The Mandalorian season 2 finale left audiences wondering if Luke Skywalker will return in season 3. Wrapping up its year full of cameos from the bigger Star Wars universe, the Disney+ series saved its biggest one for last, as the legendary Jedi made an appearance to take Baby Yoda from Din Djarin. Luke's involvement was rather brief since he only arrived after Mando and his team of allies has defeated Moff Gideon and saved Grogu. What are the chances that the legendary Jedi will return to The Mandalorian moving forward?
The Mandalorian season 2 ending revealed that Grogu's Force vergence in Tython reached a Jedi, just as what Ahsoka predicted. At this time in the Star Wars canon, the young Skywalker was already working to rebuild the Order following the defeat of the Empire. Among his eventual students was Ben Solo — Han and Leia's son, who was ultimately lured to the dark side and became Kylo Ren in the Disney sequel trilogy. To make the cameo in The Mandalorian possible, Lucasfilm had to de-age Mark Hamill to feature a much younger Luke since the Disney+ series is set five years after Return of the Jedi.
Is there a possibility that this wasn't a one-time thing and that Luke will make another appearance, perhaps in The Mandalorian season 3? Considering that Lucasfilm opted to not recast the character and use the special effects that they've previously used in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there's a chance that there are no plans for young Luke past his recent cameo. After all, this limits what he can and cannot do onscreen; this was why they had to conceal his face throughout the hallway action sequence, only revealing it while he stood still in front of Din and the rest of The Mandalorian ensemble. Even with barely any movement and facial expressions, the de-aging effect for young Luke wasn't as seamless as it was in Rogue One, and as a result, The Mandalorian was justifiable criticized. Since it's almost certain that Baby Yoda will return and reunite with Mando in the future, however, Lucasfilm may not have any choice but to bring back young Luke — especially if the show is planning on featuring the Child during his training.
While The Mandalorian season 2 generally received positive reviews, one of its most prominent criticisms was that it overdid fan-serving cameos that took the focus away from the show's actual story. This was best exemplified with young Luke's surprise appearance in the finale; after the episode, much of the conversations about the outing was about his emergence and not on the separation of Baby Yoda and Din, which is more integral to its future. Similarly, the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy was criticized for relying on nostalgia instead of building a new story. Assuming that The Mandalorian producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are taking notes, this may be something that they want to be more careful of down the line. That means that any future cameos should be carefully considered as to avoid repeating the same issues. If young Luke will once again factor in the show, his involvement should be minimal. If anything, they can even be creative and bring Baby Yoda back without any additional appearance from the Jedi Master.
Overall, there are pros and cons to bringing young Luke back in The Mandalorian season 3 and beyond. On the one hand, it's interesting to see what he was like during this time on the screen; it's a part of his story leading to his failure to re-establish the Jedi Order that's integral to better understanding why he had such a different perspective of things in the sequel trilogy. But, Lucasfilm should also be mindful that in order to truly make Star Wars sustainable for the long run, it will need to explore other aspects of the franchise and offer something fresh to the public.
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January 11, 2021 at 05:18AM
