How Old Luke Skywalker Is In The Mandalorian

Luke Skywalker arrived in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” but how old is the Jedi Master at this point in the Star Wars timeline – and just how much was Mark Hamill de-aged by? “The Rescue” contained several major twists and plot developments, as Din Djarin unwittingly claimed the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, Grogu aka Baby Yoda was saved from the Empire’s clutches, and an apparent spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett, was setup in a post-credits scene. But even with all of that, the biggest talking point was the introduction of Luke to The Mandalorian, as he flew in on his X-wing to save the day and take Grogu for Jedi training.

This latest moment of heroism is one of Luke’s most impressive, given the way he uses his green lightsaber and incredible Force powers to take out the army of Dark Troopers. Star Wars fans have watched a lot of Luke’s life play out on screen, from his birth in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith to his death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but this was the all-mighty Jedi Master many had longed to see depicted. Luke is at the peak of his powers here, and that’s no surprise given the timeline.

As shown in Revenge of the Sith, Luke Skywalker was born in 19BBY, just two days before Empire Day. That means Luke was 19-years-old at the outset of Star Wars‘ original trilogy, and 23 by the end of it in Return of the Jedi. The events of “The Rescue” take place in approximately 9ABY, meaning Luke Skywalker is 28-years-old in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 8. This helps to explain why he’s so strong at this moment: while Force powers can develop with age, Luke is physically in his prime, and given he was already impressively-skilled in Return of the Jedi, has spent years better honing his gifts to be as good as possible.

Luke’s age in The Mandalorian also fits with the actor who doubles as the Jedi, Max Lloyd Jones, who is 29-years-old. Mark Hamill, provided the voice for the character and had his own face digitally de-aged and superimposed onto Lloyd Jones’ body – Hamill is 69-years-old, so gets to appear here as a more than 40-years-younger version of himself, around the same age gap as Leia Organa (19) and Carrie Fisher (60) when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story depicted a de-aged version of the Princess. In both cases, while they may be some complaints about the CGI, it’s the emotion and meaning of having those characters and actors involved that adds so much.

The Mandalorian is far from the end of Luke Skywalker’s story, of course. In 15ABY, at around  34-years-old, he will begin training Ben Solo; when Ben turns against him and the Jedi Temple is destroyed in 28ABY, Luke is 47. When he returns in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and then dies in The Last Jedi, Luke is approximately 53-years-old, meaning the version of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian is just over half way through his life, and has already achieved an incredible amount.

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