Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker didn't die a virgin
Let's not joke about The Rise of Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker's virginity has long been a hot topic among Star Wars fans. While the accepted canon hasn't given us any answers, actor Mark Hamill has his own thoughts on the matter. He believes Luke has experienced the sexy side of life.
Hamill responded to a fan's Twitter question asking if Luke died a virgin. "Make up your own backstory," Hamill wrote. "It's undetermined, but in the one I made for him myself, the answer is no."
Make up your own backstory. It's undetermined, but in the one I made for him myself, the answer is: no.
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) April 17, 2019
Hamill appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017 and faced the same question, but he didn't really answer it. Hamill suggested the Star Wars films never truly addressed adult sexuality.
Hamill's Twitter response makes sense with what we know about a non-canonical backstory he made up for the character and shared with Entertainment Weekly in late 2017. He created an entire scenario around Luke falling in love with a widow, leaving the Jedi Order and raising a child who dies tragically in a lightsaber accident.
Mara Jade was married to Luke Skywalker in the Expanded Universe.
The attention paid to Luke's virginity stems in part from interpretations of what the members of the Jedi are or aren't allowed to do. Fans still debate whether Jedi are expected to abstain from sex. Hamill hasn't helped clarify this, telling Wired in 2017 he thinks Jedi are celibate: "Otherwise I'd have a girlfriend by now." That answer could be taken as a joke, though.
We can look to George Lucas for a possible answer to this debate. "Jedi Knights aren't celibate -- the thing that is forbidden is attachments -- and possessive relationships," the Star Wars creator told BBC News in 2002.
Star Wars fans chimed in on Hamill's tweet, with plenty of mentions of Mara Jade, Luke's wife in the Legends series from the Expanded Universe. Sadly for EU fans, she's not part of the official Star Wars canon.
Ultimately, the first part of Hamill's Twitter answer may be the most important. Luke Skywalker is what the fans want him to be, so go ahead and make up your own backstory and answer the virginity question for yourself.
