Mark Hamill Was 'Horrified' With Empire Strikes Back's Wampa Scene
Listen, I've been a "Star Wars" nerd since before I could make permanent memories. I was born between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," and watched the original trilogy on repeat thanks to cable and cutting-edge VHS technology at such a young age that they've always just been a part of my consciousness.
There are a ton of upsides to watching those movies so young. The awe of the galaxy on display and the thrill of adventure are never more exciting than when you're a wide-eyed kid basking in the glow of a late-night TV set or a giant movie screen. But there are some downsides, too.
Like, for instance, when you're 3 or 4 years old and you watch "The Empire Strikes Back" for the first time, a giant damn snow monster jumpscares you in the first five minutes, smacks down our beloved hero, and strangles his sweet Taun-Taun. That kind of thing can traumatize a small child like yours truly.
My point is, Wampas get no sympathy from me. How dare they try to eat Luke Skywalker, mess up his pretty little face, and scare the crap out of tiny child Vespe in the process?
You know who doesn't share my irrational Wampa prejudice, though? Surprisingly, it's Mark Hamill.
It might be Star Wars tradition, but Hamill didn't like chopping off the Wampa's arm
Believe it or not, Luke Skywalker himself thinks they went too far in the movie. Apparently, when they were filming the Wampa scene, he didn't know how ... um ... disarming ... his self-defense maneuver would be, as Mark Hamill revealed in a 2017 Tweet on the platform formerly known as Twitter:
"When filming scene I was assured my lightsaber swipe toward camera (creature not on set) would simply singe fur 2 scare him off-Horrified to later see amputation & unnecessary cruelty – Wampa was HUNGRY (not EVIL) – Luke would never do this! #StillAngry2017"
Interesting take and he's not wrong. The Wampa was just looking for a meal, after all — he wasn't plotting against the rebels and aligning with Darth Vader or anything. It's also interesting that the original concept for the scene, or at least the one told to Hamill, was that Luke was only going to singe the fur of the Wampa and then make his escape.
Chopped-off arms are a tradition in "Star Wars" going back to the cantina scene in the very first movie. It makes a great bookend in a film where Luke begins by amputating the arm of an attacking creature and ends with Luke losing his own hand. As Papa George might say, it's like poetry. It rhymes.
But I like that Hamill is taking a kinder view of Luke here. Now I have to ask where his outrage is for all those poor Womp Rats he bullseyed in Beggar's Canyon when he was growing up and then later bragged about to a roomful of Rebel pilots. Let's get #JusticeForWompRats trending!