The Mandalorian 2.8 Review - 6 Ups And 3 Downs From Chapter 16

2. Luke Skywalker's Rogue One Moment

The Mandalorian Chapter 16 Luke Skywalker
Lucasfilm

Ever since Grogu reached out into the void on Tython's seeing stone, fans had been speculating as to who could answer his call. In reality, there was only ever going to be one Jedi who could reply, and they make one heck of an entrance in Chapter 16.

Just when everyone thinks all hope is lost, with the Darktroopers once again on the scene and ready to pummel the blast doors and make it to the bridge, an X-Wing shows up and you can tell from Grogu's reaction that it's the Jedi he reached out to earlier in the season.

No other Jedi flies an X-Wing, so of course, it had to be Luke Skywalker - and boy does he get time to shine. Decked out in all black and brandishing his iconic green lightsaber, Luke makes quick work of the Darktroopers in a direct and clear homage to Vader's hallway massacre at the end of Rogue One.

Having dispatched all the troopers, Luke emerges onto the bridge and removes his hood, revealing a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill. It's always great to see Hamill back in Star Wars (or anything for that matter - bless him), and while yes the technology does veer ever so slightly into the uncanny valley, Luke's return is still a clear highlight.

... for the most part.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.