The Mandalorian mastermind Jon Favreau has revealed that Mark Hamill was on set for the Season 2 finale, which in addition to a killer post-credits sequence, included the surprise return of Luke Skywalker. For a time, many believed that Luke's involvement with the franchise ended at the close of the original trilogy, though the character returned when Disney announced a new slate of films in 2015, beginning with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Three films into the new arc, it looked as if fans had seen the last of Hamill's Jedi Master, but because Star Wars can always surprise you, here we are to tell you about how he came to be a part of The Mandalorian.
During a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Favreau opened up about Hamill's involvement with the show's final episode. Regardless of Luke arriving during the finale as a CGI recreation, Hamill was indeed present and accounted for while filming. "And then to have the very last episode, to have Mark Hamill actually on set filming and us using whatever technology we had available to de-age him and try to make him look as much like he did in the old films," Favreau explained to his Good Morning America hosts.
Miraculously, Hamill's involvement in the episode remained a secret until it aired on Disney Plus. Part of this is due to the fact that Hamill was listed in the credits under the name Max Lloyd-Jones, with Matt Rugetti acting as his stunt-double. “The fact that we were able to keep my involvement a secret for over a year with no leaks is nothing less than a miracle. A real triumph for spoiler-haters everywhere,” said Favreau, as someone who knows all too well how brutal Star Wars spoiler culture can be.
For Luke's jaw-dropping scene, it was Rugetti who handled Luke's lightsaber savviness while Hamill acted in the scene where he meets and embraces Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, aka The Child.
In addition to Hamill's fan-pleasing appearance, a post-credits scene for the episode revealed Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, an upcoming live-action Star Wars series set for December 2021 on Disney Plus. Honestly, I don't know which reveal was more exciting. Luckily, we don't have to choose, because both moments can be celebrated in equal measure. According to Favreau, the third season of The Mandalorian is now in pre-production. Where the show will go after its Season 2 finale is anyone's guess, considering that Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) journey to find Grogu a suitable Jedi Master has (seemingly) come to an end. What do you think Mando will get up to when the show returns? Let us in on some of your theories in the comments section below.