Star Wars icon Mark Hamill is asking fans not to reveal spoilers after they see The Last Jedi . In less than three weeks, the eighth film in the Skywalker family saga hits theaters, marking Hamill’s celebrated character Luke Skywalker’s first Star Wars dialogue since 1983’s Return of the Jedi. And while Luke’s actions spoke louder than words in the last minute of The Force Awakens in 2015, The Last Jedi promises not only lots of dialogue from Luke, but his vital involvement in a narrative that promises to change the Star Wars universe as fans know it.


Naturally, fans have been buzzing about the potential for The Last Jedi since the first trailer for the film debuted in April. Since then, they’ve dissected every frame of that trailer and the one that followed in October, as well as footage of behind-the-scenes action and every photo that’s been released by the production; all in hopes of getting some clues to what the Rian Johnson film is all about. All of the answers they’re looking for, of course, will be answered when the film hits theaters – or at least most of them – December 15, and in a preemptive strike, Hamill is asking fans to keep all the answers to themselves for as long as possible.


In one of Hamill’s latest tweets to his legion of followers, the actor includes a funny cartoon showing a man marking off dates on his calendar, while a woman behind him asks, “Counting down to Christmas?” and the man answers, “No. Star Wars.” And while the lighthearted sketch is good for a chuckle, Hamill posted along with it a heartening message, saying, “Let me take this opportunity to personally ask you to keep all that happens in #TheLastJedi a secret for as long as is humanly possible.” See the full message below:

https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/934145778385223681


Anyone who’s followed Hamill over his career knows that when it comes to pop culture, he’s just as big a fan of movies, comic and toys as anybody. At heart he is a true fan, so you know his message is genuine. He merely wants people to enjoy films as they happen, and not have anyone spoil any details through social media and the like merely for “I saw it first!” bragging rights. It’s become an increasingly difficult task for studios in the burgeoning age of digital media to keep a tight lid on any project, and it doesn’t help anyone if somebody carelessly drops a major plot point in a tweet, or a Facebook or Instagram post to spoil the fun for people looking forward to any movie, much less the biggest release of 2017 with The Last Jedi.


Once the film starts screening for critics in a couple weeks and the film premieres, that’s when fans should be aware that they will have to monitor their social media feeds at their own risk of not accidentally reading something they didn’t want to about The Last Jedi. With any luck, fans – as well as media members and anyone else who sees the film early – will listen to Hamill’s plea about spoilers. If they don’t, they’re running the risk of getting on Hamill’s own dark side.