Mark Hamill strongly hints Luke will be a Force ghost in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. After being the hero of the original trilogy, Luke played a supporting (but still key) role in the sequels. Similar to how The Force Awakens was a last hurrah for Harrison Ford's Han Solo, The Last Jedi put Hamill in the spotlight to give the icon a fitting sendoff. Spending much of the movie consumed by feelings of guilt and remorse, Luke came to the Resistance's aid at the end and sacrificed himself so the others could escape.

In the physical sense, Luke is dead, but he would be the first to tell you that no one's ever really gone. As most people know, Jedi can return as Force ghosts and that's one of the most famous Star Wars tropes. When Hamill was confirmed for the Star Wars 9 cast last summer, just about everyone assumed it would be as Force Ghost Luke. Now, the actor himself has essentially confirmed that.

While on the red carpet for the Child's Play premiere (hat tip Dataracer), Hamill was asked by AP if he felt Episode IX would be his final Star Wars movie:

"I sure hope so... I had closure in the last one. The fact that I'm involved in any capacity is only because of that peculiar aspect of Star Wars mythology where if you're a Jedi you get to come back. Make a curtain call as a Force ghost."

Frankly, this shouldn't come as a great surprise. In the past, Hamill implied his Star Wars 9 role was essentially a cameo, and dialogue in the teaser trailer made it pretty clear this is Rey's fight now. It would appear Luke will be in The Rise of Skywalker for a scene or two, sharing wisdom with Rey during a time of need. Again, it was widely expected this would be the case. But with Emperor Palpatine returning to the fold in the saga finale, there might have been some viewers wondering if Luke would somehow return amongst the living as well. Until the film premieres in December, there's an outside chance there's more to the story and Hamill is just being coy, though he pretty much spells it out that the only reason he's in Episode IX is because Force ghosts exist.

Lucasfilm confirmed long ago The Rise of Skywalker would be the final installment of the classic Skywalker saga that's defined the Star Wars franchise since 1977. The studio has several other films in development and secured release dates for December 2022, 2024, and 2026, but these movies will be about new characters and new stories that have nothing to do with the Skywalker family. With that in mind, Episode IX is going to be the end for Hamill in Star Wars; it's great that he's involved to help close out this particular narrative, but it's time for Star Wars to explore new horizons.

Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) release date: Dec 20, 2019