Mark Hamill's unexpected appearance as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian stands as one of the most thrilling moments in Star Wars history. Rosario Dawson shared with us at Star Wars Celebration that she was completely in the dark about his cameo until Hamill himself walked onto the set of The Book of Boba Fett. This surprise added an extra layer of excitement to her experience on the show.
To maintain the secrecy of Luke's cameo, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau cleverly used Jedi Master Plo Koon as a decoy in the scripts. This strategy was effective in preventing leaks, but it also led to a humorous misunderstanding for Dawson. She recounted reading about Plo Koon's arrival in the script for The Book of Boba Fett, which puzzled her as much as it would any fan, given Plo Koon's demise in Revenge of the Sith.
"I was like... I don't know... but people disappear and then they come back, so maybe it's possible?" Dawson mused. Her confusion was quickly cleared up when Mark Hamill appeared on set, surprising her. "He even said, 'Plo Koon? That wouldn't even make sense!' and I'm like, 'I know it didn't make sense, but I still had to think it made sense because I got the script and everything!' "
Filoni and Favreau expressed their regret over the oversight, with Filoni laughing, "I think we assumed you'd gotten told the right information. We were in it so much." Favreau added, "There were two secrets we knew we had to keep on the show. One was Grogu's reveal at the end of the first episode, and the other one was Luke Skywalker at the end of season two. We were biting our nails all the way through, and we somehow miraculously made it cleanly to both of those because everything else leaked. But, unfortunately, we didn't fill in our partner here."
Dawson took the surprise in stride, jokingly saying, "I love it, they know I can't be trusted." This incident not only showcases the lengths the team went to protect the surprise of Luke Skywalker's return but also highlights the fun and camaraderie on set.
Concept art of Plo Koon made to throw off leaks. Image Credit: Disney & Lucasfilm
