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What’s really special here is realizing just how much these filmmakers care about their projects. Keeping Luke’s reveal hush hush from cast members is just another way of showing that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have a real passion for the full fan experience and that they have no issue keeping tight lips to protect it.
— The Mandalorian: Bo-Katan Star Didn’t Know of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker Cameo Until Finale Airing
This is so stupid. I said it before but prioritising a big surprise reveal over storytelling damages the story. Actors can’t act unless they know what they’re acting against (which the show seemed to understand with its innovation of digital matte painting which gave the actors virtual sets to act within rather than endless green screen). Luke not introducing himself — and Cara not recognising the hero of the rebellion — makes sense on a metatextual level (protect spoilers at all costs) but diegetically makes no sense at all. So much of the storytelling of the show was destroyed by that cameo and the need to protect the secret destroyed what was left.
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I didn’t have this problem with the introductions of Ahsoka and Boba, but they happened in contexts where nobody needed to react appropriately to their being Ahsoka and Boba because nobody was there but Din and Din constitutionally never knows who anyone important is.
But it’s definitely a problem with Luke’s scene, since nobody is able to react to him as if he’s Luke Skywalker. He’s not even able to act like he’s Luke Skywalker; his personality isn’t there. If the scene had been staged so that, again, only Din and Grogu were present and of course Din didn’t know who Luke was, they would have avoided that problem - but would they still have been so focused on “THIS MUST SURPRISE THE AUDIENCE” that they wouldn’t let Din do the most obvious thing ANY parent in his situation would do and ask “Who are you?” and “Where are you taking him? How can I contact you?”
Oh, and this has nothing to do with Luke but they ABSOLUTELY should have taken the time for a scene of Din taking off Grogu’s shackles and trying to check that he’s not hurt but not being able to because Grogu is just frantically trying to wiggle into his arms and be held, so he holds him close and for a quiet moment they are both all right.
GIVE US OUR EMOTIONAL BEATS
