A new The Mandalorian season 2 deepfake video imagines that casting Sebastian Stan as young Luke Skywalker would've been better than digitally inserting a young Mark Hamill. Capping off a year full of cameos from the Star Wars universe, the Disney+ series brought in the legendary Jedi at the tail end of the finale titled "The Rescue" to the surprise of many.

Following Moff Gideon successfully kidnapping Baby Yoda in "The Tragedy," Mando assembled his own team of allies to rescue Grogu from the villain. They were successful with the mission, but the reunion between the father figure and adopted son didn't last long as Luke came just in time to pick up Baby Yoda. The Child's Force vergence in Tython reached the Jedi Master who, at that time, was already working to rebuild the Order following the defeat of the Empire. Since The Mandalorian is set five years after Return of the Jedi, the show had to feature a young Luke to fit its timeline.

Related: The Mandalorian Needed To Put Baby Yoda Aside For The Sake Of Star Wars

Opting not to recast the role, Lucasfilm brought in Mark Hamill and used the de-aging technology they previously utilized in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and more recently, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There's an argument to be made, however, that The Mandalorian should've simply recast the role given the rough CGI on the character. A new deep fake video from stryder HD  backs up this notion, giving people an idea of what it would've been like had Stan played young Luke.

There are obvious limitations to what the de-aging technology could do, although it's worth noting that it has been used in better ways in other projects before. The difference with The Mandalorian that makes it such a hot topic, however, is that Luke was so involved in the scene that all those imperfections were highlighted. Despite the initial backlash, Rogue One's young Princess Leia moment was so brief that there's really not much movement on her face. As for The Rise of Skywalker, the sequence was set in the dark, hiding some of the same flaws. Of course, it's understandable that Lucasfilm would want to just bring back Hamill as Luke as it made for a more meaningful cameo. It's also worth noting that their experience recasting Han Solo may have discouraged them from attempting the move again, but bringing in fan-favorite Stan may have yielded a different result.

Aside from the issues with the CGI, there's also the general criticism of bringing Luke to The Mandalorian. As exciting as it was to see this version of the character again following his much older appearance in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it did take away from Din and Baby Yoda's separation. Following the episode, more of the discussion has been focused on his cameo than what the finale actually means for the show moving forward.

More: The Mandalorian: Why Din Djarin Could Completely Break His Helmet Rule In Season 3

Source: stryder HD