Luke Skywalker’s Anti-Trump Spiral Just Took A Dark Turn
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Luke Skywalker’s Anti-Trump Spiral Just Took A Dark Turn

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** A long time ago, in a galaxy not far away, Mark Hamill was the man. After an appearance on “The Bill Cosby Show” in 1970 and a recurring role on “General Hospital” from 1972 to 1973, as well as other forays into television, he would go on to portray the Jedi Luke Skywalker in a little trilogy known as “Star Wars.”  Since that time, Hamill has done myriad other things, though in recent years he’s become more known for his political temper tantrums on social media than his acting work. Some highlights include referring to Joe Biden as Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi — because our “Weekend at Bernie’s” president was definitely reminiscent of the Jedi master. He’s made a habit of fanboying over other left-leaning celebrities online, like Stephen King. He’s spoken positively about the Lincoln Project. He’s openly wished for President Donald Trump to die.  In short, Luke has embraced the power of the Dark Side, though not for power or money, but for attention. On the internet. Because his brain is addled by his seething hatred of a politician. Totally normal stuff, alas, as politics has replaced religion for far too many people.  While Hamill deleted the post on Bluesky, the social media equivalent of Mos Eisley combined with the Death Star, the internet is forever. He can’t wave his hand and say, “This is not the depiction of Trump in a grave you thought you saw.” As such, that image is out there, and it’s not going anywhere. He’s also unlikely to face any consequences for it. In the media’s eyes, why should he? It’s not like he listed his pronouns as beep/boop/bop or questioned our questionable response to COVID-19, both far graver sins than wanting to put a fellow human being in a grave because you disagree with his foreign policy and tax plan. As a society, we have to have standards. He should regret his post, though. While Hamill is not actually a Jedi, there is much to learn from that character, one focused on being righteous and good. Did Skywalker kill? Well, yes, he did blow up the Death Star, but he didn’t revel in murder. He didn’t suggest it was maybe okay to dabble in the Dark Side because he really didn’t like Palpatine, a character who actually killed people and was arguably worthy of assassination himself. In real life, Hamill embodies very few of the traits that his character exuded. Instead, he hews more closely to his fictional father, getting caught up in ends-justify-the-means arguments. Also, and this bears repeating, while people get way too emotionally invested in politics, Donald Trump is not the devil. He is not a fascist dictator working to destroy our democracy. He is not the American edition of Emperor Palpatine, though the Empire probably would have liked the electoral college, at least according to this guy on Reddit.  Granted, Hamill has apologized, sort of, for his AI-generated image of Trump in a grave. He’s also clarified that he doesn’t want Trump dead, instead wanting him to “live long enough to … be held accountable for his … crimes.” Presumably, it’s okay if Trump dies after he’s held accountable for his crimes, whatever they are. Hamill didn’t elaborate, though he’s a dedicated poster, so perusing his Bluesky feed might offer some clues. As I value my mental health more than Luke, I’m not going to do that.  He also hedged, adding, “[I] apologize if you found the image inappropriate.” In other words, he doesn’t actually feel bad about the image, but he cares enough about his public image to do a modicum of crisis PR and remind you that if you disliked it, that’s a you problem and he’s sorry that you’re of the type who isn’t into wishing death upon people.  It’s a sad fate for the man to end up this way. Perhaps he thought his career was going to be larger than it was, particularly given the movies that launched it. Perhaps he’s just obsessed with attention. Maybe he suffered a little brain damage in the 1977 car accident that required facial reconstructive surgery. Whatever the case, as a society, it would be foolish to expect entertainers to share every view we hold. But it’s not too much to ask to expect them not to go around wishing death upon people. It’s not healthy to give in to Palpatine and let the hate flow through us. We shouldn’t want to be Darth Vader.  We should instead want a world of Luke Skywalkers, resilient individuals who fight when necessary, but also embrace peace and love. For as a man a long time ago, in a galaxy that is far away, reminded us, it’s unwise to embrace hatred in a futile quest to destroy an imaginary evil. *** Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin’ Up a Story podcast. Follow him on X @rcromwell4.