Entertainment
The Bizarre Star Wars Lie Mark Hamill Has Been Trying To Debunk For Nearly Half A Century
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
“Crazy thing is, it’s true,” Han Solo memorably utters in The Force Awakens. “The Force, the Jedi, all of it. It’s true.” To a younger generation of would-be heroes, this smuggler legend was casually confirming that the most fantastic tales they had heard about space wizards and magical energy fields were completely true.
Ironically, though, the actors behind your favorite Star Wars characters typically have the opposite experience: fans have developed so many tall tales about the production of these iconic films that the stars spend their whole lives trying to debunk various myths. For Mark Hamill, the biggest myth in question is that he accidentally blurts out Carrie Fisher’s first name in the penultimate scene of the first Star Wars movie. Fortunately, the Jedi Master has taken to social media on many occasions to explain what really happened and why so many fans are wrong about this iconic scene.
Brother And Sister Hug It Out
The scene in question occurs after Luke Skywalker successfully blows up the Death Star, saving the Rebels and, by extension, countless billions of lives. Back on Yavin IV, he hops out of his X-Wing and fiercely hugs Princess Leia. At this point, Luke says something that fans have been debating about for nearly half a century.
You see, many fans are absolutely convinced that he blurts out “Carrie,” calling his costar by her first name rather than her character’s name. If true, this would mean that there is an insanely blatant mistake hidden (and not hidden very well) in the most influential blockbuster ever made. Furthermore, it’s a mistake that would make Mark Hamill look bad for making it and make director George Lucas look bad for not actually catching it.
A Smuggler And Secret Hugger
However, Hamill is adamant that he never said the word “Carrie.” Previously, the Star Wars icon has taken to the social media platform X to set the record straight. According to him, he says “there she” (a partial phrase, as in “there she is”) before he is cut off. He also told the fans who think that he says “Carrie” that this is absurd because 1) the lines were dubbed, so it’s not like he suddenly flubbed anything during filming, and 2) George Lucas would have instantly caught such an error.
Normally, the mystery would end there; Hamill is the man who said the line, and he would know better than any fan what did or did not happen on set. However, even with the actor’s correction, many Star Wars fans admit that what Luke Skywalker is saying doesn’t really sound like “there she.” Among these skeptical fans, the general consensus is that Luke is saying something more monosyllabic, like “hey,” or giving an excited shriek.
Dazed, But Not Confused
Ironically, the fact that this line is so hard to make out is a big part of why this lie about Mark Hamill has stayed alive so long. It’s all about the power of suggestion: since the line in the final film isn’t very clear, it’s easy for pranksters to tell gullible fans, “here’s what he really said.” Those fans are likely to believe the tale and spread it to others because, no matter how many times they rewatch the scene, it’s difficult to independently confirm what the actor is saying.
As for us, though, we’re more than content to take Mark Hamill’s word for what he said while shooting this legendary film. Hopefully, we’ve done our own small part to destroy the lie that has been vexing the actor for nearly 50 years. Should that lie come back to life like Palpatine, though, we’ll just have to leave its fate in the hands of the Jedi Master!