The Mandalorian Hid Mark Hamill's Cameo Appearance By Creating Fake Plo Koon Art, As You Do
The major secret cameo from season 2 of "The Mandalorian" isn't that much of a secret anymore. Unless you've been deep in the swamps of Dagobah for the last few months, you likely know that none other than Luke Skywalker himself (a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill) rescued Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda, AKA Frog Egg Eater) in the season's last episode.
Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and the rest of "The Mandalorian" creative team wanted to keep that reveal a secret until the episode aired. And we find out in the second installment of "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian" (via CBR) that they wanted to keep Hamill a secret so badly, they actively planted red herrings to make others think the cameo would be of another "Star Wars" Jedi.
Bringing Plo Koon Back From the Dead (But Not Really)
The Jedi they used as a false flag was none other than the prequels' Plo Koon. Using Plo Koon was an inspired choice — not only is he a "Star Wars" fan favorite, but one of Filoni's favorite Jedis as well. The choice admittedly has the problem that Plo Koon definitively dies at the end of "Revenge of the Sith." It's tough, however, to kill someone with master control over the Force — just ask Darth Maul.
Filoni and Favreau were so committed to misdirecting others toward Plo Koon they had their team put together concept art and CGI renditions of what the back-from-the-dead Jedi would potentially look like. It's not clear if this effort was solely done as a misdirect or as a potential backup plan if things with Hamill didn't pan out. Either way, I can't help but wonder if Filoni and/or Favreau came up with a story about how Plo Koon escaped certain death.
For those who need a refresher, Plo Koon, a Kel Dor from Dorin, died in "Revenge of the Sith" above the planet Cato Neimoidia. He was flying with his clone wingmen when Palpatine issued Order 66. His wingman, Captain Jag, promptly shot at his starfighter and he went down in a crash full of explosions and fire.
Having Plo Koon save Grogu at the end of Season 2 of "The Mandalorian" would have a very different feel than the dashing de-aged Hamill. While many fans would welcome having Master Plo back from the dead, it's hard to beat seeing young Luke Skywalker on screen again.
If you're missing Plo Koon, he's still around in other "Star Wars" content, all of which is streaming on Disney+ along with "The Mandalorian" and the behind-the-scenes series, "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian."