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Why did Luke use his left hand to shoot?
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Why did Luke use his left hand to shoot?
Why does Darth Vader stop Boba Fett from shooting Chewie in The Empire Strikes Back?Why doesn't Luke's lightsaber cut Jabba's guards in Episode 6?Elements of The Force in A New HopeGeorge Lucas has so much to say on the topic of Han shooting Greedo but doesn’t say squat about Luke kissing his own sister?When and how does the Emperor learn that Luke is Vader's son?Who/what exactly does Darth Vader believe taught Luke between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi?”Why doesn't Finn just use the Falcon's other cannon?Is there any evidence to suggest that Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen were killed by Boba Fett and not the Storm Troopers?Why did Obi-Wan wait years after his death to tell Luke to go to Dagobah to find Yoda?Why did Luke leave Owen and Beru's remains?
In A New Hope Detention Center Shoutout scene Luke is clearly shooting with his left hand. Later in this same video at 4:51 he makes a leftie shot more clearly.
In The Empire Strikes Back while following Boba Fett, Luke holds a gun (and subsequently shoots) with his right hand. Needless to say, while fighting with a lightsaber he also uses his right hand.
So why did he shoot with his left hand in A New Hope?
star-wars a-new-hope the-empire-strikes-back
|
show 4 more comments
In A New Hope Detention Center Shoutout scene Luke is clearly shooting with his left hand. Later in this same video at 4:51 he makes a leftie shot more clearly.
In The Empire Strikes Back while following Boba Fett, Luke holds a gun (and subsequently shoots) with his right hand. Needless to say, while fighting with a lightsaber he also uses his right hand.
So why did he shoot with his left hand in A New Hope?
star-wars a-new-hope the-empire-strikes-back
4
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
23
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
8
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
9
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
16
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago
|
show 4 more comments
In A New Hope Detention Center Shoutout scene Luke is clearly shooting with his left hand. Later in this same video at 4:51 he makes a leftie shot more clearly.
In The Empire Strikes Back while following Boba Fett, Luke holds a gun (and subsequently shoots) with his right hand. Needless to say, while fighting with a lightsaber he also uses his right hand.
So why did he shoot with his left hand in A New Hope?
star-wars a-new-hope the-empire-strikes-back
In A New Hope Detention Center Shoutout scene Luke is clearly shooting with his left hand. Later in this same video at 4:51 he makes a leftie shot more clearly.
In The Empire Strikes Back while following Boba Fett, Luke holds a gun (and subsequently shoots) with his right hand. Needless to say, while fighting with a lightsaber he also uses his right hand.
So why did he shoot with his left hand in A New Hope?
star-wars a-new-hope the-empire-strikes-back
star-wars a-new-hope the-empire-strikes-back
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
1
asked 2 days ago
Nikita NeganovNikita Neganov
1,8351628
1,8351628
4
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
23
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
8
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
9
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
16
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago
|
show 4 more comments
4
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
23
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
8
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
9
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
16
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago
4
4
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
23
23
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
8
8
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
9
9
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
16
16
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago
|
show 4 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Luke is pretty consistently shown to be ambidextrous (having the ability to use both hands without favouring one) throughout the original trilogy film series.
In A New Hope he totes a gun and shoots with his left hand while on the Death Star.
He operates a control panel with his right hand
He ladles food onto his plate with his left and then passes a heavy jug from his right hand to his left to pour.
He uses a screwdriver with his right hand.
He handles the lightsaber with his right hand.
He favours his right hand for throwing a grenade in Empire Strikes Back.
He eats with his right hand in the swamps of Dagobah, as well as pulling a gun with his right.
But then eats with his left hand a few minutes later.
He favours his right hand for reaching out with the Force.
He totes his gun in his right hand on Cloud City.
He throws a skull with his left hand in Return of the Jedi.
He salutes Jabba and catches his lightsaber with left hand.
He calls the lightsaber to his right hand and fights almost exclusively with his right.
It's not clear if this was an intentional directorial choice, a goof (reversed plates meant that Fett's antenna swapped sides repeatedly during the Skiff scene and Luke's lightsaber would repeatedly jump from his left to his right hip, for example) or whether Lucas simply didn't notice or care that his main actor (who's left-handed in real life) was using his hands interchangeably.
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
During the Detention Centre shootout, Luke is taking cover on the right-hand side of the corridor (from his perspective) and the alcove he's using for cover would make it harder to fire his blaster right-handed. He's trying to stay behind that little bit of bulkhead as much as he can to avoid the incoming Stormtrooper fire, so holding the blaster in his right hand would mean having to lean farther out to get a shot off and making himself more of a target.
In Cloud City, you can see that Luke's hiding behind a wall at a left-hand turn (his perspective), so naturally he wouldn't need to shift his sidearm to another hand since he'd still be in cover if he decided to lean out and shoot at Fett and the Imperials.
EDIT: Several comments have indicated that Mark Hamill is left-handed, while I've also seen that Luke may be intended to be ambidextrous with a preference for one hand or the other depending on the action. But in terms of in-universe actions, Luke's simply taking best advantage of his cover the same way that Han and Chewie are shoving themselves up against the wall in the Detention Centre. As a side note, you'll sometimes see Stormtroopers carrying their blaster rifles left-handed; this was because the Sterling submachine guns used for the blank-fire props have a VERY awkward horizontal magazine that sticks out of the left side of the gun and makes it difficult to hold in the typical "Stormtrooper Ready" position, even with a chopped-down 10-shot magazine.
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
Luke is pretty consistently shown to be ambidextrous (having the ability to use both hands without favouring one) throughout the original trilogy film series.
In A New Hope he totes a gun and shoots with his left hand while on the Death Star.
He operates a control panel with his right hand
He ladles food onto his plate with his left and then passes a heavy jug from his right hand to his left to pour.
He uses a screwdriver with his right hand.
He handles the lightsaber with his right hand.
He favours his right hand for throwing a grenade in Empire Strikes Back.
He eats with his right hand in the swamps of Dagobah, as well as pulling a gun with his right.
But then eats with his left hand a few minutes later.
He favours his right hand for reaching out with the Force.
He totes his gun in his right hand on Cloud City.
He throws a skull with his left hand in Return of the Jedi.
He salutes Jabba and catches his lightsaber with left hand.
He calls the lightsaber to his right hand and fights almost exclusively with his right.
It's not clear if this was an intentional directorial choice, a goof (reversed plates meant that Fett's antenna swapped sides repeatedly during the Skiff scene and Luke's lightsaber would repeatedly jump from his left to his right hip, for example) or whether Lucas simply didn't notice or care that his main actor (who's left-handed in real life) was using his hands interchangeably.
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
Luke is pretty consistently shown to be ambidextrous (having the ability to use both hands without favouring one) throughout the original trilogy film series.
In A New Hope he totes a gun and shoots with his left hand while on the Death Star.
He operates a control panel with his right hand
He ladles food onto his plate with his left and then passes a heavy jug from his right hand to his left to pour.
He uses a screwdriver with his right hand.
He handles the lightsaber with his right hand.
He favours his right hand for throwing a grenade in Empire Strikes Back.
He eats with his right hand in the swamps of Dagobah, as well as pulling a gun with his right.
But then eats with his left hand a few minutes later.
He favours his right hand for reaching out with the Force.
He totes his gun in his right hand on Cloud City.
He throws a skull with his left hand in Return of the Jedi.
He salutes Jabba and catches his lightsaber with left hand.
He calls the lightsaber to his right hand and fights almost exclusively with his right.
It's not clear if this was an intentional directorial choice, a goof (reversed plates meant that Fett's antenna swapped sides repeatedly during the Skiff scene and Luke's lightsaber would repeatedly jump from his left to his right hip, for example) or whether Lucas simply didn't notice or care that his main actor (who's left-handed in real life) was using his hands interchangeably.
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
Luke is pretty consistently shown to be ambidextrous (having the ability to use both hands without favouring one) throughout the original trilogy film series.
In A New Hope he totes a gun and shoots with his left hand while on the Death Star.
He operates a control panel with his right hand
He ladles food onto his plate with his left and then passes a heavy jug from his right hand to his left to pour.
He uses a screwdriver with his right hand.
He handles the lightsaber with his right hand.
He favours his right hand for throwing a grenade in Empire Strikes Back.
He eats with his right hand in the swamps of Dagobah, as well as pulling a gun with his right.
But then eats with his left hand a few minutes later.
He favours his right hand for reaching out with the Force.
He totes his gun in his right hand on Cloud City.
He throws a skull with his left hand in Return of the Jedi.
He salutes Jabba and catches his lightsaber with left hand.
He calls the lightsaber to his right hand and fights almost exclusively with his right.
It's not clear if this was an intentional directorial choice, a goof (reversed plates meant that Fett's antenna swapped sides repeatedly during the Skiff scene and Luke's lightsaber would repeatedly jump from his left to his right hip, for example) or whether Lucas simply didn't notice or care that his main actor (who's left-handed in real life) was using his hands interchangeably.
Luke is pretty consistently shown to be ambidextrous (having the ability to use both hands without favouring one) throughout the original trilogy film series.
In A New Hope he totes a gun and shoots with his left hand while on the Death Star.
He operates a control panel with his right hand
He ladles food onto his plate with his left and then passes a heavy jug from his right hand to his left to pour.
He uses a screwdriver with his right hand.
He handles the lightsaber with his right hand.
He favours his right hand for throwing a grenade in Empire Strikes Back.
He eats with his right hand in the swamps of Dagobah, as well as pulling a gun with his right.
But then eats with his left hand a few minutes later.
He favours his right hand for reaching out with the Force.
He totes his gun in his right hand on Cloud City.
He throws a skull with his left hand in Return of the Jedi.
He salutes Jabba and catches his lightsaber with left hand.
He calls the lightsaber to his right hand and fights almost exclusively with his right.
It's not clear if this was an intentional directorial choice, a goof (reversed plates meant that Fett's antenna swapped sides repeatedly during the Skiff scene and Luke's lightsaber would repeatedly jump from his left to his right hip, for example) or whether Lucas simply didn't notice or care that his main actor (who's left-handed in real life) was using his hands interchangeably.
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 days ago
ValorumValorum
406k10929503175
406k10929503175
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
13
13
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
One of our readers / users could contact Mr. Hammil and ask. It would be awesome to get his two cents.
– Mindwin
2 days ago
30
30
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
Note that a lot of us lefties are a lot more comfortable using our right hands if a situation arises where that would be more convenient than a typical right-hander would be using their left. In a world designed for right-handers, we have to learn to be flexible sometimes.
– T.E.D.
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
I suspect Luke would learn to duel with his right hand because that's probably what the forms are based around. Perhaps a highly skilled leftie would be at an advantage in an equally matched duel; but Luke was never in an equally matched duel in the OT.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
6
6
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
@AzorAhai - ...or OOC, most likely Mark's fencing instructors only felt comfortable teaching him right-handed. Teaching it left-handed is much more complex, and I could see where they wouldn't want to get into all that just for the sake of a movie. (IC, change names to "Luke" and "Obi-Wan" and this argument still mostly holds. Remember his training was being rushed.)
– T.E.D.
yesterday
3
3
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
@Adamant - I've watched a bunch of candid vids and he strongly favours his left for dominance; youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sVuNB4eGY - signing / youtube.com/watch?v=K-bENZW7Jyw - holding a mic, etc
– Valorum
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
During the Detention Centre shootout, Luke is taking cover on the right-hand side of the corridor (from his perspective) and the alcove he's using for cover would make it harder to fire his blaster right-handed. He's trying to stay behind that little bit of bulkhead as much as he can to avoid the incoming Stormtrooper fire, so holding the blaster in his right hand would mean having to lean farther out to get a shot off and making himself more of a target.
In Cloud City, you can see that Luke's hiding behind a wall at a left-hand turn (his perspective), so naturally he wouldn't need to shift his sidearm to another hand since he'd still be in cover if he decided to lean out and shoot at Fett and the Imperials.
EDIT: Several comments have indicated that Mark Hamill is left-handed, while I've also seen that Luke may be intended to be ambidextrous with a preference for one hand or the other depending on the action. But in terms of in-universe actions, Luke's simply taking best advantage of his cover the same way that Han and Chewie are shoving themselves up against the wall in the Detention Centre. As a side note, you'll sometimes see Stormtroopers carrying their blaster rifles left-handed; this was because the Sterling submachine guns used for the blank-fire props have a VERY awkward horizontal magazine that sticks out of the left side of the gun and makes it difficult to hold in the typical "Stormtrooper Ready" position, even with a chopped-down 10-shot magazine.
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
add a comment |
During the Detention Centre shootout, Luke is taking cover on the right-hand side of the corridor (from his perspective) and the alcove he's using for cover would make it harder to fire his blaster right-handed. He's trying to stay behind that little bit of bulkhead as much as he can to avoid the incoming Stormtrooper fire, so holding the blaster in his right hand would mean having to lean farther out to get a shot off and making himself more of a target.
In Cloud City, you can see that Luke's hiding behind a wall at a left-hand turn (his perspective), so naturally he wouldn't need to shift his sidearm to another hand since he'd still be in cover if he decided to lean out and shoot at Fett and the Imperials.
EDIT: Several comments have indicated that Mark Hamill is left-handed, while I've also seen that Luke may be intended to be ambidextrous with a preference for one hand or the other depending on the action. But in terms of in-universe actions, Luke's simply taking best advantage of his cover the same way that Han and Chewie are shoving themselves up against the wall in the Detention Centre. As a side note, you'll sometimes see Stormtroopers carrying their blaster rifles left-handed; this was because the Sterling submachine guns used for the blank-fire props have a VERY awkward horizontal magazine that sticks out of the left side of the gun and makes it difficult to hold in the typical "Stormtrooper Ready" position, even with a chopped-down 10-shot magazine.
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
add a comment |
During the Detention Centre shootout, Luke is taking cover on the right-hand side of the corridor (from his perspective) and the alcove he's using for cover would make it harder to fire his blaster right-handed. He's trying to stay behind that little bit of bulkhead as much as he can to avoid the incoming Stormtrooper fire, so holding the blaster in his right hand would mean having to lean farther out to get a shot off and making himself more of a target.
In Cloud City, you can see that Luke's hiding behind a wall at a left-hand turn (his perspective), so naturally he wouldn't need to shift his sidearm to another hand since he'd still be in cover if he decided to lean out and shoot at Fett and the Imperials.
EDIT: Several comments have indicated that Mark Hamill is left-handed, while I've also seen that Luke may be intended to be ambidextrous with a preference for one hand or the other depending on the action. But in terms of in-universe actions, Luke's simply taking best advantage of his cover the same way that Han and Chewie are shoving themselves up against the wall in the Detention Centre. As a side note, you'll sometimes see Stormtroopers carrying their blaster rifles left-handed; this was because the Sterling submachine guns used for the blank-fire props have a VERY awkward horizontal magazine that sticks out of the left side of the gun and makes it difficult to hold in the typical "Stormtrooper Ready" position, even with a chopped-down 10-shot magazine.
During the Detention Centre shootout, Luke is taking cover on the right-hand side of the corridor (from his perspective) and the alcove he's using for cover would make it harder to fire his blaster right-handed. He's trying to stay behind that little bit of bulkhead as much as he can to avoid the incoming Stormtrooper fire, so holding the blaster in his right hand would mean having to lean farther out to get a shot off and making himself more of a target.
In Cloud City, you can see that Luke's hiding behind a wall at a left-hand turn (his perspective), so naturally he wouldn't need to shift his sidearm to another hand since he'd still be in cover if he decided to lean out and shoot at Fett and the Imperials.
EDIT: Several comments have indicated that Mark Hamill is left-handed, while I've also seen that Luke may be intended to be ambidextrous with a preference for one hand or the other depending on the action. But in terms of in-universe actions, Luke's simply taking best advantage of his cover the same way that Han and Chewie are shoving themselves up against the wall in the Detention Centre. As a side note, you'll sometimes see Stormtroopers carrying their blaster rifles left-handed; this was because the Sterling submachine guns used for the blank-fire props have a VERY awkward horizontal magazine that sticks out of the left side of the gun and makes it difficult to hold in the typical "Stormtrooper Ready" position, even with a chopped-down 10-shot magazine.
edited 2 days ago
answered 2 days ago
SpaceWolf1701SpaceWolf1701
50626
50626
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
add a comment |
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
12
12
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
This. I don't really see how it would even be physically possible to shoot right handed while taking cover like that.
– terdon
2 days ago
4
4
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
It's physically possible, but would be awkward while you're trying to avoid getting hit yourself.
– SpaceWolf1701
2 days ago
2
2
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@SpaceWolf1701 indeed. I'm right handed, and in such a situation it would be easier for me to just shoot left-handed than to try to contort myself. Also, the situation in the Detention Centre is what we would call today Urban Combat. Urban combat de-emphasizes sharpshooting at long distance (in which dexterity matters a lot) in favor of squeezing off lots of basically-ok shots at close to medium range quickly and using cover effectively. It's also happens to be a textbook environment for submachine guns (SMGs), and the E-11 blaster prop is actually based on the Sterling SMG.
– Robert Columbia
yesterday
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
@RobertColumbia Quite true. I'm right-handed also and would do the same, though if I had my choice I'd be on the other side of the corridor with a different blaster rifle. Han and Chewie are lucky enough to be in cover where it's easier to shoot, although I think Chewie was waving around a DLT-19 at that point which would be handy in that situation because of its high fire rate but even more awkward than the E-11s. And aye, I did mention the Sterlings in my answer, including the unfortunate position of the magazines that led to many Stormtrooper extras holding them left-handed.
– SpaceWolf1701
17 hours ago
add a comment |
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4
Because he's holding the communicator in his other hand?
– Valorum
2 days ago
23
In reality Mark Hamill is left-handed. Lucas either probably just didn't notice. Either that or Hamill was holding the gun in his right hand but the image was reversed when it was printed for final cut. That happens a lot.
– Valorum
2 days ago
8
From a filmmaking perspective, I suspect it's because Leia needs to snatch the gun out of his hand. If he has it in his right hand, she'd have to reach all the way around him to get it.
– Valorum
2 days ago
9
"Though in the original Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a lightsaber right-handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home, throwing the skull left-handed to defeat the Rancor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - m.imdb.com/name/nm0000434/trivia
– Valorum
2 days ago
16
In the first image, he has his back against the wall with a small barrier directly on his right side. It would be rather difficult for him to shoot with his right hand from that position, much like when you want to shoot along the edge of a pool table in the direction where your weaker arm is against the table.
– Kai
2 days ago