Mark Hamill Explains 'Incest' Kiss Between Luke And Leia In 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'

Mark Hamill, who is best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" franchise, responded to a joke that was recently told on “Saturday Night Live” in regards to the infamous kiss shared between his character and Leia Organa in “The Empire Strikes Back.” This intimate moment obviously got tricky when it was revealed in the next film, “Return of the Jedi,” that the two were siblings.

Hamill took to Twitter on Monday to share his take on the "SNL" joke, which aired in an episode of the sketch series earlier this month. He clarified that, although the kiss was odd in retrospect (especially considering George Lucas had the whole thing mapped out), the fact that the two characters had no idea of their familial lineage made them innocent, calling them “#Innocestuous.”

The quip was told during the "Weekend Update" segment of the NBC show and, as stated in Hamill's tweet, went like this: "The new 'Star Wars' surprised fans by featuring a gay kiss which seems pretty tame considering the first movie had incest."

The little sexual faux pas is often joked about but ultimately glossed over, considering the two characters never really had any feelings or attraction for one another. In fact, the kiss that Leia (Carrie Fisher) planted on Luke’s lips was done in the presence of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), an act to make him jealous. It apparently worked, as Solo eventually declared his love for the princess and rebel general.

This would lead to the birth of Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the Darth Vader-esque stand-in villain who co-founded the Empire revival faction The First Order, spawning an all-new trilogy. So, for what it’s worth, the kissed served its purpose as a largely impactful "Star Wars" moment.

This isn’t the first time Hamill has spoken up about the infamous “Star Wars” sibling kiss. Digital Spy shared a previous tweet posted by the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” star from back in 2016.