Executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni explain the decision to use Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. As you likely know, Grogu initially left with Luke at the end of Mando Season 2. However Grogu then made a choice to go back with Dinn Djarin during The Book of Boba Fett. Speaking this this months Empire Magazine Favreau explains that Luke was never some big plan, but a natural evolution in where the story went.
“We knew certain things had to happen. Who he would meet… There was a sense of discovery of who that was. It wasn’t like we said from the jump that this was a story about a little Force-sensitive creature meeting up with Luke Skywalker. That wasn’t the plan. That emerged as things unfolded. So the story kind of tells itself to us. We’re also in television, where it could go on forever, or it could stop tomorrow. You don’t know — you’re beholden to market forces, you’re beholden to the audience. But right now, everyone seems to enjoy the stories we’re telling. And we love telling them.”
Why Luke?
Why Luke though, and not someone else? Dave Filoni explains the thought process.
“It’s a big question for me always: do we bring in any of these characters or not? And I was telling Jon that as much as I wanted to have Ahsoka in the show, she can’t take this kid on. That’s just not what I have planned. Then Jon was like, “Who’s it going to be? Who’s gonna come and get him?” And we started logic-ing it out. If there’s one person that would be great to train Grogu, it’s Luke. It’s a big decision for many reasons. Forgetting the technological aspect of it, which is, how do you execute that and bring it to life? It’s this iconic character who’s the centre of the whole thing from when we were kids, and if you want to bring that character in, you make sure that there’s a good purpose behind it.”
“And it’s not just, “Look, here’s Luke.” But in this time period he is the Jedi, he is the one person carrying on the legacy of what it means to be a Jedi, and perhaps improving on or having a new perspective on what it means to be a Jedi, compared to the prequel Jedi. And so he’s seeking out students, building a new Jedi Order. So Luke finding Grogu made the most sense. I told Jon, “What’s exciting is if we get Luke, we probably get R2.” And Jon lit up. He loves R2. I said, “We have to have that image of R2 and Grogu, how could we not?” For me, before I was writing anything I was always drawing. When Jon was describing Grogu to me in the beginning, I drew the little hovering pram sitting next to Mando.”
“I still have that. I keep all the originals.” Replies Favreau
“But that’s the image, right? That’s it. It’s like drawing R2 with Grogu. That’s the image.”
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There’s an argument to be made that Luke’s presence was inconsequential given Grogu’s ultimate decision. However that choice had to be explored, and bringing in another Jedi likely muddies the water far more than Luke does. As Filoni says, he decided it could not be Ahsoka due to his existing story plans for the character he created. Ergo, I feel like Luke was the right choice because it worked. The episode where Grogu makes that choice with Luke is honestly one of the best 45 minutes Lucasfilm has produced since Return of the Jedi. In my opinion only surpassed thus far by how great Andor was as a whole. So compared to what we have gotten from Disney with regards to Luke Skywalker, this felt like more of a home run.
What do you think of their comments as executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni explain the decision to use Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian? Thoughts below as always.

