Kansas, Luke Skywalker, and wheat

Sometimes, there's so much to love about the strange and organic world of social media.

Yesterday, I tweeted out a simple question and tagged Mark Hamill in it. It was a fleeting curiosity that I'd had. When you reach a certain level of worldwide celebrity, are there still places left in the world that a person yearns to see? What I tweeted was this: What is the one place you've not visited that you want to see?

Lo and behold, he responded. It was one one word; Kansas.

Of course, being a huge fan of Hamill, I was giddy simply at the fact he saw and replied to my tweet. Then, things started to grow – as they sometimes do on social media – and next thing I knew, my question had made the news.

In fact, Dr. Jeff Colyer, the governor of Kansas, several mayors, museums and tourism organizations, and hundreds of individuals chimed in to invite Luke Skywalker (Hamill, in case you weren't sure) to come out and visit. My personal favorite was the reply from Kansas Wheat, in which they offered to let Mr. Hamill drive a harvesting combine, and then subsequently invited me to do the same.

People from Kansas are now sharing Star Wars fan stories, favorite eateries, festivals and sights with him, all in the hopes of the revered Jedi's visit.

Suddenly, the whole thing has become an online movement to get Hamill to come to the Sunflower State. As online media and news outlets continue to post this short, sweet and wonderful Twitter response, it gives me a warm feeling due to the amount of excitement, fandom and caring from fans of his.

I get it. I truly do. Mark Hamill's work has been an inspiration to me for a long time. I was six years old when I first saw Star Wars in 1978. I lived in Germany at the time, and had missed the 1977 release of the film. Still, it instantly became my favorite movie, Luke was my hero, and I decided that day on my lifelong career path; Jedi.

(Me, in Matmata, Tunisia in 2002, where they filmed parts of several Star Wars films)

(me, still not a Jedi, but at Luke's childhood home)

Oddly enough, it was Hamill who made me realize that the big screen characters were performed by actors. I came to this epiphany while watching an appearance of his on the Muppet Show. Because, other than Yoda (obviously), I knew Muppets weren't real. Rather than disenfranchise me, it turned me on to the wonder of how film making is done. That sense of wanting to understand the craft of movie making eventually led me to be a filmmaker.

(Me, above, still not a Jedi, but definitely a Rebel)

Above all, though, I remain a fan of Hamill, Star Wars, and the powerful magic of the Force. It truly does bind us. As was said of it in Star Wars: A New Hope, “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”

Cheers and may the Force be with you!

- Rick