The de-aging looked terrible but I didn't even care. We finally got to see Luke at the height of his powers. No original trilogy choreography and no waste of an appearance in Last Jedi.

I love the tie in to the main Star Wars universe.

As soon as the X Wing showed up, I found myself quietly chanting "no way....no way.....no way".

That's fair.

And maybe they still do for future appearances. Gauge the reaction from this episode and go from there. Who knows? But it's hard to complain about something we've been wanting most of our lifetimes. It's like somebody who has a crush on a girl for 10 years, finally gets her, and then complains that she likes east coast bbq over Texas bbq. Does it suck that it's not 100% up to your standards? Sure. But it's a small blip in an overall amazingly positive outcome.

MuckRaker96 said:

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Harry Lime said:

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MuckRaker96 said:

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Someone much more talented than me needs to side-by-side Luke in the hallway vs. the Dark Troopers and Vader in the hall in Rogue One.

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It was an amazing parallel.

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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MuckRaker96 said:

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Harry Lime said:

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MuckRaker96 said:

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Someone much more talented than me needs to side-by-side Luke in the hallway vs. the Dark Troopers and Vader in the hall in Rogue One.

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It was an amazing parallel.

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Dear lord...it's beautiful.

Considering the CGI on Luke wasn't great, they missed the chance to cast Sebastian Stan (he's already in the Disney/Netflix umbrella).

You would think that Cara Dune, Rebel Droptrooper, would recognize a hero of the Rebellion....the guy who destroyed the space station that blew up her home planet.

THIS is what Star Wars is.

Confession #1: I've watched it 3 times.

Confession #2: Seriously considering changing my user name to Fat Bib Fortuna

Some more organized thoughts

1) Felt like a nod to Kara Thrace and BSG watching the TIEs launch out of the tubes. Don't think I've ever seen that before.

2) Mando vs. the lone dark trooper had a real "fighting a Terminator" vibe. Like you just gassed yourself beating 1 of them, and there's 40 more behind it.

3) Loved seeing the Imperial shuttle at the beginning of the episode and the Imp taunting Cara Dune about Alderaan.

4) Gideon is a great villain, sowing discord wherever he goes. His only questionable move was going after Mando with the Dark Saber. He must have known it wouldn't cut through Beskar, although perhaps he thought Mando might not have had a 100% Beskar suit.

5) The Dark Saber question is a great move to advance the plot for Season 3. Bo Katan really walks that line between ally and adversary. She won't take the Dark Saber the easy way, and I doubt Mando wants to fight her. What's more important to her, retaking Mandalore or retaking Mandalore with herself as leader?

6) It's a really great thing that they had him take off his helmet last week because he had to. Then he took it off this week because he wanted to, and with zero hesitation. But he knows he can't go back to the Watch, at least not without being stripped of everything.

7) In my Star Wars lovefest mind's eye, I imagine the communication between Grogu and Luke on Tython being a lot of memories and images of Yoda as they both knew him being passed back and forth. That helps Grogu know Luke can be trusted.

8) On the flip side, is this a precursor to Luke's arrogance that he can train Ben Solo and rid him of the darkness? Ahoska clearly didn't want to train Grogu because of his connection to Mando. Does Luke think he's beyond that? Or are his thoughts clouded by his love for Yoda and seeing that face again?

9) Where was male model Mando for this one?

10) Cara Dune: "Great, one XWing, we're saved." Oh, if you only knew.

11) I find myself a little surprise to say this, but I favored the music they used over Luke's normal theme. This is Mando's party. That music is clearly "The Sorcerer" track from the leaked soundtrack list. The Dark Troopers look unstoppable and Luke's going through them like Swiss cheese. That modern mystical beat was fitting. And it kept the audience from 100% certainty until he took the hood down.

12) This is the R2D2 I got for Christmas in 1978 when I was 4 (and an early drawing by my daughter of Yoda behind it). He's the one SW toy I have managed to keep all this time. Seeing R2 with Luke and "recognizing" Grogu's species probably made me the happiest of it all.

Yep, Terminator came to mind instantly.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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THIS is what Star Wars is.

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I love this.

It also just reminds me how much I miss going to theaters (I know this is a tv show). But I can't help but think this moment is Star Wars Portals moment or Cap getting the hammer. It is something you knew was going to happen but weren't sure and when it does it sends chills down your spine and you want to celebrate and fist pump with others around you.

God...if this had been in a theater, the audience reactions would rival Endgame.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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God...if this had been in a theater, the audience reactions would rival Endgame.

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I am almost in tears over this episode which is so weird for me.

I was definitely not born during the 70s. I am of an age where I was the roughly the same age as Anakin in Phantom Menace when it released. But I grew up with Star Wars. I had the Darth Vader mask carry case that stored the little action figures. I unironically love the prequels and the trade disputes. I fist pumped when I saw the pod racer droids show up on the Mandalorian. I love the call backs to the prequels because it unifies Star Wars. When Disney + launched my love for Star Wars was reignited watching all of the movies and learning of the greatness of Ashoka and the Clone Wars and Rebels. Then this season just bringing ALL of it home. Laying the seeds for the First Order (excellent line reading by Giancarlo about bringing order to the galaxy and the ******* Burr shot). Bringing in Boba and Ahsoka and Bo. And then this masterful ending bringing Luke in.

**** off to every single article about how this episode indulged in George's fantasy about the universe being to small and making the same mistakes. I have seen several and it is mind boggling. This is something that this show desperately needed to remind you that this isn't Agents of Shield off playing in its own playground. This is a shared universe and if you are going to be in the time frame of post RotJ you needed to do this.

I usually am underwhelmed by reaction videos, but those 4 guys are my new best friends. To be able to take such wonderful uncluttered joy in something like this during such a effed-up year makes me feel like a kid again.

Thanks to Kathleen Kennedy for hiring Jon Favreau to make this happen.

MuckRaker96 said:

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5) The Dark Saber question is a great move to advance the plot for Season 3. Bo Katan really walks that line between ally and adversary. She won't take the Dark Saber the easy way, and I doubt Mando wants to fight her. What's more important to her, retaking Mandalore or retaking Mandalore with herself as leader?

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This to me is probably the biggest takeaway from the episode, shockingly even with Luke in it. This sets up an incredible plotline that could have far reaching implications even into other shows they set off with.

How ****ING PERFECT was it just having the X-Wing fly in like that.
It's subtle and obvious at the same time.

PatAg said:

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How ****ING PERFECT was it just having the X-Wing fly in like that.
It's subtle and obvious at the same time.

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There was a split second where I thought it was one of the space cops Mando interacted with and then realized . . . oh *****

MuckRaker96 said:

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11) I find myself a little surprise to say this, but I favored the music they used over Luke's normal theme. This is Mando's party. That music is clearly "The Sorcerer" track from the leaked soundtrack list. The Dark Troopers look unstoppable and Luke's going through them like Swiss cheese. That modern mystical beat was fitting. And it kept the audience from 100% certainty until he took the hood down.

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I agree with the music being good, but Luke's theme should have swelled out of it when he he throws his hood back.

Didn't Sabine hand the Dark Saber to Bo without a fight? I was thinking during Gideon's speech that Din should have said "oh, I'm the zealot?"

What if when the blaster doors opened, we got the line...

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you."

I would have appreciated a line from Bo that said "Ho, ho, ho, now I have a starship."

Ag Since 83 said:

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He looked and sounded TERRIBLE
Even the music was a miss.

The episode as a whole was just blah. There wasn't a single scene that felt as cinematic to me as I expect given what this show has been.

Overall, I'm just underwhelmed

It should have been an amazing parallel, but it felt slow, the music didn't fit...

Meanwhile your show's main characters were just standing there watching

Shhhhh, why bring up things like "continuity" as if they are important or something

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Me: "Black Jedi robes....is that Luke?"
Me: "Green lightsaber? I think it's Luke!"
Me: "Black glove on right hand? It is Luke!"
After all that, when he removed his hood, I still cried out in joy like it was still a total shock.

I'm an almost 50 year old man whose first memories were of seeing Star Wars and my first SW toys.....and I still wept openly during that ending. Luckily, I was alone during my viewing.

And when that post-credits sequence at Jabba's palace started, I wondered if I was watching a Marvel movie.