Mark Hamill Shocks Fans With His Unpopular Star Wars Opinion
Mark Hamill offered up a somewhat unpopular opinion about the Star Wars franchise this week and it has fans more than a little surprised.
For someone who has played one of the most iconic movie characters of all time, someone in the franchise and fanboy limelight for the better part of the last four decades, it would be easy (and maybe warranted) for Mark Hamill to take a step back from the Star Wars narrative. Heck, he’s more than earned it. But credit to the actor for always remaining part of the discussion, having fun with the franchise and the fans whenever possible. Recently, he weighed in with an opinion about Star Wars that might not exactly be a widespread one among the group. Far from it. Mark Hamill seems to think that at least one, much-maligned Star Wars was better than most people thought.
Hamill was responding to a Twitter thread from @starwarsstuff2 about fans’ unpopular Star Wars opinions. This has been a popular game/ discussion piece in a number of different avenues on the social media platform of late. So, of course, the Star Wars folks had to get in on the trend as well. And there are more than enough movies and productions over the last many years to garner an unpopular opinion or two (or a thousand). This is where Mark Hamill chimed in and gave his thought which might be a minority opinion among the faithful. Check it out:
For casual fans of the franchise, it might come as something of a surprise to hear that there is such a thing as a Star Wars Holiday Special, but that’s exactly what came out all the way back in 1978. It aired on CBS and was meant to follow a timeline slotted in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back. Because this was the 70s and because the studio was pandering to a television crowd, the special really didn’t do the main franchise any kind of service. Though Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher (among others) appear in their iconic roles, the story is a corny one and the special includes musical numbers, comedy sketches, and even animated offerings.
Mark Hamill saying the Star Wars Holiday Special is under-appreciated stands in direct contrast to what folks thought at the time. It was destroyed by critics, sitting at 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, with most agreeing it was incoherent and off-putting, even serving to undo some of the magic presented by the original film. The goofy tone didn’t align at all with the rest of the franchise to that point with critics and fans noting that it really seemed like a cash grab more than anything else. The special has been pulled from view and is really only available to see through bootleg copies.
While Mark Hamill might have been offering up this opinion simply to be a bit divergent from the crowd, while also knowing the Star Wars Holiday Special isn’t readily available, it does speak to the actor’s continued engagement with the fanbase. He’s one of the best in the business on this front, continually jumping into the discussion and, of course, maintaining his role of Luke Skywalker when he’s needed on-screen.
