Star Wars star Mark Hamill is lending his voice to an air raid alert app to warn Ukrainians of incoming Russian bombardments.
“Attention. Air raid alert,” he says in the calming, wise manner of his famous character Luke Skywalker.
“Proceed to the nearest shelter.
“Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”
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Hamill’s Skywalker voice is an option in the Air Alert app, which is linked to Ukraine‘s air defence system.
Whenever aid raid sirens start to blare out in the war-torn country, for everything from missiles to deadly drones, app users who have set Hamill as their preferred voice will hear him issue his Jedi-style warnings.
‘May the Force be with you’
The 71-year-old actor said he wanted to be involved as the conflict reminded him of the Star Wars saga in which outgunned rebels manage to defeat an evil empire.
“A fairy tale about good versus evil is resonant with what’s going on in Ukraine,” he said.
“It’s impossible not to be inspired by how they’ve weathered this storm.”
Hamill also announces when air alerts are over, signing off with “may the Force be with you”.
One user, Olena Yeremina, a business manager in Kyiv, said it was “a very cool phrase for this situation”.
“Sometimes this phrase reminds me to straighten my shoulders and keep working,” the 38-year-old added.
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Star Wars ‘inspires people’
Bohdan Zvonyk, 24, from the western city of Lviv, said he used Hamill’s voice to help improve his English.
And it helps that he’s a Star Wars fan too.
“We could use a little bit of the power that Hamill wishes us,” he said.
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The app was co-developed by Ukrainian security systems manufacturer Ajax Systems.
It hopes Hamill’s star power will encourage more people to download it – adding to the 14 million who already have.
Hamill said: “It does inspire people. Everyone flashes back to being six years old again.
“And if the movie can help people get through hard times, so much the better.”