Luke Skywalker Returns for 'Star Wars' Episode 9

We didn't get enough of him in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, so it was a big relief to discover that Luke Skywalker is going to play a bigger part in Episode VIII. It's an even bigger relief to discover, as we did this week, that Luke will be around for Episode IX, as well.

There hasn't been any official announcement that the character will be on hand for the entire latest trilogy of Star Wars movies, but thanks to actor Mark Hamill's habit of tweeting enthusiastically about his work on the series, we know all but officially that his character, Luke, will be a part of the next two movies.

This week, Hamill tweeted a video of himself getting his Jedi beard shaved off. That in itself was an ominous sign, but Hamill added a note that said he was saying goodbye to his facial hair "at least til #EpisodeIX." The implication, of course, is that he'll have to regrow the beard to work on the movie, which means, thank goodness, that he'll be working on the movie.