When a 25-year-old Mark Hamill was cast as Luke Skywalker in 1976’s Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, he probably had no idea it will become one of the most iconic characters he’s played on-screen. The Star Wars saga began in 1977 and continues to shell out franchise series/movies which manages astound fans even today.
Star Wars Dialogue That Continues to Haunt Mark Hamill
Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope was the first movie of the trilogy to be released where we see a young Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. The teenage farm boy living on the Tattooine planet is unlike any other teenage boy we know. He also clearly hates chores and wants to spend time doing his own thing. When his uncle Owen instructs him to take the pair of droids to the garage for cleaning, he responds,
“But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!”
This whiney dialogue was very much an indication of a young bratty teenager who does not want to do what his uncle has asked. While Hamill did a great job portraying the whiny teenager, the dialogue was seen as a little too whiney by the fans. The way Mark Hamill delivered the line gave fans comic relief. It certainly would have turned into a meme, if the movie was released today.
Mark Hamill expressed his feelings about the dialogue via Reddit where he was conducting an AMA session with the Redditors. When a fan jokingly asked if Hamill was still upset about not being able to pick up the power converters, the Star Wars actor responded-
“I get ribbed for that line because it was so whiney. And I remember at the time, I had to make it as juvenile as possible so that I can show how Luke matures later. So it should be embarrassing. It should be whiney and childish. But boy, has it come back to haunt me. I don’t think I ever got the chance to finally pick them up.”
In another instance, Mark Hamill defended the delivery of the dialogue by stating that he did so “intentionally” to project Luke as “a clueless teenager.”
“You know, I get mocked a lot for, ‘But I was going to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.’ But I did that intentionally to be able to grow and make him as much of a clueless teenager as possible, because by the end of the film he has found his purpose in life and he’s so profoundly changed.”
Referencing Uncle Owen’s dialogue where he tells Luke to finish the chores and then go waste time with his friends, a Reddit user had enquired Mark Hamill in the AMA whether there really is nothing better to do on Tattooine for a young teenager. Uncle Owen is heard saying,
“You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done.”
Another user responded to the user’s query by stating that the real reason behind Luke visiting the Tosche Station was to meet up with friend Biggs before he left for the Imperial Academy.
“There’s some additional material that was in the book version of Star Wars that I used to have that said the real reason he wanted to go to Toshi Station was to meet up with his friend Biggs before Biggs left for the Imperial Academy. The subtext is that they were going to to get fucked up on space-booze.
Biggs is the dude who is really happy to see Luke right before they take off to fight the death star, btw. One of the other guys from Red Squadron who isn’t Wedge.”
Actor Garrick Hagon had played the role of Biggs in the movie, however, his scenes were cut. According to the books, Biggs was one of the closest friends of Luke on Tattooine.
