Season 2 of The Mandalorian not only lived up to the standard set by Season 1, but arguably surpassed it with its level of quality and the sheer number of character cameos from elsewhere in the Star Wars canon. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Special , released on Christmas Day on Disney+ offered fans a behind-the-scenes peek of what it was like creating this incredible season.
But one of the coolest moments from the special, and possibly for the show's cast and crew as well, had to be when George Lucas visited the set; and thanks to one of the series' directors, fans are learning a bit more of what it was like on set that day.
NEWS
In an interview from Collider with Sam Hargrave, the Second Unit Director for The Mandalorian , Hargrave opened up about his experiences shooting Season 2 of the hit series.
When asked about whether he was on set the day George Lucas visited, Hargrave responded saying,
"I was there but, I mean, I was working on another stage. But I did pass through, and I saw him there. He was actually - you would've thought that the real Yoda had showed up. I mean, he kind of did. But there was more people there that day than any other day on any other, you know, episode of the whole season. That was as if you were at Comic-Con on the stage where he was. It was crazy."
The cast and crew of The Mandalorian weren't the only ones to show up when Lucas arrived. Thanks to a photo from Jon Favreau, we know that George Lucas actually held Baby Yoda/Grogu during his set visit and bonded with Rosario Dawson who played Ahsoka Tano .
When Hargrave was asked about whether he wanted to approach Lucas and ask for a picture, he was honest in admitting he wanted to; however he decided against explaining that it's not what he's paid to do and probably isn't why Lucas came to the set.
Instead, Hargrave speculated, "... he (Lucas) just wants to come and see the, you know, the fruit of his labors of thirty to forty years ago... So I'm like, let him enjoy it. "
One of the biggest moments of Season 2 was the introduction of Ahsoka Tano in a live-action format for the first time. When asked how involved Hargrave was in the incredible action scenes seen in Ahsoka's debut episode, Hargrave gave all the credit to Dave Filoni saying, "... like he showed storyboards and previews of stuff he had been working on for months, and Dave Filoni came up with a lot of those beats ."
Since Dave Filoni created the character of Ahsoka Tano, it's understandable that he would be the one to truly bring her to life in live-action. Also, since Ahsoka was a Jedi, her style of fighting is just as much a part of her character as her speech and appearance.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Since Season 2 of The Mandalorian introduced so many new characters in its eight-episode run, it's fascinating to learn just how that juggling act was achieved from a director's perspective, as well as how George Lucas' visit impacted that particular day on set.
The character of Ahsoka Tano had a big year due to The Clone Wars finale, her live-action debut, and now her own announced series for Disney+ . With all of that in mind, it was fascinating to hear how Filoni carefully crafted her first appearance in the live-action format from the perspective of another director.
