Star Wars Legend Mark Hamill Defends Prequel Trilogy

Original Star Wars star Mark Hamill is going to bat for the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Hamill played Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy and reprised his role for the sequel trilogy. Despite fans' generally negative feelings towards George Lucas' prequels, Hamill defended the films. Hamill's quote comes from the new book Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life chronicling the life of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi producer. Hamill seems to recognize the undercurrents of the prequel films, which we've touched on in past writing.

"I was impressed the prequels had their own identity," Hamill says in the excerpt posted on IndieWire. "They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren't as commercial. It's a darker story. But in the age of social media, people's voices are amplified, and I'm shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of Star Wars films, but across the board."

His quote in the book isn't the first time Hamill has stepped up to defend the prequel trilogy. In 2017, around the time of his return to Star Wars in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he spoke out specifically against the way fans treated Star Wars: The Phantom Menace's young star, Jake Lloyd.

"I couldn't believe some of the things they wrote about the prequels, you know. I mean really, beyond 'I didn't like it,'" Hamill told Vulture. "I'm still angry about the way they treated Jake Lloyd. He was only ten years old, that boy, and he did exactly what George wanted him to do. Believe me, I understand clunky dialog."

Hamill recalled how he also backed out of the documentary The People vs. George Lucas. "I almost got hornswoggled into that documentary," he said. "They weren't calling it The People vs George Lucas at the time. But I could tell from the questions they were asking me that it was an open invitation to trash George. And I have issues with George, but I love that man I would never…you know I don't talk outside the family. It's just brutal."

What do you think of Hamill's defense of the Star Wars prequel trilogy? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments section. Every Star Wars movie -- from the original trilogy to the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy, as well as both standalone films --is available to stream now on Disney+.