Star Wars: Rogue One's Darth Vader Scene Receives Callback in The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale

By Andrew Gilman Posted:
Darth Vader, The Mandalorian logo

Warning — This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2.

The Mandalorian Season 2 ended with a bang .

Din Djarin had successfully defeated Moff Gideon, reclaiming both Grogu and the Darksaber in the process. Despite this victory, the Moff still had one final card in his deck: the dark troopers, who had seemingly been purged earlier in Mando's efforts to raid the Imperial cruiser. With Gideon's forces literally knocking on the door of the bridge, our heroes' chances of survival were looking bleak.

Until an X-Wing came swooping in, the unmistakable Red Five belonging to none other than Luke Skywalker. The reveal of the iconic hero was epic beyond words, giving Star Wars fans the big Luke moment they've waited decades for. Luke hails from a powerful lineage, and that's something that didn't go ignored during his appearance. As he made his final push to reach the Imperial cruiser's bridge, fans were treated to a sequence similar to one featuring his father...

NEWS

In The Mandalorian "Chapter 16 - The Rescue," Luke Skywalker faces down a group of dark troopers in a hallway leading to the Imperial cruiser's bridge. This sequence is a strong parallel to a similar battle in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , when Darth Vader mowed down a unit of Rebel soldiers.

Closing the door might not be a bad idea:

Luke, Vader, Hallway
Via Star Wars

They can both do the magic hand thing too:

Luke, Vader, Hallway
Via Star Wars

WHAT THIS MEANS

Like father, like son.

Somewhere out in the Netherworld of the Force, Anakin Skywalker is looking down proudly at Luke's work. Of course, at the time Anakin's actions weren't exactly done with the best of intentions, as he was Darth Vader kicking the good guys' asses. But a professional hallway fighter knows one when he sees one, and Luke is definitely Anakin's boy.

It's still hard to comprehend the events that just transpired. A powerful, but wise, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is something Star Wars fans have been dying to see for an eternity, and depending on who you ask, the newer films failed to deliver on that wish. But The Mandalorian has provided the moment without a shadow of the doubt, and it literally brought people to tears.

One of the beautiful things about Star Wars storytelling is the visual parallels - "it's like poetry, it rhymes." Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have recognized this throughout the process of bringing The Mandalorian to life, and it shines through in glorious moments like these. Director Peyton Reed's efforts also shouldn't go unmentioned , as his work is what brought Luke's sequence to life.

Vader's hallway rampage in Rogue One has solidified itself as one of the most iconic sequences in Star Wars, and Luke Skywalker's latest dance-off with Gideon's dark troopers is posed to attain legendary status as well. There's little more that can be said to The Mandalorian's creative team than "thank you."

Luke Skywalker is a hallway fighter, like his father before him.

- About The Author: Andrew Gilman

STAR WARS Writer