Mark Hamill has taken his Star Wars heroics to a new level by providing his voice talents to an app that warns Ukrainian citizens of incoming air raids (via The Associated Press). Now that his time battling the Empire is over, the Luke Skywalker actor has chipped in to give those under attack a small sense of comfort. His warning starts simply as he calls attention to an incoming attack. Then the voice Mark Hamill chimes in for the people of Ukraine with a quote that could send a shiver down a Sith Lord’s spine: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”
Aside from a couple cameos, Hamill has mostly retired from the galaxy far, far away since last appearing in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Despite this, the real-life good guy couldn’t help himself when seeing how Ukraine has managed to endure Russia’s war that started more than one year ago.
“Here I sit in the comfort of my own home when in Ukraine there are power outages and food shortages and people are really suffering,” Hamill said during an interview with AP. “It motivates me to do as much as I can.”
He can’t help but compare Ukraine’s resilience to the strong-willed heroes of Star Wars’ Rebel forces. Though he sits on the sidelines, the actor felt he could provide some hope to those on the other side of the world – Star Wars fans or not.
“A fairy tale about good versus evil is resonant with what’s going on in Ukraine,” Hamill added. “The Ukrainian people rallying to the cause and responding so heroically … It’s impossible not to be inspired by how they’ve weathered this storm.”
While the app does include a Ukrainian-language setting, citizens are already clinging to Hamill’s iconic vocals. AP spoke with 24-year-old Lviv citizen Bohdan Zvonyk, for example. He’s a Star Wars fan trying to improve his English while facing Russia’s senseless attacks. “Besides, we could use a little bit of the power that Hamill wishes us,” Zvonyk said.
The Mark Hamill voice alert signs off after the air alert concludes, letting users in Ukraine know that they can rest easy for at least a little while: “Attention. The air alert is over. May the Force be with you.” You can hear Hamill’s message of hope in the video below.
Published: Mar 29, 2023 11:23 am