Mark Hamill Just Opened the Door to a Gay Luke Skywalker

There are a few questions that have been haunting Mark Hamill since he first swung a lightsaber in 1978. The biggest? Why is Luke Skywalker still single. And, tacked right onto the end of that: 'Is Luke gay?'

Yep, seriously. Even nearly five decades after Star Wars first dropped in theaters, plenty of people write Hamill with burning curiosity about Jedi love lives. As he puts it, these are the questions fans ask the most.

George Lucas: Big On Destiny, Not So Big On Dating

If you just watch the movies, it's no wonder fans are left guessing. Luke's romantic life is...almost nonexistent. George Lucas—the franchise's original mastermind—focused on the space battles and the whole good vs. evil thing, not on who Luke might want to settle down with. There's not even a vague love interest for Luke after that early, slightly awkward tension with Leia in the first movie. But as every fan (and Mark Hamill) knows, that little subplot got nuked in Return of the Jedi when we learned they were siblings. So, there goes that.

Luke's Love Life: Up To You, Says Hamill

Here's where things get kind of fascinating. When Polygon asked Hamill (yet again) whether Luke is gay, he basically shrugged and said it was up to the viewers. His take? Complete choose-your-own-adventure:

'So if you want him to be gay, he is. If you don't want him to be, he's not. It's whatever you want.'

That 'you do you' attitude isnt new for Hamill—he was saying something similar all the way back in 2016. He even shared then that fans, some of them struggling or being bullied, have sent messages asking him straight up if Luke could be gay. Hamill's answer: 'If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.'

The Mara Jade Era (That Disney Erased)

Now, if you only care about the movies, that's pretty much it—Luke is unattached, no labels, nothing to confirm or deny. But hardcore fans know there's another version of this story, thanks to the Star Wars books that filled in the gaps after Return of the Jedi. In that now non-canon universe, Luke married Mara Jade. She started as a bad guy (Imperial assassin!) and ended up as his unexpected soulmate. Pretty wild, honestly.

But when Disney bought Lucasfilm and made their sequels, Mara Jade was out. Some elements from those old books did survive; Grand Admiral Thrawn, for example, is now alive and well in TV and likely the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu movie (May 22, for the calendar-obsessed). But Mara? She never made the cut.

• Original trilogy: Luke's romantic life is a blank slate after the sibling twist with Leia.
• Expanded Universe novels (now 'Legends'): Luke marries Mara Jade.
• Disney canon: Mara Jade never existed, and Luke is single forever (unless you read between the lines).

'Take What You Want From The Story'

Something I actually find interesting: Hamill genuinely likes that fans can make the story their own. People connect to Star Wars for all sorts of reasons—divorcing parents, bad days at school, losing a pet, you name it. As Hamill told Polygon, for a lot of folks it's personal, and he seems pretty proud to be part of something people keep passing down to their kids.

So, to sum up: In the movies, Luke's love life (and sexuality) is totally up for interpretation. If you want Jedi romance, you'll have to dig around in the old novels…or just make up your own headcanon. Hamill's got your back.