Actor Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker, is using his celebrity fame for good. He is fundraising for a group that sends drones to Ukraine. So far, 500 drones have been sent to help in Ukraine’s battle against Mad Vlad Putin.

President Reagan called the former Soviet Union the evil empire. At the time, it was considered a bold statement for an American president to make. However, there was no denying that Reagan was correct to do so. The same is true today. Putin has grand visions of annexing territory he desires for his imaginary empire and that includes parts of current day Ukraine. When he sent Russian forces to invade Ukraine last February, it’s clear he was not prepared for the fight he found himself in. Ukrainians are bad asses and they aren’t giving up their land willingly. Even Joe Biden underestimated President Zelensky when he offered a plane ride out of the country when the war began. Zelensky delivered one of the most famous lines of the year – “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

In September I wrote about Mark Hamill being named an ambassador for United24′s “Army of Drones” campaign. He recently gave an update of his fundraising efforts. He talked about his ability to reach people as something he had to offer the group’s efforts.

Since Hamill was tapped as an ambassador for United24′s “Army of Drones” campaign earlier this fall, a lot has happened: He had a Zoom call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 500 drones have already been sent to Ukraine and a new effort to raise funds toward 10 reconnaissance drones has been launched.

“The fact that they thought I could help. Who am I to say no?” the actor famed for his portrayal as Luke Skywalker told The Associated Press during a Zoom call last week.

“What do I have that is special? And that is, in this case, an ability to reach people,” he said from his house in Malibu, California, clad in a flannel shirt and petting his rescue dog Trixie.

He wanted to use his celebrity for good. Zelensky thought it would be a good partnership.

“For Ukrainians, this means a lot. As in ‘Star Wars,’ good will triumph over evil and light will overcome darkness,” Zelenskyy was quoted as telling Hamill. “With you in the team, there’s no other way around it.”

Hamill uses the Star Wars story to compare it to the lesson of perseverance and resistance to oppression.

“Essentially it was a fairy tale for young children and it enabled George (Lucas) to tell a story that was very clear cut, where the villains were the villains. The heroes were the heroes,” Hamill told the AP. “And it was very clearly defined to teach a morality tale about perseverance and resistance towards oppressive regimes.”

He went on to talk about his love of politics and that seeped into his drone update. As a progressive activist, he seems to have felt the need to stress that the drones being sent to Ukraine by the group are not lethal weapons. They are “benign.”

Hamill’s latest effort for United24, a crowdfunding campaign launched by Zelenskyy, and its “Army of Drones” initiative focuses on RQ-35 Heidrun drones, which Hamill described as sophisticated and “benign.”

“They’re not lethal. They are the eyes in the sky and protect the borders and the people of Ukraine,” he said. People can also opt to “dronate” if they already have a drone in their possession.

He talked about being interested in politics since the days of Kennedy and Nixon. He couldn’t understand why his father supported Nixon when Kennedy “was beaming with positive energy.” Perhaps from the drugs he took for Addison’s disease. Hamill just happened to have a letter that was sent to him by Joe Biden to show the interviewer on the Zoom call. “Oh. This is the first time I’ve seen it, my wife has told me about it.” He went on to say, “I don’t do it for this reason.”

I’m sure Zelensky is appreciative, no matter Hamill’s reason. May the force be with you, Luke.