Now that The Mandalorian season 2 finale is out in the world, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill can talk about his the big surprise in the final moments of "Chapter 16: The Rescue."
Hamill calls Luke Skywalker's return to the franchise through CG de-aging magic among "the greatest gifts," he wrote in response to fan reactions on social media.
Thanking showrunner Jon Favreau and writer-executive producer Dave Filoni, Hamill tweeted, "Sometimes the greatest gifts are the most unexpected and something you never realized you wanted until it was given. #ThankYouJonAndDave."
![Mark Hamill, Mandalorian](https://ew.com/thmb/tAw-PpAHOsLTT2r4lcWzE14ExK8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Mark-Hamill-Mandalorian-67447bb17a3743bdb3643994c8a405b9.jpg)
The season 2 final brought Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his allies aboard Moff Gideon's (Giancarlo Esposito) ship to rescue Grogu/The Child. When the Dark Troopers arrive and all seems lost for the forces of good, a familiar X-Wing boards the craft. Out comes a Jedi, wielding a green lightsaber against the robots. This figure makes it to the main deck and reveals himself to be Luke — a younger CG version of Hamill's character. By his side is R2-D2.
In a separate tweet, Hamill expressed "#nowords" for all the love fans have shown for the episode. "Seeing fan's reactions to Luke's return is something I will cherish forever," he wrote. "Their anticipation seeing the X-Wing/Ep. 6 Robes/a lightsaber/a GREEN lightsaber/a gloved hand/an ungloved hand/a Force choke/R2-was OVERWHELMING & very moving to me."
Hamill previously remarked it was "nothing less than a miracle" that the production managed to keep his presence in season 2 a secret. Reports of Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano and Katee Sackoff's Bo-Katan had already come out ahead of the premiere. "A real triumph for spoiler-haters everywhere," Hamill had said.
Given the success of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm is going big with its Star Wars TV plans, including spin-offs centered on Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and the New Republic.
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