Mark Hamill has explained why it’s unlikely fans will see Luke Skywalker return in any future Star Wars films.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actor made his position clear on whether he would ever reprise the role. “Oh, I can’t imagine that, no,” he said.

• Read more: ‘The Mandalorian’ season 2: release date, plot, trailer and everything we know so far

“I had a beginning, middle, and end,” Hamill began. “Those films gave me far more than I ever expected when we started out so it’s never even occurred to me. My farewell was in Episode IX and it was bittersweet.”

Explaining why the time felt right to let the next generation take over, the actor continued: “I love all those people and I certainly have affection for George and the character he created.

“I’m full of gratitude for what it has given me and my career but I don’t want to be greedy. There are still so many more stories to tell and so many great actors to tell them, they don’t need me.”

On spin-off series The Mandalorian, now streaming on Disney+, Hamill complimented the show’s scope.

“I think they have a wonderful advantage in that it’s economical storytelling,” he said. “They don’t have the burden of delivering a gigantic special effects extravaganza like the films had to do.

“It sort of gets back to the basics of George envisioning it as a western in space. It has that tone of a Sergio Leone Western.”

The Mandalorian will return for season 2 in October 2020.