“No,” Favreau answered. “The story unfolded as I wrote it. ‘The Mandalorian’ inherits a great deal from existing ‘Star Wars’ stories, and when I write, that context is always a consideration. It became clear that, within the established continuity, certain things were likely to transpire.”

According to Favreau’s answer, the inclusion of Luke Skywalker in “The Mandalorian” might not have been considered until after the show’s writers decided upon a storyline that saw Grogu being placed upon a seeing stone and reaching out to an unknown Jedi. After that sequence aired, many “Mandalorian” fans began speculating what Jedi might show up to save Grogu from Moff Gideon. Theories ranged from Ashoka (who appeared earlier in Season 2, played by Rosario Dawson) to Luke Skywalker. Instead of planning for Luke’s return and orchestrating the storyline to build to that moment, Favreau and his team wrote the story and brought in Luke when he became available to use given the timeline of events. Related ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Trailer: Baby Yoda Gets a Little Bit Older Pedro Pascal Worried ‘The Mandalorian’ Wouldn’t ‘Be Compelling’ to ‘Star Wars’ Fans Related Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions The Best Film Sound of 2022
“We have a tremendous amount of freedom afforded to us because of the gap in time between the films,” Favreau added when asked if he feels “penned in narratively” because “The Mandalorian” is set between George Lucas’ original trilogy and Disney’s sequel trilogy. “Dave Filoni and I are in constant discussion regarding how each story choice is impacted by, and would impact, existing ‘Star Wars’ material.” In the weeks after the airing of “The Mandalorian” Season 2 finale, Hamill has used Twitter to thank Favreau and Filoni for allowing him one more chance to play Luke Skywalker. The actor wrote on December 31, “Sometimes the greatest gifts are the most unexpected and something you never realized you wanted until it was given.” “The Mandalorian” will return for Season 3 in 2022. Next up for the “Star Wars” franchise is the spinoff series “The Book of Boba Fett,” which airs December 2021. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.