last hurrah together, and Hamill certainly sympathizes with that viewpoint.
On Twitter, Hamill posted a fan-made image of the older versions of Han, Luke, Leia, and Lando Calrissian flying in the Millennium Falcon as they look to accomplish another mission. In his post, Hamill used the hashtag #MissedOpportunities. Check it out in the space below:
In the past, Hamill's been vocal about his wish to see the original trilogy characters reunite, and even pitched a few ideas to J.J. Abrams. As fun as it might have been to see the band back together, an argument can be made the sequel trilogy is better because that didn't happen. Luke, Han, and Leia already had their story told, and Star Wars needed fresh blood in order to be viable again. Additionally, the lack of a reunion made Han's death all the more tragic. He never got an opportunity to patch things up with his best friend after it all went south. The closest fans got to seeing the original big three again was Luke and Leia's tearful meeting on Crait, where Solo's lucky gold dice symbolized his presence. Han's death still would have been impactful if he saw Luke again, but knowing the two's relationship (probably) was fractured and would never be repaired really tugged at the heartstrings.
Though Hamill made headlines for saying he fundamentally disagreed with The Last Jedi (comments he later regretted making), people should not take this as any sort of serious criticism of the modern movies. On social media, Hamill is a renowned prankster and enjoys trolling his followers - especially Star Wars fans. In all likelihood, this is tapping into that side of his personality, though it will be interesting to see if this actually turns out to be a tease of sorts. With The Rise of Skywalker set to definitively end the saga, people have their fingers crossed for some kind of flashback involving the big three.
Source: Mark Hamill
