Mark Hamill’s surprise appearance as Luke Skywalker in *The Mandalorian* is still regarded as one of the most jaw-dropping moments in *Star Wars* history. But what many fans may not know is that even some of the cast were kept completely in the dark—Rosario Dawson included. In fact, Dawson revealed at Star Wars Celebration that she had no idea Mark Hamill was set to appear until he walked onto the set of *The Book of Boba Fett*, delivering one of the most unexpected and unforgettable surprises of her career.
It’s no secret that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni went to great lengths to protect the identity of the mysterious Jedi seen at the end of *The Mandalorian* Season 2. To throw off potential leaks, they used Jedi Master Plo Koon as a decoy throughout production. During our interview, both creators shared how this clever misdirection accidentally left Dawson completely blindsided.
In the script for *The Book of Boba Fett*, Dawson read a scene indicating Plo Koon would be making an appearance—an idea that immediately raised questions. After all, fans remember Plo Koon meeting a tragic fate in *Revenge of the Sith*. Still, she tried to make sense of it like any viewer would.
"I was like… I don't know… but people disappear and then come back, so maybe it's possible?" Dawson recalled with a laugh. "And then Mark Hamill showed up on set and completely surprised me—it was such a surreal moment. He even said, 'Plo Koon? That wouldn’t even make sense!' And I’m like, 'I know it didn’t make sense, but I had to believe it did because I got the script and everything!'
Favreau and Filoni admitted their mistake almost immediately, expressing regret for not informing her earlier.
"That was bad on us!" Favreau joked.
"I think we just assumed you'd been told the right information," Filoni added with a chuckle. "We were so deep in it, we forgot others weren’t."
Dawson took it all in stride, laughing off the mix-up. “I love it,” she said. “They know I can’t be trusted.”
The secrecy surrounding major reveals like Grogu’s return and Luke Skywalker’s cameo was intense, especially given how much else from the show had already leaked. Favreau noted, “There were two secrets we knew we had to keep on the show—one was Grogu’s reveal at the end of the first episode, and the other was Luke Skywalker at the end of Season 2. We were biting our nails the entire time. Somehow, we miraculously made it through both without a leak. Unfortunately, we forgot to loop in our partner here!”
