Summary

• Luke Skywalker returns to save Grogu, trains him, but Grogu chooses Din Djarin over the Jedi path.
• Mark Hamill reprised his role as Luke Skywalker with CGI in The Mandalorian, and Grogu ultimately rejects Jedi training.
• Luke may return in a possible Mandalorian movie, possibly to battle Grand Admiral Thrawn alongside a team of characters.

Luke Skywalker returns in The Mandalorian to save Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, and train him to be a Jedi - but what is next for the pair? The Mandalorian season 2 ended with Din Djarin, Cara Dune, and Fennec Shand, aided by Boba Fett and joined by Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves, on a mission to rescue Grogu from the clutches of Moff Gideon. When all hope seemed lost, Luke Skywalker, in his black Return of the Jedi robes, arrives. After easily dispatching Gideon's Dark Troopers, he departs with Grogu for his Jedi Temple on Ossus.

The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger" shows what happens next, with Din Djarin traveling to Luke's Jedi Temple to reunite with his little green buddy. When Din is turned away by Ahsoka Tano, he leaves a gift for Grogu, and Grogu later accepts this gift and returns to his adoptive father. This clearly wasn't what Luke Skywalker intended when he rescued Grogu at the end of The Mandalorian season 2, meaning speculation has risen over what's next for the rekindled Jedi Order after losing its first new student.

How & Why Luke Skywalker Returns In The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale

Luke Sensed Grogu's Distress Call In The Force

Luke Skywalker's return in The Mandalorian season 2 finale is one of the show's biggest moments, and while it was a huge surprise at the very end of "Chapter 16: The Rescue," the narrative groundwork had certainly been laid for it. Back in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 6, "Chapter 14: The Tragedy," Grogu was placed on the Seeing Stone on the planet Tython, where he was able to reach out through the Force. While at first, it seemed like no Jedi had heard Grogu, clearly Luke did - something Ahsoka had suggested could happen.

This makes sense because around the timeline of The Mandalorian season 2 (roughly 9 ABY), Luke is searching for Jedi and Sith artifacts and learning more about their history and the Force in general. He'd be well-attuned to the presence of another Force-sensitive, especially in a place such as Tython, which explains how he could sense Grogu and then presumably follow that presence to Moff Gideon's light cruiser. As one of the few living members of the Jedi Order at this point in time, Luke would undoubtedly want to do anything it took to save a potential emerging Jedi.

Given how strong Grogu is in the Force - as evidenced by his "high M-count" - Luke would be even more aware of how valuable Grogu is. Luke always had high ambitions for Grogu and his place in the new Jedi Order, as evidenced in The Book of Boba Fett. Luke had offered Grogu the lightsaber of none other than Master Yoda, arguably the most powerful Jedi that's ever lived (or at least that Luke holds in the highest regard as a Force user), before Grogu ultimately made the decision to return to Din Djarin.

This version of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian is the one many viewers have long wanted to see on screen, because he's clearly at the height of his powers. He became a true Jedi in Return of the Jedi but continued to train and grow stronger, and it's easy to see his immense power in how easily he defeats the Dark Troopers. His inclusion in The Mandalorian era also gave viewers a chance to see Luke wield the green lightsaber properly in the Disney era after the weapon was largely missing (bar flashbacks) from the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Mark Hamill Plays Luke Skywalker In The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale

The Original Luke Skywalker Actor Returned For His Latest Appearances

Original Star Wars actor Mark Hamill returned as Luke Skywalker for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. When The Mandalorian season 1 first debuted on Disney+, online speculation that Luke could appear was instantaneous. The sequel trilogy established that Luke kept himself incredibly busy setting up the new order after Return of the Jedi, so any project set between Episode VI and Star Wars: The Force Awakens was always bound to garner demand for Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker from many Star Wars viewers.

There was naturally also speculation about who would play him, with Sebastian Stan being a popular fan cast. Since that was true of Rosario Dawson too, who was eventually cast and starred as Ahsoka Tano, it did feel like a possibility. Instead, The Mandalorian opted to bring back Hamill, with the use of a lot of CGI - similarly to how Rogue One: A Star Wars Story brought back Princess Leia. Hamill's digitally de-aged face was superimposed over his double, The Mandalorian actor Max Lloyd-Jones.

The "deep fake" Luke Skywalker proved to be divisive but ultimately was the right choice.

Credited as "Double for Jedi," Lloyd-Jones isn't a well-known name but has several credits, including Tom Thornton in the TV show Where Calls The Heart, Blue Eyes in War for the Planet of the Apes, and Jacob in Once Upon A Time. Following his behind-the-scenes work in The Mandalorian, Lloyd-Jones appeared in The Book of Boba Fett's Din Djarin-focused episode as a New Republic X-wing pilot. Despite Luke Skywalker returning for The Book of Boba Fett, this time, Hamill's body double was Graham Hamilton.

The "deep fake" Luke Skywalker proved to be divisive but ultimately was the right choice, as it was a huge moment for Star Wars - and Hamill is the only choice for Luke Skywalker to the vast majority of audiences. Recasting the role, even with a star as popular as Stan, would've been extremely difficult to pull off, and the goodwill from Hamill returning trumped any issues with CGI in the long run. Besides this, by the time he was seen again in The Book of Boba Fett, Disney had significantly improved their CGI Luke Skywalker deep fake.

Baby Yoda's Jedi Training With Luke Skywalker

Grogu's Training Was Meant To Keep Him Safe & Give Him Agency

Having sensed Grogu's presence in the Force, Luke was acutely aware that Baby Yoda needed training from a fellow Jedi to master his incredible abilities and be safe. This fits with Grogu's backstory in The Mandalorian, as previously, he had to hide his Force powers to stay hidden; it was those same powers that drew the attention of Moff Gideon and the Imperial Remnant, and without the likes of Mando helping him, Grogu's fate could have been very different and a lot more tragic. With proper training, Grogu could be less defenseless and have more agency in his future.

While Luke Skywalker takes Grogu to train him, the timeline shown in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett means it is still a few years away from Luke starting his Jedi Academy with a young Ben Solo, who was previously said to be his very first student. This initially raised a few questions when The Mandalorian season 2 finished, as some wondered if The Mandalorian was retconning the Star Wars canon established in the sequel trilogy. This, however, wasn't the case, as Grogu ultimately left Luke and his Jedi Academy behind to be with his father.

Luke Gives Grogu A Tough Choice In Book Of Boba Fett

Grogu Has To Choose Between The Jedi & His Mandalorian Father Figure

The Book of Boba Fett ultimately picked up where The Mandalorian left off, with Star Wars opting for an alternate narrative decision that didn't risk Grogu crossing paths with Ben Solo's angry purge. When given a choice between staying with Luke or being with Din Djarin, Grogu decides that although the Force is strong, family is the way, and Din is the closest that Grogu has. He receives a small amount of training from Luke, but ultimately, Grogu isn't Yoda - a fact that was hammered home when Grogu rejected his first lightsaber, aka Yoda's, for Mandalorian chainmail.

This feels more logical because, ultimately, The Mandalorian is not Luke's story, but that of Din Djarin and Grogu. The Mandalorian season 3 could have shown Din's adventures without Grogu, but it wouldn't have felt right. Audiences fell in love with The Mandalorian because of the dynamic the two share. The Mandalorian's heartbreaking goodbye between the pair, with Din not only showing Grogu his face but allowing him to touch it, was both one of the series' most emotional moments and cemented the inextricable bond between the two.

Grogu decides that although the Force is strong, family is the way, and Din is the closest that Grogu has.

In The Mandalorian season 2, Ahsoka Tano explained that Grogu needed to choose his own path, and it may be with the Mandalorians rather than the Jedi (showing Tano may be a little wiser than Luke, to boot). Thus, Grogu choosing his family over the asceticism of the Jedi Order made for incredibly engaging storytelling. The difference between the creeds of the Mandalorians and the Jedi is a big theme in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Disney's interpretation of Jedi is more nuanced than Lucasfilm's before Disney acquired the license. Grogu choosing Din and donning Mandalorian armor is as symbolic as Luke burning the Jedi texts in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It acts as a message from Disney that the Jedi aren't the galaxy's de-facto heroes anymore, that they're flawed, and that Disney recognizes the Jedi ideology of detachment and blind self-sacrifice for the greater good isn't as endearing in the 21st century as it was in the post-WW2/Cold War decades when A New Hope first released.

Will Luke Skywalker & Grogu Return After The Book Of Boba Fett?

The Duo's Future Seems Especially Unlikely After The Mandalorian Season 3

Luke Skywalker returns to the main Star Wars story at the climax of The Force Awakens, which predates The Mandalorian by several years. Grogu isn't mentioned to Rey by Luke, but that's purely because The Mandalorian, Grogu, and Disney+ didn't exist when The Force Awakens was written. There's no on-screen evidence to confirm Luke and Grogu cross paths once more after The Book of Boba Fett, but that doesn't mean the pair can't reunite again. Luke and Rey spend a lot of time training together in The Last Jedi, meaning it's entirely plausible that he told Rey about Grogu off-screen.

For now, it appears Grogu's turned his back on Jedi training, but Grogu's Force powers still exist. Luke and Ahsoka may not be done with him just yet, even if he's chosen the Mandalorian path. Sabine Wren of Ahsoka is becoming a Mandalorian Jedi, the first since Tarre Vizsla, and Grogu could finish his Jedi training later on to earn the same title. For now, however, Grogu will remain in his adoptive father's care as a Mandalorian apprentice while Luke continues to build his Jedi Academy.

Luke May Return In The Mandalorian Culmination Movie Event

Luke Would Be Instrumental In A Battle Against Grand Admiral Thrawn

Following The Book of Boba Fett, Luke has yet to return to the Star Wars galaxy, though there are still future opportunities for him to do so. The Mandalorian season 3 mentioned Palpatine's Project Necromancer, the official name of his top-secret project to clone himself as seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - something that's been explored in depth in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3. Seeing as this will likely put Grogu under threat from the Imperial Remnant once again, Luke could launch into action to defend him and other Force-sensitive children.

Ahsoka season 1 has also since showed the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the main Star Wars galaxy, which has left Ahsoka Tano herself stranded on an extragalactic planet. Luke could be the one to help both her and her Padawan, Sabine, to get back to the main galaxy, should she somehow reach out to him through the Force. More likely, though, would be Luke's involvement in the upcoming battle against Thrawn, which will presumably be at the heart of Dave Filoni's upcoming The Mandalorian culmination movie.

Luke is an essential part of this blossoming team from The Mandalorian era.

Given Luke and Thrawn's extensive history in Star Wars Legends, particularly the iconic Heir to the Empire trilogy, it's very likely that Filoni will somehow make Luke a part of this battle. Whether it be on the front lines alongside Din Djarin, Grogu, Ahsoka Tano, and more or behind-the-scenes in some way, Luke is an essential part of this blossoming team from The Mandalorian era, also coined as the "Mandoverse." There's one more chance for Luke to appear before then in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, but it's much more likely that Luke will return in The Mandalorian culmination movie.