The Mandalorian Went To Bizarre Lengths To Hide Mark Hamill's Involvement In Season 2 Finale

We're all caught up on "The Mandalorian," right? We all know the score? In the aftermath of a climactic battle, Mando receives a visit from the most intense child services officer in the "Star Wars" universe, who confidently informs the bounty hunter that a spaceship full of guns isn't a safe place for a child, not compared to a school full of laser swords. With that ironclad argument in play and the promise that nothing bad will ever happen at Jedi school, Grogu takes off with his new adoptive pappy, Luke Skywalker.

Even with the nigh-impenetrable Disney-brand wall of secrecy surrounding the project, it's pretty astonishing to think that season two of "The Mandalorian" managed to make it to the finish line without springing a leak. Even Mark Hamill called the fact that the secret was so well kept "nothing less than a miracle." As it turns out, the whole thing had less to do with luck and more to do with the three factors to successful filmmaking: Trickery, CGI, and lying to the actors.

According to the Disney+ docuseries "Disney Gallery," "The Mandalorian" higher ups Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau went to remarkable lengths to ensure that Luke Skywalker's return was kept secret from as many people as possible, including the actors supposedly sharing the screen with the beloved Jedi Knight.

Scripts for "The Mandalorian's" finale featured the name Plo Koon in the place of Luke, pointing to a surprise return from the grave for the Jedi last seen exploding in a burst of Order 66 during the third act of "Revenge of the Sith." The supposed big-reveal moment in the script even said "He is not dead after all," rubbing salt in the wounds of Plo stans everywhere. What's more, Filoni had concept art and 3D models put together featuring the Kel Dor in Skywalker's place, doubling down on the ruse in an impressive — if extravagant — way.

It would've been a tough bluff to call. Filoni has a history of digging Plo Koon, giving the character plenty of meaty stories across the "Clone Wars" saga. Still, it was pretty undeniably cool to be surprised by "Return of the Jedi"-era Luke and his not-yet-absent enthusiasm for teaching kids to lift rocks with their brains.