Did The Force Kill Luke Skywalker in 'The Last Jedi'? Mark Hamill on the Death of a Jedi Junkie

A six-issue comic book adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi by Gary Whitta concluded in September. As in the movie, Luke Skywalker dies after expending his energy by Force projecting himself on Crait, for a final confrontation with his wayward pupil, Kylo Ren. But in responding to Whitta's interpretation of Skywalker's death, actor Mark Hamill has added a new wrinkle. Did the Force kill Luke Skywalker?

"THE FORCE KILLED LUKE," Hamill tweeted. "You have to acknowledge the irony in his fate. Almost like an addict that kicked his habit cold-turkey, remained clean for decades, only to re-use just once & then, tragically, overdoses."

That's certainly one way of looking at it. Another way would be that Luke didn't die, but dissipated into the Force, having achieved such a high level of spiritual attainment that he no longer required his body. This would seem to be Whitta's interpretation, who describes Skywalker's death as "stepping into a larger world," comparing Luke's disappearance to a new adventure, similar in spirit to leaving Tatooine all those years ago, before the First Order and the Death Star and Dagobah.

If Luke's death was unintentional, like an overdose, then it calls into question whether and how Skywalker's fate was different from those of his two masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, both of whom willed themselves to the Force, disappearing in a similar manner to Luke. Is it fair to say, for example, that Darth Vader killed Obi-Wan? Or did Obi-Wan transcend combat with his former pupil and "become more powerful than you can possibly imagine"?

There's much we still don't know about the true nature of the Force.

Hamill's tweet shouldn't be seen as dispositive. If anything, his hashtags—#SadSkywalker, #ForceFatality, #JediJunkie—suggest he's being playful. If Luke returns as a Force Ghost in Star Wars: Episode IX, Rey should be sure to ask exactly what the hell happened on that rock on Ahch-To.