When Star Wars fans first got a glimpse of Grogu's Order 66 flashback in The Book of Boba Fett, most of them were convinced that it was going to lead to a cameo appearance from Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker down the line. Of course, it made logical sense for Anakin to be involved in it given his pivotal role in the Jedi purge.
But much to the chagrin of The Mandalorian's avid viewers, Chapter 20 didn't see any trace of Anakin as the episode recalled Baby Yoda's Order 66 experience. Many felt it was a missed opportunity on the creators' part not to include Anakin in the pivotal scene.
Now, it turns out that the would-be Sith Lord was actually considered to show up during Grogu's horrific flashback sequence. Speaking with Insider at The Mandalorian's red carpet event at PaleyFest in Los Angeles, executive producer Dave Filoni revealed that he and Jon Favreau indeed had plans to utilize Anakin in the show.
Unfortunately, the idea was ultimately placed on the back burner because they wanted to be careful with handling such characters. Filoni explains: "I discussed it with Jon briefly and I said, you know, there were some opportunities there. We always have to kind of look at every possibility."
He added: "At the end of the day though, a character like Anakin, one of George's characters, we have to be very careful how we utilize those characters. It's very special when we do. So, I think we quickly moved away from that."
Also Read: The Mandalorian Chapter 20 Marks Jaw-Dropping Return of Prequel Trilogy Icon
I think it's a smart move because Anakin showing up in the scene would have overshadowed Grogu's flashback. Obviously, the sequence was meant to give fans a more in-depth look at The Child's traumatic experience which Chapter 21 succeeded with. Plus, we also got to see Ahmed Best in action as Kelleran Beq so it's a win-win situation for sure.
The sixth episode of The Mandalorian Season 3 will hit Disney+ on Wednesday, April 5th.
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