Mark Hamill Was 'Horrified' By The Wampa Scene In The Empire Strikes Back

More than 35 years after The Empire Strikes Back was released, there's something about the Star Wars sequel that still doesn't sit right with Mark Hamill.

At the beginning of the 1980 flick, Luke Skywalker (Hamill) is captured by a massive snow beast called a Wampa on the icy planet of Hoth. To get away, Skywalker uses his lightsaber to slice off one of the creature's arms. But that apparently wasn't what Hamill signed up for. 

Over the weekend, he revealed on Twitter he was originally under the impression that Luke wouldn't actually hurt the Wampa. "When filming [the] scene, I was assured my lightsaber swipe toward camera (creature not on set) would simply singe fur [to] scare him off. Horrified to later see amputation and unnecessary cruelty. Wampa was hungry (not evil). Luke would never do this!"

The topic came up when a fan shared a photo of a cake made to look like a severed Wampa arm for National Cake Day. But Hamill, an outspoken animal lover, said he's still angry about the scene. 

Of course, the special edition of Empire has an even more graphic version with the Wampa shown bloody and screaming. 

A Twitter user responded that it all seemed gratuitous. "Heck, it was even in the book. Luke used the force to sense the Wampa's mind." Hamill replied, "My acting was much better in the book."

We'll find out how Luke feels about a whole new batch of creatures when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on Dec. 15. Hopefully, he's kinder to Porgs than Chewbacca is.