It’s been nearly a month and fans are still reeling over that shocking second season finale of The Mandalorian. As the second season took a deep dive into the much larger Star Wars galaxy with exciting characters from the original trilogy and The Clone Wars, fans were in for a real treat when the greatest Jedi Master from the movies made his appearance in the show. With Mark Hamill himself reprising the role of Luke Skywalker in the season finale, The Mandalorian single-handedly managed to salvage the failing Star Wars franchise as fans were left euphoric, with tears of joy rolling down their cheeks.
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Though the return of Luke Skywalker in his absolute best did take the fans by surprise, the Jedi Master’s appearance in this particular timeline can lead to numerous ways the future of Star Wars can be molded. The Last Jedi‘s extremely polarizing reaction and the shoe-horning of Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker did leave a bitter after-taste as many fans have rallied behind the theory of making the sequel trilogy non-canon. Though it now depends on the geniuses of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to decide how the events of The Mandalorian unfold to determine the continuity, the return of Luke Skywalker surely begets a lot of questions. But foremost, how will his return affect these 10 characters? Let’s find out!
10. Ahsoka Tano
The return of fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars was one of the major highlights of the second season. As Filoni and Favreau are already working on a brand new Ahsoka show that will follow the adventures of Ahsoka Tano as she explores the galaxy to find Ezra Bridger, and possibly Grand Admiral Thrawn, the return of Luke Skywalker also affects her character in a few ways. First and foremost, as Ahsoka was taken under Anakin’s tutelage, she never really got to know that her former master redeemed himself by saving Luke from the Emperor. Secondly, the looming threat of the First Order might reunite Ahsoka with Luke, which can probably explain her force-ghost in The Rise of Skywalker.
9. Bo-Katan Kryze
Having introduced Bo-Katan as a potential ally to take down Moff Gideon, the show adroitly set her up as a possible antagonist for the second season. As Din Djarin is the current wielder of the Darksaber, the friction between the two Mandalorians is quite palpable. Though Luke might never interact with Bo-Katan personally, he still can affect the character’s future. With Grogu’s personal attachment to Din Djarin, it is quite possible that he might leave his training to protect Din from Bo-Katan, in case he senses mortal peril. Bo-Katan might be an able warrior, but a trained Grogu can easily seal her fate.
8. Moff Gideon
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Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon was a sinister threat that loomed over the second season. Despite his inevitable defeat at the hands of Din Djarin, he was taken as a prisoner. But with the rise of the First Order, it is quite possible that the Empire will surely want one of their top strategists back. In case Gideon manages to escape, his obsession will once again lead to crossing paths with Grogu, and Luke himself. As Luke had promised to protect Grogu with his life, there is only one possible outcome if Gideon decides to attack the Jedi Master and his padawan.
7. Boba Fett
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Arguably one of the most iconic characters from Star Wars, Boba Fett’s return was truly surprising. As the legendary bounty hunter eventually teamed up with Din Djarin to rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon, he is currently on a spree to settle old debts with the people who wronged him. But interestingly, his list also includes Luke who was somehow responsible for Boba’s fall into the Sarlacc pit. In case he wishes to take on the Jedi head-on, his gadgets might not be enough to defeat Luke at his prime.
6. Din Djarin
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The farewell scene between Din and Grogu was enough to make a grown man cry. Though Din did the right thing by letting Grogu train under Luke to develop his powers, his paternal attachment might be overwhelming for both of them. With Grogu gone, it is possible that Din Djarin will get back to his bounty hunting days. But what exactly happens if Grogu decides to abandon or complete his training and come back to Din to join in his adventures?
5. Leia Skywalker
Though Leia is mostly known for being a strategist with administrative duties, let’s not forget that she is also a Force-wielder. With Luke taking Grogu as his possibly first padawan, it won’t remain a secret to Leia. But it gets interesting when we realize that Ben Solo, the son of Leia and Han also trained under Luke. As the movies never explored the fractured relationship between Leia and Kylo Ren, we think it might have to do something with Luke’s favoritism towards Grogu, which brings on to…
4. Kylo Ren
The son of Leia, nephew of Luke, and the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, Kylo Ren surely has arguably the most interesting family tree in the galaxy. A strong wielder of the Force, Kylo Ren was seduced to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke. Though the movie hastily tried to explain the fall of Ben Solo and the rise of Kylo Ren, The Mandalorian might have some concrete answers for us. As Grogu is possibly the first, or among the first disciples of Luke, there is a potential for a rivalry between Grogu and Kylo during their time at Luke’s Jedi temple. With the undercurrents of jealousy being a major factor, it is possible that Snoke exploited the situation to seduce Kylo Ren to the dark side.
3. Supreme Leader Snoke
The Mandalorian surely brought back some classic Star Wars elements in its second season. But among them was the controversial ‘m-count‘ that was subtly shown in the series. As Moff Gideon was aware of Grogu’s high ‘m-count’, it is possible that Grogu might explain the grotesque physique of Supreme Leader Snoke which is a result of numerous experimentations.
2. Grogu
If the arrival of Luke Skywalker affects a character the most, then it has to be Grogu. Having trained under Master Yoda, Luke’s life has now come a complete circle as he took Grogu as his disciple. However, Grogu’s absence from the sequel trilogy begets a few questions. The first being, did he die at the hands of Kylo Ren, which can explain Luke renouncing the Jedi Order and becoming a recluse. Secondly, what if Grogu never really completed his training and instead returned to Din Djarin? And finally, what if he did become a Jedi only to return and become the second Mandalorian-Jedi?
1. Sheev Palpatine
The return of Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker was met with divisive reception from the fans. As many fans wanted Palpatine to remain dead after being killed by Anakin in The Return of the Jedi, his mysterious return can possibly be answered by The Mandalorian. In The Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine and Anakin shared a private conversation which has been one of the most interesting theories of Star Wars lore, the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise. As the apprentice of Darth Plagueis, Palpatine learned everything about the dark side of the force, including the way to cheat death and the unnatural way to create life out of midi-chlorians. As it is already established that Grogu has a high m-count, it is not impossible for Palpatine to use the dark side of the force to orchestrate his own return. And sadly, Luke is going to be responsible for this as he awakens the force within Grogu.
