Image: Lucasfilm
More than most people in 2018, Rian Johnson seems like he’s authentically enjoying Twitter. Debating Star Wars with angry fans, posting silly clapbacks and answering questions about supposed plot holes, it really feels like the superstar director is in his element.
Most recently, he took to answer a question someone has about Luke’s trusty robotic hand. Spoilers ahead, just in case.
OK, so: What happened to Luke’s arm when he passed into the Force? We know clothes don’t go. What about prosthetics?
https://twitter.com/JustinOArnold/status/954404628392763392
Hamill passed the question onto Rian, who replied as such:
https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/954470813540876288
Rian, I have a lot of questions. Are you suggesting that, metaphysically, prostheses in the Star Wars universe count as part of the body? Why didn’t Vader’s armour go? Is it a psychological thing? Does Luke just really like his arm? If I become one with the Force, does that mean I can bring my Nintendo Switch? What’s going on, Rian?!
OK. It’s fine. It’s fiction, it’s imaginary, we should just enjoy it and play along. But I think I speak for io9 when I say that arm should have clanked, Mr. Johnson.
Mark Hamill, naturally, has his own interpretation.
Hey @rianjohnson– Maybe Luke just transported to a Nudist Colony.#ThisTheoryWhichIsMineAndBelongsToMeHoweverLikelyOrUnlikelyImFineWithIX https://t.co/zNt9olUJFU
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) January 20, 2018
Let’s call this one Star Wars Legends material.
Comments
14 responses to “Of Course Rian Johnson And Mark Hamill Have Thoughts About What Happened To Luke’s Hand”
as far as explanations go it’s probably for the better really. heck it was his hand and Luke wore a lot of clothing. chances are if it fell the cloth would dampen the sound if it landed on a bunch of it.
And then it blew away in the wind with the cloak? I doubt it.
Mark Hamills hashtag: “I’m fine with IX” He’s fine with Nine? Episode Nine?
The Last Jedi, btw was metaphorical garbage. Just an outright terrible movie.
It would be cool if Kylo Ren ended up with it for his collection of Jedi parts. Don’t make a big deal about it, maybe just have it on a shelf or being used as a paper weight??
He collects more and more bits and pieces, making his own robo-Jedi.
“I call it C-4PO! IT’s one better than Luke!”
Kylo can have it in a glass tube like the Terminator arm in T2.
In the next movie C-3PO will be unexplainedly wearing it.
Wouldn’t surprise me at this point
Go back and rewatch ROTJ. Darth didn’t disappear at all, he just died. He wasn’t ‘at one with the force’ when he passed.
I would argue that neither was Luke. He cut himself off from the force. Sure he used it at the end, but he was not exactly the paragon of the force at the time of his death.
Indeed, however Anakin turned evil, while Luke simply ‘turned off the tap’. Personally I never would’ve had Luke disappear or die at the end, I would’ve saved that for the next movie myself, having him die in some significant way. I would’ve had Leia go out doing what Holdo did instead, making it far more significant.
Or Ackbar. He could open a comm channel and shout, “It’s a trap!” at the imperials as he commits a suicide bombing/ hyperspace ram. Would have been wayyyyyy better than the movie we got.
Aww, I wanted to know what happened to his real hand. It’s still out there somewhere!
That’s a story for another day.
Great answers from Hamill and Johnson.
When I read about fans asking questions like these it reminds me of an old quote from someone, might have been one of the producers of Firefly. He said “It helps if you don’t think about it too much”. These writers, producers and directors are human and make mistakes so somethings aren’t consistent. Also they like to make things that entertain and might purposefully make mistakes to help with the flow of the story.
I have found that “not thinking about it too much” helps me enjoy a lot of sci-fi a lot more.
When Anakin died he didn’t become one with the Force but we still saw his Force Ghost at the end or RoTJ, sans all mechanical apparatus, completely whole.