Mark Hamill takes to social media to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Luke Skywalker's surprise The Mandalorian season 2 cameo. Even before its late December finale, The Mandalorian's sophomore run had a lot for Star Wars fans to enjoy. As the titular bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) continued to search for a suitable home for powerful young Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), the unlikely pair visited several new worlds and met major figures from elsewhere in the galaxy far, far away, such as Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison). Still, it was the twist in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 8 that took the cake as the most memorable moment.
Much of "Chapter 16: The Rescue" revolved around Din's daring efforts to rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Though Din and his allies free Grogu, they soon find themselves pinned down by near-unstoppable Dark Troopers. All hope seems lost, but then a hooded stranger arrives via X-wing and single-handedly takes down each Dark Trooper. By the time he arrives before Din and the rest, fans likely guessed who it was, but it was still a thrilling surprise to see Hamill's Luke Skywalker underneath the hood. Though it came within the final weeks of 2020, it was undoubtedly one of the biggest television scenes of the year.
The Mandalorian released its season 2 finale on December 18, meaning this weekend is its one-year anniversary. Fans have been celebrating on social media, and Hamill did the same on Sunday by putting special focus on his double Max Lloyd-Jones. "Happy Anniversary to the return of Luke on
@themandalorian," he wrote. "I'd like to thank my double Max Lloyd-Jones who did a great job, despite being clearly too handsome for the part." Hamill also shared a behind the scenes picture of Lloyd-Jones in costume with the dots on his face that were then used to render Hamill's likeness. You can see his post down below.
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Though Lloyd-Jones did stand in for him on set, Hamill also shot new scenes for The Mandalorian. Deepfake technology recreated Hamill's appearance from the original Star Wars trilogy. While some fans might quibble with the finished product, it didn't diminish the excitement that came from seeing a young Luke Skywalker back onscreen once again. As fans and Hamill are celebrating the moment a year later, it's clear The Mandalorian's Luke cameo is now a part of television history.
Because of how The Mandalorian season 2 concluded, many wonder if there's more Luke ahead in season 3. Luke took Grogu under his wing at the end of the finale, promising to teach him in the ways of the Force. As Baby Yoda has become the unofficial mascot of The Mandalorian, it seems strange to imagine the show continuing without him. Should he come back, it would make sense to also see Luke again. Whether season 3 will feature another Hamill cameo remains to be seen, but many fans are likely holding out hope lightning will strike twice.
Source: Mark Hamill/Twitter