Celebrated Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has recalled his first impression of Luke Skywalker, and his words serve as a reminder to the true message of Star Wars. Nobody ever imagined quite how successful Star Wars would become; according to his friend Steven Spielberg, even George Lucas only expected the first movie to gross $15-20 million in the box office. In reality, it made $775.8 million – more than $3.8 billion adjusted for inflation. Mark Hamill originally thought Star Wars was a parody, but he was won over when he read the full script.

Speaking on the Smartless podcast, Hamill recalls his first impression of Luke Skywalker. “When I tested, I was like, Harrison [Ford]’s the leading man, I’m the annoying sidekick,“ he recalled. “I’m badgering him and all this stuff.” It’s true that Luke Skywalker follows a classic Hero’s Journey, but Hamill can be forgiven for his misunderstanding; after all, the hero traditionally gets the girl, and it was Han who wound up with Leia instead of Luke.

Modern viewers have forgotten just how unusual George Lucas’ plot really is. Harrison Ford is the cocky, wisecracking hero figure, a scoundrel pilot who can even win over a princess’ heart; he’s the traditional lead. Instead, Lucas gave the lead role to a somewhat whiny everyman hero from a galactic backwater, whose ultimate act of heroism lay in setting down his lightsaber rather than using it. Viewed from this perspective, Luke Skywalker is a very different kind of hero.

Reading Hamill’s comments, I couldn’t help remember the Luke Skywalker of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. “You think what?” Luke asked Rey. “I’m gonna walk out with a laser sword and face down the whole First Order?” That’s the Luke Skywalker viewers were expecting to see (and, in fact, it’s the Luke we’d eventually be given in The Mandalorian season 2’s finale). But that’s the traditional Hollywood hero – the Marvel-type superhero – rather than the one George Lucas created.

Viewed through this lens, Luke Skywalker feels rather more counter-cultural. He may have trained with the Force, but it is his heart that wins out; his faith in his father, his love and compassion for others. We all get so excited about Force powers, but the message of Star Wars is that power won’t save the day; in fact, the ones obsessed with power are thrall to the dark side. Luke is admirable because he is an everyday person who overcomes his background and loves even the unlovely.