Warning! SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2 finale.
Luke Skywalker makes an appearance in The Mandalorian's season 2 finale with a scene that proves Luke is more like Darth Vader than even he may realize. Lucasfilm's first ever live-action TV show wrapped up its sophomore season on Disney+ in spectacular fashion, sending Baby Yoda to train with Luke and having Din Djarin become the rightful owner of the Darksaber. Both developments set the stage for a very different Mandalorian season 3, releasing in 2021, and tease even bigger obstacles ahead than Moff Gideon.
Though set in the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian has largely shied away from using its most recognizable characters: the Jedi. Sure, Baby Yoda, now officially known by his real name, Grogu, has Force powers and hasn't been afraid to use them, but through much of season 1 the Jedi are barely mentioned. Not until the season 1 finale does a lightsaber even appear, and then the Darksaber isn't exactly your typically laser sword. The Mandalorian season 2 promised to up the number of Force sensitives, and with Ahsoka Tano's live-action debut and now Luke's digitally de-aged cameo, the show has delivered. Luke's scene in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, however, isn't just the appearance of another Jedi, it's a reminder of how terrifyingly powerful a Jedi can be, and especially one named Skywalker.
In The Mandalorian season 2 finale, "Chapter 16: The Rescue," Luke arrives in the nick of time to save Din, Grogu, and everyone else from the Dark Troopers. The scene finds the hooded Jedi making his way through the hallways of Gideon's ship to the bridge, easily cutting down any attacking droids he encounters. Immediately, it's obvious this scene is intended to be reminiscent of the hallway scene with Darth Vader in Rogue One. Everything about the staging of this scene calls back to that earlier moment, and while it may have only been included to achieve some visual symmetry, Luke's hallways scene proves he's more like his father than he knows.
Both scenes are moments where anyone watching is completely awed by the power of a Jedi or Sith. This is true for the other characters just as much as the audience, but for them, their awe is often mixed with at least a tinge of terror. In Rogue One, it's very evident with the fleeing rebels screaming in terror as Vader mows them down, but The Mandalorian season 2 presents this fear, too. Luke's clinical assault on the Dark Troopers makes those watching from the bridge uneasy, and has Gideon attempt suicide rather than meet him face-to-face. Viewers understand Luke is coming as a friend and not foe, but for those within the story, his intentions are not as clear. In this way, Luke is more like Vader than he realizes, striking fear in those who witness his power.
Luke's relishing of the chance to wipe out a whole platoon of droids, especially his crushing of the final Dark Trooper, doesn't help to paint him as a calm, cool-headed Jedi, either. That kind of aggression feels more Sith, more Vader, but also very much like Anakin as a Jedi. And that absolutely fits the point in Luke's story in which this scene comes. This is a Luke at his most powerful (so far at least), and with that power comes a pride very reminiscent of Anakin prior to his descent into darkness. Luke is also destined for a fall, though not one as tragic as his father's. His hubris is what leads to his dreams of a new Jedi Order being destroyed, and as Luke sweeps in like some avenging hero to take Grogu away to be trained in the ways of the Force, it's impossible to forget that is what awaits them.
Luke's hallway scene in The Mandalorian doesn't come about for the same reasons as Vader's in Rogue One, but it does wind up having a similar role in the story. It demonstrates the terrifying power Force-users are capable of, and in this specific case, reminds us the same anger and violence that consumed Anakin is present in his son, too. The difference lies in Luke having learned how to (mostly) control those feelings, a trait he will hopefully be able to pass on to Baby Yoda.
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