The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about Mark Hamill. "My idea of fun on a talk show is being in a world of comedy and performance rather than being a guest," says Mark Hamill. The actor behind Luke Skywalker proudly displays his preference for performance over dry talking heads in his directorial debut, the not-quite-cinema-verité documentary, Comic Book: The Movie. Insomniac Star Wars fans could have glimpsed seeds of this straight-faced make-believe approach to comedy in the mid-1980s, on NBC's popular "Late Night With David Letterman."

"[Late Night writer] Chris Elliott lived in my neighborhood, and I was a big Letterman fan," recalls Hamill. "I used to say to him that I wish Dave's show had no guests, because I like the comedy better than hearing somebody talk about their latest movie."

Hamill was slated to appear as a guest during the height of Return of the Jedi mania, but when viewers tuned in that night, it appeared the actor was overbooked. He instead appeared "live via satellite" from Episode VI's Royal Premiere in London. Letterman conducted the unconventional interview over a monitor, but stopped when he noticed recognizable members of the Late Night band walking behind Hamill. Intrigued, the host stepped over to the hallway next to the set, and found a sheepish Hamill standing in the hallway talking to a camera. Caught in a fib, Hamill confessed that his presence was not requested for the Premiere, and instead "they just wanted the aliens and the robots."

"I jumped at the chance to do that bit," says Hamill. "Dave doesn't do rehearsals, so when we went on the air, it was the first time he did that line. I say to him, ‘Don't be mad, Dave.' And he replies, ‘I'm not so much as mad ... as I am disappointed.'"

Another appearance of the same vintage came about as a response to a Viewer Mail segment. An inquisitive fan wanted to know how a guest in a cooking segment managed to crack an egg with one hand. To explain the highly technical effect, Letterman handed it over to Hamill, who appeared in a pre-recorded segment delving into the magic of ILM special effects.

"I thought it was really funny, because it was satirizing those ‘Making Of' specials," says Hamill. "What I loved about it was the unbelievably elaborate explanation of something that was so simple. ‘First the hand is shot against bluescreen. Later an egg is added optically. Squibs are added to the egg...' I loved that."

A string of appearances on the "Late Night" was made possible by Hamill being busy in New York theater at the time. "They'd shoot at 5:30, so they'd be done by 6:30. I'd be in the theater district, but I wouldn't have to be in the theater until 7:30 for my show at 8. It worked out beautifully. I must have done at least a half-a-dozen of those before I overstayed my welcome," he says with a laugh. "I realized that somewhere along the line I got replaced by Tony Randall."

ScreenThemes, the photographic screen saver and wallpaper program known for its stunning high-resolution images, has added The Battle at Sarlacc Pit. Relive the exciting Rebel escape from Return of the Jedi with this thrilling collection of classic images, pitting our heroes against Jabba's band of misfits over the Sarlacc pit on Tatooine, on ScreenThemes.

The Battle at Sarlacc Pit gallery joins ScreenThemes' classic C-3PO and R2-D2, Princess Leia, Darth Maul duels, Yoda on Dagobah, Battle of Hoth, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Episode I: Artwork and breathtaking Episode II action galleries.

The Official Star Wars Site has announced that just in time for the upcoming second season of the Star Wars: Clone Wars Micro-Series, a secret online etailer will make available posters autographed by the creators of the series. Genndy Tartakovsky and Paul Rudish signed this poster for Hyperspace members last year at Comic-Con International. Now, a limited supply of these posters will soon be available online from a top-secret source.

Craig Burt has provided another great new piece for the Featured Artist section! This time we have what he calls "Demonic Duress" which features a very evil looking Anakin. Thanks Craig! 

Also, be sure to see his outstanding gallery of work with Craig Burt's Paintings and also Craig Burt's Cartoons! You can find other great work at the Featured Artists section. Enjoy!

The Official Star Wars Site has made it's first Episode III webdoc available to non-Hyperspace members.

This video is a look at the weeks leading up to the start of shooting in the spring and summer of 2003, as sets, makeup, costumes, stunts and more are readied for Episode III.

Click here to check it out!