Mark Hamill addresses his return as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian season 2 episode 8 had plenty going on – from the Dark Troopers finally going up against the eponymous gunslinger, to the Darksaber falling into Mando’s hands (technically making him the ruler of Mandalore). 

One of the biggest things to happen in the episode, however, was the return of Luke Skywalker – with Mark Hamill reprising the role he is perhaps most famous for. Naturally, the internet exploded – and Hamill has addressed both how he feels about his return and the fan reaction.

On Twitter, Hamill shared: “Sometimes the greatest gifts are the most unexpected and something you never realized you wanted until it was given. #ThankYouJonAndDave”

The actor then tweeted about the reaction to Luke’s surprise appearance: “‪No words – Seeing fan's reactions to Luke's return is something I will cherish forever. Their anticipation seeing the X-Wing/Episode 6 Robes/a lightsaber/a GREEN lightsaber/a gloved hand/an ungloved hand/a Force choke/R2-was OVERWHELMING & very moving to me… 

"I'm a fan myself, so I knew true fans would love it, but to see them thrilled beyond belief with the exuberance of children, whooping it up, screaming in ecstasy, the tears of sheer joy...it's a rollercoaster of emotions I'll never forget.”

Hamill had already talked a bit about his return on Twitter, asking: “Seen anything good on TV lately?” and commenting “The fact that we were able to keep my involvement a secret for over a year with no leaks is nothing less than a miracle. A real triumph for spoiler-haters everywhere!”

We’ll have to wait a while longer to find out what’s going to happen to Grogu and Mando now, or if we'll see Luke training Baby Yoda in the ways of the Force – the next Star Wars Disney Plus instalment is The Book of Boba Fett, arriving December 2021. The good news is we can expect The Mandalorian season 3 sometime afterwards, though. Until then, check out our roundup of all the new Star Wars movies and TV shows on the way – and there are a lot to get excited about.