Mark Hamill knew he had to say yes when George Lucas told him about plans for a new Star Wars trilogy.

“It’s not like a choice. It’s like I was drafted,” he told a massive crowd night at a Star Wars celebration of his decision to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“Could you imagine if for some reason I said ‘I don’t think I want to do it?’ I would have all of you surrounding my house like villagers, angry villagers with lightsabres instead of torches,” joked the 63-year-old Star Wars veteran.

Hamill admitted he was caught off guard when Lucas invited him to lunch.When Hamill’s wife surmised that perhaps there was a new film in the works, Hamill laughed, as Lucas had told him specifically that he was done making Star Wars movies after the prequels.

He assumed Lucas was going to announce a 3D release or roll out another box set of the films, laughing about the number of versions that have been made available.

When things started coming together, Hamill said he was cautiously optimistic about J.J. Abrams, the chosen director for The Force Awakens.

“I was a little suspicious because he was a Star Trek guy,” said Hamill, laughing. The actor quickly clarified that he likes Star Trek.

“It just seems odd,” he said.

He went on to compliment Abrams for his inclusiveness. Abrams, Hamill noted, is also the first Star Wars director to be borne out of true fandom of the original films.

Keeping in line with the secrecy surrounding The Force Awakens, which opens on December 18, Hamill said he is always worried about leaking information.

He claims he even learned the subtitle of the seventh film on the internet.