Mark Hamill Had a Part You May Not Recognize in ‘Star Wars The Last Jedi’

Mark Hamill has had many roles over the years, but is best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. Playing the character as he discovers his abilities with the Force, blows up the Death Star, and becomes a Jedi was a defining moment in Hamill’s career. As the actor behind one of the franchise’s first heroes, he is easily recognizable, even by casual fans, making his return in the sequel trilogy instantly memorable. More than 30 years later, Hamill returned to screens as the famed Jedi in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, but his scene lasts a matter of seconds, and he doesn’t even speak. Really, this appearance only serves to build anticipation for his true return in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, where Hamill plays a more significant role.

The Last Jedi is an important step in Luke’s journey as he trains Rey (Daisy Ridley) and returns to face his mistakes. But as important as Luke is to the film, Hamill does even more by playing a second role, though you won’t see his face. In addition to Luke Skywalker, Hamill played Dobbu Scay, who has a brief and humorous part in the film. However, misinformation about his secondary character is rampant, as many are unable to believe how involved Hamill was in bringing Dobbu Scay to life. Hamill was already returning for The Last Jedi, but his role as Dobbu Scay was an extra bit of fun for both the actor and the audience.

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

The Star Wars saga continues as new heroes and galactic legends go on an epic adventure, unlocking mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

Release DateDecember 15, 2017

DirectorRian Johnson

Runtime152 minutes

Main GenreSci-Fi

WritersRian Johnson , George Lucas

Who Is Dobbu Scay in ‘The Last Jedi’?

Hamill can never have a second part in the Star Wars franchise more crucial than Luke, but there are always different kinds of opportunities. Dobbu Scay is an example of a cameo so distinct from Luke that many fans would have missed it if the story were never shared. However, Dobbu Scay is easy to spot. When Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) leave the Resistance’s ship for a mission on Canto Bight, they visit the Canto Casino, where BB-8 encounters Dobbu Scay. The drunk alien mistakes BB-8 for one of the casino’s lugjack machines. The camera lingers on this gag as Dobbu Scay gambles, gets angry, and belches in the droid’s face. Dobbu Scay inserts coins into BB-8 at the droid’s encouragement, which comes in handy later when BB-8 uses the same coins as projectiles to aid in the heroes’ escape.

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Later, Dobbu Scay reappears when Finn causes a disruption in the casino by freeing a herd of fathiers. The beasts running through knock coins to the ground, which Dobbu Scay scoops up eagerly. Because he gets a decent amount of screen time for the minimal part he plays, Dobbu Scay is not easily missed. However, at first glance, he doesn’t seem to have much in common with Luke Skywalker. The computer-animated character is a monocle-wearing amphibian alien similar in height to BB-8, and his speech and grunts sound nothing like Luke’s, but it is Hamill all the same.

What Are the Rumors Surrounding ‘The Last Jedi’s Dobbu Scay?

When Hamill agreed to do the cameo, he didn’t expect credit for it, telling Cinemablend, « I was very surprised that Rian [Johnson] billed me as Dobbu Scay… I thought it was going to be an Easter egg. I didn’t say, ‘Oh, I need billing.’ And if I did have billing, in the past as a pseudonym I’ve used a combination of my brothers’ names, and I call myself Patrick Williams. » However, the role didn’t remain a secret, and when people learned, many believed he voiced the gambling alien, which is not so strange an idea as Hamill has done plenty of voice work.

He’s remembered for such voice roles as Joker in many animated DC projects, Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and, more recently, Granduncle in The Boy and the Heron. His voice has even appeared as Darth Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Boolio in his voice-only cameo in Star Wars: Episode IX –The Rise of Skywalker, and the droid EV-9D9 in The Mandalorian. However, Dobbu Scay is different. Hamill himself took to Twitter to squash these rumors, saying, « It is commonly (& mistakenly) reported that I only did the voice of Dobbu Scay, but I filmed the scene in a full motion-capture suit w/ a giant-sized medicine ball to make me the same size as BB-8. » Having done both the voice and motion capture for Doobu Scay, Hamill more than earned that credit.

Mark Hamill’s Performances in ‘The Last Jedi’ Were Complex

His The Last Jedi cameo was Hamill’s idea. In an interview with Nerdist, The Last Jedi‘s VFX supervisor, Ben Morris, explained, « Mark came to Rian [Johnson]. Mark’s done an awful lot of computer game voices for characters, but he’s never had the chance [to do mo-cap]. So, he said, ‘I want to put the dots on, man. I want to do that mo-cap thing.' » And so, Dobbu Scay was created. With a giant BB-8 frame made for scale, Hamill got to embody Dobbu Scay as well as voice him. Creature shop head Neal Scanlan detailed the process further, saying Hamill’s motion capture performance was combined with puppeteers.

Scanlan explained, « Digital made a very big version of BB-8, and so we performed it. Warwick [Davis] and Jimmy Vee played the real scale character with the real sized BB-8, and then the digital guys had a big BB-8 made and Mark played the character to the big BB-8. » Dobbu Scay may not be crucial to the film like Luke is, but he is an interesting detail that provides the actor with an unusual opportunity and adds a layer of detail for fans. Because of its nature, this cameo is easily missed by those who don’t know, but it’s always a joy to see Mark Hamill in Star Wars, even if he isn’t Luke at the time.

Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi is available to watch on Disney+ in the US.

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