The Season 2 finale of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, featured the cameo to end all cameos within the Star Wars universe.
And, no, we’re not talking about R2-D2 — although that was this writer’s favorite moment. Luke Skywalker — featuring Mark Hamill’s voice and Return of the Jedi-era face (thanks, CGI technology) — showed up to save the day just when it seemed all was lost.
Then, in what was arguably one of the greatest Luke Skywalker moments in Star Wars canon, the Jedi Knight’s green lightsaber started flashing, taking out trooper after trooper in order to get to Grogu. It seems that he had sensed the tiny Force sensitive foundling on the Tython “Seeing Stone” and had been searching for him.
When Djarin allowed Grogu to touch his face without the helmet for the very first time — just before sending him with Skywalker to complete his Jedi training, which was interrupted during the execution of Order 66 at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant — he promised he would see him again.
It seems absolutely unfathomable that Disney would be discarding Baby Yoda like this, considering how popular he is. It seems like a guarantee that we’ll see Baby Yoda again in the future.
And it follows, then, that we will see this new version of Luke Skywalker again too, whether it comes in the form of Max Lloyd-Jones once again taking on the role while wearing Mark Hamill’s face or somebody like Sebastian Stan taking over in a more traditional method of recasting. It’s a big deal that Baby Yoda is with Luke now, and it would be strange if Luke isn’t there whenever Baby Yoda inevitably pops up again.
Rumors have long surrounded the possibility of Sebastian Stan taking over the role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars — it is possible that Favreau, Filoni, and the rest of the Mandalorian casting team will ultimately decide to go this direction given the time-consuming nature of inserting Hamill using CGI in numerous episodes, like an entire season of The Mandalorian, for example.
Regardless of how exactly Luke Skywalker’s return to The Mandalorian looks, it seems likely he will pop-up again — with Grogu in tow — following the Mandalorian finale, whether it is in the third season of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic, or the live-action streaming event that is set to occur sometime after the trio of series air.
Ahsoka, as Star Wars fans know, is set to feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels character Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) continuing her story arc from The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5 (Chapter 13: The Jedi) — searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn in a bid to save Eza Bridger.
Tano, as established in Clone Wars, was Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, so it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Favreau and Filoni will have her meet her Jedi Master’s son at some point in time.
There is also the possibility that Skywalker could somehow play into the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (2023) story, although we do not yet know exactly where in the Star Wars timeline the story will fall. Director Patty Jenkins has also indicated it will introduce a new group of characters to the Star Wars universe.
Hamill last reprised his role as Luke Skywalker — at his current age — in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as the Skywalker Saga officially came to a close after over 40 years.
When do you think Star Wars fans will see Luke Skywalker again? Are you glad he has become Grogu’s Jedi Master?
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Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney
