The very first thing we see is the planet Earth, floating in space like the attractive marble it’s before plunging through a wormhole and racing across space. We emerge in a well-lit California lounge in front of an older man with a graying goatee and a well-known voice.
“Hello, I’m Mark Hamill,” he says. “The guy who played ‘Luke’ in all those movies.”
As if we wanted to be reminded. Hamill is lending his famous face and voice to the US State Department for a series of videos about — what else? — space. The six-part series, which is now continue to exist the State Department’s website, touches on a wide range of space innovations, reminiscent of microbes, astronauts staying slot in space, maintaining muscle mass, advancing robots that track astronauts’ health, filtering water from recycled waste, farming in space to grow food, and more.
“Hello, I’m Mark Hamill,” he says. “The guy who played ‘Luke’ in all those movies.”
Hamill was chosen due to his fame but additionally due to his robust following on social media. Along with publishing the videos on the State Department’s various channels, Hamill will even cross-post the series on his own Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts, where he has a combined 11.7 million followers.
Hamill, who, along with his iconic performances as Luke Skywalker, can be a prolific voice actor in quite a few animated features (and Ukrainian air raid alerts, apparently), naturally makes numerous references to within the video series. But he also throws somewhat fuel on the fireplace of the controversy amongst sci-fi fans over the everlasting query: which is best, or ?
is “pure fantasy,” Hamill says to the camera. “But is real science fiction, and it celebrates the wonders of scientific achievement.”
This results in a discussion about “an actual — if nascent — tricorder has been developed on the International Space Station.” The hand held devices aren’t capable of “magically detect every thing from unknown life forms to the character of a crew member’s illness,” but they will discover microbes — bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye — growing throughout the International Space Station.
is “pure fantasy,” Hamill says to the camera
Other quips from Hamill include likening figuring out in space to “training with Yoda on Dagobah” and a discussion of robots on the ISS reminding him of his days “fixing up droids on Tatooine.”
Overall, it’s fun watching Hamill enjoy his role as an elder statesman for science fiction and science exploration. And the State Department is clearly hoping to capitalize on his involvement to steer more attention to its own efforts to advertise not only the ISS but additionally the Artemis Accords, which were signed in 2020 by the US and 7 other countries.
The accords, which seek to standardize international efforts to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, celebrates its third anniversary next week. So far, 29 nations have signed the accords committing “to the responsible exploration and use of space.”
“The sky will not be the limit,” Hamill intones at the top of the video series. “It’s just the start.” And for good measure, he adds, “The Force will likely be with you, at all times.”