'Return of the Jedi' Lightsaber Finally Back In Mark Hamill's Hands
Mark Hamill isn’t just Luke Skywalker and the voice of Batman’s arch-nemesis the Joker (or, more recently, the Clown Prince of Crime Reimagined as President-Elect Donald Trump) — he’s also a voracious collector of pop culture artifacts and memorabilia. He channels that obsession via his new show, Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest (hosted on Comic-Con HQ), and in his latest episode (watch a clip above), he found himself surprised by a blast-from-the-past item with which he has a special connection.
Related: Watch Mark Hamill’s Entire Panel From ‘Star Wars’ Celebration
While speaking with Brandon Alinger, the Chief Operating Officer of Prop Store LA, Hamill was presented with an all-time movie-set gem: his original lightsaber from Return of the Jedi. “Okay, now this is pretty cool. I haven’t seen this thing in years,” Hamill confesses at the weapon’s unveiling. More interesting still, Alinger explains to Hamill that this lightsaber was also used by Alec Guinness (a.k.a., Obi-Wan Kenobi) in 1977’s original Star Wars — a revelation that leads Alinger and Hamill into a longer conversation about how the wizards of movies’ pre-digital age achieved the lightsaber’s glowing-blade effect.
Related: Mark Hamill Reveals the Secret of Luke Skywalker’s Severed Head
While it’s clear that the lightsaber Hamill will be receiving from Daisy Ridley’s Rey in December’s Star Wars: Episode VIII will not be this old-school prop, it’s quite a cool moment to see the Jedi weapon back with its on-screen owner.
Mark Hamill Can Do a Really Good Harrison Ford Impression: