TV Mark Hamill calls his surprise Mandalorian season 2 cameo 'the greatest gift' The Luke Skywalker actor says he'll cherish all the fan reactions to his return in The Mandalorian. By Nick Romano Nick Romano Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano. EW's editorial guidelines Published on December 31, 2020 12:16PM EST Now that The Mandalorian season 2 finale is out in the world, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill can talk about his the big surprise in the final moments of "Chapter 16: The Rescue." Hamill calls Luke Skywalker's return to the franchise through CG de-aging magic among "the greatest gifts," he wrote in response to fan reactions on social media. Thanking showrunner Jon Favreau and writer-executive producer Dave Filoni, Hamill tweeted, "Sometimes the greatest gifts are the most unexpected and something you never realized you wanted until it was given. #ThankYouJonAndDave." Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Disney+ The season 2 final brought Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his allies aboard Moff Gideon's (Giancarlo Esposito) ship to rescue Grogu/The Child. When the Dark Troopers arrive and all seems lost for the forces of good, a familiar X-Wing boards the craft. Out comes a Jedi, wielding a green lightsaber against the robots. This figure makes it to the main deck and reveals himself to be Luke — a younger CG version of Hamill's character. By his side is R2-D2. In a separate tweet, Hamill expressed "#nowords" for all the love fans have shown for the episode. "Seeing fan's reactions to Luke's return is something I will cherish forever," he wrote. "Their anticipation seeing the X-Wing/Ep. 6 Robes/a lightsaber/a GREEN lightsaber/a gloved hand/an ungloved hand/a Force choke/R2-was OVERWHELMING & very moving to me." Hamill previously remarked it was "nothing less than a miracle" that the production managed to keep his presence in season 2 a secret. Reports of Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano and Katee Sackoff's Bo-Katan had already come out ahead of the premiere. "A real triumph for spoiler-haters everywhere," Hamill had said. Given the success of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm is going big with its Star Wars TV plans, including spin-offs centered on Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and the New Republic. Related content: Robert Rodriguez jamming with Baby Yoda on The Mandalorian set is just the cutest thing The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau clarifies what The Book of Boba Fett is The Mandalorian announces an Ahsoka Tano spin-off series