Rosario Dawson Surprised by Mark Hamill's Return as Luke Skywalker on 'The Mandalorian' Set - Star Wars Celebration

The unexpected appearance of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in *The Mandalorian* stands as one of the most thrilling surprises in the annals of *Star Wars*. At Star Wars Celebration, Rosario Dawson shared an astonishing anecdote about how she was kept in the dark regarding Hamill's cameo until he actually stepped onto the set of *The Book of Boba Fett*.

To safeguard this monumental secret, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau ingeniously used Jedi Master Plo Koon as a decoy in the scripts. This tactic was employed not just for Dawson but as a general measure to prevent leaks. Dawson recounted her confusion upon reading about Plo Koon's supposed arrival in the script, given his well-known demise in *Revenge of the Sith*. Her reaction was akin to any dedicated *Star Wars* fan trying to make sense of the unexpected.

"I was like... I don't know... but people disappear and then they come back, so maybe it's possible?" Dawson mused. The surprise was complete when Mark Hamill appeared on set, humorously dismissing the Plo Koon ruse by saying, "Plo Koon? That wouldn't even make sense!" Dawson, still processing the twist, responded, "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 for not informing Dawson earlier, with Filoni admitting, "That was bad on us!" and adding with a chuckle, "We assumed you'd gotten told the right information. We were in it so much." Favreau elaborated on the intense secrecy surrounding the project, stating, "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 oversight in stride, jokingly saying, "I love it, they know I can't be trusted."

Concept art of Plo Koon made to throw off leaks. Image Credit: Disney & Lucasfilm