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The
Lightsabre Interview Sienn
Welcome to Lightsabre. Our
latest guest is in charge of the most comprehensive and detailed Mark Hamill
website on the internet, and on top of that she is a
delight to work with and a great webmistress.
Please give a warm welcome to Sienn. A – Thank you! Q – Star Wars has had a
profound effect on all of us – it’s why we’re here talking about it, but what
was it that started you off on your Star Wars journey? A – A pure coincidence, actually. I had never heard of the films
before when my younger brother brought them home to watch over the weekend. I
was hooked immediately. It’s impossible to name just one thing; I love
everything about the films. So at the time, in 1996, I was 13; in hindsight,
I’m happy that I got to see the original versions first. I don’t particularly
mind the Special Editions, but the unaltered movies have a special charm to
them. Everything went from there; I watched the films uncountable times and
at some point discovered the novels and the comic books. Q – You’ve been involved
in Star Wars fandom for six years through your work on the various versions
of Just the Best. How does it feel to
have carved yourself such a prominent niche in the
Star Wars fan community? A – It feels incredible. Naturally, it makes me proud. At the time I
started I’d never have dreamt of it becoming so popular. Now that it is it’s
like the most satisfying, most fulfilling way of living a fandom, of being a fan, that I can imagine. It tickles me to no end when the
first thing that comes to people’s minds when they hear my name is Mark
Hamill. I’ve met so many kindred spirits on the net and built friendships
thanks to this website. It’s become a part of my life that I don’t want to
miss and I hope I’ll broaden that niche yet a little. ;) Q – Which of the six
episodes stands out as your favourite? A – “The Empire Strikes Back”, definitely. I like that it is darker,
more serious and that it gets into characters, into all of them, and shows
you sides to them that you hadn’t seen in “A New Hope”. Now that the Prequel
trilogy has come out and completed the saga, I love TESB even more. The
moment when Vader reveals to Luke that he is his father and offers him to
rule the galaxy by his side is even more pivotal, more decisive knowing
Anakin’s story. Both father and son are offered the same opportunity, are confronted
with the same choice, and the son chooses right. It is the movie that first
illustrates the true purity and the true heroism of Luke Skywalker. He was a
hero before, yes; he destroyed the Death Star. But that was a hero in a more
physical sense, in a more pragmatic sense. Now his integrity and his goodness
are challenged and he stands fast where his father failed. TESB makes you
think and it makes you feel; I love that in films. Q – There are many Mark
Hamill tribute sites out there, but yours has an air of professionalism that
others lack due to your hard research, great design and friendly manner. What do you think sets you apart from other
Hamill sites? A - I believe it is the fact that I focus on Mark and not on Luke
Skywalker. STAR WARS is just another entry in his filmography as far as JTB
is concerned. My site is for Mark Hamill and about Mark Hamill and I keep it
up to date; I guess that’s the big difference to most other sites out there. Q – As a fellow fan you
must have many golden Star Wars memories. Tell us about some of them. A – One of the strongest SW memories I have is seeing it for the first
time on the big screen in 1997, when the ANH Special Edition hit the
theaters. I had seen it so many times before on video that I knew it by heart
and could quote the characters at any given point in time, but all the same,
although I knew what would happen, when I sat in the theater I was as excited
as though I was seeing it for the first time. To this day I feel the same
suspense watching the film as I did the first time around. My feelings and my
thoughts are just as intense; it still touches me whenever I watch it and I
believe it always will. Q – Probably an obvious
question, but which of the Star Wars characters is the closest to you? A – Surprisingly enough, it’s Luke Skywalker. J His purity of heart, his courage and his ability to love selflessly and to forgive make him one of the most beautiful characters I’ve ever encountered in book or film. He’s good through and through, although he still has flaws –he’s perfect.
Q – What would you change
about Star Wars if you could go back in time and make alterations? A – Nothing whatsoever. Of course you always get certain ideas, you
always start wondering how the story would have progressed if this or that
had gone different – particularly fascinating to me are all the potential
directions the throne room scene in RotJ could have
gone. At the end of the day, though, I love these movies just the way they
are. Q – Despite many non-Star
Wars people thinking his career had hid the skids, Mark has had a wide and
varied career and is now busier than ever with his directing, producing,
acting and voice-over work, to say nothing of his writing. How do you organize yourself to stay
abreast of his new projects? A – I wouldn’t manage without the internet, naturally. Over the years,
I learnt which sides to frequent and how to use the many gadgets you find online,
like newsletters and news alerts. Now
I know where to look, although I keep discovering new ways every day. Much
credit goes to the fans, too; I have found a lot of support and help among my
fellow Mark and SW fans. Between all that, I believe I manage to be as up to
date as I can possibly be as an unofficial fan site. Q – Where do you think
Lucas will take us next on our trip through the Star Wars galaxy? A – Good question! Everything I’ve heard to date indicates that he is
going to concentrate on the time between RotS and
ANH, on Vader’s early years, and maybe create several new characters whose
adventures we will follow. I would love him to return somehow to Luke, Leia
and Han, after RotJ, but I don’t know whether
there’s much of a chance for that. Q - What do you foresee
for yourself and Just the Best in the future? A – Well, I have plenty of plans. What you see online is only a
fraction of the collection I have, in terms of information, pictures,
interviews and what not. And Mark’s always undertaking new projects, adding
to my to-do-list. I want JTB to keep growing and improving and I hope that I
will still have enough time to maintain it in the future. Q – A quick question about
our site, Lightsabre. Any comments? A – I love it! It’s a pretty unique site in that you have created your
very own fan fiction universe. I love fan fiction, I am an avid reader and
writer and I admire such creativity. And you have a very impressive section
of interviews with SW celebrities, which I haven’t seen in that form anywhere
else. Q - It's been a great
interview, and thanks for being our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final
question. Luke Skywalker, the
Cock-Knocker and Griff from the Big Red One are all standing at the edge of a
huge canyon, but there is only one rope to swing across and it won’t hold all
their weight. Which one manages to get
the rope first? A – Luke would levitate them all safely to the other side! He can take
the rope and keep the other two in suspense with the help of the Force so
that the rope carries only his weight. |
