If you’ve seen the movie by now, you’ll know that Star Wars: The Last Jedi features the emotional end of Luke Skywalker. After projecting a Force version of himself to confront his wayward nephew Kylo Ren on Crait, Luke peacefully vanishes into the Force, like other Jedi masters before him.
But, if Mark Hamill has his way, this won’t be the last we see of his iconic character. While appearing at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences screening for The Last Jedi, hosted by EW, Hamill explained that he’s keeping his fingers crossed that he’ll get a call to return for the upcoming Episode IX. He even joked that he’s happy to fill another role on the production, just so he can get to be part of it in some form.
“I’m just still holding on to the line, ‘See you around, kid.’ I can be in Episode Nine! I might consider catering the film just so I can hang out.”
Luckily for Hamill, there is an obvious way for him to come back in the following film. Jedi masters can, of course, return after their deaths in the form of Force ghosts. This concept was even reintroduced to the franchise in the form of Yoda’s spectral cameo in The Last Jedi. So, it could add a lot of poignancy to the next movie if Luke’s ghost appeared to Rey, perhaps offering her some words of encouragement as she attempts to face Ren once again.
Tragically, with the real-life passing of Carrie Fisher and Han Solo being killed off in The Force Awakens, it looks like none of the trinity of protagonists from the original trilogy will appear in Episode IX. With that in mind, a role for Luke is almost necessary in order to tie the film back to the history of the franchise.
If J.J. Abrams decides not to bring him back, though, Star Wars: The Last Jedi closes the final chapter on Luke’s story perfectly. We last see him watching the dual sunset on Ahch-To, a visual callback to his time as a boy on Tatooine, bringing his life full circle and providing a fitting end to his arc.