Mark Hamill has a theory on why he’s never hosted SNL

Saturday Night Live has certainly had more episodes than the Star Wars series, but Luke Skywalker himself has yet to host a single one. But it’s not for lack of interest, as Mark Hamill would love the opportunity to host SNL. And now we really want to hear him say after commercial, “Ladies and gentlemen, Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes.”

In a new Esquire profile, Mark Hamill said he would gladly host SNL, although he wouldn’t want to force it. “It’s one of those things where if they asked me, you’d have to do it. You accept the challenge. But the fact that they don’t ask me is fine, because I’m perfectly happy to be in the audience and not have the pressure of being on live television like that.”

Mark Hamill has a theory, however, as to why he might have never been asked to host SNL, even though there could be plenty of material for him to run with. “Carrie [Fisher] did it back in the day with the original cast. I was over the moon because it was my favorite show, Carrie was great on it, and it made me really want to do it. But it’s not one of those things where your agent calls and says, ‘Hey, book my client.’ They pretty much pick who they want and you go from there. I was asked to host Fridays, which was ABC’s answer to SNL. And I think—I’m not sure, again, I’m just speculating—but I have a feeling that that might have been a factor in not being thought favorably of by Lorne Michaels.”

Carrie Fisher isn’t the only Star Wars cast member to have hosted SNL, with fellow galaxy far, far away residents Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Liam Neeson, and Natalie Portman taking the stage at Studio 8H. While most delivered, Driver’s Undercover Boss segment as Kylo Ren and Portman’s 2006 Digital Short rap stand as probably the best work any Star Wars alum has done on the show. It should be noted that Mark Hamill did appear in a sketch during a Sting-hosted episode of SNL in 1997. Star Wars has certainly given Saturday Night Live its share of fodder dating back to 1978, when Bill Murray’s Nick the Lounge Singer gave his rendition of the theme.

Which Star Wars actor could you see nailing the Saturday Night Live hosting gig? Let us know in the comments below!